Tounge-Tantalizing Barbecue Pork

By mschweickert

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups dark beer (from 2 bottles)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon red and black pepper blend
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 pounds country-style pork ribs
• 2 sweet banana peppers
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons hot sauce
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chipotle hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 small pineapple, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 Fresno chiles or red jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 1 pound applewood smoked bacon
• 5 Kaiser rolls

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees . Pour 1 cup of the beer in bottom of a baking pan. Put a rack on top (high enough to keep pork off of beer). Mix garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, pepper blend, chili powder, salt and 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar and rub onto pork. Bake at 325 degrees , covered, for 2-1/2 hours or until very tender. Once cooked, shred pork, discarding fat.

2. Meanwhile, roast banana peppers on the grill, then remove skin and seeds. Finely chop and mix with pork.

3. Pour another 1 cup beer in a saucepan. Add 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and the red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture reduces to 1/2 cup, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Once reduced, add cider vinegar, hot sauce, Worcestershire, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, the tomato paste, chipotle hot sauce and mustard. Stir until combined. Stir in broth. Simmer 20 minutes. Stir into pork.

4. Blend cinnamon and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Rub onto pineapple slices. Grill slices over medium heat for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side. Finely chop; set aside.

5. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, scallion, onion and peppers. In separate bowl, whisk together remaining 1/3 cup beer, remaining 1 tablespoon each brown sugar and white vinegar. Pour mixture over cabbage and peppers; toss to combine. Let stand 30 minutes.

6. Cook bacon in oven or panini press until crisp, about 10 minutes. Flip halfway through; drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
To serve:
7. Split rolls in half. Stack with pulled pork (a generous portion), 1 tablespoon pineapple and 3 slices of crumbled bacon. Add 2 tablespoons slaw, then bun tops, and serve.