When you think of eating barbecue, there are several things that could come to mind first. Ribs perhaps? Brisket? Chicken? Any of those possibilities and others more than likely come flying into your brain, but I'd wager that the first thing you think of is more than likely not a sandwich. Thankfully, however, as barbecue becomes less a regional specialty food and more a ubiquitous form of meaty goodness, that may soon change (if it hasn't already). I speak of course of the pulled pork sandwich. It seems hard to believe now, but just over a decade ago, I hadn't even heard of a pulled pork sandwich, let alone eaten one. In fact, I can still remember the first time I heard of such a thing as a pulled pork sandwich. I was dating the woman who is now my wife and we were eating with a bunch of her friends at the now defunct Hard Rock Cafe in Salt Lake City and one of the guys there ordered a pulled pork sandwich. I remember being slightly surprised at the name and wondering what on earth made this sandwich "pulled" and what it would look like. I soon found out, and before long was ordering these things any chance I got.I now know that the reason these sandwiches are referred to as "pulled pork" has to do with the method of preparation. Pork (usually shoulder cut) is cooked over low heat for an extended period of time which results in the meat becoming tender enough that it can simply be pulled apart by hand. Although this form of barbecue seems to have originated in Mexico, where it is known as carnitas, it has been adopted and modified by many other cultures and several regions of the US. Pulled pork can be eaten in a variety of ways (in tacos or burritos, over rice, etc), but in the US, the pulled pork sandwich has become the preferred mode of distribution.
Although the ingredients are few, there are subtle regional variations that can be made in a pulled pork sandwich that often relate to the cuts of meat used and the sauce served with or over the pork itself. For example, in areas such as Tennessee, the sauce is tomato-based whereas in Carolina barbecue, the sauce is vinegar-based or completely absent.
With the recent (relatively speaking) proliferation of barbecue establishments to all parts of the country, you can probably find a number of places to get a pulled pork sandwich. On this occasion, we went to Texas Roadhouse, a national barbecue chain that recently opened several locations here in Utah. As expected, the list of ingredients for this sandwich is sparse:
- Type of bread: Toasted Bun
- Dressing(s)/Condiment(s): Barbecue Sauce
- Toppings: Pulled Pork
- Quantity/Value: 4/5 - The picture above probably doesn't do justice to the amount of food you get when you order this sandwich for $6.99. That price includes the pickle spear (pictured), but also a big ol' pile of steak fries which I hoover'd out of the way before snapping the shot so as not to obscure the view of the sandwich in any way. The sandwich is a nice normal bun size and thankfully the amount of pulled pork is generous.
- Originality: 3/5 - An average rating for originality here and maybe even the three is generous. Texas Roadhouse is definitely not the first establishment to come up with a pulled pork sandwich and their version does absolutely nothing outside of what you would expect. Not bad, just not original.
- Appearance: 7/10 - This sandwich definitely didn't look bad, but my main gripe is this - the amount of barbecue used on the sandwich is such that it barely coats the pork, sort of like a glaze and then I can't say for sure, but it looks like in order to toast the bun, they might just toast the whole sandwich with the meat already on. The problem with that is it leaves the pork looking (and tasting) a little drier and tougher than you would expect.
- Quality/Freshness: 8/10 - Despite what I just said about the meat looking a little dry which I assume is due to some sort of toasting process, if that what it takes to toast the bun, it's worth it because that was key. The softness of the bun made it clear it was fresh, but the toasting gave it a little crunch to offer some contrast in texture to the chewy pork. This was good pork, too. As it should, the slow and low cooking process left the meat incredibly tender and in addition, I didn't have to pull out any huge globs of fat or gristle or any other nonsense which was great.
- Taste: 18/20 - I may be biased, but I think it would be difficult to really screw up a pulled pork sandwich once you get the pulled pork right. This pulled pork was right, and Texas Roadhouse has made the decision to let the pork stand on its own, which by and large is a good one. The flavors complimenting the pork are very subtle. However, I think they may be just a tad too subtle. The barbecue sauce, as mentioned above, was applied in such a minor quantity that it does little more than glaze the meat. I honestly can't remember how it tasted because there wasn't enough of it there to tell. Obviously you don't want to mask and overpower the taste of the meat, but there is a reason sauce is used in barbecue and I don't think this sandwich took advantage of that quite enough. A very minor quibble, though.
