Pulled Pork and Fried Pickles

Apologies to all for a lack of post last week (we went out to Spacebar and there wasn't really a need to re-review it), but I plan to make it up to you with an extra delicious creation for this week. 

Not too long ago I got a comment on one of my posts asking if I've ever experimented with pickles on my grilled cheese.  Up until then I hadn't, but it sounded like a great idea, so I started plotting the best way to bring some pickles into the mix on a future sandwich.  After the resounding success of the onion ring grilled cheese, I decided that fried pickles may just be the way to go here. 

But while brainstorming sandwich specifics with Colin, we decided that just pickles and cheese may not be quite right.  Somehow we happened upon the idea of pulled pork as an additional ingredient.  I had encountered a delicious pulled pork grilled cheese during my second trip to Cheesie's Pub and Grub in Chicago, and while it was good, our iteration is different.  The main difference is that we decided to go with Carolina-style barbeque instead of the sweeter/ketchup based barbeque that Cheesie's used.  We hoped that the Carolina barbeque's vinegar base would compliment the acidity of the pickles and leave room for the cheese to shine.  With the basic recipe in mind we were ready to get down to business.

Ingredients:
* Pepperidge Farm Sourdough (the creme de la creme of grilled cheese breads)
* 8 ounces cheddar
* 8 ounces jack
* Carolina-style pulled pork (I didn't have time to make my own, so store bought had to suffice)
* Dill pickle slices
* Flour, beer, egg, and seasoning for beer batter
* Vegetable oil for frying

I started off by heating about 2" of vegetable oil in a pan while I worked on mixing up the beer batter.  This is done by combining 1 egg with 1 cup of flour and adding 1 cup of beer; but in this case I accidentally added too much beer.  Fortunately the great thing about beer batter is that the recipe is pretty free form-- too much beer?  Add some more flour.  I also sprinkled in a little garlic powder and Cajun spice and was ready to roll.

Next up I coated the pickle slices and tossed them in the hot oil.  I'm not sure how long I ended up cooking the pickles, but I just eyeballed it and made sure to take them out once they turned golden brown.

Finished pickles would sit on a paper towel to allow their excess oil to drip off.

While I was frying sous chef had been working on grating the cheeses, so all that was left to do once the pickles were done was to heat up some of the pulled pork.

Made in Nebraska?  Wow, it must be authentic.

All this involved was microwaving the tub of pork, so that took no time at all.

Colin's step-sister Ellen was joining us for dinner this week so we decided to make 3 sandwiches (we figured these would be hearty enough that we wouldn't need two per person).

Step one: Butter one side of each slice of bread and place face down, then distribute the pickles evenly on the bread.

Step two: Add as much pork as you see fit.  I just sort of gave it a solid layer of pork that wasn't so monstrous that I didn't also have room for the cheese.

Step three: Add as much cheese as you see fit which, in my case, is a lot.  These were pretty thick sammies by the time I was through with them.  Finally, top each sandwich with another slice of bread and butter the outside.

These fried up quite nicely (as is always the case with Pepperidge Farm Sourdough), but definitely required a dual spatula attack to flip them so as not to lose lots of filling.  For a refresher on what I mean by the dual spatula method, here's a shot from back when I used it on the Havarti and Dilled Cucumbers on Rye.

Keeping pressure on both sides means the sandwich stays together.

The cheese melted quickly and in no time we were ready to go!

Taste Review:

As usual, aroma is the first thing we assess and in this case there really wasn't one.  I think if we had cooked the barbeque pork ourselves that would've been the dominant scent, but in this case there wasn't a particularly noticeable scent.  Biting into the sandwich the first thing anyone commented on was the gooiness of the cheese.  It was melted very evenly and spread nicely over the barbeque.  Speaking of the barbeque, we all agreed that using Carolina barbeque was a wise decision.  You could taste its flavor and spices, but it didn't have an overwhelming sauce.  Although, as usual, Colin wanted more meat.

Now let's talk pickles.  Part of the reason I don't usually like pickles on my sandwiches is because they're too salty but, thanks to the batter, the pickles are both salty and sweet-ish (not sure sweet is the right word for beer batter, but the batter does help to control the salt level, which gives it a sweet effect).  One observation about the pickles was that they weren't crispy, but that was a non-issue which can likely be attributed to the fact that the pickles were thinly sliced.  We all agreed that the batter could use some more flavor-- maybe some spicier pepper or more garlic, or really whatever floats your boat.  The additional flavor in the batter would only help the pickles to stand out, which in my mind is a good thing.  Something that had frustrated me during the batter dipping process was that the batter tended to run off of the pickles quickly, so in addition to adding more flavor to the batter I would also maybe let the pickles soak in the batter for a little longer to see if that helps them to absorb more batter.

We've already noted that the cheese helped the sandwich seem gooey but, while gooey, the sandwich wasn't at all creamy.  By this I mean the pork was on the drier/crumbly side and Colin argued that it would need more sauce to qualify as true "Carolina barbeque."  I said I liked it this way and would worry that too much sauce would make the sandwich soggy.  Ellen suggested serving additional Carolina barbeque sauce (vinegar based) on the side sort of like an au jus, which I think would be good because then you could control your own level of soggy.

FINAL RESULTS:

Sandwich:	Pulled Pork and Fried Pickle Grilled Cheese
Gooey-ness:	3
Aroma:	1.5
Appearance:	Let's be honest, the grayish-brown color of the pork makes this one look kind of ugly.
Taste:	A-

I fought hard for this A- and Colin still doesn't agree.  He says that more meat and more sauce are necessary to make this true Carolina BBQ, but I remind him that this is supposed to be a GRILLED CHEESE.  I think this was a great balance of flavors that added a savory element, but still allowed the cheese to shine.

Gooey Scale	Aroma Scale
1 = still cold/hard	1 = can’t smell a thing
2 = slightly melted but still firm	2 = tender waft
3 = melted evenly	3 = makes your stomach growl
4 = melted and slightly runny (starting to get those cheese strings between your sandwich and your mouth when you take a bite)	4 = strong scent
5 = runny	5 = overpoweringly pungent
6 = sloppy mess!

Chicago Field Reports: The Scout and Cheesie's Pub and Grub 2

Some of you may have noticed that I didn't post last week (or maybe you didn't, I don't judge).  This was due to my taking a work trip to Chicago.  Fortunately, we all know what a work trip means: field report!  This time I was lucky enough to squeeze in two.

The view of downtown from the McCormick Convention Center-- my home for the week.

First up was The Scout, a sports bar that my friends, Caroline and Coury, found during an impromptu Google search for good grilled cheeses in Chicago.  Since I had been remiss in planning my grilled cheese consumption prior to arrival, we opted to give this spot a try.  After a quick trip on the El, we arrived at the restaurant.  They only offered three grilled cheeses, but seeing as how each was a FOOT LONG I knew we were on to something.

We decided we'd split one since a foot long sandwich would be a lot for anyone to handle solo.  We chose the grown up grilled cheese since that seemed to have the greatest diversity in terms of variety of ingredients.  While we waited for our entree we ordered the pulled chicken nachos appetizer and oh man...

If this was any indicator of how the grilled cheese would be I was excited already.  These nachos were insanely delicious.  But my blog isn't about nachos, so on we go to the main event:

I wasn't sure how I felt about the presentation-- why cover the star of the show with a big dish of tomato sauce?  Oh well, I got over it.  Now, just to give you a feel for how large this sandwich really is, I had my friend Coury put her hand in the photo to provide a size reference point.

So yes, this is pretty massive.  After ensuring adequate photo documentation, we split it into three normal sized sandwiches and dove right in.

In case you can't quite read the menu in the photo, the sandwich includes: red onion jam, brie, Swiss, fresh mozzarella and bacon on brioche bread with tomato basil dipping sauce.  The first thing we all agreed upon was that the brie was too strong and that, when paired with the brioche bread, it was too sweet.  Add to that the sweet red onion jam and this is starting to slide dangerously close to the dessert grilled cheese category.  The fresh mozzarella is so neutral you don't really know it's there-- in fact, I'm not sure why they even opted to add it.  It was hard to get a bite that included all of the flavors of the sandwich because the ingredients weren't necessarily distributed evenly throughout the sandwich, but even if I had been able to I don't think it would've helped matters. 

Coury and Caroline felt the tomato sauce wasn't necessary thanks to the jam, but by the end of my piece I found myself using the dip more and more to try and mute some of the other flavors (namely the jam and brie).  The sandwich was just too sweet between the brioche, brie and jam to the point that it was almost too much.  I finished my slice, but was glad that I was sharing it with two other people because I wouldn't have wanted to polish off more by myself.  And despite what the beautifully charred color above might indicate, the bread was actually kind of floppy and left your hands feeling pretty greasy (two minus points in my book).  I was hoping for something a little more savory with a good crunch, so I was kind of disappointed.  Luckily, the remaining nachos were there to console me ;-)

Fortunately, a week long trip meant multiple chances to enjoy some grilled cheese deliciousness!  For my second outing I opted to re-visit a tried and true spot: Cheesie's Pub and Grub.  You may recall that when I visited Cheesie's last year around this time they had just opened.  Over the course of the last year I've been following them on Facebook and have noted their steady gain in popularity and ultimate expansion of the restaurant.  As such, I was excited to check back in and see for myself the progress that they've made (and to take my friend Caroline, a Chicago newbie, to a Chicago hot spot-- or rather, the only place in Chicago I know).

First up, and excuse the poor quality photo, was the newly expanded facade.  Hooray!  A bright orange beacon to cheese lovers everywhere.

Inside was exciting as well, with a square bar situated in the center of the restaurant with a counter on the left (not pictured) where you can place your order.  They've also expanded to serve pizza as well, which means they now serve my two favorite foods.  Additional bonus: all drinks are $4.  As if your hours at Cheesie's could get any happier :-)

The menu remains pretty straightforward with about a dozen sandwiches (including a new sandwich of the month each month).  I already knew I loved The Mac (mac and cheese on the sandwich), but wanted to make sure I tried something new.  I had seen their monthly sandwich listed online and it sounded DE-lish.  )  It was "The Edgar": Slow cooked BBQ pulled pork, covered in melted mozzarella and Swiss cheese, topped with onion straws and coleslaw on perfectly grilled Texas toast.  Sign me up!  Both Caroline and I ordered The Edgar and opted to share a side of sweet potato fries.  It was a nice night out so we decided to sit by a large open window for some pseudo-al fresco dining.

In a matter of minutes our sandwiches arrived.

Mmm, looks perfect from the outside, but let's take a peek at the good stuff:

Delightful.  In terms of taste, the pork was definitely the star of the show, but Caroline pointed out that everything has its own voice-- most notably the crunchy onions and the creamy slaw.  I agree, it was a nice variety of textures. 

The cheese takes a bit more of a back seat and tends to act as a binding agent for the other ingredients, which is useful because this sandwich has a lot of potential to be pretty sloppy.  Once again, I wasn't sure why mozzarella was a cheese of choice, but maybe its cohesive properties had something to do with that decision.  I do think with something a little sharper (maybe cheddar?) the cheese would've had its own legs next to the sweet pork (instead of just acting as a filler).  That's not to say this was a bad combination by any means-- it was delicious!  I just always want the cheese to be the featured player and am not sure that was the case here. 

The bread was a major highlight-- it was thick, but didn't feel too overwhelming and bready (sometimes with thick bread I end up pulling some of the crust off so the bread doesn't completely overtake the filling).  All in all we were both quite pleased.  To quote Caroline, "I anticipated being overwhelmed, but I find the sandwich very accessible."

And with that I conclude another successful trip to Chicago!  Cheesie's continues to reign supreme where Chicago grilled cheeses are concerned, and in general I find them a model for everything a good grilled cheese restaurant should be-- a place that doesn't take itself too seriously and offers a good variety of grilled cheeses with fun ingredients.  I love the laid back atmosphere and fact that you can get a delicious meal and cheap drink at virtually any hour of the day.  I had wanted to try Grahamwhich, the sandwich restaurant of famed chef Graham Elliot, but it's only open during business hours-- a mistake that I'm not a fan of.  The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen is the best restaurant I've been to so far and it falls victim to this same trap.  I know that, depending on the location, having evening hours can be a costly venture that doesn't see adequate returns, but I think it's still an option worth exploring.  Cheesie's embraces the fact that when people go out they want cheap drinks and good solid food and so far that's seemed to be a recipe for success.

Thanks again to my Chicago co-diners:

Coury, Caroline...

and Caroline!

Field Report: Piu Bello

Greetings, Loyal Readers!  I am officially welcoming myself back to the main land after a trip to beautiful Puerto Rico! 

While there I enjoyed some sun, fun, and sand(wiches). 

I didn't have much luck in finding a full fledged grilled cheese restaurant in San Juan (I doubt they made a tasty grilled cheese in the cockfighting ring across the street from my hotel), but I did still get the chance to taste a Caribbean themed classic: The Cuban Sandwich. 

As it turns out, Cuba is really just the communist doppelganger to our beloved little Puerto Rico.  Parallels include the fact that Bacardi was founded in Cuba, but is now headquartered in Puerto Rico; both islands have US military bases; classic movies set in Cuba tend to be filmed in Puerto Rico (i.e. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights) and have you looked at their flags side by side?

So what better sandwich to try in Puerto Rico than The Cuban?  According to ye olde sandwich lore, The Cuban rose to fame as the choice lunch entree of cigar factory and sugar mill workers.  However, the sandwich originated back when travel between Cuba and the US was a bit more free flowing; meaning workers, wares and ideas tended to constantly pass back and forth from Cuba to southern Florida without restriction.  So it's impossible to say whether it truly originated in Cuba, or whether it has equally strong roots around Key West and Tampa.  With such vague origins, it's also safe to assume that the contents of the sandwich are hotly contested-- but purists know that a traditional Cuban must include pork, ham, mustard, dill pickles and Swiss cheese.

But enough blabbering, let's get to the good stuff!  I sampled the sandwich at "Piu Bello" a diner-style restaurant whose main feature was actually gelato.  I chose here because I didn't have a car and it was within walking distance to my hotel.  Done.

The sandwich was a no-frills Cuban: ham, marinated pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and yellow mustard on ciabatta bread.  There was A LOT of cheese, so even upon first glance I knew that this would definitely qualify as a grilled cheese (the abundance of pig product had left me dubious when I ordered).  The first bite was hijacked by the sweetness of the ham.  Luckily, the pickle and mustard were there to counterbalance. 

Again I'll say that the cheese is super gooey!  I loved that there was plenty of it so that I could get a good chunk with every bite (this made it easy to maintain a pretty solid cheese:pig product ratio).  Speaking of pig, I wasn't sure I could really distinguish between the pork and the ham.  My best guess is that the pork was a little more savory and marinated in herbs whereas the ham was sweet, but this might have just been because the pork was positioned adjacent to the very not sweet pickles.  I'm not really a big pickle person, so by the end I was removing some pickle slices here and there to keep the salt quotient to a minimum.

All in all this was a delectible treat perfect for my first lunch in a tropical paradise!  I immediately followed my meal up with a stroll on the beach and a tropical drink. 

Jealous?  I am too now that I'm back to reality.  It was so beautiful down there I might just have to fill the grilled cheese restaurant void and set up shop as a one-woman grilled cheese stand out in the Piñones food cart strip.