PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

It's always hard to describe a recipe that takes hours to make as one that is super easy. But this is one of them. While the pork takes hours of marinating in a dry rub, and lots of cooking time, the prep that you're doing is a quick, around 10 minutes. The rest of the time, the pork is doing the work all on its own. We've splashed our Maple dark balsamic into on-hand BBQ sauce for a sweet gourmet upgrade that just adds to this fun-filled messy backyard feast, one that serves an overflow of friends and family. We thank NYTimes Cooking for the inspiration. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-1/2 lb/1.5kg boneless pork shoulder
• 4 tbsp paprika 
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 cups DIY BBQ sauce or store bought
• 4 tbsp Maple dark balsamic
• Hamburger or brioche buns

DIRECTIONS: 

Combine dry spices, salt and sugar in small bowl. Rub mixture generously into (untied) pork. Let rest for an hour or two at room temperature. Some cooks place in the fridge overnight to deepen spice rub flavour in the pork when cooked.

Heat oven to 300°. Place pork in roasting pan and cook for 3 to 4 hours (or more) until the meat pulls apart easily. Shred when the pork is still warm, not hot nor completely cooled. Set aside in bowl.

Heat BBQ sauce. Add balsamic and combine. Add 1 to 1-1/2 cups of the sauce to the shredded pork in the bowl, gently coating all the meat. Use remaining BBQ sauce as condiment. Serve on buns with our Creamy Dill Cole Slaw as a side or topping. Sliced dill pickles work, too.