Midnight Caribbean Pork Sandwiches

Total Time Prep: 25 min. Cook: 6 hours
Yield 12 servings
Test Kitchen Approved
These easy sandwiches have nice depth of flavor—savory, sweet, piquant, subtle and sublime. They’re worth the wait. —Elizabeth Bennett, Mill Creek, Washington

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 3 medium onions, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1 bottle (12 ounces) amber beer or 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 10 garlic cloves, minced and divided
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 7 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 boneless pork shoulder butt roast (2 to 3 pounds)
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 12 Hawaiian sweet hamburger buns
  • 2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and sliced

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add beer, brown sugar, 8 garlic cloves, cumin, 5 teaspoons chipotle peppers, salt and pepper; cook and stir until combined.
  2. Place roast in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Pour onion mixture over meat. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours, until pork is tender.
  3. Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, cilantro, remaining 2 garlic cloves and 2 tsp. chipotle peppers. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
  4. Remove roast; shred with 2 forks. Strain cooking juices. Reserve vegetables and 1 cup juices; discard remaining juices. Skim fat from reserved juices. Return pork and reserved vegetables and cooking juices to slow cooker; heat through. Serve on buns with avocado slices and mayonnaise mixture.

Nutrition Facts

1 sandwich: 484 calories, 29g fat (7g saturated fat), 71mg cholesterol, 400mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate (15g sugars, 3g fiber), 18g protein.

These easy sandwiches have nice depth of flavor—savory, sweet, piquant, subtle and sublime. They’re worth the wait. —Elizabeth Bennett, Mill Creek, Washington
Recipe Creator

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