Smoked pulled pork, pickled vegetables, jalapeños, and cream cheese rolled in a toasted flour tortilla, sliced sushi-style, and served with a BBQ dipping sauce with an Asian twist.
I've always enjoyed experimenting with different foods, cooking techniques, and flavors. Sometimes that means putting an unusual twist on a traditional recipe. Other times, it means combining ideas from completely different styles of cooking and seeing what happens.
This particular experiment started with an idea for a BBQ appetizer that borrowed a little inspiration from several different foods.
Think of a cross between a bánh mì sandwich, a spring roll, an egg roll, and maybe even a Cubano. Then throw some smoked pulled pork into the mix and borrow the presentation from sushi.
The result?
Redneck Sushi.
No raw fish, no rice, and certainly nothing traditional about it. But that's half the fun of experimenting in the kitchen.
Bringing the Idea Together
The idea was to combine the smoky, savory flavor of pulled pork with the freshness and acidity of pickled vegetables, a little heat from jalapeños, and something creamy to help bring everything together.
Instead of rice paper or seaweed, I decided to use small flour tortillas.
For the filling, I went with smoked pulled pork, whipped cream cheese, julienned jalapeños, thin strips of pickled cucumber, thinly sliced onion, and shredded carrots.
The whipped cream cheese served two purposes. It added a creamy element to balance the tangy vegetables and smoky pork, while also helping hold everything together once the rolls were sliced.
The pickled cucumber and vegetables provided some needed contrast to the richness of the pork.
Assembling the Rolls
I started by spreading a layer of whipped cream cheese over each flour tortilla.
Next came the jalapeños, pickled cucumber, onions, and carrots. I arranged them lengthwise so each slice would contain a little of everything.
Finally, I added a generous portion of smoked pulled pork.
The trick here is not to overfill the tortillas. You want enough filling to make a substantial bite, but still be able to roll everything tightly enough to hold its shape when sliced.
Once assembled, I rolled the tortillas into compact cylinders.
A Little Time in the Skillet
I could have stopped there and served them cold, but I wanted another layer of texture and flavor.
The rolls went into a hot skillet, where I browned the tortillas until they developed some nice golden color.
This warmed the filling, softened the cream cheese, and gave the tortillas a lightly toasted exterior.
After removing them from the skillet, I allowed them to rest briefly before slicing them crosswise into thick, bite-sized rounds.
And that's where they started looking a little like sushi.
Each piece revealed the pulled pork surrounded by the cream cheese, green jalapeños, pickled cucumber, onion, and orange carrots.
Not bad for something that started as a crazy little BBQ experiment.
The BBQ Dipping Sauce
Of course, sushi needs something to dip it in, right?
A traditional BBQ sauce would have worked, but I wanted something that would complement the Asian-inspired ingredients without overpowering the pulled pork.
I started with a thinner BBQ sauce based on Jack Daniel's Black Label BBQ sauce, beef bone broth, and a generous amount of Tabasco.
Then I added soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing cooking wine, and chili oil to take it in a different direction.
The BBQ sauce brought sweetness and tang, while the soy sauce added a savory element. The sesame oil contributed its distinctive nutty aroma, and the Shaoxing wine and chili oil added more depth and a little heat.
The idea was to have a sauce thin enough for dipping, rather than a thick BBQ glaze.
It was an interesting combination, bringing the familiar flavors of American BBQ together with ingredients more commonly associated with Asian cooking.
So, How Did It Turn Out?
Visually, I was pretty happy with the results.
The toasted tortillas held together nicely, and slicing them exposed the different layers of meat and vegetables. The carrots and jalapeños added some color, while the pulled pork remained the star of the show.
What I particularly like about this combination is the contrast between the ingredients.
You've got smoky, tender pork, cool and tangy pickled vegetables, a little fresh crunch, creamy cheese, and a lightly browned tortilla holding everything together.
Then there's the dipping sauce, which brings its own combination of sweet, savory, tangy, and spicy flavors.
It's definitely not sushi in the traditional sense, and I don't think anyone would mistake it for an authentic Asian dish.
But that was never the point.
Sometimes the best part of cooking is taking an idea, experimenting with it, and seeing where it leads.
This one brought together a handful of ingredients and influences that might not seem to belong together at first.
And now we've got Redneck Sushi.
Not exactly traditional BBQ. Not exactly sushi. Just another fun experiment from PyroDust BBQ University.
Flavor in a Handful of Dust.®
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