Just a Sandwich - What to do with a Gallon of Pulled Pork Leftovers - Day 7 - Sandwich Wreath

In the beginning...

Was the Sandwich...

It's time to go full circle with my leftovers.  I started with simple sandwich on a store bought bun (but I did feed 73 people), and then followed with 7 days of leftovers.  7 meals, with pulled pork as an ingredient, but none of them the same.  Kind of a primer if you will on going beyond just a microwave warm up.

But here's the last of my pulled pork leftovers, full circle indeed, and a big hit for poker night...

You can quote me, I admit it,  God is a better omnipotent being than I am.  (S)He created the Heavens and the Earth in 7 days.

But, in the Cul-de-Sac, I am pretty impressed with what I "created" in my 7 days of Pulled Pork leftovers (I'll get to the sandwich in a minute).

Back on Day One, I made a Cottage Pie (some may say, Shepherd's Pie).

Day Two was the "birth" of my now infamous Redneck Cupcakes, pulled pork on the bottom, with a topping of Beer Bread and Provolone cheese!

Day Three I made a spiral stuffed Mushroom Meatloaf (with a bacon wrap.... Pork, wrapped in pork!)

Day Four was appetizer day (but these were so good, we never got to a main course, just ate em up over the stove as we made them), with a pulled pork Quesadilla. 

Day Five... Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!!!  Follow the link for a formula for making your own pizza dough.  I seem to make about 6-8 pizzas every 2 weeks.  just too easy to pull a bit of dough out of the fridge, slap some leftvers on, add cheese and you have a 10 minute lunch.  

Day Six had a Tex-Mex feel with Enchiladas, stuffed with tropical salsa and Spanish rice, while topped with a rich thick cheese sauce (really good)!

Toss in a couple of dishes that used the leftover pulled pork; but I either didn't list on the blog or used as an opportunity to guest post and Bingo Bango Bongo... No numbers, but still a fine use for pulled pork leftovers...

Firehouse Mac "n" Cheese.  A rich thick luxurious 3 cheese macaroni and cheese topped with an amazing caramelized pulled pork!

And finally, breakfast, a fast easy Julia Child style Omelet... So easy that I didn't bother with a post, but just as tasty and just as deserving to be included in this roundup!

I have about a cup left that is sitting in my freezer, waiting for the first nasty- cold- miserable- windy- rainy day of fall so I can make and appreciate a bowl of chili!

But let's get to this sandwich... Dramatic presentation.  Perfect for a special dinner when a simple meal is called for (but you still want to show off).  I make a ton of money off the Dentist that comes to my poker game.  I have to toss him a bone just to get him (and that Dr wallet) to show up week after week.  This was the bone I tossed...

The bread is the only tricky part... I used the formula for Moomie buns.  Easy (use a breadmaker and it takes minutes of hands on effort)....

� 1 c water 
� 2 tbsp butter or margarine 
� 1 egg 
� 3 1/4 c. flour 
� 1/4 c. sugar 
� 1 tsp salt 
� 3 tsp instant yeast 

� Place all ingredients in your bread machine. Select dough. Allow to run cycle. 

� Dump out onto lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 pieces. With each piece, slap into a bun shape. Usually 4 or 5 slaps will do it. Place on greased cookie sheets or your bun pans, cover; rise about 30 to 40 minutes. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes til golden. Cool on wire racks. 

I did substitute a cup of Whole Wheat Flour for one of the "regular" flour cups.


Instead of making buns, I made a long tube and formed a circle.  I topped with a bit of my "Sodom and Gomorrah" Sesame/Garlic Salt mix.  Sesame Seeds are a natural, but the mix also includes Garlic Flakes and coarse Sea Salt.  When watching the guys eat, I noticed that many would turn their sandwiches upside down so the topping of salt, garlic and sesame would hit their tongue (home to most of your taste buds) with extra flavor first!

Let's speed this post up... 

• Follow the Mommie Bun recipe above (breadmachine on dough setting only)
• form into a circle
• do an egg wash (beaten egg, brushed on the top, makes a beautiful golden brown and delicious color, but also aids in the salt mix sticking
• sprinkle generously the salt mix (while I HIGHLY recommend you use the "Sodom and Gomorrah" Sesame/Garlic Salt mix, just using coarse cut Sea Salt on the top would work.
• allow 30 minutes for the dough to rest and rise a bit
• cut a few slits in the top so steam can escape as it cooks
• do all this on parchment paper
• 14 minutes in the oven and bingo bango bongo...

And now, just make a sandwich... Slice the circle of life carefully...


I added...

• A layer of Spinach Leaves
• A layer of sliced Dill Pickles
• A layer of Pulled Pork
• A layer of sliced Provolone Cheese (after this step, I put the whole sandwich under the broiler for just 2 minutes, long enough for the cheese to melt)
• And finally, A layer of Pickled Red Onions.

Me, I'm a pulled pork kind of guy.  But imagine the day after Thanksgiving and serving this bad boy up with a layer of turkey.  Almost worth making two turkeys for just so you can do a week's worth of leftovers!

And it worked.  The Dentist ate, I took him for another $35 and he thanked me as he left...


I love my cul-de-Sac!

 Make the dramatic tableside presentation, and then slice away... 


It's just a sandwich.