Gourmet pulled pork sandwiches? Does such a thing exist? Yes, friends, it really, really does. And it goes a little something like this: tender, rich, melt-in-your-mouth pork seasoned with a perfectly balanced Memphis-style rub, on a toasted bun slathered with spicy sweet red onion chutney (in place of plain old bbq sauce), jalapeño popper pimento cheese spread, and topped off with a fresh cilantro slaw that’s tangy enough to cut through the richness of the meat.

The pimento cheese might sound like overkill, but it really keeps the heat in check and adds a wonderful dimension when mixed with the red onion chutney.

I like to add all my fixin’s in layers, and this sandwich is ALL about the layers of flavors that hit your palate one, delicious bite at a time. First, I slather on a healthy amount of red onion chutney to the bottom of a lightly toasted bun. Next comes the pulled pork, followed quickly by the slaw. On the top part of the bun, I smear a big dollop of the pimento cheese and then give a little prayer of thanks.

God is so very good. Especially to those with the patience to sit at home and smell the meat roasted to butter-like perfection all afternoon.

Both the jalapeño popper pimento cheese spread and the cilantro and green onion slaw are from my personal recipes, but the Memphis rub is directly from Central BBQ itself. The recipe can be found by clicking HERE.

Now, the only tweak I make to the yummy rub is this: I hold back on both the cayenne pepper and the white pepper since I use cayenne in my liquid basting and the condiments add plenty of heat to the dish. If you prefer to keep it as close to the original recipe as possible, then be prepared for a slow, peppery finish after each bite.

The second recipe that I came across one afternoon was for the red onion chutney. It is SO tasty as is and I cannot think of one thing I’d change about it. To make the red onion chutney please check out this link HERE.

Once you’ve got the spices all ready for your pork rub (I use a tenderloin when making my sandwiches) and the onions are sliced and ready to go for your chutney, it’s time to dive in and start cooking.

I grab a pair of plastic gloves, lay out some saran wrap, and slather both sides of the tenderloin with the Central BBQ rub. Then I wrap the pork tightly and set it aside for 30 minutes, which really infuses the meat with the rub. Like so:

And here’s a pic of how I wrap them while prepping the mirepoix and sauces:

Cooking tip: I usually make the red onion chutney after I get the pork in the oven – that way it’s got time to slowly cook and the onions are ready and waiting for the sandwiches. Don’t forget to grab the full red onion chutney recipe before hitting the grocery store, it really adds that gourmet quality to the sandwiches!

Here’s what you’ll need for your gourmet pulled pork sandwiches tonight: