| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 4 sandwiches |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/2 medium Vidalia onion, minced
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
- 2 pounds ground pork
- Kosher salt
- 1 stick melted butter (1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- One 32-inch French loaf, split and halved
- 3 cups grated fresh mozzarella
- Dill pickles, sliced on the bias or to your liking, for garnish
Instructions
- For the sauce: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the ketchup, pineapple, molasses, vinegar, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire and chipotles. Simmer uncovered, stirring often, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until mostly smooth. Reserve.
- For the burgers: Preheat the grill top to medium-high to high heat.
- Form the ground pork into long and rectangular patties that fit the shape of the bread, keeping in mind that there will be 2 patties per half of bread. Sprinkle the exterior with salt and place on a hot grill top for 3 minutes. Flip and cook another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and baste generously with the BBQ sauce. Flip and continue cooking for a couple more minutes, continuously flipping and basting the burgers.
- For the bread: Place the rack in the middle of the oven and set the oven to broil. Mix the melted butter with the garlic and brush on the cut sides of the bread. Top with the cheese and place under the broiler just until the edges are lightly crisped, about 2 minutes.
- For the sandwich build: After your beautiful garlic bread is done, place 2 burgers on each bottom half of bread. Top with some pickles and the top half of the garlic bread. Slice each portion in half, yielding 4 sandwiches. Serve with the remaining BBQ sauce on the side and get ready to impress your family and friends.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 20 servings |
| Calories | 305 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg |
| Sodium | 561 mg |
Reviews
Really enjoyed this and will definitely make it again.
This was my first time making bbq sauce and the first time must be a charm! The best I have ever tasted — the complex flavor profiles alternated between smokey, sweet, spicy and vinegary. I imagine this would be great on any dish requiring bbq sauce, but I KNOW it was perfection with the ground pork on cheesy garlic bread. Suggestion: add 1/2 teaspoon of celery seeds for another level of flavor.
We found the spiciness was absent in the sauce that was cooked on the pork, but dipping it into more sauce brought on the spice. If you have a Whole Foods near you, I highly recommend Iggy’s rolls for this dish. They add a nice crunch vs. the french loaf.
Thank you Jeff for the inspiration!
The barbeque sauce is very good, albeit a little too sweet for my particular taste. The pineapple clearly came through and the Dijon and Worcestershire added just enough bite. We will use less brown sugar next time, but this is a definite keeper.
I agree with the other reviews that the pork burger was a bit too thick. Next time, I’ll only make a 1/4 or 1/3 pound burger. I had difficulty with the sauce glazing on the burger, so I ended up broiling it instead, which really helped. Without the sauce, the burger is very bland.
Finally, I’ll reduce the garlic for the bread because overpowered in some bites. The pickles are a must. Overall, good!
I made this without the garlic and cheese, I do agree that the burger needs to be a bit thinner – with that being said this is an AWESOME sandwich. I can’t believe how much it tastes like the McDonalds sandwich only I know what’s in this one. The sauce is spot on…I made this for friends this weekend and they have decided that I need to make it again soon. YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!
I give this 5 stars just for the bbq sauce. I was eating this stuff with a spoon. Soooo good. Then I made the pork, Imade too thick a burger , it was ok, but the 2nd one I use a little lessground pork, wow again sooo good. Thanks Jeff u never disapoint me. I put the bbq sauce on a turkey sandwich, it works really well….
Jeff, this looks amazing! We have tried several of your sandwiches and love them all. We also love watching your show, we DVR it so we don’t miss it! Never change! Thanks for sharing these great recipes with us! Barbara Embrey Hawesville KY
What can I say except out of this world!! As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make this. It’s a little time consuming for during the week, but worth the effort. Next time, I’ll double it and freeze it for a quick weeknight meal. The mix of sweet and sour was perfect. Never thought to use pineapple! And the pickle at the end was the perfect touch! With the garlic bread with cheese, it’s so many different taste in one combo that it just works! My new favorite!!
Best BBQ sauce ever. I don’t have an indoor grill so i browned up the pork and made a “sloppy joe” with the ground pork and sauce. sooo good!
After watching this being made, there was no doubt that I would make this recipe. Unfortunately, my store was out of ground pork, so I did have to substitute ground beef. The barbeque sauce could be bottled…it’s awesome!
While cleaning up, I was dipping mozzarella into the leftover sauce, which really
wasn’t that much left over. The chipotles do create heat, but not that much and
the entire concept of melted mozzarella, garlic bread and bread and butter pickles with extra sauce on the side are just great together. I served with a
green salad and this was an awesome meal. Thank you so much for the great
recipe….
While cleaning up, I was dipping mozzarella into the leftover sauce, which really
wasn’t that much left over. The chipotles do create heat, but not that much and
the entire concept of melted mozzarella, garlic bread and bread and butter pickles with extra sauce on the side are just great together. I served with a
green salad and this was an awesome meal. Thank you so much for the great
recipe….
Made this last night – the whole family enjoyed it. I especially liked the sweet and spicy sauce and garlic bread. Yum