BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Every year about this time, I hit an eating crisis. I think we all do. We're tired of "special" meals and fancy foods, holiday goodies and leftover ham.

Okay, maybe it isn't a crisis, but it's a signal that it's time for a change. For me, that means scrounging in the bottom of the freezer to see what's hanging around from the old days - i.e. pre-Thanksgiving meals - and I found something great for supper the other night!

Our grocery store still has a meat department where you can special order certain cuts and select a special steak, pork chop, or chicken quarter from the display case. And what happens to the meat in the display that doesn't sell?

It becomes a bargain hunter's dream come true!

This meat isn't dated or in bad shape - it just isn't as fresh as the meat they're filling the displays with the next day. So they package it in large bundles and sell it at a steal of a price. We usually get the bundle that includes thin-cut pork chops and beef round steaks, a few seasoned chicken leg quarters and some chicken breasts.

We bring it home and I freeze it to use later...like the first weekend of January!

On Saturday I sorted through the things at the bottom of the freezer and found two of those packages of pork chops. Perfect for quick BBQ Pork Sandwiches!

These are super easy.

First, I cooked the pork until it was fall-apart tender. Even starting from frozen, this step was a snap in my Instant Pot.

In your crock pot or oven, or on top of the stove, cook it low and slow for several hours. Be sure to keep it moist if you're using the stove or oven!

After the pork was cooked, I diced some onions and threw them in, then added some garlic powder (about a teaspoon) and a generous amount of barbecue sauce (any brand will do - pick your favorite.) And add whatever else sounds good. Worcestershire sauce is always a good choice.

I pressure-cooked everything on high for another ten minutes, then let the pot do a natural pressure release while I got the buns ready.

Another item I stock up on during pre-Christmas sales are these Sister Schubert's rolls. I baked off a few for our sandwiches.

After the pork had been releasing pressure naturally for ten minutes, I did a quick release to bring the pot down to normal so I could open it. I gave it a good stir (to mix in all the ingredients and break up the pork into bitsy pieces) and it was ready to serve.

A great simple meal for the two of us, with leftovers for lunch sometime this week!

And even though it's the first weekend of the year, our weather has been mild. Yesterday afternoon was beautiful, so we drove up to the Mt. Rushmore area and went for a short saunter with Jack.

The view was beautiful no matter which direction we looked.

And Jack had a wonderful time. Do you know how many SMELLS there are in the forest? And he sniffed every single one. :-)

Enjoy your New Year and life getting back to normal!

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com