BBQ Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese
Leftover pulled pork, sharp cheddar, and pickled jalapeños pressed between butter-toasted sourdough. The best use of leftover slow cooker pork you will ever find. Ready in 10 minutes.
Ingredients
Meat & Protein
- 1 cup pulled pork leftover from Slow Cooker Pulled Pork or Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas, warmed slightly
Dairy
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter softened, for spreading on bread
Pantry & Canned Goods
- 4 slices sourdough bread thick-cut — about 3/4 inch, from a bakery loaf if possible
- 3 tbsp BBQ sauce your favorite — Sweet Baby Ray's or Stubb's recommended
- 2 tbsp dill pickles thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp pickled jalapeños from a jar, drained — optional but recommended
Instructions
- Warm the pulled pork in a small skillet or microwave until just heated through — not hot, just warm enough to not be cold in the center. Toss with the BBQ sauce until evenly coated. Set aside.
- Butter one side of each slice of sourdough generously, spreading all the way to the edges. This is what creates even browning — thin or uneven butter leaves pale spots.
- Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Place two slices of bread butter-side down. Add a layer of shredded cheddar on each slice, covering the bread fully. The cheese goes on the bread, not just in the middle, so the edges melt and crisp.
- Pile the BBQ pulled pork evenly over the cheese on one slice. Add the pickle slices and jalapeños if using over the pork. Top with a second layer of cheddar, then press the remaining bread slices on top, butter-side up.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, pressing down gently with a spatula. The bottom should be deeply golden before you flip. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the second side matches. Transfer to a cutting board, rest for 1 minute, then cut diagonally. Serve immediately.
Notes
Cheese goes on both sides of the sandwich, not just one. Bottom layer adheres to the bread and melts into the pork. Top layer seals the filling. This is the same technique used in the quesadilla recipes — it works here too.
Medium to medium-low heat only. The pork is already cooked — you're just warming it through and melting the cheese. High heat browns the bread before the cheese melts, leaving cold cheese in the middle.
The jalapeños are the secret. They cut through the richness of the pork and cheese and keep the sandwich from being one-note sweet. Don't skip them if you have a jar in the fridge.
Internal links: link to Slow Cooker Pulled Pork and Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas as the pork sources. Also links naturally to Smash Burgers and the BBQ Mac and Cheese.
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