I’m slowwwly getting back into the swing of things after last week. The kids could tell I was doing that for all my activities were lackadaisical and sluggish. I even found that there’s a certain contentment when you cook your food slow, but I digress.
It was hard, and not because oh no we got a new president, but because I fall into one of the groups that could lose rights people have fought years for. It sucks, and it’s a terrible feeling, and there’s people that have it stacked up against them so much higher I can’t imagine how that feels. Steve has some words on this, how he feels, his perspective, being both gay and a poc. Steve has me to turn into a rabid dog if anyone tries anything (even if he’s got a fire in him, too) but a lot of people don’t. Reach out to anyone that you know that falls into pretty much any of the minority groups and see how they’re doing, keep an eye out and speak up when you see something that’s wrong, it’s more important than ever.
This whole post is actually in conjunction with Dry soda and their release of two new holiday flavors. Amber hosted the whole thing that was supposed to happen last week but after Tuesday I was like girl my brain my body my everything feels broken right now and she was like yeah same. Sooo here we are, still feels a little weird but much better.
The whole point of the party is for a bunch of bloggers to get together and pair flavors with Dry’s new cranberry and ginger holiday flavors in these giant single serving bottles. It’s still the same soda, all natural, no coloring added, just a little flashier outfit.
I ended up gravitating towards these cute sliders with pork and sesame slaw because for me ginger, sesame, and pork is the poly relationship we all wish we could be a part of.
I love the idea of making this for a holiday party get together or dinner for one. The pork is super easy, prep and make ahead, the slaw comes together real quick, and you can cheat with the buns and buy some nice ones like a Kardashian.
And I’m doing a giveaway with Dry! One lucky person for each blog participating wins a bunch of swag from Dry, including but not limited to a couple shirts, champagne flutes, and of course the dry soda! Leave a comment below with something you’d love to pair with the cranberry or ginger Dry sodas and I’ll pick a winner on Monday. (Congratulations Zoë!) For the full list of blogger pairings head over to Amber’s site and get your holiday pairing on!
Crispy Pork & Sesame Slaw Sliders
Serves 6-8
For the Pork:
3 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 teaspoon kosher salt2 1/2 lbs pork butt or pork shoulder
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
*you can really prep the pork however you want before you roast it if you have a favorite. I like this get up because it’s a little tangy and spicy at the same time and you probably already have everything in your fridge.
In a large bowl mix together the mustard, sriracha, and salt. Cut the pork into roughly tennis ball sized chunks and mix in the sauce to coat. Pour the orange juice into the bottom of a slow cooker or dutch oven. Place the pork on top of that and cook in the slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours or if using the dutch oven place the pork in the orange juice, cover and cook in an oven for 2-2 1/2 hours at 300*F.
For the Slaw:
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 cups (2 large handfuls) shredded cabbage
1/2 carrot shredded
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
In a large bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add everything else and toss to coat.
To assemble:
Heat 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard in a 10-12″ skillet until very hot. While the oils heating shred up the pork. Add the pork to the hot oil and cook until crispy. It should only take a minute or two to get the crisp, and you might have to do this in batches. Once the pork is done use the same pan to toast the buns, then schmear a little mayo on each side and put some of the crispy pork on the bottom bun and top with the slaw and serve.
