It’s a twofer, folks – my indecision is your gain! Pulled pork panini, two ways. Can you really go wrong?
The concept for “Town” and “Country” panini comes from a little restaurant up in Irvine called Jackson Barne. An unassuming place in a strip mall, my co-workers and I used to lunch there often back in the day. On Jackson Barne’s menu they’ve got a “Town” side, with lighter options like grilled chicken breast sandwiches and veggie burgers, and a “Country” side, featuring comfort items like patty melts and grilled cheese. Suffice it to say, I ordered off of the “Country” menu more often than not, but what a great idea to offer two sets of options for varying “food moods”. After going back and forth forever in my mind, trying to hone in on the single tastiest way to make pulled pork panini, I remembered Jackson Barne and saw no reason why I couldn’t just make two versions.
My “Town” version, while not healthy per se, offers a kind of California twist on a pulled pork sandwich with creamy goat cheese, sweet caramelized onions and fresh cilantro. The “Country” version – tossed in tangy BBQ sauce and nestled amongst sweet-and-sour coleslaw and a blend of melted cheddar and monterey jack cheeses – is more like the classic southern favorite. Plus cheese. 🙂
This was actually my first time making pulled pork at home. I found a great recipe for it over at Under the High Chair, which was adapted from Martha Stewart. What was particularly appealing to me was that it only took 2-1/2 hours to cook rather than all day. Now don’t get me wrong, I most definitely value the flavor and texture that low-and-slow can deliver. I just couldn’t wait that long! Maybe one of these days I’ll do a head to head comparison and determine whether an additional 5 hours would have made a significant difference, but I’ll say that this “quick” recipe produced some rather succulent results.
Did I have a favorite among the two sandwiches? I’d have to give a slight nod to the “Town” one, just because I really, really like caramelized onions and I thought their sweetness really brought out the sweetness in the pork. My husband, on the other hand, preferred the “Country”. He liked the crunchy texture from the coleslaw and the smoky flavor of the BBQ pork. The cheese on that one kind of made the sandwich like a BBQ melt – yummy!
“Town” & “Country” Pulled Pork Panini
Each recipe serves 4
“TOWN”
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, sliced into thin rings
Salt and pepper
4 pita breads
1-1/2 lbs pulled pork (there is a good recipe for it at Under the High Chair)
4 oz. goat cheese, cut into 1/4″ slices
Cilantro
DIRECTIONS:
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Season onions with salt and pepper and sauté in the olive oil for 15-20 minutes until caramelized.
Preheat panini grill to medium-high (375 degrees).
For each sandwich: Heat a pita in the microwave on High for 15-20 seconds so that it is malleable enough to fold without breaking. Add onions to the lower half of the pita. Top with pork, goat cheese and cilantro (to taste). Carefully fold the top half of the pita over the fillings and place the sandwich on the grill. Grill for about 3 minutes until the cheese softens and grill marks appear on the pita. Serve immediately and enjoy!
“COUNTRY”
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
1 8 oz. package shredded cabbage and carrots (coleslaw) mix
1-1/2 lbs pulled pork (there is a good recipe for it at Under the High Chair)
Barbecue sauce
4 pita breads
4 oz. shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese blend
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar and poppy seeds. In a large bowl, toss cabbage mix with just enough dressing to coat.
In another large bowl, combine pork with a generous amount of barbecue sauce, to taste.
Preheat panini grill to medium-high (375 degrees).
For each sandwich: Heat a pita in the microwave on High for 15-20 seconds so that it is malleable enough to fold without breaking. Add coleslaw to the lower half of the pita. Top with pork and cheese. Carefully fold the top half of the pita over the fillings and place the sandwich on the grill. Grill for about 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and grill marks appear on the pita. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Panini Happy, online since 2008, is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find hundreds of my original 
Wow! This look great. I would marry pulled pork if I could.
you continue to amaze me with the most delicious looking sandwiches! I love everything about this recipe – bbq sauce, pita, cilantro….oh yum!
Nice to meet you, too. Your paninis are INSANE! Every recipe makes me hungry.
I might have to try to win that contest of your just so I can test all your recipes.
I adore pulled pork and this would so be my kind of pannini! Thanks for the two choices. Splendid meal!
Oh my! The country panini is calling my name! Although I wouldn’t say no to the town version either!
It’s 7 AM and I’m starving now that I saw those pictures…
What a brilliant idea. And you’ve replicated it with such (delicious looking) flair, too!
Gee I think i like em’ both, depending on my mood! Thank you!
Wow, 2 fabulous looking panini’s! I think I am going to splurge and buy one of those presses. Your recipes look too good to not have one!
Oh my, they both look great to me but I have a feeling Grumpy would really love the country one! I just found a recipe to make those Pita (that Elle just posted about) for!!!
this settles it–i’m country, through and through. 🙂
I’ve got to agree… this blog definitely makes me hungry each time I visit. Those are both fine looking panini!
We always seem to have a plethora of pulled pork in the freezer (when I make it, I make scads), so I’m thinking you’ve just given me an idea of what to do with part of it!
Both of these sandwiches look awesome. I think I’m a “country” person but dang, that “town” one sounds tasty!
Saved to delicious and putting you in my RSS reader.
I’ve always believed anything worth eating could be made into a sandwich, or better yet, a panini. Both versions sound wonderful.
Yup you are brilliant coming up with 2 versions: a town and country. Fantastic! Both sandwiches look awesome, now I know what to do with my leftover pulled pork. Thanks!
i love pulled pork. i actually never had it until this year and love taking it to family gatherings.
that panini looks sooo good… thanks for sharing… 🙂
I’m torn between the two! The crunchy cole slaw or the sweet caramelized onions…I’m sure I’d have to taste both. Yep, that’s the only solution!
these look so good!
While the “Town” sounds delicious, I’ll have the “Country” please! Mmmm, the coleslaw, the BBQ sauce, the cheese, you just can’t go wrong.
Melted cheese and pulled pork…mmm…
What a great site you have going on here—love the panini-blog concept and original recipes! The only trouble is…I can’t decide between the “Town” or “Country” version featured in the post. Is it possible to get a combination of them both? 😉
Thanks for your comment on my blog! I hope you’ll visit again soon (perhaps I could feature one of your original breakfast paninis?)
In the meantime, I think I have to go see if I can register to win that panini grill. I’ve always wanted one of those, maybe this is my chance!
Hubby is smoking a pork shoulder this weekend and you can bet what I’m going to do with some of that meat. Town and country are both calling my name! Mmmmmm!
Kathy, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed meeting you last week at the Foodbuzz dinner. It was so fun.
Your food looks great. I think I’ll go for the “town” style panini!
This is perfect! I’m going to christen my Big Green Egg this weekend by making some pulled pork. I was just looking for some interesting recipes today. These are great!
It’s hard to pick which one looks better…I think I would like half of each please. They both look outstanding. You have me thinking about sandwiches now.
OMG, that looks ever so scrumptious! A gorgeous idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
Oh, this reminds me of when we lived in North Carolina, where pulled pork was a mainstay of every bbq. Yours looks perfect, Kathy!
I wish I could grab that right out of the computer and devour it. YUM!!!
Such a creative post 🙂 I’d probably be more of a ‘country’ person from the looks of it
This looks wonderful, and I’ve forgotten all about Jackson Barne! I’ll have to find a time to get back there for the meatloaf sandwich. (Hey, have you done that one panini style?) Mmmmm.
I just made the “Country” pulled pork panini recipe. My family loved it . . . even the most picky of all eaters. It was absolutely delicious.
Rosanna’s last blog post..Grilled (All The) Cheese Panini on Dark Rye
Oh, wow. I made the “town” version of this recipie today, and it’s absolutly delicious. Well worth the work of making the pulled pork. I’m excited to try “country” tomorrow with the leftovers!
Hi Ellen – That’s so great to hear! Really glad you enjoyed it. Hope all goes well with the “country”. 🙂
I wanted to let you know that I have been using these recipes and the one you linked to for the past year and a half. I LOVE them!
Thank you so much!