Spicy Pulled Pork Popper Sandwich recipe is made with my favorite slow cooker pulled pork recipe, caramelized onions, and Spicy Jalapeño cream cheese – seriously good!
Do you ever think, “Man! I really want something spicy tonight for dinner! And sweet. And crunchy…but also creamy!” Basically you want it all right? And between two perfectly grilled slices of bread…mmmmm. Chris and I were discussing dinner options the other night and this incredible sandwich is what he came up with. {He loves when I give him props…} Now, obviously, it was up to me to pull the whole thing together – but boy was it worth it!
I used my favorite Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe to start this off. The pork comes out so tender and so juicy – it’s just ridiculously good! Use your favorite barbecue sauce to make it your own! These sandwiches were made the day after so I just slapped some pork onto the grill top and heated it up. It made it a little crispy – sort of carnitas-esque of you will 🙂 Delish! I came up with adding caramelized onions to the sandwich. I seriously could just eat those straight from the pan…so good!
Now the kicker is PHILADELPHIA”s NEW Spicy Jalapeño cream cheese. Lordy! I was absolutely thrilled to be selected as a part of the Spicy Jalapeño blogger program. I immediately started thinking of all sorts of ways that I could incorporate the cream cheese into some of our favorite recipes. When I heard about this little concoction I knew it was going to be a huge hit with hubby! Jalapeño and cream cheese together??? Brilliant! It’s like having poppers on hand at all times to just throw into recipes – love this stuff!
This sandwich has it all – sweet, spicy, crunchy, creamy – deliciousness! The PHILADELPHIA Spicy Jalapeño cream cheese is what takes this sandwich over the top! And what’s totally awesome is that you can make this as spicy or as mild as you want. I personally only put the cream cheese on one slice of bread and I put on both slices for my hubby. Bryce? He had his with regular cream cheese 🙂 {Dude! Cream cheese on grilled sandwiches is the bomb!!}
As my husband sat down to eat this is what I heard….
“Wow!”
a couple of seconds later….
“Wow! This is amazing Trish!!”
A couple of minutes later…
“I’m going to need a second one…”
Yeah. They’re THAT good. Come get ya some!
PHILADELPHIA cream cheese has been a staple in our home for as long as I can remember. We use it literally EVERY. DAY. Bagels, crackers, wraps, you name it! Not to mention my favorite use for it – cheesecakes! I love trying out the new flavors of cream cheese and have yet to be disappointed. Whether it’s a sweet or savory flavor – they all have found a way into my fridge along the way.
PHILADELPHIA is the brand I trust for cream cheese. They’ve been making America’s favorite cream cheese since 1872 – that’s a long time to perfect the recipe! PHILADELPHIA’s commitment to develop a delicious, quality product with fresh local milk and real wholesome cream is evident in every bite.
Did you know that PHILADELPHIA uses milk sourced from cooperatives of dairy farmers local to where the cream cheese is made? Smart! From the farm to their fridge in just six days! No preservatives are used in the cream cheese brick varieties and limited preservatives in the other varieties. The Spicy Jalapeño variety was launched this month and features real, diced jalapeños for a serious kick that we love!
Grilled Jalapeno Popper Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Ingredients
- sliced sourdough bread
- PHILADELPHIA Spicy Jalapeño cream cheese
- butter
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- 4-6 lb bone-in pork shoulder roast
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 18 oz barbecue sauce divided
- 2 tbsp mustard
Caramelized Onions
- 4 onions sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Add the onions and garlic to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Place the roast fat side up on top of the onions and garlic.
- Combine brown sugar, chili powder, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and barbecue sauce (reserving 1/2 cup for later). Spread over the top of pork.. Pour in the apple cider vinegar.
- Cook on high for 3 hours and then switch to low for another 5-6 hours. Removed the roast and shred with two forks, discarding any fat and bone.
- After removing the roast, pour the liquid in the slow cooker through a strainer and set aside.
- Add the pulled pork back to the slow cooker along with 1-3 cups of reserved liquid and remaining 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. Add the liquid 1/2 cup a time, stirring each time, until pork reaches the moisture level you desire.
- Continue cooking the pulled pork for another 1-2 hours on low. Meanwhile...
Caramelized Onions
- Add oil to a thick-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the sliced onions.
- Reduce heat to medium and stir occasionally until onions are nice and caramelized, usually around 30 minutes. Do not rush the onions - give them time!
Building the Sandwich
- Heat a grill pan over high heat. Spread 1 tablespoon of Jalapeno Cream Cheese on two slices of bread. Butter the other sides and place butter side down on grill.
- Add enough caramelized onions to cover the cream cheese and then about a half a cup of drained pulled pork. Place the other piece of bread, cream cheese side down on top of pulled pork. Grill until golden brown on both sides and serve.
Nutrition
I can’t wait to try out this awesome cream cheese in so many of my favorite dips and sandwiches! How would you use PHILADELPHIA Spicy Jalapeño cream cheese spread in your favorite dishes? Check out creamcheese.com for more awesome recipes!
Here are some of my favorite recipes that use PHILADELPHIA cream cheese:
5-Cheese Roasted Red Pepper Spread
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecakes
Triple Threat Chocolate Cheesecake
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Disclosure: I have been selected by Kraft Foods to be an ambassador for Philadelphia cream cheese. While I have been compensated for my time, my opinions are my own.
Paul says
I added a Serrano pepper when cooking the onion and then took out the cream cheese.
It was a really good lunch.
Jen says
I cooked this for dinner last night and it was amazing! This is the 3rd slow cooker recipe of yours that I have made and they have all been delicious. Thank you so much for posting.
KeLeigh says
Do you think I couls turn this into a crock pot freezer meal? I was unsure because of how you specifically mentioned the order to place ingredients into the crock pot.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Do you mean you want to freeze the pulled pork after it’s cooked? If so, then yes, definitely. You should also be able to put all the ingredients together and freeze in advance. Either way would work 🙂