The Alabama Pork N' Greens Supper Bowl
Chapter 4 — The Sandwiches & Plates
Down in Birmingham, barbecue has evolved past the plate and into the bowl. This dish—a glorious, messy pile-up born of culinary pragmatism at SAW’s Soul Kitchen—is a masterclass in Southern comfort. It is a foundational layer of rich, stone-ground cheese grits, buried under bitter braised greens and a mountain of tender, pecan-smoked pulled pork. The whole thing is cut by a sharp Alabama red sauce and crowned with crispy shoestring onions. It is a masterpiece of texture and regional pride, and with the right workarounds, completely achievable in your own backyard or kitchen oven.
Ingredients
- bone-in pork shoulder6 lb
- yellow mustard2 tbsp
- liquid smoke1 tbsp
- coarse kosher salt1/4 cup
- coarse black pepper1/4 cup
- smoked paprika2 tbsp
- dark brown sugar2 tbsp
- cayenne pepper1 tsp
- coarse stone-ground yellow grits1 cup
- water2 cup
- whole milk2 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- unsalted butter4 tbsp
- sharp cheddar cheese1 cup
- Monterey Jack cheese1/2 cup
- fresh turnip greens8 cup
- rendered bacon fat2 tbsp
- yellow onion1 med
- garlic clove3 large
- chicken broth1 cup
- apple cider vinegar2 tbsp
- crushed red pepper flakes1/4 tsp
- apple cider vinegar1 cup
- ketchup1/2 cup
- water1/4 cup
- yellow mustard2 tbsp
- dark brown sugar2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- cayenne pepper1/2 tsp
- yellow onion1 large
- buttermilk1 cup
- all-purpose flour1 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- paprika1/2 tsp
- peanut oil1 qt
Method
- 01
Prepare the pork and manage your fire.
Coat the exterior of the pork lightly with the 2 tablespoons of mustard, and press in a rub made of the 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup pepper, smoked paprika, brown sugar, and cayenne. For an outdoor smoker or kettle grill, set up the charcoal snake method with pecan wood chunks to hold a steady 250°F environment. If you are stuck inside, set your kitchen oven to 300°F, place the pork on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet, rig a foil smoke bomb with wood chips on the oven floor, and stir a tablespoon of high-quality liquid smoke into your mustard binder before rubbing.
- 02
Push through the stall naked.
Place the pork on the grates and let it ride. Around 160°F, evaporative cooling will inevitably stall the internal temperature. Do not wrap the meat in foil or butcher paper; leaving it totally exposed to the heat and smoke is the only way to build that deep, coveted mahogany bark.
- 03
Rest the shoulder and pull by hand.
When the meat reaches a probe-tender internal temperature of 190°F to 195°F, remove it from the heat. Wrap the pork tightly in butcher paper or foil, and place it in a dry cooler wrapped in old towels—a faux Cambro—to rest for a minimum of one hour. When ready, pull the muscle apart by hand while wearing cotton liners and nitrile gloves. Discard the bone and any unrendered fat pockets, and never resort to chopping.
- 04
Simmer the Alabama red sauce.
In a non-reactive saucepan, whisk together the 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, ketchup, 1/4 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of mustard, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then remove from heat to cool. It should remain thin and highly acidic.
- 05
Braise the Southern greens.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the bacon fat over medium-high heat, then sauté the medium chopped onion until translucent. Add the minced garlic for one minute, followed by the turnip greens, chicken broth, and crushed red pepper. Cover, drop the heat to low, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until exceptionally tender, uncovering for the last 10 minutes to reduce the liquid potlikker. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of vinegar right before removing from the heat.
- 06
Cook the stone-ground cheese grits.
Bring the 2 cups of water and 2 cups of milk to a gentle boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then slowly whisk in the stone-ground grits. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover partially, and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes while whisking frequently to release starches. Once thick and tender, take it off the heat and vigorously stir in the butter, cheddar, and Monterey Jack until smooth, adjusting seasoning heavily with black pepper.
- 07
Fry the shoestring onions.
Soak the incredibly thinly sliced large onion in buttermilk for 15 minutes. Heat your peanut oil in a deep pot to 375°F. Dredge the soaked onions in the flour seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika, shaking off the excess, and fry in batches for 2 to 3 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy, draining them on a wire rack.
- 08
Build the Big Hungry Boy Napoleon.
Ladle a generous bed of hot, creamy cheese grits into a wide, shallow bowl. Layer the acidic braised greens directly over the grits, then pile a mountain of the warm, hand-pulled pork on top. Drizzle the meat liberally with the thin red sauce, and crown the entire dish with a massive handful of crispy fried shoestring onions.
From Cook BBQ at Home.