Before we just back into Bolivia, a follow up on my Eat Denver deliciousness. While I can think of a lot of the dishes to recreate from my culinary tour de Colorado, I decided on the one that surprised me the most: the BBQ pulled pork panini from New Belgium’s Goodness Truck. Also, it’s National BBQ Week, apparently, so revamping that into these BBQ pulled pork quesadillas seemed apropos (I’ve never used that word before ever. I’m not sure if I will again. Doesn’t flow. Moving on…).
Why the surprise? Well, here’s the run-down: pulled pork, barbecue sauce, pepper jack cheese, SALSA, ciabatta.
SALSA! It seems to not go, right? As I stood in line and debated my options, I said to Legume, “Salsa? Seems misplaced. Maybe I’ll get it without.” Then I reminded myself that dishes are crafted a certain way for a reason and that the salsa’s addition was no accident. And also that I love salsa. I got it as it should be and I’m so glad that I did because as it turns out, pulled pork + salsa= genius.
Bringing this home, I did tweak it a bit to use what I had in the house and made it a quesadilla rather than a panini. It just so happened that pulled pork was on the menu for this week anyway, so I figured I’d seize the day.
A bit on this- I don’t make quesadillas. In fact, this might be the 2nd one I’ve made ever. I often scoff at extraneous kitchen gadgets like quesadilla grills, but after executing the most awkward flip attempt in the history of quesadilla making, it was pretty obvious that, should quesadillas start appearing more frequently in my diet, I need to invest in one. I blame this on the fact that I had the dining plan all four years in college, the time at which one might otherwise master the art of the perfect flip.
If your college experience wasn’t as deficient as mine was and you’re a pro-flipper, this one’s for you. Feel free to mimic the original on your favorite bread panini-style like the original. I also think this is a great way to mix up leftover chicken, and I often have leftover chicken.
This is sort of a general recipe but hopefully structured enough to give you a good idea
BBQ pulled pork quesadillas
BBQ pork quesadillas are a delicious snack, appetizer or lunch that is quintessential Tex-Mex, with BBQ pork, salsas and spices tied all together.
Ingredients
- 4 flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (or more, if you like it extra cheesy)
- 1/2 cup spinach
- 1/2 cup chunky style salsa, your favorite
- 1/2 cup shredded pork or barbecued chicken
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
Directions
- Step 1 Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan and spread a layer cheese on one side of the tortilla. Then add half of the spinach, half the pork, half the salsa, drizzle with half the barbecue sauce, season with pepper. and pepper, and top with another layer of cheese. Top with a second tortilla.
- Step 2 Cook the quesadilla, pressing down lightly with a spatula or a heavy frying pan until the one side is golden brown, crispy and the cheese and melted. Carefully flip the quesadilla and repeat until that side is golden brown and crispy.
Homemade quesadillas are the easily best! Those look super tasty, Chrissy!! 🙂
I think I need practice flipping, but the taste was there!