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Barbecued Pork Sandwiches

A slow‑cooked pork shoulder sandwich with barbecue sauce, onions, and orange marmalade.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Pork and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,214 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Barbecued Pork Sandwiches

Time6-8 hours on Low

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the pork

  1. Cut roast into 2‑inch cubes; place in slow cooker with onion, barbecue sauce, hot pepper sauce, and marmalade. Cover and cook on Low for 6‑8 hours, until tender.

  2. Remove pork and onions from slow cooker with slotted spoon. Shred pork and set aside.

Thicken and serve

  1. Combine cornstarch and water and add this mixture to juices in slow cooker, stirring to blend well.

  2. Cover and cook on High for 1 minute; return the pork to slow cooker and heat through on High for 10 minutes.

  3. Serve on sandwich buns.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

809Calories
43 gProtein
16 gFat
122 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Pork100g cooked242
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Saucenot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,214 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Pepper + orangetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,402 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  3. Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together68,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together22,121 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Onion + saucetop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together10,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Onion and sauce barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 10,474 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Pork shoulder
Slow cooking breaks down connective tissue, so the meat becomes tender and easy to shred.
Barbecue sauce
Provides the main flavor and, with the juices, forms the sauce that coats the shredded meat.
Orange marmalade
Adds sweetness and a hint of acidity that balances the spicy, savory sauce.
Cornstarch
Thickens the cooking juices into a glossy sauce that clings to the pork.
Onions
Soften during cooking and add sweetness and savory depth to the sauce.

The step that matters

Thickening the juices with cornstarch slurry. Cornstarch must be mixed with cold water first and then heated in the liquid; it thickens only when the mixture reaches a simmer. Added dry or unmixed, it clumps and the sauce stays thin.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, onion, sauce, pepper):

  1. Avocadofits better
  2. Limefits better
  3. Mangofits better
  4. Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, onion, sauce, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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