Serve with picklesBBQ sauce, mustard or any other condiment you choose. I ate mine straight up to truly appreciate all of the wonderful tastes and textures Pulled Pork Stuffed Pretzel Rolls has to offer.
Instructions
Start by making your pulled pork. Mix extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, pepper and both sugars to make a paste. Rub generously into the pork butt. To cook, Alec used the Big Green Egg and apple chips and smoked for 3 hours.
Pork should pull apart easily with a fork. Transfer pulled pork to a large mixing bowl. Toss with ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, Old Bay seasoning and a 12-ounce bottle of your favorite beer. Beer is optional. Toss to coat and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes, or longer. Set aside until you are ready to stuff the pretzel rolls.
To make the dough, heat milk in a sauce pan over low heat or microwave for 30-40 seconds. Milk should be warm to the touch, but not too hot or else it will kill the yeast. Remove from heat and stir in dark brown sugar until dissolved. Transfer to a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook. Add packets of dry active yeast. Allow to bloom until it froths and bubbles.
Blend butter into milk, slowly add flour, baking powder and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. If using a stand mixer, knead for 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, double that for 1o minutes, cause let's face it, your biceps don't work as hard as the machine, but if you missed the gym, this is great! Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, cover tightly and allow to rise in a warm place for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
After dough has doubled in size, punch down to remove air. Next, form dough into 2-inch balls. Initially dough will be loose, but will start to tighten as you roll it on a hard surface. Roll dough, catching the bottom with your thumb to seal the dough and prevent having a crease. You can also pinch to remove creases. Place balls on a greased cookie sheet, cover loosely and allow to rise for an additional 10-20 minutes.
Next, flatten balls with the palm of your hand. Place one heaping tablespoon of pulled pork in the center. Fold edges over and pinch and twist dough to close, trying to prevent creases, also known as places where pulled pork can escape and we don’t want that!
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fill a large pot or Dutch oven half way with water, approximately 4 quarts, do not over fill, as adding the baking powder will bubble and could over flow with too much water. Add 3 tablespoons kosher salt. Bring to a very low boil-simmer. Add 1 tablespoon baking soda to low boiling water, be prepared for the bubbling. You may need to refill water and add additional salt and baking soda as you cook the pretzel rolls.
When bubbly calms, gently lower 3-4 pulled pork stuffed pretzel rolls into the water. Work in small batches to prevent crowded the pot. Boil for 2 minutes, until they float and they develop a skin like a dumpling. Make sure your water doesn’t reach a rolling boil, it will tear the delicate dough. Remove to a paper towel lined plated, dab lightly to remove excess water.
Transfer pulled pork filled pretzel buns to a lightly greased baking sheet. Whisk together eggs and water. Brush the tops of each pretzel buns lightly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops are browned. Do not except them to be as dark as store bought pretzels. Remove and immediately sprinkle with kosher salt.
Enjoy your Pulled Pork Stuffed Pretzel Rolls!
If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!