BBQ Pulled Pork Fried Mac and Cheese Bites

Name: BBQ Pulled Pork Fried Mac and Cheese Bites
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 6 h 40 min
Total time: 7 h 25 min
Yield: 30 -
Ingredients: 1 recipe Homemade Mac and Cheese (using the Five Cheese Variation in recipe notes section); 3-4 lb pork shoulder; 2 yellow onion; 5 cloves garlic; 1 cup chicken stock; 1/2 Tbsp light brown sugar; 1/2 Tbsp chili powder; 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt; 1/4 tsp cumin; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 2 cups barbecue sauce; 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 2 large egg; 2 cups panko breadcrumbs; 1 tsp parsley; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; salt; black pepper; 3-4 cups canola oil; parsley; barbecue sauce

User Reviews

5

8 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
6 hrs 40 mins
Total Time
7 hrs 25 mins
Servings
30 -
Calories
507 kcal
Course
Appetizer
Cuisine
American

BBQ Pulled Pork Fried Mac and Cheese Bites

Dominic Jacobs

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Fried Mac and cheese bites, made with five-cheese Mac and cheese mixed with BBQ pulled pork, make for the ultimate game day appetizer!

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Ingredients

Servings

1 recipe Homemade Mac and Cheese (using the Five Cheese Variation in recipe notes section) , prepared, but NOT baked

PULLED PORK:

3-4 lb pork shoulder boneless, or butt, netting removed
2 yellow onion sliced
5 cloves garlic smashed
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 Tbsp light brown sugar packed
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cumin ground
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups barbecue sauce Original flavor, Stubb's Legendary Bar-B-Q Sauce brand

FRIED MAC AND CHEESE BITES:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 large egg + 1 Tbsp water, beaten together
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp parsley dried
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
3-4 cups canola oil or sunflower or peanut oil
parsley minced, fresh, for garnish
barbecue sauce Stubb's Original brand, additional, for drizzling and dipping

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Instructions

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PULLED PORK:

To the bottom of a slow cooker (I use a 6 qt size), add onions and garlic. Top with chicken stock.
Combine brown sugar, chili powder, salt, cumin and black pepper and rub all over pork shoulder. Place pork on top of the onion mixture in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6-7 hours, or LOW for 8-10, until pork is fork tender.
Remove pork from slow cooker and place in large mixing bowl. Shred using two forks, discarding any pure fat pieces. Stir in Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q Sauce and set aside.
Add pulled pork to prepared mac and cheese, stirring to thoroughly combine. Cover and refrigerate for several hours until firm, or overnight.

MAC AND CHEESE BITES:

Scoop large golfball sized balls of the cold mac and cheese (an ice cream scoop works perfectly!), and use hands to form into complete ball shape. Place onto wax paper lined plate or baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mac and cheese. Place plate or baking sheet in freezer for 30 minutes.
Add oil to dutch oven or large heavy bottomed bot. Heat over MED heat until oil temperature measures 360 F degrees.
While oil is heating up, add flour, egg mixture and panko to three shallow bowls. To panko bowl, add parsley, cayenne and a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack on top; set aside.
Remove Mac and cheese balls from freezer and roll, one at a time, in flour (shaking off the excess), then dipping in egg mixture, then rolling (and pressing lightly to coat) in the panko mixture. Repeat with remaining balls.
Place half the balls on a clean wax paper lined plate and refrigerate (or freeze), while frying the other half. You don't want to let the balls get too warm, or they could start to fall apart during the frying process.
Add Mac and cheese balls, 4-5 at a time to the hot oil, gently nudging the balls as they fry, so all sides are fried equally. Fry for approximately 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Gently remove fried balls and place onto prepared wire rack to cool. Repeat with any remaining balls.
Serve hot, drizzled with a bit of Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q Sauce, sprinkled with parsley, and with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.

Notes

Recipe created and tested using homemade mac and cheese (linked in recipe above), and pulled pork detailed in recipe. However, you can also make the mac and cheese and pulled pork at other times and use the leftovers to make this recipe. You can also use store-bought mac and cheese (the kind already prepared), and pulled pork from the grocery deli. Amount of mac and cheese bites may vary if using these non-tested options.