BBQ Pork Loin Sliders

I'm from a really small town in Georgia called Hartwell. I promise you've never heard of it. If you have, it's because you're from that area or you're a friend of mine who has heard me talk about it. There were several BBQ places around our area, but there was only one that we went to consistently because it was the absolute best, Zeb's. It took about 20 minutes just to get to, but it was worth it.

Now I live in Kentucky, and where I live has one place that boasts to be the "best BBQ in Kentucky." Personally, I hate that place and I think it's only very well known because of extensive advertising, not because the food is any good. There are several other BBQ places in town, but only one place where I will eat BBQ from, and they've won a few competitions and have been on the Travel channel (or some channel) several times. Still, not as many people know about this good place.

Well, CM and I decided we were going to start working really hard on our finances to improve our situation so we can give the best life possible to our two boys. This meant we had to stop eating out... and we did that a LOT. Well, that's what led me to start cooking and creating cheap, easy recipes for our family. Being from Georgia, I love BBQ, and that meant it was one meal I just had to learn how to make if I ever wanted to eat it frequently enough... so I figured it out by doing a lot of research. I can make pulled pork and I can make sliced pork. (Yes, there's a difference because you have to use 2 different types of loins). The only thing I couldn't make was the BBQ sauce, so we were buying jars of it from the one good place in town.

But all that has changed. I was determined to make my own sauce from scratch, and have it be just as delicious as the restaurant-bought sauce. So I introduce to you, my BBQ Pork Loin Sliders (with homemade sauce!):

Here's what you need for the pork:

• 4 lb pork loin (not a tenderloin unless you want to make these shredded, not sliced)
• 1 C of beef stock
• 1/2 C of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 C of soy sauce
• Any vegetables you want to cook it with (we used carrots -of course- and seasoned red potatoes)

Here's what you need for the BBQ sauce:

• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 C of ketchup
• 1/4 C of distilled white vinegar

**You'll also need rolls to make them sliders. We used King's Hawaiian Rolls.

Here's what you do:

• Place everything you need for the loin into the Crock-Pot, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5.
• When the loin is done, place it on a pan and slice as thick as you would like. 
• I like them sliced thick, so I cut about inch-thick slices. Because I was dealing with a wide roast, I also cut those slices in half so they would fit perfectly on the Hawaiian rolls.
• Set your sliced pork into a large bowl. Make sure it is big enough for all of the pieces to fit, as well as the sauce.
• In a sauce pan, add all of the ingredients for the sauce, and cook it on high until it starts to boil. Make sure to continue stirring the whole time.
• When it starts to boil, take it off the heat and dump all of the sauce into the bowl of sliced pork. It may not coat every piece perfectly evenly, but there will be more than enough at the bottom to accommodate the BBQ sauce-lovers out there.
• Cut your rolls in half, then use tongs to place your sliced pork onto each roll.

With a 4 lb pork, and 1-inch thick slices, I was able to make 24 sliders.

Also, I tried to make a BBQ sauce that wasn't too sweet but wasn't too vinegary, so it would appeal to all tastes. If you would like it sweeter, add more brown sugar, 2 Tbs at a time until it's how you want it. If you would like it to have more of a vinegar taste, add more of the white vinegar 2 Tbs at a time until it's how you want it.

I can't wait until I get to make these for my parents and see what they think. I hope they compare to the almighty Zeb's! Oh, and a huge congratulations to my dad for getting to go home from the hospital today!

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