This weekend we signed up for the NFL gamepass to watch what I consider proper football here in London. So excited! Of course we won’t be staying up till 1am for the Monday night games but I was pretty much the happiest camper ever Sunday night:

Yes that’s a jumbo Bud Heavy and a beer brat. Yummy. Also, this is while there was 5 minutes left in the Panthers game and they looked like they were sailing into a victory against Buffalo. Oh but then the last 30 seconds happened. Sadly, this is a bit par for the course being a Panthers fan. They play a great game, get you all enthused, and then throw it away sometime during the forth quarter. But the season is just starting so there are many more chances.

Speaking of football, American vs. the kind I call soccer, have you guys seen this video with Jason Sudeikis? Hilarious-pants.

But now let’s get down to business- football season means tailgating and day drinking on Sundays and some awesome meals. So I suggest you kick off the season with this Balsamic Pulled Pork with Blue Cheese Cole Slaw. It’s ridiculously good and easy.

Plus you can get it started Sunday morning and enjoy it by afternoon. The trick is to use pork shoulder that has been cut into about 2-inch thick pieces. You’ll still slow roast the pork but this will cut the cook time by half.

If you plan on cooking this in the morning, rub your pork with a dry rub of brown sugar, paprika, cayenne, oregano, and mustard powder, the night before. Then brown your pork pieces and finish them in the oven, cooking for the first hour uncovered and then covered for 2-3 more hours until it is fork tender.

Once the pork is cool enough to touch, shred it, removing any excess fat. Just get in there with your fingers. Place all the pulled pork into a bowl and reserve.

Then to make the sauce, pour all of the juices out of the pot, but reserve 2 tablespoons (strained of fat). Deglaze the pot with balsamic vinegar, add the brown sugar, ketchup, and pork juice, then simmer to thicken and reduce by about half.

Toss it with the pork and serve with a shredded cabbage and carrot slaw studded with punchy delicious blue cheese. It is the perfect centerpiece to a tailgate spread.

The tang of blue cheese slaw and the sweet and tart BBQ sauce are amazing together. A perfect tailgate sandwich!

Balsamic Pulled Pork with Blue Cheese Cole Slaw

Seves 6-8

3 lbs. pork shoulder, thick sliced*

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1tsp. paprika

½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. cayenne

½ tsp. mustard powder

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. olive oil

For the sauce:

½ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup brown sugar

For the Slaw:

½ head red cabbage, thinly sliced

½ head green cabbage, thinly sliced

2 large carrots, grated

¾ cup mayonnaise

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. white vinegar

4 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Rolls for serving

*If you use a whole shoulder, make sure it is trimmed of fat and alter the cooking time to about 6 hours, until it is fork tender.

Mix the six dry rub ingredients, brown sugar to salt. Rub the mixture onto the pork shoulder pieces and let sit in the fridge for at least one hour and up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 250˚F.

In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium. Sear each side of the pork shoulder, in batches if necessary. Return all pork to the pan, cook uncovered in the oven for one hour. Cover and continue to cook for 2-3 hours, until the meat separates without pressure using a fork. Remove from the pot and allow to cool, then shred the meat, removing any excess fat.

Pour the pan juices into a gravy separator and reserve. Place pot over medium low heat and add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Once simmering, add the ketchup and brown sugar. Add back 2 tablespoons of the meat juices. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring until reduced slightly and thickened. Toss with the pulled pork and warm through.

While the pork cooks, prepare the cole slaw. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with the cabbage and carrots until coated. Gently mix in the crumbled blue cheese and add additional seasoning if necessary.

Serve the pork and cole slaw with fresh rolls.