Overview

This classic dish-turned-melt is straight from the South. Macaroni and cheese with pulled barbecue pork, caramelized onions, and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grilled between slices of dense buttermilk bread.

Ingredients

Butter Spread
¾ cup (6 oz) Tillamook^® Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
¾ cup (6 oz) mayonnaise

Sandwiches
3 tablespoons (1½ oz) Tillamook^® Unsalted Butter
4 yellow onions, sliced into ¼ inch strips
4 cups of pulled pork
2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce
16 slices buttermilk bread (white is fine too)
24 slices Tillamook^® Sharp Cheddar Cheese
8 cups of your favorite macaroni and cheese recipe

Preparation

Butter Spread
In a mixer, beat butter and mayonnaise with the paddle attachment until well mixed. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all butter as it may stick to the bowl.

Mac and Cheese “singles”
Prepare your favorite macaroni and cheese recipe. When finished, spread evenly into a sheet pan or casserole dish to a thickness of about ¾ inch. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in refrigerator. Once chilled, cut the macaroni and cheese into squares that are slightly smaller than the diameter of your bread.

Caramelized onions
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a heavy bottomed sauté pan. Add sliced onions and cook over a medium heat stirring frequently until onions have caramelized. Season with salt and black pepper to taste

BBQ Pork
Heat up BBQ sauce and add pulled pork. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.

Assembly of sandwiches
Generously butter one side of each slice of bread with the butter spread. Be sure to butter to the very edges! On unbuttered side, lay one slice of cheese. On top of the cheese, lay one “single” of chilled macaroni and cheese and top with another slice of cheese. Then add ½ cup BBQ pork mixture and top with ¼ cup caramelized onions. Finally, cover the onions with one slice of cheese and top it off with a slice of bread, buttered side out.

Cooking
Heat griddle to about 350°F. Place all sandwiches on griddle and allow to cook slowly. If your heat is too high it will burn the bread and the inside will not be hot. Once golden brown, gently flip and repeat until cheese is melted and hot. If the bread browns prior to the inside being hot, place pan with sandwiches in oven at 450°F to allow to finish.