This tasty dish, from Ray Sheehan’s new cookbook, “Award-Winning Barbecue Sauces and How to Use Them” (Page Street; $22), proves that you can have barbecue for breakfast. For the recipe, Sheehan uses his sweet, tangy, international award-winning Memphis Mop sauce to make a kicky, golden hollandaise that dresses poached eggs and leftover pulled pork (it works well with brisket too, he says).
The recipe is inspired by a dish Sheehan had at the Ruby Slipper Cafe in Orange Beach, Alabama. It’s billed as serving four hearty eaters. (But we think it would make eight regular eaters very happy, too.)
Pork Benedict with BBQ Hollandaise
Serves 4
BBQ hollandaise:
3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Memphis Mop BBQ Sauce (see below)
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Poached eggs:
2 cups water
2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 large eggs
4 slices Texas toast (see note below)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 pounds leftover pulled pork, heated
Chopped chives
Directions:
Prepare the BBQ hollandaise: In a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, vigorously whisk the egg yolks with the water until the mixture thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, BBQ sauce, dry mustard and ancho and chipotle powders.
Slowly whisk in the melted butter until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Keep the sauce warm over gently simmering water, whisking occasionally, until ready to serve.
Poach the eggs: In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the water, vinegar and salt to a boil, then lower the heat to between 170 and 180 degrees. Working 1 at a time, crack an egg into a small bowl or cup. Stir the water in a clockwise direction to create a whirlpool. Once the water slows down slightly, place the bowl close to the surface of the hot water and gently slip the egg into the center of the whirlpool. Let the egg cook until the white fully sets and the yolk is no longer runny, about 3 minutes. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and set it on a clean kitchen towel or a layer of paper towels to drain off as much liquid as possible. Repeat with the rest of the eggs.
While the eggs cook, toast the bread slices. Coat one side of each slice with 1 tablespoon butter.
To assemble the Benedicts, top each buttered toast slice with 1⁄2 cup of the pulled pork, then 2 poached eggs. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the BBQ hollandaise over each egg and garnish with the chopped chives.
Note: Texas toast, despite its name, is not toasted prepackaging. It is a fresh loaf of bread that is sliced twice as thick as regular bread.
Memphis Mop Sauce
Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
2 cups ketchup, such as Simply Heinz
½ cup prepared yellow mustard
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon chile powder
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
½ teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon hickory liquid smoke
Directions
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients, except the liquid smoke. Bring it to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat to low and simmer until it’s slightly thickened, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. With a whisk, blend in the liquid smoke until it’s incorporated. Let the sauce cool, then transfer it to a jar and store it in the refrigerator for up to a month.
— From “Award-Winning BBQ Sauces and How to Use Them” by Ray Sheehan, Page Street Publishing Co.; $22)
