Pineapple Punch, Served With Kalua Pork Sliders

We loosely call our cocktail by the German term, ananasbowle, which translates to pineapple punch. The German term, bowle, derived from the English word, “bowl”, is found when referencing cocktails similar to a punch. Our version of the fruit bowle includes pineapple fruit. One sip and you’ll realize why this – fizzy, light, not too sweet – fruit bowle is so popular at German garden parties and barbecues. Not only is it refreshing during warm weather, you’ll love that it’s made with simple ingredients –  fruit, white wine, and sparking wine. We found that our Instant Pot Kalua Pork recipe pairs well with the sweet and sour taste of pineapple in our cocktail. The pork recipe is also adapted for the home kitchen. The traditional kalua pork method involves a whole pig  cooked slowly underground and is not a practical option for today’s reduced capacity gatherings! While neither recipes are authentically German or Hawaiian, both were travel-inspired and contributes to comfort-making during a travel-restricted pandemic year.

Ananasbowle Ingredients for two people:

Instructions:

Chill sparkling wine, the night before serving. Combine strained pineapple chunks and white wine in a glass vessel and refrigerate overnight. Using a glass bowl and just before serving, add equal parts chilled sparkling wine to wine-infused pineapple mixture. Using a ladle or large spoon, fill each glass mug halfway with pineapple chunks and top each glass with the liquid mixture. Serve with a long spoon.

Instant Pot Kalua Pork Ingredients (we made the full recipe and leftovers can be frozen):

Kalua Pork Ingredients:

Asian-inspired Slaw Ingredients:

Produce:

• 1 cup cilantro, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced

• 3 scallions, finely chopped

• 1/2 green cabbage, thinly sliced

• 1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced

• 3 carrots, peeled and julienned

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 2 tablespoon agave syrup or brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, optional

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, optional 

Pineapple BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice, reserved from canned pineapple 

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 1/4 – 1/3 cup brown sugar, depending sweetness preference

• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated

• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon red chili sauce or pinch of red chili flakes

For the sliders, we used King’s Hawaiian rolls but any type of small, semi-sweet soft roll will work. 

Instructions :

Turn Saute setting to high on Instant Pot and when hot, switch to normal and cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside. Turn Saute setting to high, rub pork butt with salt, and brown pork on all sides. Remove when browned and turn off Instant Pot. Pour in water, return cooked bacon and browned pork to the pot. Cover and seal, set valve to sealing position and set to pressure cook manual mode, on high for 90 minutes. Once time is up, let pressure release naturally. Remove pork and it should pull apart easily, using two forks. If pork is too tough, place back into pot and pressure cook on high for another 30 minutes, natural release.

While pork is pressure cooking, prepare the slaw and sauce.  In a large bowl, toss slaw produce ingredients together, until well mixed. In a separate medium bowl, whisk slaw dressing ingredients, until well combined and pour it over the slaw mix. Toss until combined with dressing and set aside. Refrigerate, if making ahead.

To make the slider sauce, add all pineapple BBQ sauce ingredients to a small saucepan. Gently bring to simmer and cook for few minutes until sugar is dissolved and mixture has slightly thickened. Turn off heat and allow sauce to further thicken as it cools.

Halve hawaiian rolls, fill with pulled pork, and top with slaw. If desired, season  pulled pork with some pineapple BBQ sauce before slider assembly. We served the sauce separate so that it could be spooned over the sliders, as desired.