If you know the story of Smoke Show, then you know that it all started with a hangover. And if you’re from or have been to Quebec, you know that poutine cures a hangover like water cures dehydration. There is nothing more comforting than the combination of crispy french fries, warm brown gravy and squeaky cheese curds (THE BEST PART!!). This Pulled Pork Poutine Recipe is smokey, savoury and the Smoke Show Jalapeño BBQ Sauce brings a heat you didn’t know you were missing. Regardless if you’re hungover or not, this poutine dish tastes delicious no matter what time of day you choose to make it.

How to make poutine

Poutine is one of the simplest recipes to make as you only really need three ingredients: french fries, gravy and cheese. But we won’t lie, this pulled pork poutine recipe involves only a few steps but a lot of patience, but that’s the part that makes it so delicious. The end result is completely worth the wait. Once you pull apart the pork, then those mouthwatering cheese curds start melting just slightly when the steaming gravy touches them—you’ll be saying “heaven on a plate”. 

Start by cutting the potatoes into ½" inch sticks and place them into a large bowl filled with cold water. To make sure the starch is completely removed from the fries, drain the starch water from the fries TWICE ahead of frying. Dry the fries as much as you can after rinsing them. You can place them on paper towel, use another sheet or two to dry them a handful at a time before adding to the oil. Add three inches of oil to a deep pot, then heat it on medium-high. In order to get a golden brown crispy outside, you'll need to fry the fries twice, once for 4-5 minutes to cook the inside, remove, then fry again for another 3-5 minutes until the outside is golden brown.

Every authentic Canadian poutine uses white cheese curds. Since you’re making yours at home you don’t need to be shy about it either. The more the better! Depending on where you live, cheese curds aren't always easy to find, so a soft ball of mozzarella torn into chunks can work just as well. When adding gravy, the cheese is supposed to melt and become gooey, so only soft, shredded mozzarella can do that.

How to make poutine gravy

Poutine is all about the GRAVY. It can make or break the dish. Typically you would start by making a roux, which is butter and flour cooked together on the stove. Once the roux is bubbling, you slowly pour in beef stock to achieve a nice dark gravy. 

For this particular recipe we decided to flip the script and use the Smoke Show BBQ Sauce and beer mixture from the slow cooker as the beef stock in this scenario. The smokey cajun notes from the bbq sauce bring a level of heat to the dish making it all that more delicious. The gravy's main purpose is to melt the cheese curds into the fries so they become one deliciously gooey mess, so pour while it’s piping hot.

How to reheat poutine

Store any leftover gravy in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat in a small saucepan over low heat while whisking. Store leftover pulled pork in the fridge for up to 5 days.

PREP: 15min | TOTAL TIME: 30min | SERVINGS: 2

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
• 1 bottle of Smoke Show Jalapeño BBQ sauce
• 12 ounces beer
• 6-8 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½" inch sticks
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups cheese curds
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Steps

1. Start by adding the pork shoulder to a slow cooker, pour in the barbecue sauce and beer generously covering the meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat can easily pull apart.
2. Once the pork is done cooking, reserve 1 cup of the liquid and set aside to be used for the gravy. 
3. Shred the pulled pork with two forks and remove any of the large chunks of fat.
4. Add three inches of oil to a deep pot, then heat it on medium-high. Once the oil is hot enough, grab a handful of fries and place them in the oil. You'll need to fry the fries twice, once for 4-5 minutes to cook the inside, remove, then fry again for another 3-5 minutes until the outside is golden brown.
5. Start preparing the gravy while the fries are cooking. In a small sauce pan on medium heat begin to melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until combined then slowly pour in the reserved liquid you had set aside from the slow cooker. Continue whisking until the gravy reaches a consistency that you like, the longer it cooks the thicker it’ll become.
6. To prepare the poutine, first add your fries, layer with as much pulled pork as you’d like, then sprinkle on the cheese curds and cover with gravy. Top with fresh chives and you’re ready to eat.

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