Pulled Pork Poutine
North meets South in this tasty Pulled Pork Poutine recipe. French fries topped with cheese curds, brown gravy and slow-smoked pulled pork make for a delicious appetizer or meal!
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A lot of things changed when Laura and I moved from Atlanta to upstate New York. We had to buy snow boots. And we needed big ski jackets. And we needed boot trays at the doors to hold the aforementioned snow boots. These are all things you don’t need in Atlanta. It’s been 10 years now (time flies), but the move up the east coast has worked out. I’ve discovered curling. We have easy access to amazing maple syrup. Oh, yeah, and there’s the poutine.
I feel like poutine has become a bit more mainstream now that it was 10 years ago when we moved up here. Maybe that’s because we live ~2 hours from the Canadian border, and poutine is the national food of Canada. Either way, I decided it was finally time to make a batch of poutine at home.
What is poutine?
What is poutine?Poutine (pronounced poo-TEEN) is essentially a plate of french fries topped with brown gravy and cheese curds. When I first heard about this dish, I admit that I was rather skeptical. Why would anyone pour gravy all over their fries? That meant fries went from a finger food to a fork food. (Have you ever tried eating poutine with just your fingers? I don’t recommend it.) In one of those early years, Laura had a work conference up in Montreal. I drove up and met her after her conference, and we spent a couple days exploring the city. We also tried poutine for the first time. One bite, and I was hooked.
According to legend, a chef in a small town north of Montreal was asked to put a handful of cheese curds into a take-out bag of french fries. His immediate response was, “It will make a damn mess!” He’s right. It does make a mess. A delicious mess. The dish became popular, and that same chef then started adding a spoonful of brown gravy to keep the fries warm. If the curds made a damn mess, I don’t even want to know what he thought about the addition of gravy!
Cheese Curds
Cheese curds are an essential part of poutine. Cheese curds (aka “squeaky cheese”) have been gaining popularity in recent years. When we first moved up here, we couldn’t find cheese curds easily in the grocery store. Now there are several options for curds at our major grocery stores.
So what are curds? Well, remember that old nursery rhyme about Little Miss Muffet sitting on a tuffet eating her curds and whey? The process of cheese-making produces both curds and whey. Curds are solids that are pressed into blocks and aged. The result? Cheddar cheese. So curds are essentially young, unaged cheddar cheese. The taste is a bit milder than cheddar, and the texture is different. However, curds are delicious. I highly recommend trying them if you see them in your store!
Pulled Pork Poutine
I’m a Southern boy living in upstate New York. Thus, it’s no surprise that I wanted to put a Southern spin on this classic Canadian dish. I know some of my Canadian readers might cringe at the idea of adulterating a classic poutine, but I’ve gotta say – it’s delicious! Poutine is tasty in its own right, but then add in some smoky, shredded pulled pork? Oh man, that’s a meal for the ages right there!
I make Hickory Smoked Pulled Pork regularly, and we always keep small bags in the freezer. You can also make pulled pork in a slow cooker. However, if you don’t want to go to the effort, a number of companies sell prepared pulled pork. Check in the refrigerated and frozen section of your grocery store. Alternatively, if you’ve got a good BBQ spot in town, they almost certainly will sell pulled pork. (I recommend using a non-sauced pulled pork. A pulled pork with BBQ sauce already mixed in would probably be fine, but it might fight the flavors of the brown gravy.)
All in all, if you’re looking for one heck of a delicious appetizer or meal, then keep an eye out for cheese curds. I promise you that one bite of this Pulled Pork Poutine won’t be enough!
Did you make this Pulled Pork Poutine at home? Leave a comment. Or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Enjoy!
Pulled Pork Poutine
Ingredients
For the Gravy
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 shallot minced
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken-stock
- 2 Tbsp ketchup
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
For the Poutine
- 1 26-oz. bag frozen thin-cut French fries
- 1½-2 cups cheddar cheese curds room temperature
- 2 cups prepared pulled pork
- 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley for garnishing
Instructions
For the Gravy
- Using a small bowl, add cornstarch and water; whisk together until well combined. Set bowl aside.
- Using a large saucepan, add butter and place over medium-low heat. Once butter has melted, add shallot and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes. Add flour; continue sautéing, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until mixture turns golden brown.
- Add beef stock, chicken stock, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper; stir until well combined. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, add cornstarch mixture. Using a whisk, stir until mixture is well combined.
- Continue cooking, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes, or until gravy thickens noticeably.
- Reduce heat to low to keep gravy warm.
For the Poutine
- Bake fries according to package directions. (If desired, use this recipe to make homemade boardwalk fries.) Note: I recommend baking fries several minutes longer than instructions to ensure they are extra crispy.
- Transfer fries into a large serving bowl. (Tip: A clean cast iron pan is a fun way to serve poutine!)
- If needed, increase heat on gravy to ensure it is hot. Pour several ladles of gravy over fries. Add most of cheese curds and pulled pork; use tongs to toss.
- Top with remaining cheese curds, pulled pork and another spoonful of gravy. Garnish with chopped parsley; serve immediately.
Looking for more french fry recipe ideas? Check out these other favorites, too!
Lol – I gotta admit, one of my first thoughts when reading through your description was also “why would anyone pour gravy all over their fries?” As curds don’t age, am thinking they are pretty high in Lactose? Guess am just gonna have to pop a few extra Lactaid tabs before digging onto this deliciousness! Also LURRVE your pulled pork Spin!
PS- happy 10 year moving to the frigid north anniversary to y’all! 🙂
You make an excellent point about lactose here, Shashi. I had to google that to satisfy my curiosity, and cheese curds are indeed high in lactose. You nailed it that the aging process is what makes cheese lactose-free. So, yes, pack some extra Lactaid for this one. Trust me, it’s worth it!!
Obviously, you know I love poutine 😉 We take that stuff very seriously around here, lol. Way to amp it up with pulled pork. BTW, have you ever used vinegar on your poutine? Swoon. Well, I am a huge vinegar fan, but I just love how it cuts through some of the richness. So good. Anywho, now I’m totally craving a big ol’ plate of this deliciousness right now!!
Of course I know you love poutine! I mean it’s the national food of Canada, right?? 🙂 So I’ve never used vinegar on poutine. I’m intrigued. Laura loves (I mean LOVES) malt vinegar on fries, so I think this thought it going to blow her mind. Guess we just need to make this one again, huh??
Eastern North Carolina BBQ Sauce Sauce (vinegar with a little kick) would pair up perfectly since it’s intended for Pig Pickin’ anyhow… Love your recipies! Greetings from the Low Country
Hey Chibi! I like where you’re going with the eastern NC BBQ sauce here. That sounds delicious – I’ll have to give that a try soon. In the time since this post was written, we’ve moved back to the Carolinas (Asheville) so NC BBQ is a lot easier to find for us now. 🙂
Oh my goodness, this looks so good! And I’m a bit embarrassed now. I live in Canada, but I’ve never tried a homemade version of poutine, and this is not your first recipe if I remember right (Did you make Philly cheesesteak?) Poutine isn’t my most favourite kind of food, but my cravings happen 3-4 times a year, and I think it’s starting again thanks to you…do you have any plans for this night that can stop you from making and shipping a HUGE container of it? 🙂
I have to admit that this actually was the first time I’ve posted a poutine recipe. However, with that said, you can expect more! I’m not changing a thing about the base recipe…I’ll just mix up the toppings. Philly Cheesesteak Poutine sounds awesome! Or what about Buffalo Chicken Poutine? I think that needs to happen. I would ship this to you, but I don’t think poutine would travel too well. Perhaps just order some for takeout tonight! 🙂
I have never had poutine, but it is something that I have always wanted to try! Add in pulled pork, which is one of my most favourite things, and we certainly have a very tasty treat here! Yum!
You should totally make poutine then, Alex! It’s really not all that hard to make if you start with frozen fries. I’m telling ya – this version is TASTY! 🙂
When I was still in my pre-retirement working world I found myself in Quebec very often. So, poutine was eaten often. Considered by some Québécois as blue-collar food, but to me it was just great food. But, with that said David, I’ve never had it topped with pulled pork. Brilliant my friend.
Did you know McDonalds serves poutine in Quebec? I would not however recommend it.
The Quebecois can call this blue-collar food. That’s fine. I’ll be blue-collar! Poutine is absolutely delicious! I was skeptical of the concept at first, but now I’m all in. And pulled pork on top? Why isn’t that seen more often!
And McDonald’s poutine? I mean they do make good fries…but I can’t see their poutine being that good. Thanks for the tip there!
poutine became quite popular here for a while but i think it has lessened off now. still they are delicious! i’m not sure we have curds here as such but they were always covered in delicious cheese etc. Yum!
Well I say bring that poutine trend back around – I mean it’s quite delicious! Cheese curds are a critical element of authentic poutine, but if you can’t find cheese curds then I’m sure melted cheese would still be delicious! You should try making a batch at home, Sherry!
Total comfort food. My teenage boys have ordered a poutine a few times when we’ve dined out. They love it and I must say it does leave them full and satisfied. Those are key things with teenage boys! I love the idea of adding the pulled pork. So much flavor!
Well I can promise you that this homemade version of poutine will leave your teenage boys full and satisfied, too! That gravy is excellent! And of course the pulled pork on top is like icing on the cake. This is definitely a favorite in our house. Thanks, Kathy!
Pulled pork poutine is an amazing twist on fries and gravy! Definitely gotta have the cheese curds! Yum, now I’m craving.
The cheese curds add so much flavor here, Michelle! I gotta say that I’m a huge fan of poutine. I never thought I’d like eating fries with a fork…but when they’re smothered with gravy, cheese curds and pulled pork? Hand me that fork!!
Somehow I’ve never had poutine, but clearly I’m missing out. Love this kind of fusion take on recipes. Can’t go wrong with fries, cheese curds, and pulled pork, lol – truly looks decadent delicious!
You’ve never had poutine!? Ok, you’ve got to make me a promise, Marissa. Go eat poutine. It’s amazing! The pulled pork is my twist on it as poutine is traditionally fries + gravy + cheese curds. This recipe is definitely worth making for one of those nights when you want a guilty comfort food night! 🙂
I’ve never had Poutine (GASP!). Clearly I must! I love pulled pork and French fries so this recipe is calling to me. 🙂 ~Valentina
Ok, you definitely need to try poutine, Valentina! Make me a promise, ok? 🙂 If you can’t find poutine out there in LA, but just use this recipe to make a batch at home. It’s awesome! The pulled pork is my addition here, but I do highly recommend it. 🙂
You know, I’ve been wanting to try poutine for some time now but never had the chance. I have a standing invitation from friends in Montreal but, of course, can’t take them up right at the moment. Lucky you guys can find those cheese curds, it’s the thing that stops me trying to make poutine at home. Anyway, this looks delicious!
So I’m taking it that cheese curds aren’t available down there in your area? It’s only in the past few years that cheese curds have become more readily available here. Do check your grocery stores (when you happen to be there already). One of our store sells curds under their own name and another sells a branded version. It’s worth hunting down curds so you can make a batch of poutine! Thanks, Frank!
I don’t think I have heard of poutine before, but this is right up my alley. I have to say I love everything about this recipe. Yum!!
You totally need to try poutine, Dawn! It is a guilty pleasure of a recipe…but it is SO good! 🙂
I tried poutine when I first visited Canada some ten years ago now and still remember how delicious it was. I don’t remember the cheese curds though – they sound amazing! I have never thought to make this at home but can’t look away now – thanks for the inspiration, David!
Eating a plate of poutine in Canada should be on every foodie’s bucket list! I’m nearly certain yours had cheese curds on it. Cheese curds are a requirement for authentic poutine. However, if you can’t find curds, you can still make a delicious dish with the fries + gravy. And honestly it’s not that hard to make at home! I was quite pleased with this one. 🙂
Honestly, is there anything that can’t be improved with the addition of cheese curds? My favorite salad at a restaurant in my hometown has cheese curds on top and it’s to die for! I’ve never eaten poutine but somehow I’m craving it now!
Honestly, you are right. Like 100% nailed it right. Cheese curds make everything better! Salad with cheese curds on top? That’s a new one to me, but now I’m intrigued. I’ll have to try that! Thanks for the idea, Kelsie!
Poutine alone is amazing, adding pulled pork on it = Mind Blown!!!! I want some.
Haha! Yes, the pulled pork on top really took this one to a new level. I mean poutine by itself is great…but add the smokey pulled pork? Now you’re talking my kind of language! Thanks, Raymund! 🙂
SO I just put two small bags of hickory pulled pork into the freezer that we made over 4th of July. I also have cheese curds that I bought and didn’t know what to do with. I think it is kismet that I found this recipe. But I am supposed to be on the wedding diet! What’a a girl to do?
No way! It’s like the universe is telling you to make this Pulled Pork Poutine. I mean you have the pulled pork ready to go. You have cheese curds just asking for a use. You gotta do it! As far as the wedding diet, I say just eat a really light lunch. That’ll help save the extra calories for dinner. Sounds reasonable, right? I think so! 🙂
Please post pre-packaged pans of plain, pulled-pork poutine to me in Potsville, PA.
You know, Jeff, I think that could happen. We’re driving down to Laura’s parents’ place in Altoona, PA later this week. I can drop some pre-packaged pans of plain, pulled-pork poutine out of the car window on the way by!