Why You Need To Make These Pulled Pork Cinnamon Rolls

The following recipe and excerpt for Auntie Em’s Prize-Winning Pulled Pork Cinnamon Rolls are from "The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook" by Elena Pons Craig, Emma Carlson Berne, and Liz Fish. It's available for purchase on Amazon.

If it's been a while since you've watched The Wizard of Oz, the main character Dorothy lives with her aunt and uncle, Em and Henry, in Kansas. Auntie Em doesn’t need to fire up her wood stove for this recipe — and neither do you. Auntie Em’s Prize-Winning Pulled Pork Cinnamon Rolls is a sweet-savory combination might look complicated, but it’s made almost entirely with leftovers from other recipes in the cookbook: Pull Me Out of the Pen Pork and Dinner on the Farm Rolls dough, rolled up with a creamy maple glaze drizzled over the top. Serve to the hungry farmhands in your house and let visions of county-fair blue ribbons sweep you away like a twister.

Dinner On The Farm Rolls Dough

• Prep Time:20 mins
• Cook Time:2 hrs
• Total Time:2 hrs 20 mins
• Servings:32
• Medium

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk - divided
• 5 tbsp water
• 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour or more as needed - divided
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp kosher salt or 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast - 2 standard packets
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter room temperature - divided
• 2 large room temperature eggs
• Oil for greasing

• Step 1

  Measure the milk into a microwave-safe 1-quart measuring cup or medium-size bowl. Spoon 5 tablespoons of the measured milk and the water into a small saucepan. Add 4 teaspoons of the flour. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens, making distinct lines in the paste. Take the slurry off the heat and set it aside to cool to room temperature.

• Step 2

  In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Whisk until combined (no need to clean the whisk between procedures). Heat the remaining milk until warm, about 110°F. Whisk half of the butter (6 tablespoons) and the eggs into the cooled flour paste. Whisk in the warm milk until well combined.

• Step 3

  Using the rubber spatula to stir, slowly add the milk mixture into the flour-sugar mixture. Fold until the flour has been incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Uncover and, using a rubber spatula, continue sprinkling in ½ cup flour, a little at a time, folding in the flour completely.

• Step 4

  Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Sprinkle ¼ cup of flour over the dough and turn it over. Sprinkle the other side with another ¼ cup and begin kneading with your hands, sprinkling on more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and still slightly tacky. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with an oiled piece of plastic wrap (see note). Place in a warm, draft-free area and let rise until doubled. The time this takes varies greatly, depending on the temperature of your kitchen, taking anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes. It helps to set a timer for 15-minute intervals after the first 45 minutes so you can check on how the dough is rising.

Pull Me Out of the Pen Pork, Kansas Style

• Prep Time:20 mins
• Cook Time:2 hrs
• Total Time:2 hrs 20 mins
• Servings:10
• Medium

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 2 small yellow onions - finely chopped - about 2 cups
• 6 medium garlic cloves - minced - about 2 tablespoons
• 1½ tsp kosher salt - divided plus more as needed
• One 14-ounce can chopped or crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp chile powder - optional
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes - optional
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard or 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 3 to 4 pounds boneless well-marbled pork butt with trimmed excess fat
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 4 cups chicken stock vegetable stock or water depending on the cooking method

• Step 1

  To make the barbecue sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until soft, stirring occasionally.
  
  Place the tomatoes, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, molasses, paprika, black pepper, chile powder, red pepper flakes, and mustard into a blender or food processor. Add the sautéed onion mix. Purée until smooth, adding ½ teaspoon of salt. Return to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, for 50 to 60 minutes, until it has thickened and is coating the spoon. Taste for salt and pepper, adding more as needed. Allow the sauce to cool completely before using it to marinate the pork or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.

• Step 2

  Prep the pork: In a large bowl, sprinkle the pork liberally with the salt and pepper. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes. Rub 1 to 1½ cups of the cooled barbecue sauce over the pork, massaging it into the meat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, or up to 2 days.

• Step 3

  STOVETOP METHOD: Arrange the marinated pork in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add the stock or water until it is about three-quarters of the way up the side of the pork. Brush the top of the meat liberally with more of the barbecue sauce. Cover the Dutch oven or pot and just bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the temperature to low and simmer for about 1 hour per pound, or until the meat begins to pull apart with a fork. Turn off the stove and let the meat rest for about 20 minutes. Place the meat into a large bowl and add in 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Using tongs or two forks, pull the pork apart.

• Step 4

  OVEN METHOD: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Arrange the marinated pork in a large Dutch oven or heavy casserole dish. Add the stock or water until it is about three-quarters of the way up the side of the pork. Brush the top of the meat liberally with more of the barbecue sauce. Cover with a heavy lid or wrap the pan tightly with foil. Place into the preheated oven. After 2 hours, reduce the heat to 250°F and continue cooking for a total of 1 hour per pound, or until the meat begins to pull apart with a fork. Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for about 20 minutes. Place the meat into a large bowl and add in 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Using tongs or two forks, pull the pork apart.

• Step 5

  SLOW COOKER METHOD: Arrange the marinated pork in the slow cooker, cutting the pork into large pieces as needed to cover the bottom evenly. Add 1 cup of stock or water. Turn the slow cooker on to low and cook for 8 to 10 hours or on high for about 5 to 6 hours, or until the meat begins to pull apart with a fork. Allow to rest for 20 minutes. Using tongs or two forks, pull the pork apart into the cooking liquid, adding more barbecue sauce to taste.

• Step 6

  Heat the remaining barbecue sauce in a small saucepan or a microwave. Add some to the pork to taste.

Auntie Em’s Prize-Winning Pulled Pork Cinnamon Roll

• Prep Time:0
• Cook Time:30 mins
• Total Time:30 mins
• Servings:9
• Medium

Ingredients

• Flour for dusting
• 1/2 recipe Dinner on the Farm Rolls - continuing as below after the first rise
• 1 1/2 cups Pull Me Out the Pen Pork - room temperature
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• Butter or oil for greasing

• Step 1

  Generously butter or oil an 8- or 9-inch square or round pan.

• Step 2

  After the first double rise (or straight from the refrigerator, see above) transfer the Dinner on the Farm Rolls dough to an evenly floured surface. Using a well-floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and brown sugar. Pour the water into another small bowl. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over half of the dough. Fold the other half over the sugar mixture. Repeat by sprinkling half of the remaining cinnamon sugar over half the dough and again folding the remaining half over. Flour the rolling pin well and roll the dough back into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. Starting with the long side closest to you, 1 inch in, spread the pork lengthwise evenly over two-thirds of the dough, pressing down on the pork. Wet the remaining dough along the long edge farthest from you with water. Tightly roll the dough from the pork end toward the wet edge, finishing with the seam down. Cut about ½ inch off both ends to make sure the filling is even for each roll. Using a sharp knife, cut into nine even pieces. Place the rolls flat into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise until doubled (see note).

• Step 3

  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.

Maple Glaze For The Pulled Pork Cinnamon Rolls

• Prep Time:5 mins
• Cook Time:0
• Total Time:5 mins
• Servings:0
• Easy

Ingredients

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp milk - divided

• Step 1

  In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with the maple syrup. Drizzle in a small amount of milk at a time until you reach a smooth and thick yet stirrable paste.

• Step 2

  If not serving from the pan, remove the buns and arrange on a serving plate. Drizzle or spread the glaze over the buns and allow it to set for another 15 minutes before serving.