Spicy Apple Butter BBQ Pork Cupcakes

There are only two seasons in the year. You may think Spring. Summer. Fall. Winter. And sure, you are kind of right…but still, you are wrong.

There are but two seasons.

Football Season, and Waiting for Football Season.

Thank God it’s still Football season, even if it IS just one more game.

Then…cold, warm, sweltering, lonely months until the boys suit up, the coaches overchew their gum, and the refs get pretty much everything wrong. When 66,000 people all show up to the same party, and no one cares if you’re all wearing the same shirt. The air smells of falling leaves and fans grilling at the tailgate. Of popcorn and Wild Turkey, of Yuengling and sausage balls.

Ahh, the smell is sweet.

Football Season.

Now, for those of you who didn’t know it, February 2nd is the Big Game. Superbowl City, and yes, I am excited. This year, the Baltimore Ravens (sad the Redskins didn’t make it, but Ravens are close enough to be a home team), and the team that’s NOT the Ravens will duke it out for the ultimate title. There will be some sort of singing and gyrating at halftime; there will be some funny and some overpriced commercials that leave you wondering why; there will be friends and yelling and all sorts of entertainment.

You’ll want something good to eat.

Lucky for you, I have what you need. Spicy Apple Butter BBQ Pork Cupcakes. Oh, folks…this is some good eating. You may recall I did a similar recipe with Buffalo chicken not too awfully long ago, and that? Was amazing. This? Equally amazing. Paired with a side of homemade coleslaw, a few chips, maybe some guacamole…you’ve got game day covered in a most delicious way.

Bake them up the night before if you like – they’ll keep just fine. A quick reheat will have them back to oven fresh in mere seconds. And while we are keeping it simple, go ahead and use store bought pulled pork. Nothing wrong with that at all. Maybe grab a container at the grocery or deli, or even pop into a local barbeque joint for a tub of theirs. What these are about is the sauce. The Spicy Apple Butter BBQ is the real winner in this recipe.

No referee will argue. Guaranteed.

Spicy Apple Butter BBQ Pork Cupcakes

makes 24

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 recipe Homemade Pizza Dough, proofed and ready
• 2 cups Pulled Pork, shredded
• 2/3 cup Prepared Spicy Apple Butter Barbeque sauce (recipe follows)
• 8 ounces fresh Mozzarella, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Prepare 2 muffin tins with non stick baking spray; set aside.
2. Sauté onions in butter over medium heat until caramelized. Set aside.
3. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a rectangle roughly 12 x 16. In a small bowl, combine pork and half of sauce. Top the rolled out dough with the remaining half of the sauce, the pork mixture, mozzarella, and sautéed onions. Roll the rough up as you would cinnamon rolls. Pinch ends to seal.
4. Slice each roll into 12 equal slices, and place each cut side up into individual muffin cups. Allow to rise for 20 minutes while oven preheats to 375. Once the temperature reaches 375, place muffin tins in oven for 18-20 minutes, or until bread is golden brown and juices are bubbling. Remove from oven. Serve and enjoy!

Spicy Apple Butter Barbeque

makes roughly 2 cups

• 1/2 cup sautéed onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Red Chili Flakes
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 3/4 cup Musselmann’s Apple Butter
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over low to medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat; use as desired.

Yes, this post was sponsored by Musselmann’s Apple Butter, and THANK GOODNESS for that! Around here, apple butter is a hot commodity – it seems the only place you can get a GOOD jar is from a church who has a gaggle of older ladies willing to peel and chop and stir and gossip for hours on end. But me? I am not a very good girl, and therefore I require to keep company with good girls who DO have church made apple butter.

Good girls don’t like me so much.

Oh well. This Musselmann’s Apple Butter was really – REALLY – good. So I don’t have to be.

And that’s good.

Have a great Superbowl, Football Fans!! Who are you rooting for? The Ravens, or that other team? Either way, if you are looking for more Tailgating/Footbally Foods made with Apple Butter, you should check out these posts:

• Paula from Bellalimento made Sweet & Spicy Mini Meatball Subs
• Angie from Eclectic Recipes made Chipotle Apple Butter Wings
• and Brandi from BranAppetit made Sweet & Spicy BBQ Chicken Dip

Yum, right?

And if you just want a few yummy appetizers to add to the mix, I did a round up here that may be just the thing you need. Enjoy!

This post was sponsored by Musselmann’s. All opinions are my own. For more information on Musselmann’s, you can join them on Facebook…and you should!