I was recently invited to a tasting event, which was conveniently in my own neighborhood. Nick’s Roast Beef, an Old City staple, has changed their name to Nick’s Bar and Grille and has a snazzy new menu to go with it’s new name.
Nick’s Bar & Grille in Old City, established in 1969, is “the” neighborhood corner bar of Philadelphia. In 2012, bartender-turned-owner Joseph Schultice hung up most of his infamous shorts and trimmed his signature long hair to usher in a new era for the long-time Old City staple. Today, Nick’s continues to serve as a laid back and friendly alternative to neighboring clubs and upscale fine dining restaurants.
The new barbecue-themed menu is filled with house-smoked meats, including smoked applewood chicken wings, St. Louis BBQ spare ribs, pulled pork with jalapeno slaw, mac ‘n cheese, house-made sauces, and more.
Nick’s long-time dishes that will remain on the menu include the Ground Bacon Burger, Roast Beef and Pork, six flavors of chicken wings and other bar favorites. New cocktails and spirits will be added to the drink menu, and customers can look for drink tastings with local purveyors.
The tasting took place in Nick’s newly renovated dining room which included custom-designed tables and whiskey barrel high-tops, a new community tasting table, old-time Old City imagery on the walls, and embellishments to the walls and ceilings.
The food was super tasty, I really loved the smoked wings and ground bacon burger. But my favorite tasting of the night had to be their new Pulled Pork with Jalapeno Slaw. The smokiness of the pork was offset by crunchy and slightly spicy jalapeno slaw, making for one awesome sandwich.
I wanted to try to recreate a version of the pulled pork with jalapeno slaw, but I (obviously) don’t have a smoker hanging out in my tiny apartment. So I made a slow cooker version with a Chipotle-Guinness barbecue sauce to add some smokiness to it, so here are my Pulled Pork Tacos with Jalapeno Slaw!
Pulled Pork:
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (7 pound) pork shoulder or Boston butt
- corn tortillas
Chipotle-Guinness Barbecue Sauce
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped
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3 garlic cloves, minced
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1 (~12 oz) bottle of Guinness
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1 (14.5 oz) can tomato puree
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1/4 cup molasses
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1/4 cup cider vinegar
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1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
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1 tablespoon of the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo
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1 tablespoon dijon mustard
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
Jalapeno Slaw
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 (10-ounce) package shredded red cabbage
- 2 jalapeño peppers, diced