I tried to be a vegetarian back in my early years of university – “tried” being the operative word. I could not turn my taste buds off of pork, as it is a staple ingredient in Cantonese cuisine, which I grew up with. Yes, I am a fan of this “other” white meat, and noticed that many pubs and restaurants in the city now have a slow-cooked drool worthy entrée on their menu – the pulled pork sandwich. What’s not to love about this sandwich? It has super tender meat enrobed in a barbecue sauce and cupped in a bun that soaks up the fat and sauce… yum. I did an overview of a few places to see who makes the meanest pulled pork out there. To slow the process of clogging up my arteries and decrease the risk of chronic stomach-aches, I limited myself to three places offering this “low-fat” handheld snack.

The House on Parliament (456 Parliament Street) took the title of best spice kick out of the contenders ($9.95, with a choice of fries or mixed greens). The shredded pork was cooked in apple cider and then mixed with a chipotle barbecue sauce nestled in a baguette. The sauce gave the meat a nice amount of heat, which was a definite plus for me, as I am a fan of spiciness in my foods. The charred onions that came on the sandwich were a nice touch and added an extra hint of roasted/smoky flavour. The baguette was crusty, so it conflicted with the soft texture of the meat since at times the filling would be oozing out the sides. Then again, this is not much to complain about as this indicated a generous serving size. If one is inclined, this sandwich can be shared between two for a *ahem* light lunch. A tasty find indeed!

The next stop was to the much publicized CGL - Cluck, Grunt and Low (362 Bloor Street West) which has been the darling of the new restaurants opened this year. For more on CGL, please refer to a TasteTO review for a full report. Here, I tried two versions available on the menu, with the first being the classic pulled pork sandwich topped with some crunchy coleslaw and served in a soft milk bun from Marc Thuet’s bakery ($9, includes a side order of coleslaw). The meat was very tender and infused with a slight spiciness, but much less than the one from House on Parliament. Although CGL’s had the least amount of meat out of the lot, it was just the right amount. The combination with the coleslaw was unique, and the acidity of the cabbage mix added some tang. The other offering was the Crock Grunt ($10, includes a side order of coleslaw), which is their take on the Croque Monsieur, a grilled cheese and ham sandwich typically found in most French bistros. The combo proved to be disappointing, as the cheese overpowered the pork’s smoky flavour; hence the cheese was more the star of the sandwich with the pork being in the supporting role.

Located next to the Rosedale subway station, The Black Camel (4 Crescent Road) provided the largest variety of condiments and sauces to accompany the pork shoulder meat ($6.50 for the sandwich plus choice of sauce, $0.75 for additional toppings). I stuck to the in-house barbecue sauce with caramelized onions to maintain some similarity with the other two sandwiches, but other options available included pesto mayonnaise, arugula or sautéed cremini mushrooms. There was plenty of soft and flaky meat piled inside the hefty kaiser bun that did a superb job of sopping up the sauce, although the sauce was a tad on the sweet side.

I would go back to all three places when I have a hankering for pulled pork again, but House on Parliament comes out slightly ahead for my favourite. First though, I will have to have a detoxification to ready my body for another barbecued pork assault.