If you like your barbecue on the tropical side, you’re going to love the month of July at Fette Sau on the 1200 block of Frankford Ave. in Fishtown.
All month long, Fette Sau executive chef Gus Bellingham is featuring a collaboration with fellow chef Kiki Aranita to create a signature Hawaiian Pulled Pork sandwich made with locally sourced pork and featuring ingredients Poi Dog Sauces, which was founded by Aranita.
Aranita and her Poi Dog Sauces team will be on hand for a celebration of the collaboration on July 21 from 2-5 p.m. at Fette Sau’s patio space for a “Huli Hour” featuring island-inspired dishes, drinks and more. The party is free to attend with all offering available pay-as-you-go.
Fette Sau features uniquely crafted takes on traditional barbecue all year round. In fitting with the summer vibe, Poi Dog sauces are a perfect pairing for the month.
Bellingham has crafted an authentic Hawaiian pulled pork recipe that features a pork butt seasoned with lava salt, Fette Sau’s proprietary dry rub and marinated in Poi Dog Huli Sauce, which includes Chinese five spice, miso and pineapple among other tropical flavors. The pork is then wrapped in banana leaf and smoked until tender and ready for pulling. The finished product is then soaked with Poi Dog’s Chili Peppah Water as a final touch.
STARR Restaurants’ Fette Sau (1208 Frankford Ave.) specializes in high-quality, locally sourced meats that are dry-rubbed and smoked for a remarkable take on American BBQ. The “sold-by-the-pound” menu that includes brisket, pork ribs, chicken and sausage also features a special item each month to highlight BBQ flavors – this is where Poi Dog sauces come in. To create the Hawaiian Pulled Pork special, Bellingham smothers pork butt in lava salt, cafe black pepper grounds and his house-made rub before marinating it in Poi Dog’s Huli Sauce – bearing flavors of pineapple, miso and Chinese five-spice, with pineapple enzymes breaking down meat proteins, resulting in a more flavorful, juicy bite. The pork is then wrapped in banana leaf and smoked on premises until it is tender, ready to be pulled and doused with Poi Dog’s Chili Peppah Water. Served with a side of Huli sauce for dipping, the Hawaiian Pulled Pork is available at Fette Sau the entire month of July.
“We had a lot of fun experimenting with the sauces and tying in Hawaiian flavors to a classic barbecue dish,” Bellingham said. “I foresee the Hawaiian Pulled Pork being a popular item that opens the door to more collaborations in the future.”
First developed at her Poi Dog restaurant, Aranita built a very successful business selling sauces. The opportunity to incorporate her signature sauces into local menus was too good an opportunity to pass up.
“I’ve been a fan of Fette Sau for years so it’s exciting to have my sauces featured in the special this month,” Aranita said. “The brightness from the pineapple in Huli sauce, plus the spicy tang from Chili Peppah Water brings the flavors of my childhood on O’ahu straight to Fishtown.”
