Smoky, succulent and tender enough to tease apart with your fingers, pulled pork is an American barbecue classic. The quintessential Southern dish, however, is still a rarity in Japan, where the slow-cooked hog has yet to make significant inroads with Japanese foodies.
That¡¯s why it came as a pleasant surprise for Jonathan Levin, owner of Fatz¡¯s The San Franciscan restaurant, when his pulled pork sandwich began being touted as the next ¡°big thing.¡±
¡°Do I think it¡¯s going to be the next tapioca? No,¡± says the 38-year-old, referring to the recent craze over Taiwanese bubble tea. ¡°Making good pulled pork requires time and space, something difficult to come by in Japan. But maybe you¡¯ll see a pulled pork sandwich being sold in convenience stores,¡± he says. ¡°And that¡¯s good for us, because we¡¯re going to take the time and we have the space. If you want to eat authentic pulled pork, we have it.¡±
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