Tag Archive for: Pancakes

“If it’s not your idea, it’s not original, why do it?”

When Cotton Blues, in Hattiesburg Mississippi first opened in 2012, chicken and waffles were a fast-growing food trend for restaurants around the country.

Cotton Blues owner, Chris Ortego says they had a few requests for chicken and waffles, but a large chain restaurant opened across the street and they had chicken and waffles on their menu.

“I could not bring myself to put chicken and waffles on the menu, says Ortego. “It seems like it was a copycat idea. We get it, we get the sweet and savory contrast, but if it’s not your idea, it’s not original, why do it?”

Hitting that Sweet & Savory Spot

Being an ambassador of Southern Cuisine, Ortego wanted to find that same sweet and savory flavor profile but make it their own. They floated around several ideas and one of their managers tossed out the idea of pulled pork and pancakes.

“It sounds weird when you first hear about it. But we eat pulled pork sandwiches all the time, so why not eat it on a pancake.”

Chris Ortego, Cotton Blues Owner

“It’s one of those things that people see on the menu, and they get curious about it right away,” says Ortego. “It sounds weird when you first hear about it. But we eat pulled pork sandwiches all the time, so why not eat it on a pancake.”

Ortego says that there’s something about the tangy and spicy bbq pulled pork blending with the syrup and the sweetness of the pancake. “Customers love them.”

“It just couldn’t have fit us any better. We were already doing pancakes for brunch. We had a perfect pancake recipe, and we already had pulled pork.”

Weighing in at right under three pounds.

The portion of the pulled pork and pancakes are over the top. “Only a hand full of people that have eaten the entire dish,” says Ortego.

The pork and pancakes combined with a side come in at just under three pounds of food.

Ortego says they have not turned eating the full dish into a challenge yet. But he is willing to throw in a free dessert to whoever can finish the dish while at the restaurant.

Don’t think you can finish? The good news is that the pulled pork and pancakes microwave well the next day.

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