Entering the land of make-believe once again, this week’s blog post is focused on a sandwich that Sheriff Buford T. Justice ordered at a restaurant beside a bus station somewhere along the route to Atlanta, GA from Texarkana, TX. At the time of this sandwich order, Sheriff Justice was hot on the trail of Bo “Bandit” Darville and the Sherriff’s almost-daughter-in-law Carrie.
None of this is real though, not even the sandwich. This all took place in the movie Smokey and the Bandit, released in 1977 starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, and Jackie Gleason. And the sandwich in question is still somewhat shrouded in mystery.
What is this sandwich?
This is the Diablo Sandwich that never actually existed until after the movie came out, but there’s quite a bit of online speculation about what the sandwich was.
“Lemme have a Diablo sandwich, Dr Pepper, and make it fast. I’m in a #%$%^ hurry!”
Sheriff Buford T. Justice
Here’s the clip from the movie scene with a little bit of context before the sandwich action. Skip to 1:22 if you just want to see the sandwich scene. Pay close attention to the sandwich and see if you can figure out what it is composed of?
Also: don’t miss that Bandit (red shirt) helps to clean the sauce off of Sheriff Justice’s shirt with a dab of Dr Pepper.
Bandit’s order of 2 cheeseburgers and an iced tea came to $1.50… The 1970’s were wild!
Diablo Sandwich investigation
But what is a Diablo Sandwich? The Wikipedia page for Smokey and the Bandit has three options for what the Diablo Sandwich was. From what I’ve found on the internet, only two of those options are likely to be true. The first theory is that the sandwich is made with hot links. That’s clearly not true if you watch the video. The second theory, and my least favorite of the two remaining theories, is that the Diablo Sandwich was a sort of loose meat sandwich like a Sloppy Joe. I don’t think this is correct, for reasons that I will get into down below. The last theory that I do think is more likely, is that this is a spiced-up pulled pork or chopped BBQ beef sandwich.
Dr or Dr.?
The correct spelling of Dr Pepper is Dr without the period. Apparently, in the 1950s someone decided it was easier to read the logo without the period.
Here’s a very thorough investigation of what the Diablo Sandwich might have been. It includes some useful information about how Jackie Gleason was allowed to improv and ad-lib some of his lines and there’s a chance that he just invented the name of the sandwich since it doesn’t seem like it existed on the menu of the Old Hickory House at that time.
That last link has a lot of images of menus and screen captures from the movie to use as evidence for their theory. I also grabbed two, blurry screen captures of the scene so that we could get a little bit of a closer look at what the sandwich looks like in the movie. There’s not really a clear shot of it, the sandwich is always in motion and is never a focus of the camera. The sandwich is clearly on some sort of soft hamburger bun and there are pretty much no signs of anything green or vegetable-y.
The Sheriff is able to eat the sandwich with one hand and only a little bit gets on his shirt and the side of his mouth. It does not appear to be a burger patty, because of how the meat does seem to fall out of the sandwich. Because of these facts, it seems that the Sloppy Joe idea and the pulled pork idea could both be correct. But once you figure out where the scene is taking place, it becomes much clearer which of these two ideas is closer to being correct.
Old Hickory House
If you watch that scene above, the Sheriff has to pause his sandwich eating to head to the restroom to take care of some personal business. When he’s walking, you can see a menu from the restaurant on the wall. If you pause the scene you can see the words “Old Hick…” at the top of the menu.
This scene is shot in an Old Hickory House restaurant in Forest Park, Georgia. Some behind-the-scenes photos of the shoot at the restaurant have been shared online if you’re interested.
Because we know this is filmed inside of a barbecue restaurant, I think it totally blows the theory that this Diablo Sandwich could be a Sloppy Joe-based sandwich. The Diablo Sandwich in my mind is definitely a pulled pork or pit-smoked beef sandwich.
Georgia barbecue
Georgia, like other Southeastern states, has a strong barbecue culture. Georgia’s barbecue sauces of choice aren’t super vinegary like Eastern North Carolina and it’s not yellow and mustardy like some South Carolina sauces. Georgia’s BBQ sauce seems to embrace parts of each of those sauces though and they favor a somewhat thin sauce that is red from tomato, with sweet and spicy flavors mixed in with the twang that comes from mustard and vinegar.
Most of what you will find in the way of BBQ in Georgia is pit-smoked and you will likely find more options than just pulled and/or chopped pork in the state’s barbecue restaurants. This is because the concept of Georgia barbecue is looser and “messier” than it might be in other states because they seem to cook what the locals want instead of focusing on just one particular style of meat or sauce. This doesn’t mean that Georgia is a bad state for barbecue, it just means they are less focused on one particular style or sauce than states like North Carolina with pulled pork or a city like Memphis with ribs.
What is the Diablo Sandwich currently?
I called the Old Hickory House’s last remaining location and asked about the Diablo Sandwich. I mostly was wondering if it was pork or beef and what else might have been in the sandwich. The nice person on the phone and this Reddit post both confirm that the sandwich is based on Old Hickory House’s pit-smoked pork. The Reddit post goes a bit further and mentions that they thought the sandwich might have onions and something like a Tabasco-based sauce.
This is the best photo of the Old Hickory House Diablo Sandwich I could find on the internet. Seriously.
Not the real Jackie Gleason or Burt Reynolds. Also not a Dr Pepper…
So we now know that Old Hickory House did not have a Diablo Sandwich at the time the movie came out, but they added one and still serve it today. They also seem to be pretty proud of their role in the movie.
My version of the basic Diablo Sandwich
This is my version of what the Diablo Sandwich probably was that Jackie Gleason (Sheriff Justice) ordered and was served in the movie. It’s just pulled pork with a whole bunch of vinegary hot sauce poured on. It’s good. Especially if you are a fan of Eastern NC-style barbecue that is heavy on vinegar. I could eat a lot of this version of the sandwich, but I wanted to go a bit further and make my own slightly fancier Diablo Sandwich.
I believe the theory presented above that the Diablo Sandwich was just something that the actor Jackie Gleason made up on the spot. But I thought for the sake of this blog post we’d theory-craft a somewhat spicy sandwich that could have been on the menu at a Georgia-based BBQ restaurant in the 1970s.
Now that we know what Diablo Sandwich we’re making, let’s get started with the ingredients.
Super soft burger buns
First, we need some soft buns, and for the softest buns, I typically head straight to my Super soft potato bun recipe which requires a couple of special ingredients and a scale to accomplish properly. You can use the version 1 recipe if you don’t want to buy a scale, but I guarantee your results will be better if you bake with a scale.
I like taking photos like the three above because you can see the bun at the top right is sort of misshapen at the beginning and you can see its progression until it’s sort of a wonky baked bun at the end. It still tasted pretty good though.
Here’s my soft bun recipe. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.
Super soft potato buns v2
Here's my updated, soft and squishy bun recipe that's perfect for your next burger night. This updated version that uses potato flour and dry milk powder for a lighter bun with longer shelf life.
Get RecipeCheater pulled pork
Note: this pulled pork recipe is not barbecue. You can smoke your own pork if you want but I used my oven-roasted pulled pork recipe that is similar in flavor and texture to barbecue, and for this sandwich, it works well. Your favorite pulled pork recipe will work in this sandwich too. I cover that concept in the recipe, but I do share my oven pork recipe as the base for the sandwich.
Once the meat is falling off the bone tender, I move it to a cutting board to cool and then use two forks to pull it into smaller pieces. You can make a sandwich at this point if you want, but I do think it helps to chop the meat up a bit more. I don’t chop it into tiny pieces like you might find in Eastern North Carolina, but I do chop it up so that there aren’t any large pieces in the sandwich.
I typically cook pork like this in advance and allow it to cool before pulling and chopping it. Then I will store it in the fridge until it’s time to sandwich. It’s very easy to reheat and I offer a couple of tips for that down below and in the recipe for this sandwich.
If you do add some of the liquid into the pork (and you should) be aware that some of that liquid will congeal, but it liquifies again when warmed.
Here’s the recipe for my cheater chopped pork but I also have added it to the full Diablo Sandwich recipe at the bottom of this sandwich blog post.
Eastern North Carolina cheater chopped pork sandwich
3 hours and 40 minutesDr Pepper BBQ sauce
I enjoy making BBQ sauces because it’s so easy to bring a bunch of flavors to life in just a few minutes. This one is a bit spicy, but not super hot. It’s plenty sweet and has a lot of cherry or sweet fruit flavor in the finish.
You can add more hot sauce to raise the heat level if you want, but I think it’s probably better to just add additional hot sauce to each sandwich if you want more heat.
This sauce is a little bit on the thinner side which is what I prefer in sauces to be used with pulled/chopped pork, but if you want a thicker version, you can simmer the sauce for double the amount of time to thicken the consistency. Be aware though that the sauce consistency when it is hot is going to be a lot thinner than after the sauce has cooled in the refrigerator.
Spicy Dr Pepper BBQ sauce
This slightly spicy and sweet sauce is a great addition to chicken, pork, or beef. It's also great at helping to boost the flavors in a boring sandwich.
Get RecipeVidalia onion and jalapeno relish
Georgia is the home of Vidalia onions so I chose to use one in this sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy relish. Again, this isn’t super hot but it has a lot of sweet onion and fresh pepper flavor which makes this a great addition to a sandwich or even just sprinkled on top of nachos.
Vidalia onion and jalapeno relish
This onion and pepper relish will bring a bit of heat and a little bit of sweetness to your next hot dog, burger, or sandwich.
Get RecipeReheating the meat
You’ve got two options as far as I’m concerned. There are pros and cons to each tactic.
Reheat in microwave
This is the easiest option. You just add some meat and sauce to a microwave-safe bowl and nuke it for about a minute or so until it’s hot. You can also microwave the bun at this point to soften it.
Reheat in pan
Reheating the meat in a hot pan allows you the ability to crisp the meat up. You do not get this option in the microwave. Just heat the meat until you’re ready to sandwich.
Toast or don’t toast the bun?
I do not typically toast my bun if I am making a pulled pork sandwich. I think it works really well to have a steamed bun in this sort of sandwich so that’s usually what I do. You can steam the bun in the microwave with a damp paper towel or you can simply lay the buns on top of the meat while it is warming in the pan. This accomplishes a couple of goals, first the buns absorb some of the grease that the meat is cooking in and it also helps to soften the bun and get it ready for sandwiching.
You can toast if you want, but I think a sandwich like this is best with a soft, warm bun.
Diablo Sandwich (and some of them got a Dr Pepper)
Here are some photos of the Diablo sandwiches that I made. They’re not super spicy and you can control the spice by using more or less hot sauce in the BBQ sauce and in the sandwich itself.
The onion and jalapeno relish does bring a bit of spice, but it’s fairly mild to medium. The pork brings a bit of fattiness which absorbs into the super soft bun and becomes an integral part of the enjoyment of the sandwich.
Make sure you pour yourself a Dr Pepper with the good ice before digging into this sandwich so you’ll feel like Sheriff Justice.
Diablo sandwich (from Smokey and the Bandit)
A spicy and sweet pulled pork sandwich recipe that pairs perfectly with a Dr Pepper. This is my version of the sandwich that Sheriff Buford T. Justice ordered in Smokey and the Bandit.
Ingredients:
Oven-roasted pulled pork- 3-to-4 pound bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon smoked paprika (not regular paprika)
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Vidalia onion, finely chopped
- 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (I use a mix of red and green)
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 soft hamburger or sandwich bun
- spicy BBQ sauce (I use my own spicy Dr Pepper BBQ recipe)
- vinegar based hot sauce
Directions:
Oven-roasted pulled pork: preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
Wipe down and dry your pork shoulder or pork butt. And your regular butt if needed. Wash your hands.
In a small bowl add your salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Mix well. This is your rub. Cover and rub your pork fully with all your rub. Make sure no parts of the pork are unseasoned.
In a Dutch oven or large oven-safe pot, add your fully seasoned pork and place it in the middle.
Pour 1 cup of apple cider vinegar into the Dutch oven or pot, around the pork. Add a lid or cover to your oven-safe pot and add it to the preheated oven.
Cook for 3 hours with the cover on the pot. If you don't have a cover, you can cover the pot with aluminum foil.
Once 3 hours are over, remove the cover/lid for the pot and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Remove pork from the pot (don't discard any liquid left in the pot just yet), place it on a cutting board, and allow the meat to rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour then pull meat from the bone and use two forks to separate it. I think it's better for sandwiching if you chop the meat a bit, into smaller pieces but you do not have to do this. Store the meat in a sealed container in the fridge until it's time to make a sandwich.
Vidalia onion and jalapeno relish: chop the onion into small dice. Remove the seeds and chop the jalapenos into a small dice.
Add vinegar, sugar, and salt to a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Once the liquid is simmering, add the finely diced vegetables and cook for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the vegetables should have softened so you can turn off the heat and pour the vegetables and liquid into a sealed container. Once everything has cooled, store it in the fridge for up to a month.
Reheating meat: when it is time to make a sandwich, add a large scoop of pulled pork to a skillet over medium heat. You can also microwave the meat to warm it up, but if you use a skillet you can crisp up the meat a bit to add texture.
Heat the meat for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until it's warm. You can add some BBQ sauce at this point if you want. When the meat is warm, I like to split my sandwich bun and lay the bun pieces cut side down on top of the meat. This will help to steam and soften the bun.
Sandwich assembly: add a bit of BBQ sauce to the bottom, and top that with the warmed-up pork. Add a bit more sauce on top of the pork and add as much hot sauce as you can handle.
Top the meat with a few spoonfuls of Vidalia onion and jalapeno relish, close the sandwich with the top bun, and serve.
Check back next week
Next week we’re revisiting a sandwich I wrote about during the early days of this sandwich blog. Check back on Monday to see what I caught.
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