# Pull-apart Dinner: Need some more ideas



## chefathome (Mar 12, 2012)

Hello, All!

I'd like to host some friends for a pull-apart dinner, i.e., all the dishes will be of that type.

Here are some ideas that I had in mind:
* Blooming Onion
* Cheesy Mushroom Pull-apart Bread (like this one)
* Pull-apart Challah (something like that)
* Baked Cluster Tomatoes
* Pull-apart Filled Dough (e.g., this one)

For dessert:
* Monkey Bread
* Filled Pull-apart Loaf (say, like here)
* Pull-apart chocolate Chip Cookies (so, baking them in a way they will get together after spreading)

I guess you see what I mean.

So, where's the problem? When my wife looked at that list, she said: *"But you don't have any real food!"*. She meant, of course, that there's no "main dish" in the above list.

I'd appreciate any ideas for pull-apart-style "real food".

Yours,
Arnon


----------



## Steve Kroll (Mar 12, 2012)

Well, it's pretty easy (though messy) to pull apart a whole cooked chicken.


----------



## Siegal (Mar 12, 2012)

chefathome said:
			
		

> Hello, All!
> 
> I'd like to host some friends for a pull-apart dinner, i.e., all the dishes will be of that type.
> 
> ...



Usually when you pull apart bread (or pita in my example) you then have bowls of hummus, eggplant salads, tehini, ful, etc to take handfuls of with the bread. The bread you pulled apart is the spoon


----------



## chefathome (Mar 12, 2012)

Steve, that's right, of course. However, I don't have any experience what so ever with a whole cooked chicken, and I don't think that's the right opportunity to try it for the first time...


----------



## 4meandthem (Mar 12, 2012)

Steak nachos
Curry with naan bread

Nothing could be easier than a whole chicken. Season it with anything and put in a 350 oven for an hour.


----------



## DaveSoMD (Mar 12, 2012)

Pulled pork, and then you can bake rolls in a pan and then "pull" them apart and "pull" then open to put the pork on.  

Bunches of grapes can be pulled off the bunch.  You can pull-apart string cheese.


----------



## CraigC (Mar 12, 2012)

You can cook some bulk Mexican chorizo and drain the fat. Mound it on an aluminum covered cookie sheet, cover it with shreded muenster or Mexican melting cheese and place it under the broiler to melt the cheese. You serve using torn pieces of warm flower tortillas so each guest can pull bits of the chorizo and cheese from the mound. You can add stuff like onion and pablano pepper to the chorizo while it cooks in the pan. Use your imagination!


----------



## 4meandthem (Mar 13, 2012)

craigc said:


> you can cook some bulk mexican chorizo and drain the fat. Mound it on an aluminum covered cookie sheet, cover it with shreded muenster or mexican melting cheese and place it under the broiler to melt the cheese. You serve using torn pieces of warm flower tortillas so each guest can pull bits of the chorizo and cheese from the mound. You can add stuff like onion and pablano pepper to the chorizo while it cooks in the pan. Use your imagination!


 

i want that!


----------



## buckytom (Mar 13, 2012)

peel n eat shrimp; steamed hardshell clams, mussels or ipswich clams; disco gries (aka gravy and cheese fries, like a poutine.


----------



## DaveSoMD (Mar 13, 2012)

CraigC said:


> You can cook some bulk Mexican chorizo and drain the fat. Mound it on an aluminum covered cookie sheet, cover it with shreded muenster or Mexican melting cheese and place it under the broiler to melt the cheese. You serve using torn pieces of warm flower tortillas so each guest can pull bits of the chorizo and cheese from the mound. You can add stuff like onion and pablano pepper to the chorizo while it cooks in the pan. Use your imagination!



YUM!


----------



## CraigC (Mar 13, 2012)

Maryland steamed blue crab! You'll be pullin and picken till the beer is all gone!


----------



## chefathome (Mar 14, 2012)

*Wow, thanks for all the ideas!*

(And sorry for not coming back before, I just had some technical problems.)

I've got lots of ideas, will have to think about all of them...


----------



## buckytom (Mar 14, 2012)

did you pull apart your computer?


----------



## DaveSoMD (Mar 14, 2012)

CraigC said:


> Maryland steamed blue crab! You'll be pullin and picken till the beer is all gone!



two thumbs up!!!! season is almost here too.. few more months...


----------



## no mayonnaise (Mar 14, 2012)

What about something cooked en papillote?  You have to pull apart the paper to open it and eat it.  Kind of a stretch, but all the good ideas have already been said.


----------



## CraigC (Mar 14, 2012)

no mayonnaise said:


> What about something cooked en papillote? You have to pull apart the paper to open it and eat it. Kind of a stretch, but all the good ideas have already been said.


 
You forgot to mention the wonderful facial accompaniment!


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North (Mar 14, 2012)

CraigC said:


> You forgot to mention the wonderful facial accompaniment!



Not all of the good ideas have been said.  For instance, you could make meatballs, and stack them before baking, so that they stick together a little.  Your guests can then pull apart un-split submarine buns to place the meatballs in, and splash some marinara and pulled apart string cheese in there as well.

What about spare ribs, rubbed with a savory rub of brown sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, chili powder, garlic and onion powder, salt, and a touch of red pepper.  Wrap in foil and bake low and slow for about three hours.  Serve them on a platter.  Just make sure there are napkins.

French Fries can be fried crisp, and then place in a large mound, and covered with shredded cheese, and popped into a hot oven to melt the cheese so that everything is ooey-gooey.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## buckytom (Mar 14, 2012)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Not all of the good ideas have been said.  For instance, you could make meatballs, and stack them before baking, so that they stick together a little.  Your guests can then pull apart un-split submarine buns to place the meatballs in, and splash some marinara and pulled apart string cheese in there as well.
> 
> Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



me chief longwind. me eat meatball hero. me no use utensils...


----------



## 4meandthem (Mar 15, 2012)

I have smoked a turkey and left it out for guests to pull apart and dip in a multitude of different mustards. You can make some cuts and leave the knife there to make it a little easier.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks (Mar 15, 2012)

I really like the OP's concept.


----------



## buckytom (Mar 15, 2012)

i dunno.

i feel kinda divided about the concept. pulled apart as it were.


----------

