Alas, another recipe, and not surprisingly, beer plays a theme here as well. While the recipe calls for brown ale, darker beers could also work nicely. I'm thinking that a coffee stout would be my next choice.
You could also use a slow cooker, if one were so inclined, in place of placing this over low heat on the stove. The premise is the same: Cook the ribs long enough that they fall apart if you merely look at them the wrong way.
Meanwhile, I found this worked quite well as a summer time meal, as we pared it with grilled bread and corn on the cob. A Sunday in August rarely could have a better meal.
In a large cast iron skillet, heat olive oil to medium high. Salt and Pepper the ribs to taste. Flour on both sides, and then place in the skillet. Cook just enough to get a sear. Place in the stew pot that has been placed over low heat.
Add to the pot the diced onions, six cloves of the garlic, the bay leaves, and the thyme. Set the slow cooker to cook for four hours.
Meanwhile, slice the remaining four cloves of garlic. Place them in a 4 qt pot that had been placed over medium heat with the butter. Allow the butter to melt, and add the brown ale. Bring to a boil and allow to reduce by 1/3rd. Add to the ribs and onions.
Mix in the molasses and the tomato paste to the ribs and onions. Mix in well. Let the cooking last for another 3 1/2 hours.
Serve topped with chives.
Serves 4
I really enjoy grilled pork loin - it's quick, cheap, tasty, and very versatile. It's the first thing I reach for when we've got guests to feed on short notice. The only issue I have with it is that pigs have been bred to be so lean that this cut can dry out pretty easily.
The solution - stuff it.
Here's a 3 pound chunk of loin that I butterflied. Just cut the loin almost in half lengthwise, leaving about an inch and a quarter of meat joining the 2 halves. Spread the halves apart, like opening a book, and then slice each remaining half almost in half, again leaving about an inch and a quarter uncut. Spread open these halves. Place the butterflied pork between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to flatten the pork to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle the top side of pork with with kosher sea salt and fresh-ground pepper.
Now stuff it as you see fit. There are no real rules on this other than you need about a 3/4 cup of stuffing the fill a 3 pound loin. I like to use a cheese, a leaf, and an accent. This one was stuffed with oil-marinated mozzarella, spinach leaves, and hearts of palm. Other tasty combinations are ricotta, spinach, and artichoke hearts; or grated Parmesan, fresh basil, and black olives; or gorgonzola, fresh sage, and dried fruit. Use your imagination.
Whatever filling you use, spread it on evenly, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Starting at narrow end, roll pork around the filling. Tie the loin off at 1 1/2-inch intervals to keep it together. Rub pork with olive oil and sprinkle the top side of pork with with more kosher sea salt and fresh-ground pepper.
Place pork, seam side up, on the grate and grill indirectly at 350°F to 400°F for about an hour, or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of roast reaches 145°F. When roast is done, move to a plate and let it rest 10 minutes before slicing.
I adapted Alton Brown's molasses brine to make one of the most tender and moist batches of pulled pork to ever come out of my Big Green Egg.
Ingredients
2 quarts water
12 ounces kosher salt
1 cup molasses
1 tablespoon chili powder
Basic Pig Rub (or your favorite barbecue rub)
6 to 8 pound pork shoulder roast (Boston butt)
The Brine
Combine molasses, salt, chili powder, 1 tablespoon of the rub, and water in 6 quart stockpot over medium heat. Stir and cook only until the salt has dissolved and everything is well-combined. Remove from heat and let cool.
Trim excess fat from pork shoulder. Make shallow cuts through the remaining fat cap every half inch or so.
Put the roast in a big Ziploc bag and add the brine. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. I like to put the bagged roast right back in the stockpot and arrange it so that the meat is fully covered by the brine. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, overnight is better yet.
The Cook
Remove the roast from brine and pat dry. Dust heavily with barbecue rub, working it in with your hands to get a good coating. Wrap the roast in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to cook.
Set up your cooker for an indirect cook of at least 18 hours at 225°F. Add some chucks of pecan or hickory for smoke. Use a drip pan to catch the fat as it renders off. Pork butts take about 2 hours per pound to cook at this temperature, so this is really a job for a smoker or ceramic cooker. I like to set it up as an overnight cook starting at 6pm so I can plan on serving pulled pork for lunch the next day.
Begin checking butt for doneness after about 10 hours of cooking. Pork butts are done when the collagen and connective tissue has melted into tasty gelatin and the meat literally starts to fall apart. I like to get mine to about 190°F internal, and then wrap it in a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil and put it back on the cooker for another hour or so until it reaches 210F internal.
When the butt is done, remove it from the cooker and let it rest in the foil for an hour. When it has cooled a little, pull the meat apart using a couple of forks (or better yet, a pair of these bear paws) to separate the fibers. The idea is to remove all the remaining inedible bits, break the meat down into bite-sized pieces, and ensure an even distribution of the chewy bark.
I like to serve it on cheap white buns with dill pickles, sweet potato chips and an assortment of barbecue sauces.
When we go out for Mexican, I almost always order these golden bits of piggy goodness. I kept trying to make them at home, but had a hard time duplicating the combination of crispness and tenderness that really makes this dish work so well.
Truly authentic versions slowly fry the pork in lard. This recipe uses a kind of reverse braise to achieve a very similar and tasty result.
I like making this in a Dutch oven on the Big Green Egg. You could do this recipe in the oven or on the stove, but then you’re missing out on all the wonderful flavor that wood smoke brings to the party.
Ingredients
4 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast (aka Boston Butt)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
Directions
Set your grill up for at least a three hour cook over indirect heat at 300°F. I used a little oak for smoke.
Cut pork into chucks, discarding any big pieces of connective tissue, but keeping all of the fat. The size of the chunks depends on how you like your carnitas. We like them fine and crispy, so I cut the meat into 2-inch pieces. Cut them larger if you like yours big and tender.
Combine all of the ingredients in a large Dutch oven with a lid. If necessary, add more broth or water so that the pork is just covered in liquid.
Put the covered pot on the grill and let simmer until pork is tender, stirring occasionally, about an hour and a half, adding more water if necessary to keep pork partially submerged. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Uncover the pot and continue cooking until liquid evaporates and the meat begins to brown. If there's not enough fat rendered from the pork, add another 1/4 cup peanut oil. Continue cooking until the meat starts to get crisp. Check and stir about every 15 minutes until the meat is crispy, but not dry or burned.
Remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Cool the meat slightly and discard any pieces of fat or gristle.
Serve with warm corn tortillas, salsa, diced onions, and guacamole.
Mexican cuisine is second only to Italian on my list of favorite types of food. The two share one quality which intrigues me - the amount of flavor that comes from an inverse amount of simplicity - as if one could define simplicity.
This recipe is an anglicized version of Carnitas, as my 'research' into the true cuisine has yet to fully develop. Whenever I actually get through each region of Italy, it's only the I expect to really dive into Mexican food. Expect this to occur around...oh...roughly 2013, give or take a year or two.
The best part of this recipe is that you can easily use this in any of the standards - burritos, enchiladas, or even tacos, which is how I used them. And trust me, once you see how easy it is to make these, you'll want to gather a bunch of your friends, hand out torches and pitchforks, and head over to your local Taco Bell. They really need to be held accountable for the disgrace of their definition of 'taco'.
In a bowl, mix together the salt, brown sugar, ground pepper, garlic, chile powder, and Oregano, making a rub. Coat the roast with the rub and allow to rest for at least two hours.
Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Once it comes to temperature, place the roast in a roasting pan and put in the oven until it comes to an internal temperature of 165 degress F (approx one and a half hours).
Remove from the oven and allow to set for fifteen minutes. Cut into bite sized pieces and serve according to preference.
Serves 8 - 10
We've been having a cool spring with temps in the 60's during the day and in the upper 30's at night. This is perfect weather for spinach since it flourishes during cool temps. The flavor of spring spinach is sweet and its leaves are tender. I have only one problem with spinach; it takes up a lot of room in the refrigerator.
This is a simple weeknight dinner of pasta, ground pork, spinach, morels, and spring green onions. That's it...but it really is divine and so quick and simple you can be eating dinner within 20 minutes. First thing you do when making this dish is put the water on to boil. Make sure you add at least 2 tablespoons of salt to the water, I usually add 3-4. While that is heating up brown the pork in a pan that is also large enough to hold the spinach before it wilts. Once the pork is browned, toss in the morels, let them soften and then add the clean spinach. Put the lid on and turn the heat to low. Let it simmer like that until the spinach wilts and then turn the heat off.
Once the pasta is cooked, place a heat-proof cup in the colander and fill the cup with the pasta water. Set the cup aside and drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot, add the spinach/pork/morel mixture. Then put the pork/spinach pan back on the burner, turn the flame to high and toss in the spring green onions. Let them cook until they wilt. Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the pasta and give it a stir, check for seasoning, adjust and serve. I like to add the onions to the top of each bowl of pasta because they are so highly coveted at our table.
What do you make with spinach? What is abundant at your local market and what do you do with it?
This week at What Geeks Eat... I posted about some superb lamb chops and I finally posted my rhubarb pie recipe. Enjoy the long weekend.
(From the Diaries - K)
I left the house without gloves yesterday morning, entertaining thoughts of grilling and crisp veggies and maybe soon even plopping an ice cube (gasp!) into a glass of wine and going without heavy socks for the first time in who-knows-how-long.
Foolish me. This is Michigan.
It started snowing mid-day and didn't stop until the wee hours. Long enough to cover everything in a snowy blanket. Again. I saw green yesterday morning, I swear.
Just when thoughts of lighter fare began creeping into my cooking subconscious, they retreated quickly...like the poor Groundhog that always seems to scurry back into his hole for 6 more weeks of winter (SIX, Phil? Really? Ya think?!). And at that moment, I was thankful for The Pot™. Perhaps the most delightful and enlightening part of winter.
The Pot™, which has brought much joy to our lives in the forms of countless braises, stews and savory, brothy delights, will cough up a couple more miracles before this weather has loosened its grip and allows spring to raise its' timid head for real this time.
One of the highlights would have to be the Salsa Verde Carnitas recipe (adapted from Elise's Simply Recipes). Soo yummy, and a perfect distraction to what's going on outside in the cold and yuck.
Because I can't leave anything in its' original, pristine form, I had to mess with the recipe.
It started with a rub the night before.
Now, Elise didn't rub her shoulder, and it may have even compromised the integrity of the original recipe (sorry, Elise!), but I just can't leave a piece of pork alone when I know what's in store.
Why, hello gorgeous!
See?! It's amazing what some spicy love (cumin seeds, smoked & sweet paprikas & brown sugar) can do to a nice chunk of meat. Then tuck it away in the fridge overnight for a nice little nap.
It's even more amazing when you simmer said chunk for a few hours in some smoky pork stock (remember that?!), onions, toasted cumin, salsa verde, cilantro and chopped onions.
Holy cow. Or....pork, rather. And we're not even done yet.
Remove shoulder from liquid and shred, shred, shred away your pork into a large roasting pan.
(And if you live in my house, beware of errant fingers dipping in the mound of succulent meat).
The reserved braising liquid is then simmered for quite awhile to reduce into a sauce that transcends description.
Now for the vital step that totally makes this dish. After the meat is shredded, and while the liquid is reducing and transforming, roast the meat in a 450 oven until it begins to crisp. I can hardly type due to the heart palpitations.
Have I expressed my love for pork lately?
After the sauce has reduced and you are almost fainting from hunger and desire, mix the shredded pork back into The Pot™ and mix well to distribute the sauce. Throw a handful of chopped cilantro in there for good measure.
Serve on warmed corn tortillas with a crunchy jicama & cabbage slaw, tangy queso and some sour cream, or just about any way your heart desires. This is a very versatile recipe and can be made with chicken or beef in virtually the same manner, I really think the final roasting step to make the meat crispy around the edges is the key in elevating this to a whole new level.
And while it might not be warm out just quite yet, dishes like this make the transition just a bit easier.
Over the past few months the New York Times food section has included a small column by Elaine Louie called One Pot. The recipes have spanned the globe, but all have been spicy and soulful...food that real people eat and cook on a daily basis. I was especially intrigued by the recipe for Greek meatballs , the use of paprika, cumin, allspice, and nutmeg appeals to my craving for spicy exotic food. That recipe sat at the back of my overloaded conscious and it was only this week, when faced with the overwhelming task of cooking another meal, and yes it had better be bloggable, that I finally cooked it up. Frankly it's a shame I didn't make it sooner. The tender and fragrant meatballs were tremendously satisfying and my tribe of men agreed that it was a keeper. Plus leftovers traveled and reheated well. I made several changes to the original recipe...mostly to amp up the flavor. Rather than simmer the meatballs in the sauce I chose to keep the two separate and use the sauce for dipping and swirling.
Greek Meatballs
Inspired by Elaine Louie
printer-friendly recipe
Sauce
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 a medium onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 28 oz. can of plum tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp red chili flakes
salt, pepper, pinch of sugar
dash of Maggi seasoning
dash of balsamic vinegar
Saute the onions in the olive oil, add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the tomatoes, wine, and chili flakes, sugar, salt, and pepper and let it simmer while you get the meatballs going.
Meatballs
12 oz. ground pork
16 oz. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 nutmeg, grated fine
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 cup white wine
salt, pepper
Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to combine (I use my clean hands to do this...it's easier). Form the meat mixture into small balls (I used a cookie dough scoop that turns out tablespoon sized balls). Heat up a skillet over medium heat and add about 1/2 inch of olive oil. Cook the meatballs in the skillet, turning them to brown them evenly. Replenish the olive oil as needed and store the cooked meatballs in a covered dish in the warm oven.
While the meatballs are cooking take the sauce off the heat and put it into the blender jar and let it rip for about 10 seconds or until it is totally pureed. Pour it back into the pan and reduce it while the meatballs cook. Taste it and if it needs more oomph add some Maggi seasoning and balsamic vinegar.
Serve the meatballs with the sauce on the side or simmer the two together. I liked it with the sauce on the side, and also some goat milk yogurt and jasmine rice. This recipe makes enough for four servings plus leftovers. Total prep and cooking time is about one hour.
Next week I'll be posting from Paris...until then stop by What Geeks Eat...
Dublin Coddle was a dish that I was completely unaware of until I happened upon a menu at the Oliver St John Gogarty pub in the Temple Bar district of Dublin proper. I still have no idea how popular it may or may not be, but it does seem to have been around for a while, being a favorite dish of Jonathan Swift (if one believes such items that cannot be verified).
It is a quite simple dish to make as well as an excellent candidate for the slow cooker if one wants to go that route. It is, at it's core, a stew of potatoes, onions, sausage, bacon, and a pork stock. Anything else, from what I've read about it, is a luxury or a flourish. After eating a bowl (well, two bowls, after last night) I've come to the realization that it doesn't need much of anything else.
There are several notes which should be considered if one wishes to make this. Firstly, if you're aiming for authenticity, then the bacon should be of the British variety, the rashers, rather than the American variety. However, American bacon will work quite nicely, and will likely upset none but the purists.
Secondly, use starchy potatoes rather than waxy. As the coddle will stew for quite some time, the potatoes should cook to a point where they will fall apart if looked at sternly. Once they fall apart, the give the coddle a thickened, almost creamy texture. This is a good thing. Your typical Idaho baking spud is perfect for this dish.
Finally, the pork stock in place of water is not a necessity, but it will provide a depth of flavor that opens up the dish quite nicely. That choice is yours. Additionally, pouring a touch of Guinness in the pot also works quite well, and from what I am led to believe, is quite an acceptable behavior.
Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Place the 2 qts of water in a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
While waiting for the water to boil, place the bacon and sausage in a skillet and fry over medium heat just long enough to get some color but not to cook thoroughly. Remove from the skillet and place in the boiling water. Allow to boil beteen 5-8 minutes. Remove from the water and slice into bite-sized pieces. Set both the water and the meats aside.
In a dutch over or casserole dish, start layering the ingredients in the following order, sliced potatoes, sliced onions, pepper, parsley, meats. Repeat this process until all of the ingredients have been used or the pot is filled.
Taking the remaining water or pork stock, pour over the layers until it barely comes up to the uppermost layer of onions. If you need more liquid, top off with more water or the Guinness.
Place in the oven and allow to stew for at least 90 minutes. Cooking it longer should not harm the dish at all as long as the liquid does not evaporate.
Ladle into bowls and serve with buttered bread or Irish Soda bread.
Serves 6-8
Much of what is accomplished within the confines of the kitchen requires decent knife technique. There are those who advocate buying expensive knives and caring for them with obsessive care...I'm not one of them. I go for buying the best knives you can get at the price point that agrees with your budget, and in my case, that isn't much. I'll admit that I'm hard on knives but I do use a steel almost every time I use a knife. In between my use, the knives fall prey to GH (he thinks they're trying to kill him). Yep...my knives as Bride of Chucky, or whatever... so if I leave my knives out on the counter, he'll put them in the dishwasher. He thinks that washing them by hand is just way too dangerous...an invitation for them to stab, cut, or maim him.
The fine piece of pork pictured here is a simple pork shoulder. I transformed it from its standard shape of a near rectangle into a flat piece of pork about 18 inches long by 12 inches wide. I love this kind of knife-work because it's fun and it really does change the raw product. Spiraling through the meat until it lays flat, then pounding it with meat tenderizing hammer yields a perfect canvas for stuffing.
The stuffing couldn't be simpler. A huge handful of luscious fresh parsley, 4 cloves of garlic, a 2" chunk of Parmesan, grated, 2 cups bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper all whirled about the work bowl of the food processor until a coarse paste is achieved.
Press the stuffing mix into an even layer across the pork and top it with more pork. I often use prosciutto but today I went with some leftover ham that I'd ground coarsely with a meat grinder. Press that layer firmly down and roll the whole lot up, secure it with string and roast it in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into it reads at least 148 degrees F. Let it rest for about 10 minutes and then slice it up and dig in...there's nothing like a little pork with your pork.
Today's post brought to you by:
Pork shoulder roast from Willow Creek Farm ...mmmm...sustainable, humanely-raised berkshire pigs.
Inspiration from Pork & Sons, By Stephane Reynaud...I'm dying to try the stuffed pig's ears.
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