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Oftentimes when I cook or eat a dish, I’m flooded with memories. It’s what I particularly like about food – the tastes and smells whisk me back to little moments in life that otherwise might have been forgotten. I associate food with people and places. A bite of sushi at lunch might bring back memories of a fantastic night out on the town with friends at a high end sushi restaurant. Eating pho anytime and any place reminds me of a particularly meaningful conversation I had with my brother over a bowl of noodles. Frozen yogurt is late night rushes to 21 Choices with my best friend in college.
I remember the moment when my little crush on food (who doesn’t enjoy good food in general) turned into this head-over-heels lifelong love. We cooked lamb chops. Delicious lamb chops. In college. We thought we were superstars because who cooks lamb chops in college? At that point in my life, I don’t think I had ever even had a lamb chop – it was just some pricey item on a menu that I could never even really afford. It was that first juicy, savory yummilicious bite that made me realize “Hey, you can actually cook something you see in a restaurant” that I fell in love. I’ve used that lamb chop recipe over and over since then and each time, it brings me back to that life altering view on food.
Fast forward to today – my life seems to revolve around food. I think the only way it could possibly revolve around food more is if I were to work in some sort of food industry (what? you have a food job for me?). I read food blogs and food magazine as if it were my job. My free time is spent planning my next meal. My list of restaurants and recipes to try could probably reach from here to the moon. Vacations are planned completely for and around food and restaurants. And that’s just the start. It’s an all consuming type of love that we’ve got going on here. Borderline obsession.
So, what about you? Do you have a particularly vivid food memory of something that would otherwise be forgettable? Do you have a foodie defining moment?
Back to the lamb chops – we wanted to try a dish that used savory from our Mystery Box. On our little cheatsheet, it said savory was similar to rosemary, which is almost synonymous with lamb in my mind, so lamb it was. Then,somewhere between the cheese and dressing aisles, it occurred to me to use some of the 10 pounds of farm fresh cherries we bought. A bite of finished dish and I was reliving that defining moment in life while creating new memories at the same time.
Savory Lamp Chops with Cherry Wine Reduction
I apologize for the lack of measurements. Everything here can really be done to taste, and honestly, you can’t screw it up. If you don’t have savory, try rosemary.
Lamb chops, French cut
Savory, chopped
Olive Oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Red wine
Cherries
Sprinkle lamb chops on both sides with salt, pepper, and savory.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb chops to hot skillet. Cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Remove lamb chops from pan and set aside.
Deglaze pan with red wine. Add cherries. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour sauce and cherries over lamb chops.
Serve with roasted savory potatoes.
Lamb chop link love:
Rosemary Crusted Rack of Lamb with Wild Rice Ragout, Asparagus and Red Wine Reduction from Not Eat Out in New York
Lamb chops to try if you are short on time from Simply Recipes
Grilled lamb chops from Project Foodie
Balsamic Vinegar-Glazed Lamb Chops from Cooking with the Single Guy
A funny thing happened during our Mystery Thursdays pickup –
I’m just getting into this blogging thing of my own, but I’ve been reading food blogs for quite some time. I remember one of the first food blogs I started reading, 101 Cookbooks, and being quite inspired by how fresh, quick and healthy the food looked and the fantastic photography on the site. From there, I started adding more and more food blogs to my Google Reader and now, I’m probably sharing so many food articles from so many different blogs that my friends are (silently) screaming, “Enough already with the food!” (Or maybe you guys are just drooling too much on your keyboard that you’ve short circuited your computer?)
Last Thursday’s pickup was a bit on the crazy side – T picked me up from the airport (flying home from the client site) and we dashed over to Piccino. Granted, it was a short flight, but after working until 9 or 10 each night, I’d seen better days. We noticed some people video taping people picking up their boxes, but didn’t think too much of it. Mystery box, avocados and cherries in hand, we headed back to the car and were approached by the video people. They asked if we knew what we were going to cook with our newly acquired bounty and if we minded being interviewed. Frazzled, tired and hungry, the last thing I wanted to do was be video recorded (it brings back horrible memories of Communications class having to watch yourself on video in front of the entire class after embaressing yourself presenting in the first place), but I was pretty sure T would take the opportunity. I think they picked up more on my state of mind than T’s eagerness to talk and left us alone.
Bummer. Because then I recognized her as Heidi from 101 Cookbooks. Ok, so I was a little star struck and regretting we hadn’t said anything. After all, at least a part of this blog’s existence can be attributed to her and her blog. (Speaking of star struck, we saw Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs at the bar on Thursday. So maybe Dirty Jobs isn’t quite the tv show you want to talk about on a food blog. But, the Discovery Channel is ranked up there with the Food Network in my mind, so sorry readers!).
I digress – We ended up making a fabulous meal with our Mystery Box ingredients, which I’ll have to post later this week, and had we given it any thought before we picked up the box, we would have had a nice little blurb for the camera.
Since the last Mystery Thursday, I’ve been asked a good number of times, “So what’d you get in your mystery box this week, ChuThis?” Granted, I’ve only actually bought a Mystery box a few times now, but it REALLY excites me to see friends and family getting into the fresh, local vegetables idea, or at least curious enough to ask me about it. And, I’m in the middle of reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which I’m sure I’ll wholeheartedly recommend to everyone who asks.
So, to answer your question, this is what we received at Piccinio:
 (Click on photo to see larger size)
In addition, our Mystery Box also contained Little Gem Lettuces, Genovese Basil, Gallegan Kale, Cauliflower, Cilantro, and English Peas. Plus, our 10 pounds of cherries, which disappeared faster than I could acquire a cherry pitter to make cherry pie.
Having used the grill at every opportunity over the past week, we’ve made a lot of steaks, chicken and shrimp – foods I feel like get the most play time on the grill. And as great as a grilled steak is, sometimes you just need a little diversity. While we were at Safeway debating between beef or chicken and not neither really appealing, I finally turned around and marched into the seafood section and was delighted to find a couple of trout.
Why hadn’t I thought of this before? Granted the fish weren’t the freshest things aro und and they certainly didn”t look like these fish my dad caught, but they turned out wonderfully. I feel like grilled fish just doesn’t get enough credit even though it’s so quick and simple. Perhaps people are afraid that the fish is too delicate, but as long as you have a clean grill, you shouldn’t have any problems. Just resist the temptation to poke or play with the fish on the grill – hard to do, I know 😛
Looking back at my childhood, some of my most vivid memories of Daddy time were fishing. When we were younger, of course “fishing’ at the duck ponds down the street usually consisted of my Dad casting the fishing pole (perhaps we would put a hand on the pole to think that we were casting), then quickly running off to play in the dirt or to feed the stale bread to the ducks to pass the time until the bright red and white bobber disappeared and he would call out that we had a bite. We’d quickly run over and help reel in the fish, then repeat the process. Sometimes we’d pass the time playing with the minnows in the bucket, hide out in the shade on one of the benches, or mess with the fish that we had already caught. Eventually, as we grew older, we were able to cast our own fishing poles, had developed the patience to cast-reel-cast-reel-cast, and learned to appreciate the peacefulness of waiting for the fish to bite. We mainly caught crappie and catfish at these local duck ponds that were just a fifteen minute walk away, but once a year, we’d drive to another town about 20 minutes away when they stocked a lake with tons of Rainbow Trout and come back having maxed out our fish limit.
Once back at home and after having de-fished ourselves to my non-fish loving Mom’s content, I vividly remember Dad cooking up the rainbow trout with a bit of butter, Tony Chachere’s seasoning, and lemon. Quite effortless, really (once you got past the gutting and cleaning the first part that to this day, I prefer to avoid) and the fish always came out so tender and tasty.
So when it came to grilling the fish, I prepared the fish based on those memories. I mixed some olive oil, Tony Chacher’s and some chopped garlic together and let the fish marinate for a few minutes. Dinner was ready after the trout spent a few short minutes on the grill. It was a delicious meal that could have been better only if I had caught the fish with my Dad (and of course had him clean them for me :P).
Happy (belated) Father’s Day, Dad.
love, ChuThis
Grilled Trout
Serves 2
This is so simple that you don’t even really need a recipe. You could certainly play around and use different combinations of spices to your heart’s content.
2 small trout about 6-8 inches long, cleaned and head removed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Cajun seasoning (I like Tony Chachere’s)
Olive oil
2 lemon slices
Heat grill to medium high (about 350). Mix garlic, cajun seasoning, and olive oil in a small bowl. Brush generously over fish. Place fish on hot grill. After about 2 minutes, flip fish and cook on other side for another two minutes. Remove from grill and enjoy.
As much as I’d love to deny it, I’m a procrastinator. Of course, I believe it’s because I work best under pressure and where is the pressure if you don’t wait until the very last minute? Tomorrow is yet another Mystery Thursday (from Marquita Farm) and I still haven’t posted any photos or recipes from the last Mystery Thursday…two weeks ago! I suppose if I did this in true procrastinator fashion, I’d be writing this at the wee hours of Thursday morning or from the airport – so, see Mom, I’m not a total procrastinator!
Speaking of Mom – my parents flew out at the end of May to help with the move, see the new place and celebrate my birthday. I was excited to take my Mom (who has heard plenty about my farm fresh vegetables) to Mystery Thursday at Globe, who happened to have a Marquita Farm Mystery Dinner featuring ingredients from the Mystery boxes . Marquita Farm alternates the delivery locations between the different restaurants that buy from them; the list of restaurants is rather extensive and some of the best dining in San Francisco.
Located near the Financial District, Globe offers seasonal cuisine in a laid back atmosphere. It reminded me a tad of Scott Howard (my previously favorite restaurant on the border of the Financial District and North Beach), but the prices were higher and the atmosphere a bit louder. Service was nothing stellar, but I can’t find any faults in particular to point out. Foodwise, my mom did have the hand-cut egg pasta with calamari bolognese, minced calamari replacing the typical beef. It was interesting enough that we’ve contemplated giving the dish a whirl at home. Surprise, surprise – I ordered the following prix fixe menu to get some ideas of how to use the vegetables at home.
– Local halibut ceviche, avocados, fava beans and cilantro
– Spinach fettuccini, caramelized cauliflower, shallots and breadcrumbs
– Zinfandel braised beef cheeks over collard greens, baby carrots and peas
– Buckwheat strawberry galette with buttermilk ice cream
The next day at home, my dad and I opened the mystery box to find a ton of my favorite vegetables – fava beans, cauliflower, cilantro, baby carrots, scallions, bacon avocados, English peas, spinach, salad mix, collard greens, and purple Sicilian artichokes.
(Click on photo to see larger size)
I’m like a kid on Christmas Eve over the next delivery – my buddy T and I are splitting a mystery box, 10 pounds of cherries and a 5 pound bag of avocados!
3 irish men + 1 large truck + 1 rickety elevator/4 flights of stairs + 2 more flights of stairs + FOUR hours + 1 old apartment + 1 shiny new (to me) condo = money very well spent.
As of June 1, I am officially moved out of the apartment and into my new place. I deliberately said “into” and not “settled into” because I have one very empty living room that could lead a second life as a mini ballroom dance floor and boxes galore. I’ll give you one guess as to which room in the condo is completely unpacked and furnished (over furnished at that)…yes, my kitchen. Granted, I still need to buy some more glasses, flatware, dishware and miscellaneous spices, but as of yesterday, I successfully had guests over for dinner cooked in my new kitchen. Actually patio would be a little more correct. May I present the newest addition to the ChuThis collection – my shiny Weber Genesis grill:
Isn’t it pretty? I feel like a new proud parent. (Note: picture is snagged from bbq.co.uk, not my actual grill)
And like a new proud parent, I was eager to show it off. Yesterday, we used the grill with the new gadget:
(Note: picture is from barbeques.com)
Costco and Safeway – I’m sorry, but I will no longer be purchasing your lovely Rotisserie chickens (unless absolutely pressed for a cheap, last minute dinner) since I can now make them even better myself.
I need to learn to truss a chicken properly when I have more time and when I don’t have 4 hungry guys waiting to eat. I’m sure I wasted a large amount of propane while I fussed with attempting to follow a video that taught me how to truss a chicken (hitting the replay button with a your elbow due to chicken covered hands is not my idea of fun). In the end out of pure frustration and hunger, we tied the chicken up using any means possible just to get it on the grill and cooking. Would a proper trussing have made any real difference? Based on the fact that the chicken was gone before I had time to snap a picture, I’d say no.
The recipe that follows has measurements, but I’d caution you to really create it by taste. I used the “little bit of this, little more of this, and a little more of that” method, so as I recollect my memory of yesterday, I’m really just guessing. Besides, I’m sure just as many of you like more/less salt/garlic/pepper.
In the end, the rotisserie chicken turned out great – juicy and flavorful. Take away the trouble with trussing the chicken and this would have been next to effortless, something that might be worth trying at a BBQ party down the road.
Rotisserie Chicken
Serves 4-5 people
1 3-4 lb. whole chicken
1/2 C Butter
2 t Paprika
2 t Garlic Powder
1 t Salt
1 t Freshly Ground Pepper
1. Pre-heat grill without rotisserie rod.
2. Truss chicken (or tie it up any way possible to keep everything held tightly together).
3. Impale chicken on rotisserie rod (I’m sure there is a technical or just plain nicer term; however, I got too hung up on how barbaric I felt putting the chicken on that huge skewer)
4. Melt butter in a small bowl. Mix in paprika, garlic powder, salt and ground pepper to taste.
5. Place rotisserie rod with chicken on grill with a aluminum pan underneath to catch the drippings. At this point, you should have the front and back burner on low with the middle turned off. The temperature should be approximately 350.
6. Baste chicken with sauce. Cook for approximately 1.5 hours. Baste chicken with sauce and drippings every 25 minutes or so.
7. Remove chicken from grill when temperature reaches 160. Let sit for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.
Here in the city of San Francisco, our weather is pretty consistent. There isn’t too much of a change between the seasons – it never really falls below 40 and rarely get above 80. Summer months are actually colder than fall with our Septembers and Octobers generally being the warmest and nicest months of the year. (It’s said you can pick out tourist by looking for those wearing shorts and tanks during the “summer” months of June through August.) That said, it’s easy to tell the turn of seasons from “winter” to “spring/summer” when the rooftop and BBQ invites start rolling out.
I personally use the grill every chance I get. I confess, cooking on the patio looking out at the Golden Gate bridge and a panoramic view of the Bay…it’s a tough life (and one that I will miss very much when I move). A few weekends ago, a couple of my friends held a rooftop pre-Bay to Breakers party…hired bartender, grill and all. Oh, and fabulous ribs. Ribs that were so fabulous at the time that I’m having the friend responsible, HL, guest blog the ribs below –
Searching for the ultimate ribs recipe is a lot of fun, and a bit overwhelming. There are endless opinions on smoking vs grilling, on dry rubs vs wet, on secret spices or just slathering the entire thing in store-bought barbecue sauce. You know the old saying “there’s no such thing as a bad bbq”? That’s probably true – but it doesn’t mean you can still be mightily disappointed when it just doesn’t come out as great bbq.
For this recipe, I wanted to try something that I could do it my oven. Living in the city that’s perpetually foggy, it’s not uncommon to lack a backyard with the black weber grill. That ruled out quite a few recipes asking for wood chips, a smoker, and long overnight tending of the fire. Luckily enough, I did find a highly rated recipe over at Recipezaar, one that would start and finish the process completely inside an oven. By the way, let me sing the praises of having recipe reviews to sort through the good and bad. As anyone who’s tried hunting down a good rib recipe can attest, there’s no such thing as an identical marinade. Everyone has their own special version, and it’s hard to figure out how one with apple juice would taste over one that uses orange juice. But with reviews in hand, it helps so much to see if it comes together well in the end, and if you need to make a few tweaks to really bring out the flavor.
Digression aside, I started with a slab of baby back pork ribs from Smart & Final. They definitely offer one of the best deals for raw ribs in town – a full set of 13 meaty ribs (~2.5 lbs) only took about $8 from my wallet. It’s a great way to for first-time ribbers to try their hand without breaking the bank.
The recipe called for a wet rub, but I did lightly salt the pork ribs before pouring in the marinade. Something that was also really interesting – there was no overnight soaking. The recipe called for the marinade to be poured over and then thrown straight into the oven. A little tin foil on top to keep the moisture in, and that was it. 3 hours, 300 degrees, and ding – perfect, mouth-watering ribs. The smell was absolutely amazing, the meat literally fell off the bones, and the marinade had thickened into this delicious sauce to die for. Like some of the reviewers said, I brushed the ribs a bit with the extra sauce, broiled it for a few minutes, and dove right in.
Highly recommended recipe – this one gets filed under the “go-to dishes”.
BBQ Ribs
Adapted from Should Be Illegal Oven BBQ Ribs Recipe #8701 – from Recipezaar.com
1¼ hours | 10 min prep | SERVES 4 -6 , 3 lbs Ribs
3 lbs pork back ribs
6oz honey (clover blossom, the type that comes in the bear bottle)
1.5 teaspoon paprika
1.5 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 medium onion, grated or minced
12 ounces barbecue sauce
1/8 cup white sugar
Kosher salt – to season ribs
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees:
1. Line large roasting pan with single sheet of aluminum foil for easy cleanup
2. Trim ribs in half for easier handling
3. Sprinkle and rub some salt into the ribs
4. Prepare marinade in order of ingredients shown – first honey, then stirring in the spices and bbq sauce. Pour 1/3 of marinade into roasting pan
5. Lay ribs meat-side down on pan, and pour rest of marinade over
6. Cover loosely with single sheet of aluminum foil
7. Roast in oven for 3 hours
8. When ribs are done, flip the ribs on the roasting pan so it’s meat side up. Scoop up the thickened marinade in the roasting pan, brush over the ribs, and broil for 3-5 minutes till ribs are nicely caramelized
Note from Chu This – I made these ribs myself this past weekend. They turned out quite different than HL’s ribs, we think due to different type of honey used. I’d suggest cutting back the amount of honey initially and adding more to taste. Thanks HL for the great post 
Everyone knows that moving sucks. Now, two things…
I moved domains. This blog is now at www.chuthis.com. It took about 30 seconds.
I’m moving. It’s only about 2 miles away from my current place. The whole process when done will have taken months. And lots of stress. However, I DO get a gas stove in a pretty new kitchen PLUS a convection oven…
…as long as the moving doesn’t kill me first. Too bad it’s not as easy as moving domains.
Any guesses as to what that might be? Here’s a clue…
Yup, you guessed it (or not :P), it’s a Doubletree Hotel cookie. The warm, gooey treat they provide when you check into the hotel or ever so politely ask the front desk. It makes the consistent travel and the not-so-nice front desk staff a little more bearable. You try to stay frustrated and thinking about what you are going to write in your letter to the corporate office while they hand you a warm chocolate chip cookie. I forgot I was even mad by the time I made it up to my room because I was too overcome with the giddiness of a five, make that three, year old. And then, I got twice as giddy because I had something happy food related to blog about. (Oh, and there is a recipe online for this cookie that I’ll have to try when I’m actually home)
Actually, I’ve been eating pretty darn well while “traveling” for work. I quote traveling because I reserve the word traveling for personal travel. As in vacation. As in somewhere fun. This is more like “living somewhere else” but having to prepare as if you were traveling. I receive a per diem, but unlike per diem in the past (you get $XX for the day that you can either spend or pocket), we are required to send it receipts and it’s use it or lose it. Since arriving in LA this week, I’ve managed to check off four food establishments that I crave. Oddly enough, it’s all Asian food. Yummy things like BCD Tofu House, Red Mango, Din Tai Fung and Phoenix Food Boutique. (I like that they all have pretty decent websites.) Yes, I will drive far for food I crave. These standby restaurants beat the pants off a Doubletree cookie welcome any day.
I noticed something peculiar. I’ve been compiling a list of restaurants I want to make sure to eat at while here in LA. And in the past, people have come to me for LA restaurant recommendations. With both, I’ve noticed a lack of “good” restaurants – those restaurants that are probably well known amongst the foodies in the world, that get a good amount of press, and that are NOT cheap Asian food. Why is that? I realized last night it’s because during all my time in LA previous to this consulting gig, I was a ramen-eating-free-food-scavenging college student. Sure, I appreciated good food, but I most certainly did not have the any steady income to allow me to dine about town. So now, per diem in hand, I shall conquer the LA food scene – please feel free to send suggestions! And now, the next time someone asks me for LA food recommendations, I’ll have plenty!
 The last couple weeks of March, I was lucky enough to work from home. I finally had the chance to scratch a couple of food items off of my ever growing “to cook” list. Including these Whirligig buns from Nigella, which has been starred in my Google Reader for what seems like eternity. Yes, I admit, a large part of the reason I wanted to make these was just because of the name. Whirligig. Whirl-i-gig! Whiiiiiiirligig! But what could possibly be better than waking up in the morning and having warm chocolate and almond buns? Plus, it was an excuse to finally use the dough hook on the KitchenAid.
I followed The Wednesday Chef’s advice on this recipe – substituting some almonds, eliminating the bottom dough piece, and cooking at a lower temperature. I wanted these to be amazing and the fact that they weren’t out of this world (after reading three bloggers tell me how amazing they were) makes me wonder if I’m just not cut out for “real” baking (i.e. things that involve yeast, things other than cookies). They were still good, just a little bit bland and a tad on the dry side. That said, they were good enough for me to venture to make these again…and I’d encourage you to make them one day and let me know your results.
Buns aside, after over a year of local gigs and a couple weeks spent lounging at home, I’m on the road again (insert Willie Nelson song here). Inevitably part of the consulting lifestyle, I fly out to the client site on Monday morning and fly back home either Thursday or Friday. Sure, it has its perks like racking up United miles and Hilton Honors points plus a daily food allowance, but it also means that my opportunities to cook become almost non existent. Yes, there are weekends, but weekends are usually spent catching up with friends over food and drinks. Hopefully, you’ll stick with me as this blog possibly deviates to more random food tidbits and the not-so-glamorous food life of a traveling consultant. I hope to take advantage of having a daily food allowance to try out new restaurants. In return, I’ll be trying to do as much cooking as possible on weekends to stock up for posts during the week.
And I can’t really complain…living in a beach town as summer approaches isn’t exactly a rough life.
Chocolate-Almond Whirligig Buns
Makes 20-30 buns
Dough
5 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 packets instant yeast (6 3/4 teaspoons)
7 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 2/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
Vegetable oil
Filling
8 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
3/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 large egg, beaten
1. Dough – combine 5 cups of flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In a small saucepan, combine butter and milk and heat to lukewarm. Beat the eggs lightly, then whisk them into the milk mixture. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ones.
2. Using a mixer with a dough hook, or by hand, knead dough until smooth and springy, adding more flour if necessary. Form into a ball and place in a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 30 minutes.
3. Punch down dough. Line a 13 x 10-inch baking pan with parchment paper or silicon mat. Roll out dough to a rectangle.
4. For the filling, mix together the butter and sugar to a paste. Spread the paste over large rectangle of dough. Sprinkle almonds evenly over the dough, then top with chocolate chips. Starting from longest side, carefully roll up dough so it looks like a long sausage. Cut dough into 20 slices, about 3/4 inch thick, and arrange with a cut side up on top of the dough in the pan.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush buns with beaten egg and let them sit in a warm place until puffed up and snugly fitting pan, about 15-20 minutes. Bake until buns have risen and are golden-brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from baking pan to cool on a rack. Serve warm.
Link love:
Inspired by The Wednesday Chef’s writeup of the Whirligig Buns
this little piglet
Tea and Cookies
Blame it on the Type A personality in me. You’d think I’d actually enjoy a couple of days of “working from home” and not doing anything. Instead, I’m anxious to get on a project and really prove myself and learn lots of new things. I spent the latter portion of last week really pulling my hair out from frustration, but this week I decided to embrace the opportunity and do a lot of cooking (and blogging!).
BBQ is good on its own. But the ex-Texan in me makes me love BBQ just that much more…and also sets the standards that much higher. So no, I’m not content just buying the ubiquitous plastic container of BBQ pulled pork from Trader Joe’s (please TJ, don’t take that personally).
I started with the recipe from Nook and Pantry that started this craving for pulled pork. Once the meat was seared, browned and covered in a little bit of sauce mixture, it just looked so lonely in the slow cooker. I’m by no means a slow cooker pro (although I’d like to get there, especially once work picks up), but can you cook food in there with little to no liquid? I got nervous about letting it cook with only a quarter cup of liquid and had nightmares of opening the pot six hours later to find something that would force me to call my local take out joint. What a perfect time to “be creative!” An extra cup of chicken broth and a can of Coca Cola went into the pot. (Texans tend to refer to soda’s in general as “Coke” so when you ask for a Coke, you’ll often find yourself being asked, “What kind?” Just thought we could use clarification here).
Six hours later (ok, I did cheat and opened the lid a couple times to check in between), I found my pork shoulder falling apart in the pot and smelling absolutely wonderful. Taste test time! It tasted even better than it smelled! Perhaps I could get used to staying at home…minus the cleaning and chores and if I could only find someone who wants to support someone that just wants to cook all the time.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
4 lbs pork butt/shoulder (Boneless preferred probably, but I used bone in)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped (I like Vidalia)
2 T chili powder
1 T smoked paprika
2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
1/4 C brown sugar
4 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 C chicken stock
1 can of Coca Cola (Dr. Pepper might work equally as well)
Sear the pork shoulder in 1 T of oil on all sides. If you want this to cook faster, you could cut up the pork shoulder into several pieces and brown them as separate pieces. Transfer this to the slow cooker turned on high.
On the stove, turn the heat down to medium and add the onion to the residual oil in the skillet. Add the chili powder, smoked paprika, pepper, and cumin and cook in the oil to bloom the flavor of the spices, about 3 – 5 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cayenne pepper, brown sugar, worchestershire sauce, salt, and 1/4 C chicken stock. Bring to a boil and pour the skillet contents over the pork in the slow cooker. Add the extra cup of chicken stock and the can of Coca Cola.
Cook on high for 5-6 hours.
Once the pork is fork tender, transfer to a large plate or cutting board. Use your hands, tongs or 2 forks to pull the meat apart into strings.
Strain the remaining liquid into a clean bowl or directly into a sauce pan. Throw out the onions, etc. in the strainer. Reduce the sauce (you could also use some cornstarch/flour mixed with water to thicken it a bit if you want). Serve on a toasted bun or on a salad (like I had for lunch). Leftovers are just as good, if not better, than the first day.
Link love –
My starting point at Nook and Pantry
Pulled Pork at Thursday Night Smackdown
Salsa Verdes Carnitas at Simply Recipes
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