Pulled Pork Sliders

This past superbowl weekend I made Pulled Pork Sliders for everyone to enjoy.  I made my own BBQ sauce and cooked the pork shoulder in the pressure cooker.  If you don't have one, a crock pot works as well as sticking the pork in a very very low oven for a long time.  I served it with my own coleslaw on top of a brioche bun.  Now this recipe is actually 3, cooking the pork, making the BBQ sauce, and making the coleslaw.  It's a long post, but the satisfaction that your tummy gets after ingesting one of these is pretty mind boggling.

PULLED PORK:

1 pork shoulder

1/2 cup rub, recipe below

1 beer, I liked Sierra Nevada or some dry white wine
1 cup chicken or beef stock

1/2 onion

1/2 jalapeno

1/2 head garlic

Rub:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp. salt and pepper

1 tbsp. chili powder (ancho is preferred)

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1 tbsp. garlic powder

Coat the entire pork shoulder with the rub and let come to room temperature.  If you're using a pressure cooker or a crock pot, sear the meat in another pan and then transfer to the pressure cooker or crock pot.  Add the beer, onion, jalapeno and garlic.  Cover and cook for at least 2 hours, until fork tender. *If using a regular pot, stick it in the oven at 300 F for at least 4 hours (I didn't say this recipe was quick).

BBQ Sauce:

1 tsp. ish  vegetable oil
1/2 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 jalapeno, minced
Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp. tomato paste

3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. dry oregano
1 tbsp. coriander

1 tsp. honey

1 tbsp. chipotle

1 tbsp. molasses

1 tbsp. Worshershire
Splash of A1 steak sauce

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 large can tomato sauce

In a sauce pan, heat the oil and sweat the onions for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add good pinches of salt and pepper, the spices and everything down to the Worshershire.  Let the brown sugar coat everything and cook for a few minutes.  Add the last 4 ingredients and stir to combine.  Let bubble slowly for 45 minutes uncovered, taste halfway and adjust for seasoning.  It will get darker and thicker as it cooks more.  It will start of tasting very much of tomato, but will eventually begin to taste like BBQ sauce.  If you like it sweeter, add more brown sugar.  Want more vinegar, add a few more splashes.  Adjust the sauce the way you want to.

Once the pork is tender and cool to the touch, add the shredded pork to the BBQ sauce and stir to combine.  Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving so the flavors can merry.

Coleslaw:
1/2 bag of shredded cabbage
1/2 bag of shredded carrot and broccoli slaw from TJ's

1 gala apple, cut into thin strips
3 scallions, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, minced (optional)

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp chili powder or paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp sugar
3 tsp vinegar
2 tsp milk
1 tsp pepper

In a small sauce pan on low heat, warm the vinegar, milk and mayonnaise till combined.  Add in the spices and stir to combine.  Taste the dressing, it should be light, sweet, tangy and above all else, tasty.  If it's a little thick, add some more milk, you want a salad dressing consistency.  Combine everything and taste for seasoning.  Keep refrigerated until serving.

Toast a bun, add the pulled pork on the bottom, top with some coleslaw, add the top and open mouth.

Pork Chops with an Apricot and White Wine Glaze

Almost every weekend, I ask the boy what he's craving for dinner on Sunday night. It usually turns out to be a discussion of what we've had in the past week and what we're both sick of. That said, I've been wanting to make this pork dish for a couple of weeks and thought it would be a great Sunday night dinner. I created this in my mother's kitchen with much advice from her, the end result is pretty damn tasty.

You sear the pork on both sides with DUCK FAT (I know, really tasty and enjoy), take them out of the pan, cook the tasty goodness at the bottom the pan with some shallots, white wine, apricot jam and stock. Coat it all and bake it for a few minutes. Done.

Pork Chop with Apricot and White Wine Glaze:

3-4 pork chops

1 shallot, sliced thin

1 tbsp apricot jam

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup chicken stock (optional, or you can add some water or more wine)

salt and pepper

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp duck fat or bacon fat

Preheat oven to 375 F. Season both sides of the pork chops liberally with salt and pepper. In a saute pan, heat up the olive oil and duck fat on medium high heat. Sear the pork chops on each side for about 4-5 minutes, depending on how think the chops are. Once the chops are seared on both sides take them out and let them rest on a plate, cover in aluminum foil.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan if it's dry, saute the shallots with some salt and pepper for a minute or so, till a little soft. Add the wine and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the apricot jam and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and return the pork chops to the pan, with any of the juices on the plate. Coat the chops on both sides with the sauce and put the pan in the oven. Bake for 4-5 minutes, till the chops are medium well, a little pink in the chop is ok.

ENJOY!

Bolognese

Bay to Breakers is a yearly event in San Francisco that consists of a 7 mile trip from The Embarcadero, through Golden Gate Park, finishing at Ocean Beach. The boyfriend hosted everyone the night before so we could all wake up together (at 6am mind you), get ready and start the "race." A few girlfriends and I dressed up as Neon Ballerinas, while other members of our group just went for straight Neon. However, because everyone was staying the night before I decided to make dinner for everyone and decided I was going to attempt Spaghetti Bolognese. It turned out really well, it's not the classic version but it was pretty damn tasty. I made the sauce and let it simmer for a good 2 hours and the flavors developed really nicely.

Bolognese Sauce:

1/2 cup of pancetta

1 onion, finely chopped

2-3 large carrots, pealed, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 pork sausages (removed of their casings) or some sort of ground pork with seasonings

1/2 - 3/4 cup of white wine

1 dash vodka (optional)

2 cans of tomato sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 1/4 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves

2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp chili powder

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper (bout a tsp of each)

extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup heavy cream

Fresh basil and parsley chopped for garnish

Brown pancetta in a deep pot with a little bit of olive oil on medium heat till crispy.

Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and start to sweat the onion, carrot and garlic in the rendered oil from the pancetta, you may have to add a little bit more oil at this point. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, fennel, chili powder and red pepper flakes. Let onions cook till translucent. Pull the vegetables out with a slotted spoon.

Brown the pork sausage and break up into small pieces with the back of your spoon. Once the pork is browned, add back the vegetables and pancetta and stir to combine. Pour in the wine and vodka to deglaze the pan and scrape the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add in the tomato paste, the tomato sauce, broth, and bay leaves.

Let the sauce simmer on low for at least an hour to let the flavors develop. After an hour taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Right before you're about to combine the sauce with the pasta, add the cream and turn off the heat.

Boil pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti) in very salty water till al dente. In a frying pan, add the pasta sauce and when the pasta is ready combine the pasta in the pan with a 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Let pasta finish cooking in pasta sauce. Garnish with fresh herbs (basil, parsley and even mint will be delicious) and some Parmesan cheese. ENJOY!

Crusted Pork Tenderloin

I created this recipe for an easy dinner at home after I had had a long and exhausting day. You rub the pork loin with Dijon mustard and then coat it with a seasoned breadcrumb mixture. It's very easy to make and can feed a family or have leftovers for yourself for the next few days. Not only is pork tenderloin healthy with very little fat, there is no oil or butter used when cooking the loin. Serve it with a salad or a green vegetable and you'll feel like you've had a very complete and satisfying meal.

Crusted Pork Tenderloin:
1 pork tenderloin, about a foot long
3 heaping tbsp of Dijon mustard
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt + a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp gnd black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 F. Pat dry the tenderloin. Combine all the dry ingredients and mix together, then rub the entire loin with the Dijon mustard and make sure there is a nice coat of mustard all over the pork. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the entire loin and make sure all sides are covered with the breadcrumbs. Put the loin on a lined cookie tray and place in oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the pork is medium to medium well, or 145-155 F when testing with a meat thermometer.*

*Side note here, don't leave the thermometer in the oven unless you know it can handle staying in the oven. I left my precious meat thermometer in the oven for about 5 minutes and it sadly melted.*

Take out pork when done, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and let rest for a minimum of 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute throughout the meat. Slice 1 inch pieces of the tenderloin and serve with a salad or some sort of green vegetable.