BBQ pulled pork

I wish I would have taken a picture of this but I didn't think about it!! This is the best pork recipe I have ever tasted. I got the recipe from Cody's aunt and cousin on their blog tablefornineandcounting.blogspot.com

3-4 lbs boneless pork ribs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lg onion sliced
1/2 cup apple juice
1 bottle (15-18 oz) BBQ sauce

Lightly grease crockpot. Wash boneless ribs trimming off any excess fat. Pat dry.
Put sliced onion on bottom of crockpot. Mix dry ingredients and garlic together and rub on ribs. place ribs in crock pot then top with apple juice. Cook on low 8-9 hours, drain, shred pork. Add BBQ sauce and cook 1 more hour.

*Here are a few tips I learned last time making this. I used 2 lbs pork ribs this last time and did not reduce the rest of the recipe except for the onion (used 1/2 onion). I used a little more apple juice and it seemed to work better. I did not open the crock pot to check it and it seemed to be more moist. The BBQ sauce I used was Sweet Baby Rays Original- that's our favorite! I used approx. 1 1/4 bottles of BBQ sauce to the 2 lbs pork this time, that seemed to make it more moist and have more flavor.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

My husband normally doesn't like pork. At all. Every once in awhile I'll throw it into the rotation just for a little variety, but I never expect him to like it a whole lot. Saturday I was craving BBQ but didn't want to go all the way outside (an entire 20 feet from my kitchen, poor me) and grill. Instead I settled on these pulled pork sandwiches. I threw everything in the crock pot in the morning, and it was perfectly cooked 8 hours later. It took less than 5 minutes of work and the results were spectacular. Juicy, smoky, flavorful, falling-apart, melt-in-your mouth tender. My husband loved these and said he never knew pork could taste so great. The leftovers lasted less than 24 hours, which is nothing short of a miracle. This definitely has our stamp of approval, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

1 boneless pork shoulder or pork loin (2-3 pounds, mine was about 2 pounds and it made 6-8 sandwiches)
3/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika or chipotle chili powder (optional, but I love a little kick)
2 cups water
1 Tb. hickory flavored Liquid Smoke (you can usually find this by the Worcestershire sauce and BBQ sauce)
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
buns, for serving

Rinse pork in cold water and pat dry. Combine pepper, garlic salt, and paprika or chili powder. Rub all over pork shoulder, making sure to cover well. Place pork in crock pot. Cover with water and liquid smoke. Cook on low for 7-10 hours, until pork is tender and falling apart. Remove pork, drain liquid. Shred the pork and return to the crock pot and add 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce. Stir to coat and cook on low for 20 minutes, until sauce is absorbed and heated through. Serve on buns with additional barbecue sauce if desired.

Shredded Pork Tacos

I love pork. I love tacos. I love pork tacos. Recipe partially from Everyday Foods.
Shredded Pork Tacos
Serves 4-6

Ingredients-
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 3-4 pound pork roast, cut in half lengthwise
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes in juice
1-2 large chipotle chiles in adobo, minced (use more if you like it hotter, or less if not)
1 cup water
1-2 tablespoons honey
16 toasted corn tortillas (the small size)
1 cup shredded or crumbled cheese (I'd recommend queso fresco, but use what you like)
1 cup fresh cilantro

Directions-

1- Heat oil in a large pot (5-6 quart)over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, thyme, oregano and bay leaves, put a little salt and pepper on for seasoning. Cook until the onion is softened, but not caramelized, 5 or so minutes.
2- Add the tomato paste, and stir it in until it's mixed with the onions and other ingredients.
3- Add the pork, tomatoes (try to break them up with a spoon when you add them) and the juice from the can, chipotle peppers, water, and honey. Stir together as best you can, bring to boil.
4- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the meat gets nice and tender (2-2.5 hours at least). Remove and discard the bay leaves.
5- Transfer the meat (using tongs fool!) to a large bowl. Shred it with two forks. Get rid of any large pieces of fat or gristle you find.
6- Return the (now shredded) meat to the pan, simmering it until the sauce gets thick (about 30-45 minutes). Taste it! (remember that it's hot!) Add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
7- Spoon the pork and sauce into tortillas, using two tortillas for each serving top with cheese and cilantro (and some mango salsa if you've got it). A side of black beans and rice never hurts either. Hot sauce is essential.
8- Eat for nutritional enjoyment.

Pâté de Campagne

I love meatloaf. It's definitely one of my favorite foods. I also love pork (that's why the pig is my favorite animal, it's the tastiest) and mustard. So pâté de campagne is right up my aisle. It's full of meaty, porky goodness and you get to serve it with little pickles and mustard. I've eaten and enjoyed it before, but never taken a crack at making it. But when I saw this super easy recipe in Bon Appétit I knew that it was time to take a shot.

Pâté de Campagne
Serves a whole lot as a appetizer (around 20)

Ingredients-
3/4 cup Cognac (my non alcoholic substitution for the non drinkers was cranberry-peach juice mixed with some lemon juice. Most juices would work, but make sure to add some lemon in.)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup minced onions
2 1/1 pounds ground pork
12 ounces bacon (8 to 10 slices), finely chopped, plus 14 slices (for lining pan)
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 6-ounce piece ham steak, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch-thick strips
course sea salt
Cornichons (tiny little French pickles, you'll probably only find them at specialty stores- I got them at Whole Foods)
Dijon mustard

Directions-
1. Preheat oven to 350 with the rack in the lowest position.
2. Boil cognac (or non alchoholic substitute) until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 1-2 minutes). Cool.
3. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft and translucent (but not brown) about 8 minutes.
4. Combine ground pork and chopped bacon in large bowl. Mix together until well blended. Add sauteed onion, garlic, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, thyme, allspice, and pepper to bowl with pork mixture and stir until incorporated. Add eggs, cream and reduced cognac. Stir until well blended
5. Line 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan with bacon slices, arranging 8 slices across width of pan and 3 slices on each side, overlapping pan on all sides. Using hands, lightly and evenly press half of meat mixture (about 3 1/4 cups) onto bottom of pan atop bacon slices. Arrange ham strips over in single layer. Top with remaining meat mixture.
6. Fold bacon over, covering pâté. Cover pan tightly with foil. Place pan in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan and transfer to oven. Pour boiling water into baking pan until it comes halfway up sides of the loaf pan. Bake pâté until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F (about 2 hours 15 minutes).
7. Remove loaf pan from baking pan and transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Place heavy skillet or 2 to 3 heavy cans atop pâté to weigh down. Chill overnight.
8. Place loaf pan with pâté in larger pan of hot water for about 3 minutes. Invert pâté onto platter; discard fat from platter and wipe clean. Cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Serve with sea salt, cornichons, dijon mustard and sliced baguette.

It's a time consuming recipe, but quite easy and very tasty. Maybe not so much for people who don't like meat (or thyme), but for everyone else. I have a great Asian inspired sandwich recipe that you make with leftover pâté de campagne here.

Oven Baked Barbecue Ribs

I love barbecue. Especially ribs, and pulled pork. Basically anything that's been slow cooked and comes off a pig. It all tastes really good. So I had to have a way to make it myself, at home, with no smoker, barbecue, or grill. What I did, being the practitioner of debrouiller that I am, is steal a skillet pork chop recipe from America's Test Kitchen and modify it to suit my purposes. Here you go:

Ingredients-

One rack of pork spare ribs (I don't want to even hear about anyone using beef ribs. That's an abomination that must be stamped out. Pork is where it's at. But I guess you could substitute baby back ribs.) Also make sure this is the non enhanced meat, so that it doesn't already have a brine added.
1/2 cup salt- for the brine

Spice Rub-
1 tablespoon Paprika (I like it better if you use half regular Paprika and half smoked, but do it how you want.)
1 1/4 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1 1/4 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper

Sauce-
A little over 1/2 cup Ketchup
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Directions-

1- First dissolve the salt in with about 2 quarts of water in a large container to create a brine. Put the ribs (after removing the membrane, from the back side) in the brine, submerging them completely. You may need to cut the rack of ribs into smaller pieces to make it fit. Cover, and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2- Mix the ingredients for the spice rub in a mixing bowl. Try to create a fairly even consistency, especially breaking up any large chunks of brown sugar. Separate out about 2 teaspoons worth to mix into the sauce.

3- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and take the ribs out of the fridge when they are done brining. Pat the ribs dry with a towel, so that the spice rub will stick. Place the ribs on a large baking pan (or I use a cutting board), and coat the outside completely with the spice rub.

4- Wrap the ribs tightly (and I really mean tightly, otherwise you'll lose all the tasty fat) in foil (if you have more than one piece, wrap them all separately), put them on a pan and insert into the 250 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

5- After 30 minutes turn the heat down to 200 degrees. Leave in the oven for 3 hours.

6- About 30 minutes before the ribs are done take the ingredients for the sauce, whisk them together in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir occasionally for about 15 minutes, then turn off heat.

7- After the 3 hours are up, take the ribs out of the oven. Move the oven rack up to the top position and start the broiler at 500 degrees.

8- Unwrap the ribs carefully, there will be hot liquid fat in there! Take about 2 tablespoons of the fat and add it to the sauce, incorporating it fully. Drain the rest of the fat off.

9- Put the unwrapped ribs back onto the pan and baste the tops with some of the sauce. Just enough to cover them. Place the ribs under the broiler for 5 minutes. This should make the sauce just a little crunchy and caramelized.

10- Serve ribs with the rest of the sauce.

It takes a lot of time, but they're very, very tasty. (and that isn't a picture of when I made them, I stole it from the web)