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.

Greek Style Kebabs

Greek Style Kebabs with Tzatziki and Spicy Tomato Sauces

Serves 3

Ingredients-

For the kebabs:

1 lb. meat (I used chicken, but you could use lamb, pork, or turkey too) cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried if you must)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)

1 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch of sweet paprika

1/2 cup milk (preferably whole milk if you've got it)

3 tomatoes, cut in half

1 onion, cut into eighths.

2 large cubanelle peppers (anaheim will work if you can't get cubanelle)

For the tzatziki sauce:

16oz (2 cups) of thick Greek style yogurt

4-10 cloves of garlic, minced (the amount depends on how garlicky you want it)

1/2 cup of diced or grated cucumber, peeled (English cucumber is best)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

For the spicy tomato sauce:

1 small can tomato puree (2 1/2 oz size)

1/2-1 teaspoon of salt

1/2-1 1/2 teaspoons of white pepper

1/2-1 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

pinch of dried oregano

ketchup (as much as you want- more will make it milder and sweeter)

Directions-

For the kebabs:

1- Mix the minced garlic, oregano, thyme, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika together in a large bowl to make a marinade. Reserve a couple tablespoons of the marinade in a smaller container to use for basting the kebabs.

2- Add the meat to the large bowl, making sure to coat it completely with the marinade. Add the milk (it's added last to prevent the lemon juice from curdling it), stirring it in with everything else, cover the bowl and put it into the fridge to marinate. Leave it in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours before cooking, but overnight is best.

3- When you're about ready to cook, cut the tomatoes in half and thread them onto skewers, cut side up (You can use bamboo or wood skewers if you want, but I really recommend investing in some metal kebab skewers. They're fairly cheap, and work so much better, particularly if you get either flat or square shaped ones.). Cut the onion into eighths, and thread onto skewers. Cut the peppers in half, remove the ribs and seeds and thread onto skewers cut side up. Set the vegetable skewers aside on a tray for later.

I know that you're thinking that kebabs should have the meat and veg on the same skewers alternating to make a pretty looking design. Get that idea out of your head! It's just plain stupid from both a food handling (cross contamination- gross) and a effectiveness standpoint. The meat and all the veggies cook differently, so they need to be on separate skewers. They can still look pretty that way, but it'll be safer and more delicious. So get the stupid ideas out of your head.

4- Make sure that your grill is clean and free of debris. Anything that's stuck on that grill will stick to your kebabs. Preheat the grill to high heat.

5- Take the meat out of the fridge and thread it onto skewers, placing each on a tray. Keep these separated from the vegetables so it doesn't cross contaminate! Try to put 1/2-1 serving of meat on each skewer, depending on the size of the skewers, leaving space at both ends to turn it on the grill.

6- Take a paper towel, or napkin, put a small amount of olive oil on it and, using tongs, use it to grease the preheated grill. Put the skewers of meat onto the grill (diagonally if possible, to prevent pieces falling in). Make sure you put them down where you want them the first time, leaving enough room for the remaining skewers, because if you try to reposition the skewers then there's a good chance chunks of meat will stick to the grill, tearing off.

7- After 12-15 minutes on high heat, turn the skewers over, brushing them with some of the reserved marinade to keep them moist. 12-15 minutes on the second side (24-30 minutes total for both sides) and your meat should be done. Remove the skewers of meat, place on a clean tray and tent with foil to keep them warm (I like to put them into a pre-heated 200 degree oven at this point to keep them warm).

8- Brush the bottoms of the tomatoes, peppers and onions with olive oil and put them on the grill. Put the onions on first, as they take the longest to cook. Make sure the tomatoes and peppers are cut side up. Coat the tops of the vegetables with olive oil. Turn or remove the vegetables as they reach your desired level of doneness. I like a bit of charring myself.

9- Remove meat and vegetables from skewers and combine. Serve with warm pita bread (easily grilled, just brush some olive oil on first), lemon wedges, fresh parsley, feta cheese and tzatziki and spicy tomato sauces. Hummus with pita chips and cucumber makes a delicious side.

For the tzatziki sauce:

1- Combine olive oil and lemon juice in the bottom of a large bowl, slowly folding in the thick yogurt (if you can't get Greek style yogurt then you can buy regular, plain yogurt and put it into a strainer that has a coffee filter laid in it, and let the liquid drain out into a bowl in the fridge for 4-5 hours), making sure to fully incorporate the oil and lemon juice into the yogurt.

2- Add the garlic and cucumber, gently combining it with the yogurt mixture.

3- Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. The longer it sits the more intense the garlic flavour will become.

Easily made variations include adding a little finely chopped mint, or dill to the mixture.

For the spicy tomato sauce:

1- Combine tomato puree, salt, white and black pepper, basil and oregano in a small bowl. Add in ketchup until you reach your desired taste.

Another easy thing that I think really tastes good with these kebabs is a simple saffron/lemon reduction syrup.

Ingredients-

2 1/2 cups water

4 cups sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon ground saffron diluted in 2 tablespoons hot water

Directions-

1- Bring water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer for ten minutes. Add the lemon juice and cook for ten more minutes

2- Add the diluted saffron and lemon zest (if you want the yellow color to really pop, put just a little yellow food coloring in). Continue simmering until it reaches what you think is a good thickness. Let it cool, put it in a bottle and put in the fridge. As it cools down it will get thicker.

3- Serve a little of it on the kebabs, or with anything else that sounds good (I love it with deserts- like vanilla ice cream).

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.

Creole Style Crockpot Jambalaya

I've been using the crockpot more and more for cooking at work. It lets me budget my time more effectively. I can prepare the meal the night before, when I usually have free time, instead of trying to rush to get it done in time. This realization has led to many the experimental meals, most of which have turned out fairly good. But this one has to be one of my favorites. It isn't exactly a traditional jambalaya (since the rice is cooked separate and added at the end), but is still very tasty.

Creole Style Crockpot Jambalaya
serves 8-10

Ingredients-
1 lb sausage (I like to use Colosimo's brand chorizo, but andouille is more traditional)
2 lb chicken breasts or tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb ham, cubed
2 TB butter
1/2 stalk celery, diced
3 or 4 large carrots, diced (or about 1/2 a bag of the baby carrots)
1 large onion, diced
2 large bell peppers, diced (I like to use one red and one green)
Cajun spice blend
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth or stock (stock is better, but take what you can get)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 lb small shrimp, tailed and shelled
4-6 cups cooked rice
Fresh parsley, minced
Salt and pepper

Directions-
1- Brown sausages on medium heat in a large skillet. Do not cut them up or puncture the skin. You want to save the tasty interior juices for the rest of the jambalaya. Once browned, transfer to a very large crockpot and cut into bite sized pieces using kitchen shears.
2- Brown the chicken in the same skillet, if there isn't enough grease left from the sausages then use a little butter. You'll probably have to do this is batches so the pan doesn't get over crowded. Once browned, transfer to crockpot with the sausage.
3- Just quickly sear the ham in the same pan. Shouldn't take much time at all. Transfer it to the crock pot.
4- Sautee the vegetables(celery, carrots, onion, peppers) in the butter, using the same pan. Try to scrape up and incorporate anything the meats left behind in the pan. Once the veggies are starting to soften add in the Cajun spice. (If you want there to be any taste of it left after crockpot cooking you better add a ton. I put in 3-4 TB to make it about medium heat. It seems like a lot, but the crockpot blands everything out.) Coat the veggies in the spice. You're trying to bloom it in the butter and make it stick to the veggies.
5-When the veggies are covered in spice and fairly soft add in the stock and tomatoes. You want to de-glaze the pan and incorporate all the nice fond you've built up into your liquid. So really scrape the bottom of that pan (don't scratch it if it's non-stick though!). After a couple minutes on medium heat everything should be pretty well incorporated. Dump the veggie/liquid mix into the crockpot with the meat and stir it up to mix everything together.
6- At this point I would usually leave it in the fridge overnight, but you could start it right away. Set the crockpot on high heat for about 3 hours.
7- When the time is almost up you'll want to get your rice cooked. Make it with just a little bit less water than normal. If it's a little dry then it'll soak up the jambalaya liquid better.
8- Right before you're ready to serve the jambalaya, you'll want to sautee the shrimp in butter. Make sure to get them fully cooked. It should just take a couple minutes, depending on the size of shrimp. Add the cooked shrimp to the crockpot and mix to incorporate fully. Let stand for a couple minutes, and garnish with a little chopped parsley.
9- Serve over the cooked rice. I should be very tasty now.

This isn't exactly a health conscious, or vegetarian friendly recipe, but it is quite good. I think it's the perfect sort of meal for the cold winter, maybe even for a reading of The Cajun Night Before Christmas. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Yastrzemski Pot Roast

I cook five days a week at work. But I don't think that the recipes that go along with the menus are very good. So I tend to experiment a little bit to improve them. This doesn't always work out (Corn Nut Chicken, Ask Me How!), but most of the time, after some trial and error, we have something that's a huge improvement. So this is my version of pot roast, which I think is a great improvement. It's technically a Yankee pot roast, but I'm opposed to all things Yankee so I renamed it after Carl Yastrzemski (Yaz!).

Ingredients-

One beef roast, about 4 lbs (I like to use round, but chuck would work too- figure about 1/2 lb per person if you want to make the recipe smaller)
1 1/2 tablespoons Flour
2 teaspoons Kosher or Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper (fresh ground is much better)
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
2ish tablespoons Butter (or olive oil if you're trying to be a little healthier)

Can of tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail (I use the spicy V8)
Worcestershire Sauce
Dijon Mustard (you better have some of this on hand it is Essential after all)
Basil
Thyme
Rosemary (just a tiny bit)
Onions, minced
Mushrooms, sliced
Garlic, minced

Red potatoes (I use Red Bliss ones), cut into chunk, usually just about quartered
Celery, chopped in 1-2 inch pieces on the bias
Carrots, about the same as the celery, maybe a little smaller
Onions, chopped
Parsley, chopped (only the fresh kind! no dried parsley!)

Directions-
1- Mix together the flour, salt, pepper and sugar. Coat the outside of the roast with the mixture. This will help with the browning process. Heat the butter (or oil) in a deep, heavy, pan (something that's oven safe if you plan to cook it in the oven). Brown the roast on all sides on a medium high heat. Remove the roast and set aside, tented with foil.

2- Mix tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and herbs together in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly, the mustard can be hard to incorporate. Set aside for the moment.

3- In the same pan (on medium high heat) that you browned the roast (there should be a tasty fond at the bottom now) you're going to caramelize the minced onions, mushrooms and garlic. Add in a little more butter (or oil) if there isn't enough left to coat the bottom of the pan. Then add the onions, mushrooms and garlic (in that order, you don't want the garlic to burn). When they have just started to caramelize (about 2-3 minutes) deglaze the pan with the tomato juice mixture you made in step 2. Stir constantly until the fond from the bottom of the pan has mostly incorporated into the liquid. Pour liquid into a large measuring cup or bowl.

4- Add the vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, celery) to the pan. If necessary, add a little more butter/oil. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, you just want to soften the vegetables, not brown them!

5- Add the roast back into the pan, nestled right in amongst, and on top of, the vegetables. Pour the tomato juice/mushroom mixture on top, covering the meat and the vegetables. Top with the parsley.

6- Bring everything to a simmer, cover, and put into a pre-heated 325 degree oven. Cook for three hours, checking halfway through to see if meat is covered by liquid, if not, then turn the meat over at that point.

7- After three hours, take it out, slice the meat and serve with the vegetables. If you want to make the liquid into a gravy then add 2 tablespoons of flour into 1/2 cup of water, stirring it in until it is completely incorporated.

You could also finish this in a crock pot. All you'd have to do is, after step 4, take the vegetables, pour them into a large crock pot, add the roast, sauce and parsley and cook on medium for 5-6 hours, turning it up to high at the end if it's not quite done.

There's the possibilities for many variations on the recipe. Feel free to experiment with different herbs, or add in some beef stock to the sauce for that extra beefy flavor. Cooking is art, not science, so just try something! In fact I have an idea to use a pork roast and put an Asian spin on the recipe (a lime/soy sauce, maybe some daikon, ginger).

Crock Pot Roast Beef

This is Corey's all time favorite food. It's super easy, even for those of us *cough*me*cough* who don't know how to make mom's tasty gravy.

3 lbs. roast (more or less depending on what you want, just make sure that there is at least 2 lbs. so the gravy will turn out right)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope lipton dry onion soup mix

1. Brown the roast in a pan, just to seal the juices inside. (If you are Corey, you would first need to cut off every tiny little bit of fat on the roast, but then it would make lousy gravy, so don't be like Corey!)
2. Mix the cream of mushroom soup (straight out of the can, don't add milk or water) and the dry onion soup mix in a medium crockpot.
3. Add the roast to the crockpot and cover with the soup mixture. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. The soup mixes with the juices from the roast while it cooks and it turns into a wonderful, flavorful roast. Serve with mashed potatoes and veggies, and yorkies if you're really feeling adventurous!