Category: pork

Memphis Dry Rub Ribs

Posted on by 5 Comments
Ribs are one of my favorite things to cook and eat; I remember in middle school having the whole rack of baby bbq ribs at a restaurant on Broadway across the street from my grandmother’s apartment.  My parents used to point out Jerry Stiller and Anne Merea (Ben Stiller’s parents, who happened to go there often) when we’d both happen to be there at the same time.  I would take down the ribs and a chocolate moose, and I looked like a movie extra from Heavyweights.

Continue reading “Memphis Dry Rub Ribs”

Hearty Stovetop Chili

Posted on by 19 Comments

It may come as a surprise, but Heather and I are huge fans of chili.  Even in the peak of summer, it’s likely that we have plans to make chili, are making chili, or are eating leftover chili.  Our recipe has always relied on cooking up the meat, onions, and peppers in a skillet, transferring that to a crock pot with salsa and diced tomatoes, and then cooking it overnight or all day.  While this makes a great chili, we wanted to attempt something in one pot, and done in under an hour.  This worked out quite well, and I think this may be my preferred method of making chili.  We also experimented with a faux-corn bread, which is so close to being ready.  We will link to it as soon as it’s perfected.

Cedar Planked Pork Chops and Vegetables

Posted on by 1 Comment

This recipe was a bit of an experiment, as we had the cedar planks left from an earlier cooking adventure, and it felt like the right time to break them out.  Most directions recommend soaking them for at least an hour, but we only soaked them 30 minutes and lived to tell the tale.

You’ll need:

  • 2 pork chops
  • 2 cedar planks
  • roughly 1 cup chopped of each:
    • mushrooms
    • red onion
    • broccoli
  • tbsp olive oil/coconut oil
  • 2-3 tbsp Koops Horseradish Mustard
While the planks soaked in the sink, we placed the pork chops in a bag with the mustard to marinate.  We probably used 2-3 tablespoons, but feel free to add/subtract to your liking of mustard.  We cooked the chops at 350ºF, so if you’d also like to preheat your oven now, that’s not a bad thing.
If you don’t already have an egg slicer, do get one.  I’m pretty sure I got mine at the dollar store.  They’re great for the obvious slicing of eggs for salads and the like, but also amazing for mushrooms, as you can see.  More uniform cuts, less fuss, less muss.  Ok.  Informercial done.

Once your oven is ready to go, place the planks in a baking dish (or create a pseudo-baking dish with foil on a cookie sheet), and add on the chops and assorted vegetables.  We then drizzled the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkled some sea salt.  

And into the oven they went for 30 minutes.

Afterwards they looked great.

And tasted greater.

On an unrelated note, we will be doing our FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY next week, so keep your eyes here (or on twitter and facebook) to get more details.  Sorry for the ambiguity and build up, but I can’t help it!

Asian Pork Shoulder Stir Fry

Posted on by Leave a comment
 

This recipe was a nice combination of leftover pork and what we had laying around the house.  It turned out amazing, and I really hope to make it into part of our regular rotation.  We had slow cooked a pork shoulder last week, and still had a good deal left (while a good amount of it got slathered in our Potent Primal BBQ Sauce).  This was a nice and filling dinner that doubled for a great lunch, even cold.  As far as I’m concerned, being able to eat something that was prepared hot as a cold dish is the ultimate test.  Without further ado…

Asian Pork Shoulder Stirfry

Ingredients:

  •  baby bok choy (about 10-12 of them)
  • 1 green onion, diced
  • 1 medium carrot, cut with a julienne peeler (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 8oz can of water chestnuts, drained
  • 1/3 of a 10.58oz can of bamboo shoots, drained
  • 1.5 pounds of pork (previously slow-cooked), cut into small slices
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 teaspoons of ginger, divided evenly
  • 1/2 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons coconut aminos 
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • red pepper flakes, to taste

Method

First thing we did was cut up our pork shoulder and marinate it.  If you have not yet cooked your pork, I’m sure this marinade would also work well with sliced, raw pork shoulder.  Cooking it down and then sauteing the vegetables in the juices would probably be a great flavor boost!

In a ziplock bag, we combined the pork, almond butter, 1 tablespoon coconut aminos, and teaspoon of ginger with the egg white.  I’ve heard and read that egg white and baking soda are great for tenderizing and marinating pork, but baking soda is unnecessary.  At least, we found it to be. We marinated for a few hours, but I’m sure anything beyond an hour (but less than 24) would be good.

Once you’ve marinated your meat (and cooked it if it was raw):

  1. Melt 1 tablespoon coconut oil in large pan (or wok if you have it)
  2. Saute bok choy for 1 minute
  3. Add water chestnuts and bamboo shoots and 2 teaspoon coconut aminos
  4. Saute for another 2 minutes
  5. Add carrots, green onion, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes
  6. Saute for 1 minute
  7. Add marinated pork and 1 teaspoon ginger
  8. Sprinkle more red pepper flakes (optional)
  9. Saute for 3-5 minutes, or until pork pieces are heated through

 
And done.  This was a great unexpected surprise for us, but we’re glad it turned out.  Please let us know how it turns out, or what you decide to do with the idea!  Also, don’t forget to follow us on twitter and Facebook.  Enjoy!