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Category Archives: Pork

More Burger-Like Options – Triple Pork Burgers

It seems like I have been making a lot of burger and sandwich options lately when it comes to mealtime around here. I have been doing a lot of work lately, which has left me less time to get in the kitchen and try out some new things, and it doesn’t help me any that I love sandwiches and burgers overall anyway, so I am always looking for an excuse to try out something different. I had come across this recipe on Food Network a while back and have wanted to try it for a while, but finding chorizo to use around here is not always an easy thing. When I saw some on sale when I went shopping this past week, I finally had the opportunity to get it and give this one a try. If you like your pork, this triple pork burger is a great option for you.

Triple Pork Burgers

1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1/2 pound fresh chorizo sausage, casings removed
1/4 cup finely grated Pepper Jack cheese
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp
8 rolls, sliced
Curly leaf lettuce
3 sliced plum tomatoes
Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise, recipe follows

Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Preheat a flat top grill pan or large skillet to medium-high heat.

In a medium bowl, mix the ground pork, sausage, Pepper Jack cheese, shallot, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Form the meat mixture into equal-sized patties that will fit nicely onto the buns you chose.

When the grill pan or skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable and oil and heat until it is smoking. Cook the pork burgers for 4 to 5 minutes and then flip the burgers and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes on the opposite side until they are cooked through and nicely browned on each side. Remove the pork burgers from the pan and serve on split rolls with a slice of bacon, lettuce, tomato and the Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise.

For the Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover the mayonnaise with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are serving, allowing the flavors to meld. The mayonnaise can be made a day ahead.

These burgers have a little bit of everything to offer for the pork lovers. You get the ground pork, the heat and bite of chorizo and the crispness and great flavor you always get from the bacon all in one burger. Throw in the great taste you get from the smoked paprika mayo and you have a great option for a burger indoors or for when you are grilling outdoors. I personally did not have any cheese in mine, but Michelle and Sean both loved the addition of the cheese inside their burgers. You can use whatever cheese you like best, but the Pepper Jack seems to go really well with these burgers.The original recipe from Food Network uses these to make sliders, which I think they would be great for as well if you want a great snack or appetizer for a party.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

There’s Nothing Like a Good Rack of Ribs – Food Network’s Almost-Famous Barbecue Ribs

08 Mar

We all love ribs in our house and I am always looking for a new recipe to try when it comes to making them. The problem I often run into is that many of the recipes are designed for smokers, charcoal or gas grills, none of which I have in my condo. I have been able to adapt a basic way of slow cooking the ribs in the oven and then using different rubs and glazes, which has worked really well for me in the past and which is what I did for this recipe, which is from Food Network for their Almost-Famous Barbecue Spareribs. I’ll post the recipe and method just as they do it and then let you know what I changed as far as method to make it work for me.

Almost-Famous Barbecue Spareribs
For the Marinade:
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 4 -to-5-pound racks pork spareribs

For the Rub:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Barbecue Sauce:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 3/4 cups apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon mustard powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup ketchup
1 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

For the marinade: Whisk the brown sugar, vinegar, onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a bowl. Put the ribs meat-side down on a cutting board. Starting at one end, slip a paring knife under the membrane that covers the back of the rack. Loosen the membrane with the knife, then pull it off. Coat the ribs on both sides with the marinade. Wrap the ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them overnight.

For the rub: Mix the brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, celery seeds, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl.

Soak 2 cups of hickory wood chips in water, 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a grill to medium low (275 degrees F) and prepare it for indirect grilling: For a charcoal grill, bank the coals to one side; for a gas grill, turn off the burners on one side. Cover the grate on the cooler side of the grill with foil.

Drain the wood chips. For a charcoal grill, scatter the chips over the hot coals; for a gas grill, put the chips in a smoker box and place over direct heat. Close the lid and allow smoke to build up, about 10 minutes. Rinse the marinade off the ribs and pat dry with paper towels. Work the spice rub into both sides of each rack with your hands.

Place the ribs, meat-side up, on the foil over indirect heat. Close the lid and cook, undisturbed, until the meat shrinks back slightly to expose a bit of the bone, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Rotate the ribs (keep them meat-side up and over indirect heat), then close the lid and continue cooking, about 2 hours to 2 hours, 30 minutes. (For a charcoal grill, add more hot coals as needed to maintain the temperature.)

Meanwhile, make the barbecue sauce: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and chili powder until incorporated, about 1 minute. Whisk in the vinegar, 1/4 cup water, the molasses, Worcestershire sauce, honey, mustard powder, espresso powder, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper and the cayenne. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Whisk in the ketchup and pineapple. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes. Whisk in the liquid smoke. Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then remove the garlic. (The sauce will keep, refrigerated, up to 2 weeks.)

Baste the ribs generously with the prepared barbecue sauce. Close the lid and continue cooking until glazed, about 20 more minutes. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board. Let the ribs rest a few minutes before cutting them into individual ribs. Serve with more sauce on the side.

Okay, that’s the basics for a charcoal or gas grill. For the oven, I did everything the same except after marinating the ribs overnight and rinsing them the next day, I placed the ribs in a 300 degree oven covered in aluminum foil for 45 minutes. I then took the ribs out, removed the foil and continued to cook them for another 2 1/2 hours, rotating the pan every half hour. After that time, I then brushed on the barbecue sauce and cooked them for another 20 minutes before putting them under the broiler for the last 5 minutes to really crisp up the sauce. That was it and I think it worked really well. The ribs were fall off the bone tender and I really liked the combination that the rub and the sauce gave to the ribs. Marinating the ribs for a day really helped to break down the meat, give it flavor and make it cook even better. I liked the touch of the pineapple, honey and liquid smoke in the sauce to give it added flavor so I would definitely try this one again.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe as i still have some good stuff to come. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on March 8, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Pork

Tags: almost-famous spareribs, barbecued spareribs, food network, spare ribs recipes, spareribs recipe

Never Mind the McRib! Try This Smoky BBQ Riburger on Cheesy Garlic Bread

02 Mar

I can honestly say that I have never had the McRib sandwich, as un-American as that may sound. The whole idea of it kind of grosses me out, so I have stayed away from it, however I do like the idea of having a rib sandwich. As much as I would like a rib sandwich, I don’t know if I want to go through all of the trouble of cooking boneless ribs for hours just for a sandwich either, saw when I saw this recipe from Jeff Mauro, the Sandwich King on Food Network, I thought it sounded good and was certainly worth a try. He calls it a smoky barbecued riburger that uses a homemade barbecue sauce and some ground pork to make a burger-type sandwich. Put it on some garlic bread and you seem to have something pretty irresistible to me.

Smoky BBQ Riburger on Cheesy Garlic Bread

For the Chipotle Pineapple BBQ Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 chipotle peppers in adobo
For the Ground Pork BBQ Riburger:
2 pounds ground pork
Kosher salt
For the Garlic Bread:
1 stick melted butter (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
One 32-inch French loaf, split and halved
3 cups grated fresh mozzarella
Dill pickles, sliced on the bias or to your liking, for garnish

For the barbecue sauce: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and the onions and saute until they are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the ketchup, crushed pineapple, molasses, vinegar, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire and the chipotles. Simmer uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture is thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and blend it with an immersion blender until it is mostly smooth. Reserve.

For the pork burgers: Preheat a grill pan or skillet to medium-high to high heat.

Form the ground pork into long and rectangular patties that fit the shape of the bread, keeping in mind that there will be 2 patties per half of bread. Sprinkle the exterior of the patties with salt and place them on a hot grill top for 3 minutes. Flip the patties and cook them for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and baste the patties generously with the barbecue sauce. Flip the patties and continue cooking for about 2 or 3 more minutes, continuously flipping and basting the burgers.

For the garlic bread: Place a rack in the middle of the oven and set the oven to broil. Mix the melted butter with the garlic and brush the mixture on the cut sides of the bread. Top with the mozzarella cheese and place the bread under the broiler just until the edges are lightly crisped, about 2 minutes.

For the sandwich build: After your garlic bread is done, place 2 burgers on each bottom half of bread. Top the burgers with some pickles and the top half of the garlic bread. Slice each portion in half, yielding 4 sandwiches. Serve with the remaining BBQ sauce on the side.

These burgers were very easy to make and tasted great. They offer a nice change from a traditional burger and the barbecue sauce had a nice flavor with the mix of pineapple, molasses, Worcestershire and chipotles. You could certainly skip making the barbecue sauce and use your own favorite bottled sauce instead if that is what you are going for. We all really enjoyed having the burgers on the garlic bread, which seemed to make them even better and I had enough sauce leftover that I can use it for other things like ribs. It’s definitely a recipe worth giving a try. I served the sandwiches with some German potato salad and a new coleslaw recipe I tried, which I will be sharing tomorrow.

That’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow as I will be sharing a couple of side dishes I made with burgers this week – a buttermilk coleslaw with bacon and cornmeal crusted onion rings, both very tasty and easy to do. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Easy Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pear and Thyme… Sort Of

24 Feb

When I had bought pork tenderloin a couple of weeks I froze one of the tenderloins, as I usually do, so we can make one for another meal on another night. I decided to use it the other night after I had seen this recipe from Williams-Sonoma, but I wanted to make a little change to it. The original recipe is a glazed pork tenderloin with pear and thyme, but since I am the only one who really likes to eat pears in out house (the other two just kind of tolerate them when I cook with them), I decided to change it up just slightly by using some apple instead. Apples go so well with pork anyone that it just seemed like an easy and smooth transition for this recipe. This one is very simple with just a few ingredients and can be done in about 30 minutes total, making it even better.

Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pear and Thyme

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound, trimmed of excess fat

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 red onion, cut into 1/8-inch wedges

4 pears, cored and each cut into 8 wedges

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Leaves from 12 fresh thyme sprigs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Season the pork tenderloin well with salt and the freshly ground black pepper to taste. In a ovenproof saute pan or cast iron pan set over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until it is shimmering. Sear the pork tenderloin, turning it occasionally, until it is well browned, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer the pork tenderloin to a plate.

Add the red onion and the pears to the pan and saute them for 1 minute. Return the pork to the pan and drizzle it with the honey and balsamic vinegar. Scatter the thyme leaves in the pan. Transfer the pork to the oven and roast it until the juices run clear when the pork is pierced with a knife, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Cut the pork into slices about 1/2 an inch thick. Divide the pork, pears and onion wedges among the individual plates, drizzle with the glaze from the pan and serve immediately.

As I noted early, I substituted 2 golden delicious apples that were cored for the pears and cut the apples into wedges and cooked the pork with them. While I think the dish would be great with pears, I think it turned out just fine with the apples instead. The mix of the honey and the balsamic vinegar made a great glaze for the pork and for the apples and the flavor was fantastic. The best part – it was done in 30 minutes and all I needed to do was add a couple of side dishes and we were good to go. Easy to make and a fast clean up.

That’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow when I will go over one of the side dishes I made that was fantastic – a peas and carrots risotto. It’s a good one so you will want to check for that one. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Time for Some Pork – Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apricot-Orange Glaze with Black Bean and Corn Relish

19 Feb

I love to make pork tenderloin because they can be made pretty quickly and easily during a weeknight and it feels like you are eating an elegant meal. I try to buy them when they are on sale, take one tenderloin out(they are almost always two to a package) and freeze the other for another night. When I went to make this one recently, I found two recipes I actually liked so I ended up combining their ideas into one singular recipe. I took a recipe idea from America’s Test Kitchen along with one from Every Day Health and came up with this roast pork tenderloin with an apricot-orange glaze and black bean and corn relish.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apricot-Orange Glaze with Black Bean and Corn Relish

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup apricot preserves

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup dried apricots, quartered

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups frozen corn kernels

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup red onion, diced

1 small red, yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towels, then season it with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until it is just smoking. Brown the tenderloin on all sides, reducing the heat if the fat begins to smoke, about 10 minutes. Transfer the tenderloin to a plate and set it aside.

Combine the apricot preserves, orange juice, dried apricots and lemon juice in a bowl. Pour off all the fat from the skillet that held the tenderloin. Add the apricot mixture to the pan. scrape up any browned bits and simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Return the tenderloin to the skillet and coat it well with the glaze on all sides.. Roast the tenderloin in the oven until the center of the pork registers 135 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 15 to 18 minutes, turning the tenderloin halfway through the cooking time.

While the tenderloin is roasting, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Add the red onion and the pepper and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes.Add the black beans, frozen corn, garlic and drained tomatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer. Heat just until the corn is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Toss in the chopped parsley and mix and the refrigerate the relish for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.

Remove the tenderloin from the oven and transfer it to a cutting board. Tent the tenderloin with aluminum foil and let it rest until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees before slicing, about 10 minutes. Slice the tenderloin and place it on a serving platter and then drizzle it with any remaining glaze that may be in the skillet. Serve the tenderloin with the black bean relish.

This is a very easy dinner that you can make in under an hour and it tastes great and looks like you put a lot of work into it. The glaze on the pork is super with the apricots and orange juice. I even added an apple to the glaze and baked it over the pork for some extra flavor. We all loved the black bean relish as well. It had incredible flavor and would be perfect as a side for a summer barbecue with ribs, hamburgers or even just as a great side for some Mexican food or even sandwiches. We ate the leftovers several times with other meals. You could use fresh corn for this as well and not cook anything in the recipe and simply combine all of the ingredients until they are well mixed if you wanted it that way or even give it a little heat by using hotter peppers in the relish instead of bell peppers. I also made some asparagus and rice to round out the meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. As usual there is always plenty more to come. If you ever have any recipes you might like to share, feel free to drop me a note in the comments section, send me an email at IguanaFlats@msn.com or send me a message on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

4 Comments

Posted by MikeG on February 19, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Pork, Sauce, Side Dishes

Tags: americas test kitchen, apricot-orange glaze, black bean and corn relish, black bean relish, Every Day Health, pork tenderloin, roast pork tenderloin, roasted pork tenderloin, roasted pork tenderloin with apricot-orange glaze

It’s a Snack Attack, Part 3 – Pork Dumplings

12 Feb

Okay, here is the last of the snacks I made this past week. This one also comes from Kelsey Nixon of the Cooking Channel and is for pork dumplings. Sean has been asking me to make these for quite a while now and I finally had some ground pork and wonton wrappers on hand so I thought I would give it a try. There are only a few ingredients to these and they are very simple to make as an easy snack or appetizer if you are planning an Asian-style meal for dinner or just feel like having some kind of a snack.

Pork Dumplings

For the Pork Dumplings:

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 small bunch, scallions, white and green parts, chopped

12 ounces ground pork

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1 egg

1 package dumpling or wonton wrappers

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for frying

For the Dipping Sauce:

1 cup soy sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

Juice of 3 lemons

For the dipping sauce, combine the soy sauce, Sriracha and lemon juice in a bowl and set the sauce aside until you are ready to serve the dumplings.

For the pork dumplings, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, sesame oil and scallions and cook until the mixture is fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for about 1 minute.

Combine the cooked garlic, ginger and scallions with the ground pork, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice powder and the egg in a large bowl.

Working with the dumpling wrappers, start with the floured surface of the wrappers facing down. Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of a wrapper. Wet the edge of the dumpling with water, using your finger, and fold the dumpling in half without sealing it, like a taco. Pinch one end closed. Create the pleats of the dumpling on one side using your thumb and forefinger, pressing against the other flat edge to seal the dumpling as you go. Flatten the bottoms so that the bottom surface of the dumpling can get a good sear on it when you pan fry them. Repeat the process until all the dumplings are filled. Keep the dumplings on a lightly-floured sheet tray to keep them from sticking and cover the dumplings with a slightly damp towel to keep them from drying out while you make the rest of the batch.

Heat the vegetable oil over high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Working in batches, pan fry the dumplings by placing them bottom-side down and frying them until they are golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Once the dumplings are golden brown, working carefully, pour 1/2 cup of water into the skillet to cover the dumplings halfway. Immediately cover the skillet with a lid, leaving a small crack for steam to escape. Cook the dumplings until the water has evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the dumplings to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any excess oil and repeat the process with the remaining dumplings.

I can tell you that this recipe makes a lot of dumplings, so you can certainly freeze them and heat them up any time you want to have a little snack. We all enjoyed the dumplings as they had some great flavor with the ginger, scallions and hoisin sauce. They were pretty easy to make and while the recipe calls for round dumpling wrappers, i only had square wonton wrappers and I think they worked out just fine for my purposes. It is a perfect party snack you can make pretty easily and I think you could substitute out the pork for beef, chicken, turkey, shrimp or even just vegetables and get great results.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I have some other great recipes we have tried lately and I still have my recipes I am making on Valentine’s Day this year to share as well. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on February 12, 2014 in Appetizers, Cooking, Pork, Sauce, Snacks

Tags: Cooking Channel, dipping sauce, easy pork dumplings, Kelsey Nixon, pork dumplings, pork dumplings recipe

Moving on From Chicken – Sweet and Spicy Pork Tacos

03 Feb

Cook’s Country is a constant supply of new recipes for me every time the newest issue of the magazine comes up. They usually have lots of great recipes, some that take more time than others, but many that are perfect for quick weeknight meals. Such is the case with this super easy recipe for sweet and spicy pork tacos. I had just happened to pick up some boneless country-style pork ribs that were on sale recently and was looking for something easy to do with them and this recipe fit the bill perfectly. We all love tacos in our house so this was a great variation for us.

Sweet and Spicy Pork Tacos

1 1/2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 (8-ounce) cans pineapple rings, drained with 1/2 cup of juice reserved, rings cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

12 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas, warmed

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it is just smoking. Add the pork and cook until the pork is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove the pork to a plate and set it aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the now-empty skillet over medium heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion and cook until the onion is softened and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and the cumin and cook until both are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pork and any accumulated juices back to the skillet along with the pineapple and the reserved pineapple juice and the chipotle. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve the pork with the warm tortillas and any other accompaniments.

I served this just with some guacamole, sour cream and some lime wedges along with a side of Dominican-style rice, which I plan to post the recipe for tomorrow. The sauce was wonderful with a little beat of hear from the chipotle and the sweetness of the pineapple. I loved the mix of the pork and pineapple in these tacos. The taste was incredible and I could easily eat this outside of a taco as well. We didn’t have too much leftover, but was left was eaten for lunch the next day and tasted even better thanks to the sauce thickening even more in the refrigerator. I will definitely be making this one again.

That’s all for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I plan to give the recipe for the Dominican rice along with a quick cole slaw I had made with our fried chicken biscuits last week. Both were great side dishes that you can make with a bunch of different meals. I also still have lots of other recipes that I have tried recently to share, so keep checking back. Thanks to everyone who keeps following along with the blog. The response has been great and I had more visits in the month of January this year than I did in all of 2012, so I am glad people are enjoying what they are finding and thanks for coming along. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on February 3, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Pork

Tags: Cook's Country, Cook's Country sweet and spicy pork tacos, pork tacos, sweet and spicy pork, sweet and spicy pork tacos

Just Because It’s Winter Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Have Great Spare Ribs

17 Jan

I love spare ribs no matter what time of year it may happen to be and for me living in a condo, I can’t really do any grilling of ribs anyway so I turn to making them in the oven to get the best results. i have a standard recipe that I have used often but I was looking for something a little different this time to maybe get a different flavor. I came across this recipe from theKitchn, a blog that I check out often. They offered up a very simple recipe for cooking great ribs indoors any time of year with a nice smoky flavor and a little zip to them.

Oven Baked Spare Ribs

4 to 5 pounds pork spare ribs or baby back ribs

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

1 cup dry spice rub

1 cup barbecue sauce, store-bought or homemade

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a rack on top of the foil on the baking sheet. Lay the ribs on top of the rack in a single layer. This will allow for the heat to better circulate on all sides of the ribs so they cook evenly.

Mix the Dijon mustard and the liquid smoke in a small bowl and brush the mixture on both sides of the ribs. Sprinkle the ribs with the dry rub and pat the ribs gently to make sure the rub adheres well to the rib meat. For an even deeper flavor, try doing this step a day ahead of time and wrapping the ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until the next day.

Heat the broiler and place an oven rack a few inches right below the broiler heating element. Make the meaty side of the ribs is facing up. Broil the ribs for about 5 minutes, until the sugar in the dry rub is bubbling and the ribs are evenly browned.

Heat he oven to 300 degrees. Move the ribs to an oven rack set in the middle position of the oven. Roast the ribs for 2 1/2 to 3 hours for spare ribs or 1 1/2 to 2 hours for baby back ribs. Halfway through the cooking process, cover the ribs with aluminum foil to protect them from drying out.

Remove the foil from the ribs and brush the ribs with barbecue sauce. Place the ribs back in the oven and continue to cook them for another thirty minutes. The ribs are done when a knife slides easily into the thickest part of the rib meat. Allow the ribs to rest, covered with foil, for about ten minutes, and then cut between the bones to separate the individual ribs. Serve with extra barbecue sauce for dipping.

There are all kinds of spice rub recipes you can use for your ribs, and I have given the link to the one I use most often, but you can also buy some from the store if you have a personal favorite. I actually used a rub that was sent to me by Pepper Mary, who sells spices on her website. I used the Mesquite Blend, which was perfect for the ribs and added a nice mesquite wood flavor to the meat. This is a perfect spice blend for ribs or pulled pork if you are looking for something easy to use. Adding the liquid smoke makes a big difference in the smell and flavor as well. This recipe is very easy to do if you want ribs any time of year and don’t have a gas or charcoal grill to use. Any of the typical rib sides are perfect for this meal, such as baked beans, corn bread or cole slaw or even homemade fries.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on January 17, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Pork, Sauce, Spices

Tags: baby back ribs, homemade barbecue sauce, oven spare ribs, PepperMary Mesquite Blend, Peppermary Spice Blend, pork spare ribs, spare ribs, theKitchn

Beat the Weeknight Grind – Pork Cutlets with Sweet Potatoes and Maple Pan Sauce

13 Jan

After taking the weekend off to do some other work I am back with a great weeknight meal that I got from Cook’s Country. Weeknight meals can be the worst for busy families. You just feel like you never have enough time to be a home cooked meal on the table with work, school, homework, afterschool activities, chores and more, which can lead us to settling for takeout meals that aren’t good for us and are expensive. I always try to come up with meal ideas that can be made during the typical weeknight fast so it is something you can put together after you get home and have a meal on the table in under an hour. This one fits the bill for speed, taste and it is inexpensive to make. While the recipe calls for boneless pork cutlets, I had 3 bone-in chops on hand and decided to use those instead. It took a few minutes longer to cook because of that, but the taste results were the same to me.

Pork Cutlets with Sweet Potatoes and Maple Pan Sauce

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons ground cumin

8 (3-ounce) boneless pork cutlets, 1/4-inch thick, trimmed

4 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Combine the sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl. Cover the potatoes and microwave them until the potatoes are nearly tender, about 7 minutes. Set the bowl of potatoes aside.

Meanwhile, combine the garam masala, cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a bowl. Pat the pork cutlets dry with paper towels and season them with the spice mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it is shimmering. Add 4 of the cutlets to the skillet and cook until they are well browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cutlets to a plate and tent the plate with aluminum foil. Repeat the process with the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the remaining 4 pork cutlets.

Add the potatoes and garlic to the now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a platter. Add the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and any accumulated pork juices to the now-empty skillet and simmer over medium heat until the mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pork cutlets to the platter with the sweet potatoes and pour the sauce from the skillet over the top. Serve.

I really liked the flavor of the sauce and what it added to both the potatoes and the pork. Maple syrup and sweet potatoes just seem to go really well together and it was even better with the spice mixture on the pork. If you do not have garam masala on hand or can’t find it in your local grocery store, you can use a mix of ground coriander, cumin, ground cardamom, pepper and ground cinnamon and get the same flavor. It is a fast recipe that gives you great taste and all you need to do is add a vegetable or a salad and you are good to go with your meal in about 30 minutes.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I have a big work project I am working on right now, so I am going to try to get on here every day if I can to share some more ideas, recipes and more. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on January 13, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Pork, Potatoes, Sauce

Tags: Cook's Country, maple pan sauce, pork cutlets, pork cutlets recipe, pork cutlets with sweet potatoes and maple pan sauce, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes with maple pan sauce

A Great New Year’s Eve Snack – Pulled Pork Nachos

31 Dec

This snack is actually great for all kinds of occasions, but it seemed like a pretty good one to make for New Year’s Eve as well if you want something different for your party guests or for yourself. Ideally, you would want to make the pulled pork well ahead of time so you have it on hand and ready to go. When I made these, I had some leftover pulled pork that I used from the dinner we had and it fit perfectly with the nachos. If you want to try the recipe and find you do not have the time to make the pulled pork yourself, you can always try buying pulled pork that has been pre-made and heating it up for use. It may not taste as good, but it will get the job done. My recommendation is if you have the time, go for it. If you can’t do it for this New Year’s Eve, keep it in mind for football playoff games, Super Bowl parties or they next time you just want a really good snack and what to take your nachos dish to the next level. I got this recipe from Food Republic, but you can certainly do different variations on this, as I did.

Pulled Pork Nachos

For the Pork Rub:

1/4 cup smoked paprika

1/4 cup kosher or sea salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chili powder

1/4 cup ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

For the Pork:

1 4-5 pound pork shoulder or butt

1 bottle of your favorite beer

For the Barbecue Sauce:

2 cups ketchup

1 cup whole-grain mustard

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup bourbon

1/4 cup reserved pork rub

For the Nachos:

1 bag tortilla chips

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

shredded Monterrey jack

red onion, sliced or diced

thinly sliced scallion

thinly sliced Fresno or other mildly hot peppers

For the barbecue sauce: Combine all your ingredients in a small pot, and whisk them for a bit to get everything incorporated together. Put the pot on the stove over medium heat, and wait for the sauce to start bubbling, stirring occasionally.Let it bubble for about a minute (while stirring a little bit), and then pull it off the heat and set aside, or refrigerate if making ahead.

For the pulled pork: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and then combine all the dry ingredients for your pork rub, making sure you mix the ingredients well so that everything is evenly distributed. Rub down your pork. There’s a possibility you’ll have more rub than you need depending on how big your pork butt is, but that’s more good news than bad and you can always store it for another use.

Place the pork in a baking dish and pour in the beer. Cover with foil and place it in the oven. Every hour after the first couple of hours you can go in and baste it a little. Depending on your oven and the size of your pork it will take about 5 to seven hours to cook completely.

Pull the pork out of the oven and let it cool off a bit before you start pulling it apart with your fingers and removing any unsavory bits such as any bones or large pieces of fat. Mix the pulled pork with enough barbecue sauce (reheated if made ahead) to coat to your liking.
To assemble the nachos: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then arrange a thick layer of tortilla chips on a foil-wrapped cookie sheet or in a pie plate, spreading the chips out for as close to 100% cookie sheet or pie plate coverage as possible.

Top your nachos in this order, or choose however you like them best:

Pork
Red onion
Beans
Jack cheese
Scallions
Peppers

Once the cheese is fully melted and just starting to crisp the nachos should be done. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes to achieve a nice, crispy level. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

You can use all kinds of cheese when making these nachos; it is really up to you as far as preference. You can also make some changes and add things like tomato or black olives or even try making it with some barbecue baked beans for a really different flavors. They are nachos after all, so it is pretty hard to go wrong with them. The plate I made was on a pie plate so I had layered everything a couple of times before putting it in the oven. Needless to say, there weren’t any left after I put them out; they went pretty quickly.

That’s all I have for today. Check back again for more new recipes. I hope everyone has a safe New Year’s Eve and enjoy wherever you are going to be and whomever you are going to ring in the new year with. Thanks for making 2013 such a great year for my blog. it has blown up to be a lot bigger than I had ever thought it would get and I am so glad so many people enjoy sharing the recipes and fun with me. I am looking forward to an even better and more fun 2014. Enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal! Happy New Year!