Back to Main
May 26, 2008
Happy Memorial Day!!!
Please take a few minutes to remember what this day is about.
P.S. Rubbed with just Survival Spice®, smoked/grilled over pecan wood. And yes, so good I got a little weepy.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 05:47 PM | Comments (0)
Back to Main
April 14, 2008
John in Chicago's Slow Baked Survival Ribs
Apparently it's still too cold in Chicago for John to fire up his grill, but it didn't stop him from coming up with a great rib idea:
Its been a while since I've posted anything so here's 3 slabs I cooked off yesterday. I took the slabs and rubbed then w/ Survival Spice and wrapped them in Film and refriged for 24 hrs. I heated the oven to 280 and then dusted them again covered them with foil and popped them in with a pan of water (seperate of course)in the oven to add moisture. One and half hours covered then uncover , redust and pop back in checking every 20 minutes and marinate w/orange juice , pureed garlic (lots) , honey , and get this ............ a glop of Safeway's mango-curry sauce /// its 2.79 a bottle and really can add accent to a variety of dishes , no shit try it .............................. great w/ home made frittes ................... which I made along with a Thai Jicama salad.I've been on a diet so this was a
treat , urp.......................I cooked them for 4 hours..... dusting them every hour w/ survival spice so
that it was embedded into the glaze.
Sounds like some serious flavor going down there! I like the idea of layering the Survival Spice®, too.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:26 AM | Comments (0)
Back to Main
December 27, 2007
Christmas Survival Glazed Ham
I took a different approach to the glaze I used on our Christmas ham this year. In previous versions I made it more orange flavored, using frozen orange juice, but for this year I took a different approach, and I'm happier with it.
I used maybe a cup of brown sugar, a goodly amount of dry Colman's mustard- at least a tablespoon or two, about an ounce or so of our Survival Spice® barbecue rub, then just enough fresh orange juice to create a paste. I slathered it on in two layers about 15 minutes apart during the last half hour, keeping a close eye on it because of all the brown sugar, and it came out beautifully.
How was your Christmas? Did Santa bring you anything good?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:31 AM | Comments (2)
Back to Main
August 24, 2007
Lokkii here- Chilebrown's making Ribs
Looks like Paul's found himself a new BBQ toy to play with:
I saw it and said what the heck. I am always interested in new Barbeque products. The website http://lokkii.com/ says it is organic.(Whoopdiedoo). I think Mesquite charcoal is the same. I ordered a six pack. The shipping ended up the same as the product.I had a Corned Beef Brisket and some Beef Ribs. I rubbed them with Survival Spice™ and started cooking it with one brick. I wanted to cook low and slow. When you first light these suckers it smells like pine. Maybe that is there secret ingredient. Once it is lit the smell goes away. I had to light a second log after an hour. They claim it will cook for two hours. I had it in a Weber Kettle.
What do I think?. Can you trust a product from China? Do you want to pay shipping? I give it a thumbs down.!! I would only recommend it you were backpacking because of the convience. It had a Pine smell when you lit it. I do not trust that this was an organic lighting system. There was some chemicals. The only plus I found was convience.
Now to the Highlights of the Dinner. Corned Beef and Beef Ribs rubbed with Survival Spice. Creamed Corn with Bacon (A&B Market,Bend Or,) Tomatoe with Pt.Reyes Blue Cheese, and a whole lot of Lovvin!!!!! Peace, Paul.
I wonder if that smell was resins they probably add as a binder, to keep it from falling apart during shippping. Interesting idea, if wonder if they're selling a lot of them? It is a great idea for campers, and people using public grills that don't want to haul around a bag of charcoal. Chile said that they're about 4 1/2" across.
Man, those ribs look good enough to eat!!! Ribs + Survival Spice® = good times.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:03 AM | Comments (2)
Back to Main
July 18, 2007
Grilled Survival Carnitas
(TPC's Grilled Carnitas)
As promised, here's a closer look at the carnitas I made over the weekend.
I like to double cook pork when it's a big piece like a shoulder or butt- a slow cook, to render fat and add a base flavor, then cooking it again on a higher heat to crisp it up. I've used this technique before- on the Masitas en Puerco I made for Cuban Night, and I do it for spare ribs occasionally.
I simmered a pork shoulder in orange juice and limes, along with some water and a sliced head of garlic, salt and pepper for a few hours until it was cooked through, then let it sit in the broth as I was prepping the rest of the meal. There's a picture of it just getting going below the fold, because some people are a bit squeamish about looking at raw meat.
After an hour or so, I took it out of the broth and sliced into pieces a little more than an inch thick, rubbing each slice with Survival Spice™. I grilled these pieces over some pecan smoke while I roasted a head of garlic and some jalapenos.
Wow. Just. Wow. It was a really great combination- pork simmered in a very Latin way, but with a great grilled flavor to boot.
Try this. I'm begging you.
Continue reading "Grilled Survival Carnitas"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:05 AM | Comments (4)
Back to Main
March 28, 2007
Sprouts Market Pork Tenderloin w/Survival Spice®
Nothing fancy here, but it was darned good.
This is an all-natural pork tenderloin I picked up at Sprouts Market the other day. I've been shopping there a lot recently. They have a nice blend of healthy stuff at a reasonable price point, which I find very pragmatic, indeed.
I oiled it lightly with our Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva, then rubbed it with Survival Spice™.
While I preheated my oven to bake at 350º (convection), I got a cast iron skillet hot and seared the tenderloin, making sure I browned it all the way 'round. Once that was done, I popped it into the oven until it felt like it was starting to firm up, but not all the way there. Sadly (pathetically), a lot of people won't eat pork until it's the consistency of a baseball bat, and it's a shame. This was still just a tiny bit pink in the widest part of the piece, and was outrageously juicy.
I let it rest while I took some pictures, and sliced it to put on a green salad.
Fortunately, there are leftovers. Is it too early at 7AM to eat dinner?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:07 AM | Comments (5)
Back to Main
February 19, 2007
This has great potential...
(Photo: Paul "Chile" Brown, of a pork butt rubbed with Survival Spice™)
Paul sent along this picture, along with this:
Guess what is going into my Smoker tomorrow. I do not know if there will be any follow through pictures. Ms. Goofy is taking the camera to our nephews first birthday. (Man, I am glad I am not going). We will probably have 200 pictures of the baby wearing a funny hat and drooling cake. I personally think a Pork Roast would make a better shot.
Geez, how about a compromise- a shot of your nephew eating the finished pork?!?
Thanks, Paul. I'll bet it was really, really good.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 03:15 PM | Comments (3)
Back to Main
October 04, 2006
Pork chops with Chipotle Cream Sauce
Wow, Chilebrown hooked me up. He sent me some home smoked chipotle peppers, and I knew immediately what I wanted to do with them.
Continue reading "Pork chops with Chipotle Cream Sauce"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:04 AM | Comments (4)
Back to Main
September 11, 2006
Whatchacallit
I have no idea what I made last night, but it was good.
Another of those market basket days, where I had a bunch of ideas what to make with what I had on hand. Pork chops and a French style mushroom cream sauce, maybe a Southwest influence with the addition of pasilla chiles; a simple pork and sausage gumbo; hot Italian sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions- my head was filled with possibilities.
I think you know this, but this is my favorite way to cook- inventory what's on hand, then make something up. What could you make with these ingredients?
Continue reading "Whatchacallit"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:58 AM | Comments (2)
Back to Main
September 05, 2006
Grilled Pork Chops and Corn on the Cob
Pork chops and corn on the cob- sure sounds like Labor Day to me!
There's a few ways you can go with pork chops- super thin, so you can cook them quickly on high heat, leaving a nice crispy bit of pork goodness. You can also go with a thick-cut pork chop that you can still cook quickly, or smoke nice and slowly.
These were grilled over pecan wood, which is my default grilling wood these days, at a fairly high heat. I lot of people like their pork cooked to death, but I'm not one of them. For them, go the thin/crispy pork route.
Sigh. I have to talk about this for a minute, so indulge me. I really, really hate to even bring it up, because it's such a rare thing anyway and a serious buzz kill, but seriously, it's okay to eat juicy pork chops. Really. They can even be a bit pink, and still have no chance of containing trichinosis. By the time your pork is medium rare to medium, it's fine. Want to hear numbers? Okay. Trichinosis, even in the incredibly remote chance of infection, is gone at 138º. Medium rare pork is right around 145º. Even medium, around 150º, is still moist. If in doubt, use an instant read thermometer, and relax. Sorry for digressing, but the whole "pork paranoia" is so pervasive, it makes me crazy, and I think knowledgable people don't talk about it enough because it's unappetizing. Hope this helps.
Where was I? Right, chops. I rubbed them well with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub, which is so good on pork that even the chops will send you a thank you note!
After they came off the grill, I let them rest a few minutes. Pork chops, because they're generally so lean, really benefit from resting 5 or 10 minutes or so before service.
Man, they were good. The sauce you see on the side is from a friend's company that I'll talk a bit about later in the week, but suffice it to say it's one of the best bottled sauces I've had!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:41 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Back to Main
August 02, 2006
Cast Iron Pork Chops topped with Mushrooms and Red Onions
As you well know, I've been eating a lot of veggie dishes lately. There have been days recently that as I posted a dish I could just feel the carnivores begging for a nice hunk of meat.
I've been jonesing too, I guess, so last night I grabbed this nice thick-cut pork chop, basically a pork porterhouse because it has a nice sized tenderloin attached to it, and heated up a trusty cast iron skillet. As the skillet got hot, I lightly oiled the chop and generously rubbed it with Survival Spice™, which gives pork all the lovin' it will ever need. I roughed chopped a red onion and sliced some regular white mushrooms, and other than prepping a simple green salad, I was good to go.
I wanted this to be simple so I did everything in the same skillet, but if you want a nice crust to your chop, the last thing you want to do is dump everything in at once. Other than the fact that your veggies would be done far too soon, your mushrooms in particular are going to release a lot of liquid, which would keep your chop from getting beautifully browned. And we love a nice crispy crust, don't we?
So, into the medium hot skillet the chop went, nicest side down. I gave it plenty of time to get nice and crispy, and to let the Survival Spice™ work its magic. Once I flipped the chop, I added the onions to give them a head start, then the mushrooms a few minutes later. The chop was done, so I transferred it to a plate and then topped it with the mushrooms and onions.
Oh man, was it good. Juicy, crispy, and tender, and wonderfully complemented with the veggies on top. Don't forget, I had a salad, too...
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:11 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Back to Main
July 19, 2006
Pork Shoulder Salad
Busy days don't doom you to a horrible dinner death, as long as you cook when you can and keep the basics in your pantry and in your fridge. This was a 5 minute dinner I made last week that was not only amazing, it was healthy and inexpensive, too.
Starting with some of the BBQ pork shoulder I made over the weekend with Survival Spice™ and a basic BBQ sauce, I halved a head of butter lettuce and rough chopped a few scallions on the bias.
A quick drizzle of Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva and Tibvrtini Aceto di Vino Blanco provided the most basic and the most incredible vinagerette imaginable, then I topped the greens with a scoop of the reheated pork. Season and serve.
Easy. Amazing. Healthy. A great combination.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:09 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Back to Main
July 10, 2006
Porking out by the Pool
I can just hear you: "Okay, you've been busy. Okay, so what? You still have to eat, right?"
Mea culpa. It's been a bit crazy around here, a lot of good things going on, for which I have all of you to thank. I have been eating, but truly, with the Arizona heat in the summer, plus having no time for anything but the essentials, it's been pretty meager pickings as of late.
I picked up this pork shoulder during my last dash through the market. I didn't have a clue what I was going to do with it, but I decided to take a day off on Sunday and do some much-needed swimming and grilling, so why not combine the two in one picture?
I rubbed this generously with our Survival Spice™ barbecue rub and all purpose-seasoning, which wraps pork tenderly in its spicy arms, and let it hang out on my gas grill with lots of pecan chips all afternoon. It spent the last 3 or 4 hours wrapped in foil, for about 6 hours of total cooking time.
Was it good? Yep. I'm going to slice it and make sandwiches with a few new barbecue sauces I'm evaluating.
How about you? What did you cook this weekend?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:00 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Back to Main
June 15, 2006
Masitas de Puerco- Cuban twice cooked pork
(Photo: Mary)
I love pork. There, I said it. Of course, if you find that shocking you probably haven't been reading very long, because we've all cooked quite a bit of pork around here over the last year or so.
One of my favorites is Masitas de Puerco because it combines multiple cooking techniques- a slow braise that renders fat and tenderizes the cut, and frying, which results in a crispy bit of pork with a moist, succulent center. As with any good braised dish, the braising liquid is used as a finishing sauce. Serve with white rice, black beans, fried plantains and white onions.
Continue reading "Masitas de Puerco- Cuban twice cooked pork"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:43 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Back to Main
May 03, 2006
Paul's Methuselah Ribs and Marinated Tri-Tip
Paul, aka Chilebrown, has sent in another really creative dish. Naturally, I have to applaud anyone with the good sense to use Survival Spice™ on ribs, of course...
This is a creation I call Methusela. It was ribs coated with Surival Spice. I baked it in a spiral, in the oven. and served it with Fresh Asparagus and Rice Pilaf. The Tri Tip came marinated from the butcher. It was a sweet marinade with flavors of Soy Sauce. The Truffled oil was served over the Pilaf and Asparagus.
Nice, Chile! His truffle oil was made from Oregon truffles and our Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgene di Oliva. Truffle oil is a great thing to have in your pantry, it gives a lot of dimension to a dish without being too intrusive, plus it's much more cost effective than buying truffles, though Paul mentioned that they were pretty reasonable.
Here's his marinated tri-tip, cooked just right:
Email me your food pics! We love to see them, especially because I'm going to be too busy to be cooking much for the next few weeks.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:43 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Back to Main
April 13, 2006
"Easy Orange Survival Glaze" for Ham, version 2
(Photo: Mary, of TPC's Easy Orange Survival Glaze)
I've revised this slightly, just because the orange color was so over the top. The picture is of the first version, with 6 ounces of orange juice concentrate. The old recipe was delicious, but I think this will work better on an Easter Ham. Let me know if you try it!
Update: Rob reports that for a Texas ham, he rubbed his ham with Survival Spice™, and put it in a crock pot with a liter of Dr. Pepper for 8 hours. Unfortunately, it didn't last long enough for him to take some pictures!
Continue reading ""Easy Orange Survival Glaze" for Ham, version 2"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Back to Main
April 05, 2006
First ribs of the BBQ season
(TPCs Smoked Spare Ribs, photo by Mary)
... But certainly not the last. These were rubbed with Survival Spice™, indirectly smoked with pecan wood for 4 hours, then finished over a charcoal fire. Although I'll occasionally do an indirect-only smoke for 7 or 8 hours, I like how a medium direct fire crisps up the meat, and the higher temperature completes the last step towards 'falling of the bone' goodness.
What's your favorite way of cooking ribs? Or eating them, for that matter!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:17 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
Back to Main
March 29, 2006
Comfort Food- Pork Stew, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
To me, there's nothing like comfort food, especially on an overcast, drizzly day. This is another kid-friendly meal, part of a series I've been doing along with the Parmesan Chicken Strips and the Mac and Cheese I've done so far.
I enjoy cooking for kids, because it forces me to strip recipes back to the basics. Kids can be picky eaters, to be sure, but cooks have to be aware that children are supertasters, born with far more taste buds than they'll have in adulthood, so they're very sensitive to seasoning and heat. So as much as I love to build sophisticated flavors, such as exist in Survival Spice™, I made this dish with just kosher salt and a tiny bit of black pepper.
I've spent the last year resetting my pallete, getting back to basics with my cooking, and I can't tell you how gratifying it is to bite into a beautifully tender piece of pork and having it taste like, well, pork! Try doing this occasionally when you burn out on your dishes, I think it will make you a better cook.
Continue reading "Comfort Food- Pork Stew, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:24 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Back to Main
February 16, 2006
Smoky Pork Memories...
(Photo: TPC, smoked pork butts)
I was going through my photo archives this morning, and found a picture I don't think I've ever posted of a few pork butts I smoked late last spring for pulled pork sandwiches. There's nothing like slow cooked BBQ. It's time intensive, I know, but well worth the effort, and if you smoke a few extra cuts each time you fire up the smoker and freeze them, it's a real treat to be able to have great BBQ whenever you want.
These butts were rubbed in Survival Spice™, then smoked with pecan wood with soaked apple chips, which is one of my favorite smoking combinations, for about 7 hours at about 225º. I took this picture about an hour before they were done, and let them cool.
The next morning, I pulled the pork, simmered it for about an hour in some BBQ sauce I made, and served each sandwich topped with some homemade vinegar cole slaw on a toasted sesame seed bun.
What's your favorite BBQ sandwich?
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 10:16 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Back to Main
February 02, 2006
Chilebrown's Chile Verde
(Photo: Paul Brown)
I love chile verde, so I was glad to see that Paul came up with a great version using Survival Spice™. I think he was smart to add the oregano and cumin, they're important flavors in Southwest dishes, including the Traditional New Mexico-style Pork Chile I've posted here before. It also is a good example of how you can use Survival Spice™ as a starting point, and add whatever you want to customize it to a particular style of cooking.
And dig all of Chile's grills. I was up to 6 setups when I moved a few years ago, but he's hardcore!
What have you been cooking? Email me some pics and a description!
Continue reading "Chilebrown's Chile Verde"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:25 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Back to Main
January 31, 2006
Slow baked pork chops
(TPCs Slow-baked pork chop with roasted red potatoes and brussel sprouts, with sausage/pine nut/Bosc pear dressing and home made demi-glace.)
This was all about slow cooking. I had some dressing in the freezer from Thanksgiving already, so all I had to do was prep the brussel sprouts (wash, peel and cut an 'X' in the base to help them cook evenly) and potatoes. I lightly oiled then rubbed the nice, thick pork chops with Survival Spice™, and put it all in a roasting pan, drizzle it with some good olive oil, then baked it at 300º for about 90 minutes.
Normally, I would either sear the chop first, or cook them at 250º for even longer, but I was curious to see how this would work out, and it was really good. You lose a bit of flavor development by not searing it first, but this gets you a really tender, moist chop that I enjoyed eating. If you wanted to, you could brown one side first, or just throw it under the broiler for a minute at the end.
After everything was done, I poured the fat out of the roasting pan, hit it with some home made demi-glace I made Saturday, and finished the sauce with a pat of butter.
I'm going to post on the demi-glace later this week. This was made from odds and ends I had stashed in the freezer, but it turned out really well.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Back to Main
December 21, 2005
TPC's White Bean and Ham Soup
(Photo: TPC- not a bad pic, if I do say so myself...)
It's the end of the year drill at Desert Island Foods™.com, and one thing in the DIF test kitchen freezer was the ham from the Orange Survival Glaze photo shoot. End of the year- everything must go, so I took about half of it, plus the bone and made this bean soup I've been craving since it got cold here. Okay, cold in Phoenix is relative, but I saw a mini-icicle on a garden hose one morning a few days ago. Brrrrrr.....
Okay, back to the soup. This took about 3 1/2 hours start to finish, without presoaking or precooking the beans. With a soup like this, I really don't think it's necessary because the extra starch helps thicken the soup. If you were really pressed for time, I think you could just put the beans in with the ham bone and omit the first onion and carrot. Take the extra hour if you possibly can, though.
Continue reading "TPC's White Bean and Ham Soup"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 05:20 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Back to Main
November 14, 2005
"Easy Orange Survival Glaze" for Ham and Turkey
(Photo: Mary, of TPC's Easy Orange Survival Glaze)
I've been working on this for a while now, and I think it's ready to share. This is a simple glaze that gives both a beautiful appearance and a nice hit of flavor to ham, turkey, chicken and duck. It's well balanced, with lots of orange flavor, a nice sweetness, lots of depth from the dijon mustard, and a subtle bit of heat from the Survival Spice™.
It would be easy to add lots of interesting stuff to this, if you wanted to customize it- garlic, tarragon, use a different citrus component, the list is as long as your imagination.
Try it this year! Please let me know if you do, and if you experiment with variations! Pictures are a plus. It was a huge hit at the photo shoot this weekend, after eating a pot of gumbo we weren't even hungry, but couldn't stop nibbling at it. I HAVE to try this on duck...
Continue reading ""Easy Orange Survival Glaze" for Ham and Turkey"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 09:20 AM | Comments (4)
Back to Main
November 06, 2005
Pan Fried Pork Chops with Survival Country Gravy
Mmmmmm, a great Sunday supper. As I was frying some thinly sliced potatoes and onions in bacon fat over medium heat in a cast iron skillet, I prepped the pork chops. Standard stuff here, first a bit of flour, then equal parts of flour, corn meal and Survival Spice™. Classically, you would use some liquid between the first flour dredging and the final crust like buttermilk or egg, but I've found that with flat items like pork chops and fish, as long as there's a bit of moisture there and you have a few minutes to let it sit, you often don't need it.
Once the potatoes and onions were done, I took them out of the skillet and kept them warm. In went the pork chops with some more bacon grease. You do save bacon grease, don't you? Not too high of a heat or you'll burn the corn meal, plus the breading will stay on the chops much better if the meat doesn't shrink too quickly. Okay, turn the chops once, that's it. Off they go to keep warm with the potatoes.
Survival Country gravy? Easy. A bit of flour in the skillet to soak up the fat, then about 2 parts milk to 1 part cream. I know, it's not traditional country gravy, but the French culinary school training is never far away, I'm afraid. A bit more Survival Spice™ for a nice peppery freshness, then it's time to plate it up with some steamed broccoli. BTW, this is also wonderful with sausage and biscuits. If you don't have cream, just use extra milk and reduce it well.
I just wish I would have had some apple sauce. Next time, a rustic apple compote with it. I will be making this again.
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 06:34 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Back to Main
September 12, 2005
Megan's Su Dong Po Pork
Our last entry to Food Fight #4 is a doozy! Meg from I heart bacon has entered a pork dish called Su Dong Po Pork. Featuring a terrific marinade and a double cooked technique, I'm really curious to try it. She served it with brown rice and sauteed long beans with chili peppers and pine nuts. Wow.
Her original post, along with pictures, is here. The recipe can also be found on her terrific recipe site here. I'd love to try it with a pork shoulder, or maybe use the pork belly and tea-smoke it for a while as well.
All of these entries have been terrific. You can find them all in the FF4- Original category.
Continue reading "Megan's Su Dong Po Pork"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 12:44 PM
Back to Main
July 08, 2005
Food Fight #3 Second Place- Paul's Chinatown Pork Roast
Paul's Chinatown Roast
Second prize this time went to Paul from Rodeo, CA. Paul entered a sirloin roast, which is on the far end of the loin from the blade roast Biggles used in his dish. The sirloin end does not have as much fat content, and the higher ratio of bone gives you a lot of potential to develop deep, intense pork flavors. However, because it's more lean, it can dry out if you just blast it in an oven.
What I really liked about Paul's entry was the care he took in cooking this properly. By brining his roast the night before, he increased the roast's capacity to retain moisture. By smoking it 'low and slow' and using an instant read thermometer, he guaranteed a great result.
Paul wins a a DIF T-shirt, a tin of Survival Spice™, and a DIF refrigerator magnet.
Congratulations again! The recipe is in the extended entry.
The next Food Fight will start in a few weeks. Start thinking about your dish and work on those food photography skills!
Continue reading "Food Fight #3 Second Place- Paul's Chinatown Pork Roast"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 07:07 AM | Comments (4)
Back to Main
July 07, 2005
Food Fight Winner #3!!!! - Biggles' Stuffed Pork Roast
Biggles' Survival Stuffed Pork Roast
We have a winner! Congratulations to Dr. Biggles, whose fine food blog MeatHenge is frequently filled with succulent goodies like this, really did a good job with his entry.
Second place goes to Paul for his "Chinatown Pork Roast." Two winning pork recipes this time, both done with similar cuts of meat but completely different cooking techniques. I'll post Paul's entry later today or tomorrow. Both dishes are great and it was a tough decision, as both of these as well as quite a few others this time were really good.
My take on the winning dish:
The blade end roast is a great choice for this kind of technique. It's fabbed out from the front part of the loin nearest the shoulder, so you can see a few ribs and the end of the shoulder blade in the pictures, hence the name. That bit of T-shaped shoulder blade in the top is what is sliced and sold as "country spare ribs", in case you didn't know. Lots of bone=lots of flavor.
The choice of chard is good. Chard has a bit of background bitterness, so it supplies depth of flavor and moisture to the pork as it cooks. I like to use pine nuts a lot too, for their crunch, saltiness and character, and toasting them as Dr. Biggles did is an absolute must, his toaster oven trick is a really good one.
His note on it needing a bit more salt is perfectly valid. Survival Spice™ contains far less salt than a lot of spice blends on the shelf. A lot of blends out there have more salt than anything, and I chose to go a different route. Survival Spice™ contains a well-balanced amount of quality kosher salt and no more. Salt is inexpensive so why pay more when you can later season to your own taste anyway?
Congratulations again! Biggles and Paul both win a DIF T-shirt, a tin of Survival Spice™, and a DIF refrigerator magnet.
Thanks to everyone who entered, this was the best contest yet. And keep sending in those great pictures in! I'll post a few more reader food pics this week.
So without further ado, Dr. Biggles recipe, rich with great photos, is in the extended section:
Continue reading "Food Fight Winner #3!!!! - Biggles' Stuffed Pork Roast"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)
Back to Main
June 30, 2005
Frozen dinner- Stuffed Pork Loin and Cheesey Potatoes
Raided the fridge for dinner yesterday, time's a bit tight these days keeping up with Desert Island Foods™ biz.
I had made this stuffed pork loin for about 25 friends and family members this winter and had some left over. Normally I would have done a roulade with it but with having to do 2 full loins in the time I had, I figured I'd try it this way. The stuffing was probably hot Italian sausage, pine nuts, parsley, garlic, Colman's mustard and fresh bread crumbs, though I tend to do it differently every time. I seared it on the grill with a bit of pecan wood then finished it in the oven, you can see a bit of the smoke ring in the pork if you look closely.
I originally served it with a Poblano creme sauce but that was gone. For this, I just reduced some chicken stock with some mustard and fresh rosemary and thyme. Sliced the now-thawed loin and simmered it in the sauce so it could pick up some of the pork and stuffing flavors.
The potatoes were in the freezer too, an American take on Pommes de Terre Boulangere. Sliced potatoes baked in chicken stock, onions and fresh thyme. Topped off with Jack and Cheddar cheese and broiled until brown and bubbly. Kids call them 'Cheesey Potatoes' and I like that name just as well, really!
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:28 AM
Back to Main
June 15, 2005
Traditional New Mexico-style Pork Chile
the pragmatic chef's™ Traditional New Mexico-style Pork Chile (pictured with corn risotto)
Emily and a few other people have asked for a recipe for the Pork chile I made last weekend so here's a basic rundown.
There are a million variations to this but make it the basic way the first time so you know what the dish is really about, hearty, basic, delicious flavors. I learned about this from a friend of mine from New Mexico. I asked him to teach me how he makes his green posole, but he said he'd have to kill me...
Always keep in mind that everything needs to be proportional to how much meat you end up with, so if your pork cooks down to nothing, don't just blindly chuck the rest of it in by rote.
The recipe is in the extended entry.
Continue reading "Traditional New Mexico-style Pork Chile"
Posted by The Pragmatic Chef at 08:04 AM | Comments (2)