BBQ Pulled Pork - 7 hours of my life

I started the long trip to pulled pork sandwiches today with a craving that I hoped would be satisfied by 7 pm. The methods I researched gave me from 5-7 hours of bbq time. So by my math, 2 pm + 5 hours = 7 pm. Unfortunately, the optimist in my was off be a couple of hours.

The Rub

1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp chili powder

The Meat

1 Boneless pork shoulder

The Sauce

Your favourite bbq sauce. I used one that I had picked up at the Ottawa Ribfest.

The Method

Take your rub and do what it's called. Rub it all over your meat and cram it in the holes as much as possible (keep it clean). Set up your charcoal grill for indirect low heat grilling and have some soaked wood chips on hand (I used hickory). Place a drip pan under your grill where there are no coals, put the grill back on and place the shoulder fat-side up over the drip pan.




Cover the bbq, and monitor the temperature. Keep it between 250 and 300. I had it much lower than 250 for most of the cooking time, so it has taken a bit longer than my planned 5 hour smoking/grilling time. The end result should be a nice, juicy, slightly carmelized piece of meat that measures between 175 F and 190 F. I cheated and pulled it out at 160 F. We were hungry and it has to rest now for 1/2 hour covered before the pulling of the pork.

Beef with Broccoli

Ingredients:

8 oz beef sliced thinly across the grain (I use rib or sirloin)

1 bunch broccoli

1 medium onion

1 stalk green onion

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium carrot

3 slices ginger, minced

2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

salt

2 tbsp broth

Marinade:

Mix light soy sauce, oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp pepper with beef. Use your hands to mix it all in really good. Then add 1/2 tsp corn starch and 1/2 tsp sesame oil and mix that all in. Light soy doesn't add too much colour and it is a bit saltier. Oyster sauce is given considering the ethnicity of the dish and the sugar helps balance the saltiness of the oyster and soy sauces.

Vegetables:

Cut up your broccoli florets in even pieces. Don't forget to use all of the stalks that aren't woody and dry. Make sure they are in even pieces. A 1/2 inch thick is probably good for all of the vegetables. Do the same with the carrots and onions. The green onions can be sliced in either 2 inch pieces or however you like.

Steam the vegetables:

Next, setup a vegetable steamer and add the carrots first. After 2 minutes, then add the broccoli pieces.

Precook the beef:

Add 2 tbsp oil to smoking hot wok and swirl to coat. Add beef and gently stir-fry the beef. The beef is ready when it is medium rare. Remove from heat and place in a bowl.

Sauce:

1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 pinch of pepper, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp broth, 1 tsp cornstarch. Mix well and make sure that the corn starch is completely dissolved to avoid lumps.

Stirfry:

Add green onion, onion, garlic and ginger to very hot wok. Stir fry for about 30 seconds, until you can smell the aroma. Add broccoli and carrots. Add pinch of salt, pinch of sugar, and a bit of oil to help keep the veggies green. Make sure to stir constantly and keep the heat high. Work fast!

Add the beef, but leave the released juices in the bowl. It will affect the dish. The beef will be reheated and cooked in about 1 minute. Add the sauce, and stir until thickened. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil. Serve.

Pork, Pineapple, and Lime.

With today being as hot as it was, Barbecue inspiration came in the form of juicy pineapple, acidic ime, tender pork loin and sweet molasses.   The original plan was to be something grilled.  It could have been chicken with a can of beer up its ass, or some cubes of meat, charoal grilled to a blackened crisp.

Why does Pineapple go so well with pigmeat?

And the final results.

The 2 Week Homebrew Beer Experiment

It's not much of an experiment on my part, but our local wine brewer is offering a fully contained beer homebrew kit that is so simple it has got to suck.  However, it is supposed to be quite good. I decided to be the guinea pig for the new product and run the brew process through its course and document it for future generations.  You are provided with a 2 liter bottle of your unfermented beer solution, a capsule of yeast, and a special bottle cap that includes a pressure release regulator that allows the extra gasses to escape so you don't create a beer bomb.

I'll post what I know now, and in 2 weeks, I'll get drinking and report back.

The kit.  Beer solution, special cap and capsule. Daisies not included.

Here's a closeup of the pressure regulating cap

...and finally, here are the instructions on the side of the label.  You can't get anymore ghetto than this.

Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli Salad

Tonight's noodle salad came out perfectly.  Part of the success was achieved by using fresh ingredients from the Ottawa Byward Market. However, the winning move was using the previous recipe for Vietnamese dipping sauce/dressing.  Make sure to soak your vermicelli in warm water for about 20 minutes rather than boiling it.  You will get a more "Al Dente" effect this way.  Peanuts should be roasted if possible, and unsalted or you will probably end up with an imbalanced saltiness.  Try to make your julienned vegetables as thin as possible so that you can get a homogenous mixture with your noodles.  Serve about 1-2 cups of noodles in an asian Pho bowl and put a small handful of each fresh ingredient on top. Pour about 1/4 cup of the sauce over your portion and add Sriracha chili sauce as desired.

1 pack Rice Vermicelli

1/4 cup peanuts, chopped

1 carrot, julienned

1 small cucumber, seeded and julienned

2 scallions, sliced

1/2 red pepper sliced thinly

Nuoc Cham

1 or 2 thai chili peppers minced

handful of mint chopped

Sriracha sauce as needed

NUOC CHAM (Vietnamese dipping sauce or salad dressing)

I'm creating a vietnamese inspired cold rice vermicelli noodle salad tonight that needed some sort of dressing based on fish sauce and lime.  I put this together and it is delicious!

1 clover garlic minced

1/2 tsp thai chili paste

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup fish sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

Heat water in pot over medium-high heat and add sugar.  When the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.  Let cool and pour over salad, or use as a dipping sauce for spring rolls.

At long last I've finally received the secret recipe of Myrna's Spaghetti Sauce. Everyone always loves this sauce anytime I've served it up and I knew that I had to get this recipe for all eternity.  I took Myrna to the grocery store and told her to get what she needed for a batch and then we went back home so I could document the entire recipe and ingredients as she put the pot of sauce together.

So without further ado, here it is.

Myrna's Spaghetti Sauce

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cans tomatoes (28 oz)
• 2 can Tomato Paste (5.5 oz)
• 4 can Tomato Soup
• 1 can Tomato Juice (48 oz)
• Cayenne pepper 2 tsp or more
• 1 tbsp Thyme
• 1 tbsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
  
• 4 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper to taste
• chili flakes
  

1. Brown ground beef.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Simmer for 2 - 3 hours.