recipe: slow cooker carnitas

taken from: Gimme Some Oven

picture taken from GimmeSomeOven 

changes: skipped the searing step before adding this to the slow cooker. 

ingredients:

- 1 4-lb lean boneless pork roast, excess fat trimmed, cut into 5-inch chunks

- 1 can light beer (or chicken stock)

- 1 medium white onion, diced

- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

- 1 tbsp chipotle powder

- 2 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp blaok pepper

- 1 tsp chili powder

- 1 1/2 tsp salt

to make: 

add all ingredients EXCEPT the pork to the slow cooker, and stir to combine. add pork. 

cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the pork is super-tender and shreds easily with a fork. 

once pork is cooked, preheat broiler to high heat and prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil. use a fork to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the baking sheet, spreading pork in an even layer. leave the juices behind in the slow cooker. 

place the baking sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork begin browning & crisping up. remove from the oven, then ladle bout 1/2 cup of the juices from the slow cooker evenly over the pork, and give it a good toss with some tongs. broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy, then ladle and additional 1/2 cup of juices over the crispy pork. 

results: YUM. though it's a little more work than regular pulled pork, i'd do the crispy step again b/c it adds a lot. (sometimes regular pulled pork has a mush texture like tuna fish... sometimes this is OK, sometimes it's just a bit meh) 

recipe: pork schnitzel with lemon caper cream sauce

inspired by the Oktoberfest menu i read on the back of a brewery bathroom door, i cooked up a small in-house German feast. everything seemed really good reading the recipes, but my god it call came out even better than expected, even if a little more time consuming than i was planning. i'd remake all of it again, wouldn't make any alterations second time around. recipe was taken from Food.com. 

ingredients list - schnitzel: 
- 1 12-oz pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch circles (*cut when partially frozen to make slicing thin a lil easier)
- juice from 1 lemon, divided 
- 1/3 c flour
- 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 c Italian breadcrumbs 
- 2-3 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

ingredients list - lemon-caper cream sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp minced shallots
- 1/3 c dry white wine
- 1/3 c chicken broth
- 1/4 c heavy cream
- 1/4 c jarred lemon curd
- 1/4 c small capers, drained

recipe: slow cooker balsamic beef (or pork) roast

another recipe i've made a bunch of times, went to find on here, and alas... never wrote down. after re-finding it from Skinny Taste's recipe, i made it for Sunday dinner recently and it was so damn good. meat, balsamic... can't go wrong. it's an easy enough that it's good for work nights or a Sunday afternoon that i don't feel like cooking a big meal (the 1 day a week lately that i have been cooking-cooking :).

ingredients list: 
- 2 lb pot roast (or pork shoulder roast, or any other similar cut of beef)
- kosher salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- 1/3 cup & 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
- 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 red onion, diced

to make: 
mix the broth and 1/3 cup balsamic in the bottom of the slow cooker. add the beef and season with red pepper flakes, onion powder & garlic powder. pour the honey over the beef, and cook for 6-8 hours on low. add onions during last 10 minutes of cooking. 

once the meat is cooked and tender enough to shred from a pork, remove from the slow cooker, and shred meat with 2 forks. strain liquid from the slow cooker into a sauce pan, and cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half. return reduced liquid and shredded meat back into the slow cooker, and add in 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar. eat!

recipe: fried rice

we had a hunk of leftover roasted pork shoulder and a few green onions in the freeze, so i decided to throw together some pork fried rice for dinner. i've cooked a lot of Asian food before, but somehow never ever made fried rice. i skipped using a recipe, relying on my hibachi-watching experience as the inspiration. while i'm sure it's not technically correct (and no, yuck it does not have peas), it still turned out pretty damn good, so i'm perfectly fine with that. i served it with Trader Joe's chicken and cilantro wontons... for a Monday night i was not quite ambitious enough to scratch-make wontons :)

ingredients list:

- 1 cup uncooked jasmin rice (or whatever kind of rice you prefer)

- 1 cup cooked pork, diced into small pieces (about 1/4 inch cubes. i used leftover shoulder, a pork roast would also work well. or chicken, or shrimp, or all of that)

- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced

- 1/2 cup carrots, finely diced

- 1 egg

- 1/4 cup green onions, diced

- 3 tbps (roughly) chives, diced

- 2 tbsp sesame oil

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 4-6 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

roasted pork shoulder

tonight's Sunday dinner -- which could be the first pork -shoulder- roast that i've ever cooked. we've done a lot of pork loin, pork butt... but no shoulder i can remember. it's a fairly fatty cut, and even though i did end up over cooking it a tad (the final temp was 160F instead of my target 145F), it was beyond juicy and according to Kyle one of the best pork roasts we've ever made. i used the rub from Serious Eats, adding in some citrus and extra spices and removing the onions. the rub made a nice sweet & spicy crust and the OJ made the fatty meat even more juicy. definitely would use this one again for a loin or shoulder. 

ingredients list: 
- 1 3-lb pork shoulder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1.5 tsp paprika (the SE recipe calls for both smoked and hot paprika)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne 
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup (or more) orange juice

to make: rinse meat and pat dry; using a sharp knife, score the top of the meat with wide cross hatches. 

mix together all of the spices, and rub them all over the roast. place in fridge and allow to sit a few hours or overnight.

preheat oven to 350F degrees, and pour orange juice over roast, making sure it gets deep into the cuts on top of the meat. roast in the preheated oven 1.5 hours (roughly 30 minutes per pound) or until the internal temperature reaches 145F degrees. allow to sit 15-20 minutes before serving. 

recipe: parmesan and sage-crusted pork chops

last week was a decent week of cooking - we successfully made a "real" dinner almost every night last week after leaving work mostly on time everyday. something that hasn't happened in... over half a year? i'm still on a quest to find really good sage-based recipes to use the surplus in our garden. the abundance of center cut pork chops in the freezer seemed like a lovely pairing for them. 

i used the parmesan and sage-crusted chop recipe from MyRecipes.com. the chops i had were very thick (1 inch+), so i cooked them longer than the original recipe that called for a quick pan-fry only. they turned out fab - super-flavorful crust, very juicy... easily one of the better pork chop recipes we've made. 

ingredients list: 
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 tbsp salt
- 1/4 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tbsp prepared mustard (i used a mix of dijon & yellow)
- 1 egg
- 2 thick-cut pork chops
- 1 & 1/2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil 

to make: preheat oven to 350F degrees. place bread crumbs, cheese, sage, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish; place flour in another shallow dish; combine mustard and egg in a third shallow dish.

dredge pork chops in flour, shaking off excess, then dip into the egg mixture, and lastly the breadcrumb mixture. 

heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add oil to pan. once oil is to temp, add pork and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until each side is golden brown. remove pork chops and add to a baking dish with a wire rack (they can be added directly to the baking dish if preferred, but the crust may get soggy - boo). cook 20-25 minutes, until pork is fully cooked through (to an internal temperature of 145F degrees or more).  

recipe: smoked pork loin

yesterday was a chill Sunday, worthy of pulling out the old smoker for the giant slab of center cut pork loin in the fridge. the day prior i had rubbed it down with a dry rub, using an all-purpose "Magic Dust" recipe from Serious Eats, which turned out perfect for this. smokey & sweet with the slightest hint of heat. we ran into an issue with the smoker not getting hot enough (it was supposed to cook at 275 F for 1 hour per pound, but we did 2 hours at 150 F) and had to finish it off in the oven, but the result was still uber-smokey, sweet, and delicious. 

slapped on a roll with american and monterey cheese, sauteed pepper, onion, and mushrooms, and a big dollop of garlic and cayenne mayo. major mouth party. 

Ingredients List - Magic Dust: 
* makes 2 cups - which is WAY more than what's needed for a 2-3 lb roast. can be stored for 
future use. 

- 1/2 cup paprika

- 1/4 cup kosher salt

- 1/4 cup brown sugar 

- 2 tbsp mustard powder

- 1/4 cup chili powder

- 1/4 cup ground cumin

- 2 tbsp ground black pepper

- 1/4 cup garlic powder

- 2 tbsp cayenne powder

 to make: 

 blend all ingredients in a a small bowl; rinse and pat dry meat (pork loin in this case), then rub down completely with the rub. wrap tightly in cling wrap and let rest in the fridge for 24 hours. remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

 for smoker cooking, allow to smoke at 2 hours per pound at 275 F degrees, or until internal temperature is 155 F. 

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recipe: dr pepper spicy pulled pork with jalapeno cilantro slaw

i've made this pulled pork recipe from Pioneer Woman before and was a big fan. since San Fran when i first tried slaw, i've been a tad curious. since Pioneer Woman's is a little different with the jalapeno and the cilantro kicks, it seemed like a good started recipe since i'm a huge fan of both of those ingredients. with a spicy slice of colby jack cheese, these were a pretty fun 4th of July 'wich.

ingredients list (pulled pork):
- 1/2 large onion, cut into thin strips
- 1 pork butt (shoulder), about 5 lbs
- salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1 (11oz) can chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 cans dr pepper
- 2 tbsp brown sugar

to make (pulled pork): heat slow cooker on high heat, then add onion to bottom of slow cooker. (generously) salt & pepper the pork roast on all sides, then set on top of onions in the cooker. pour in the chipolte peppers, both cans of dr depper, and stir in the brown sugar.

reduce heat to low after 1-2 hours, then allow to cook for an additional 4-5 hours. turn the pork 2 or 3 times during the cooking process. when it's done (about 6 hrs  total), the meat should be falling apart when stabbed with a fork (if it's not, keep cooking it).

remove meat from pot, and place on cutting board or large plate, and shred it apart with 2 forks. pour out 50% of the liquid in the slow cooker, then return the meat to the cooker, stir, and keep warm until ready to serve. top with cheese (i used jalapeno colby jack to go w/ the zesty theme), cole slaw, and serve on buns.

ingredients list (slaw):
- 1/2 head cabbage, sliced thin
- 1/2 head purple cabbage, sliced thin
- 1 whole jalapeno, minced
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cups cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

to make: combine shredded cabbage and jalapeno in a large bowl. in a separate bowl, mix milk, mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne. pour over cabbage and stir until combined. cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. right before serving, toss in cilantro.

it's grillin season...

... so it means i haven't been cooking at all. simple meat on the grill... mmm. beauty of it is that most of it doesn't require much prep, or clean up, and it's always delish. 

pork chops marinated in homemade bbq sauce, garlic & butter rice & corn

grapefruit grilled with butter & brown sugar

mini burgers with cheddar on pretzel bagels mmmmm

recipe: caramel apple pork chops

din din tonight... pork chops made with my fav chop recipe, Caramel Apple Pork Chops from allrecipes.com. i was actually surprised i haven't beaned about them before this, they seem to make a semi-frequent appearance in our house in the fall time. we usually bake them (the original recipe at allrecipe's has the baking instructions), but since it's officially grill season we grilled ours instead. we had brined them overnight prior for kicks as well.

ingredients list: (for 2)
- 2 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tart apple, cored & sliced
- olive oil

to make: preheat grill to medium heat (350 degrees). lightly brush chops with olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste (if you've brined your chops, skip the salt here). grill chops for about 10-12 minutes, until fully cooked through, flipping once.

combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. while chops are grilling, melt butter in a large sautee pan over medium low heat. add apples and brown sugar mixture to the pan, cover, and cook on low heat for 7-10 minutes, until apples are soft. if you need to add additional liquid, lemon juice can be used.

serve apple mixture over chops.
***
yummmz. i used to HATE pork chops as a kid, thinking they were dry and boring. add the apple and a lil somethin somethin... and yum um delish. i've made these with onions added to the apple mixture which is always good (i love apple + onion anything), but somehow completely forgot onion tonight. overall (onion or no onion)... 7*******.

recipe: slow cooker shredded pork tacos

so. this was another bad week. i only had time to cook dinner once, 4 days ago, and haven't had time to pop it up here since. i even attempted to menu plan this week... late monday night i pulled myself together enough to prep the ingredients for this, then it all fell apart from there. waaah!

i discovered www.foodgawker.com last weekend... HOLY COW. the pictures, the recipes... amazing little gem of a site. as result i now have a (longer) laundry list of stuff i want to cook (hence the attempted menu planning), not to mention very much wishing i could take better pictures :o). i saw this slow-cooker shredded beef recipe taco recipe on there which sounded really good, AND easy for weeknight. bingo! (all the beef roasts were super-expensive this week, so i  snagged a pork roast @ $2.99lb instead. beef tacos, pork tacos, as long as i'm eating tacos i don't give an F)

this recipe is taken from Gimme Some Oven, adapted slightly since i don't usually sear meat before slow cooking (i've tried both ways... it ends up mostly the same, just more dishes. skiiip!)

ingredients list (served 4-5):
- 1.25-2 lb boneless beef chuck roast or pork roast
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
- 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- flour tortillas (i used Mission Cheddar & Jalapeno)
- taco toppings: chopped tomato, lettuce, onion, & sour cream & your heart's desires
- shredded monte jack cheese or taco cheese

to make: combine chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in small bowl, and rub spice mix all over the meat. set in slow cooker on low, adding in beef stock, tomato paste, liquid smoke, chipolte pepper, onion, & garlic. cook on low for 6-8 hours. when finished cooking, drain some of the liquid (reserving about a 1/2 cup in the cooker), and shred the meat with two forks.

roll the meat up in the tortillas with all taco toppings, and heat in toaster or in a hot pan for a few minutes to heat tortilla through. 

verdict: another yum! these were very smokey from the chipolte... so they were not like a standard slow cooker pulled pork. i would def like to try with beef, because i'm sure the red meat will have a nice flavor party with that smokey goodness. slightly spicy too (i'm glad i didn't add a second chipolte it might have made them hot hot), but also sweet. solid 7 *******.

recipe: asian roast pork (char siu)

ever since having one of THE best sandwiches i've ever had in my life in Puerto Rico, a "roast pork with i don't even know what on it but it was so good i blacked out the ingredients" sandwich, i've been dying to make roast pork. i picked up a small 2.5 lb roast on sale at PC this week, and started photo grazing on seriouseats.com for inspiration. i ended up straying away from puertorican / cuban realm into asian - the photo on My Asian Kitchen looked (and sounded) so good i had to give it a whirl. 

ingredients list: (note: the original recipe calls for a 4-5 lb roast... i used a 2.5 lb one but kept the sauce quantities the same so i had extra glaze)
- 2-3 lb boneless pork roast, rinsed and dried with ppr towels
- 5 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 cup sugar (no that's not a typo... 1 whole cup sugar)
- 5-6 tbsp lo so soy sauce
- 3-4 tbsp Chinese cooking rice wine (i substituted dry Sherry since i didn't have this... mental note added next time i'm at an asian market)
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp 5 spice powder
- 2-3 drops red food color (optional)
- honey for brushing

to make: combine all seasonings (which is everything EXCEPT the honey) in a large container or zip lock bag, and marinate pork for 5 hours or overnight in the fridge.

when ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees. pork should be cooked for about 30 minutes per pound on a tiny roast (between 2-3 lbs)... mine took about 1.2 hours to get to 140 degrees in the center which is when i stopped it since it will also be broiled. make sure to flip the roast 30 minutes into baking, and pour some of the reserved marinade over top 1-2 times during baking.

when finished baking, set oven on broil, and roast pork for an additional 10-15 minutes, just until the roast has a slight char to it (after broiling, my roast was about 150 degrees which was just right - i'm skeptical to eat at the "new" minimal temp for pork, 145 degrees).

remove roast from oven, and brush with honey. let sit for about 5-7 minutes, then carve & serve.

verdict: YUM! really liked this. the cup of sugar seemed insane to add, but it really carmelized nicely, giving a nice crisp sweet coating to the meat. the meat was nice and juicy in the center (and is not pink even at 150 degrees). solid 7.5 *******~, would def make again (next time with an asian-inspired side instead of potatoes).   

recipe: mexican pork stew in green salsa

today i wasn't working and decided to be a good housewife and try out the Pork Stew in Green Salsa (Guisado de Puerco con Tomatillos) recipe from allrecipes.com. i had a pork roast in the freezer bada bada, perfect. i followed this one as written (mostly) since it seemed pretty on point. as follows:

ingredients list:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (3 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed of white fat & cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil ++
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chopped fresh tomatillos (about 6-7 of the buggers)
- 1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles
- 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram (i used oregano as a sub)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 (14 oz) can lo-so chicken broth

to make: stir together the flour, 1 tsp salt, pepper, & cumin in a large bowl. place the pork into the bowl, and stir well to coat (the worst part about this recipe is chopping the pork & its ton of fatty fat... doesn't smell so awesome. not nearly as fun as prepping brisket or anything cow-related)

heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat, then place the meat into pan in a single layer & sautee the pork until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total (i had to do this in 2 batches to get it all done... second batch cooked much quicker). remove the pork to a warm plate, and set aside. sautee onion in the hot pan over medium heat, adding more olive oil if needed, until the onion is beginning to get to a nice carmelized state, about 7 min. return pork to the pan and add in chicken broth, then stir in the garlic, tomatillos, chiles, oregano, & cilantro. cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 1 - 1.5 hours. serve with rice and/or tortillas & a dollap of sour cream.

as for the verdict, i really liked this. had nice but not overpowering heat and a good blend of flavors. even tho it seems like a heavy meal, the fresh cilantro/tomatillo flavors make it taste fresh & lite. would def make again, and really not much else i would change from the orig recipe. i served this over rice... if i was eating it solo like i would a normal stew, i would probably add a bit it of flour/cornstarch to thicken it up a bit. overall... 6 stars ******. not bad for just choppin & mixin some stuff. also a good/easy recipe to make while drinking an entire bottle of Monkey Bay :)