This simple coleslaw is great as a side for a variety of summer meals, but as a topping on either pulled pork or pulled chicken it really shines.
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
Blend well, and keep tasting – should have a nice balance of sweet and tangy.
During the winter months I resort to using either my oven or my slow cooker for pulled pork …. mainly because we don’t have an outdoor space where we can use our electric smoker and still have it be under cover. Whenever the opportunity is available though, this is the way to go. When I am operating the smoker I like to make good use of that smoke and utilize the space, so I often do a pork roast as well as a chicken. After trial and error, this pulled pork is the best! Pile soft buns with the meat, some creamy cole slaw and a few pickled onions – serve with potato salad and green salad and this meal is a winner.
6-8 pound pork shoulder (or Boston Butt as it is known in some areas)
It is best to weigh the salt. Pickling salt, by ounce, is not as “salty” as a table salt by either weight or measuring cup.
Using a spice grinder (or mortar & pestle) finely grind the cumin, fennel and coriander seeds. Add the rest of the spice powders and blend well.
Heat ½ of the water, add molasses and salt. Simmer just until the salt has dissolved and stir in the rest of the water along with the chipotle chiles. When mixture has cooled, put in a container suitable to go into your fridge, add in the pork and make sure it is submerged in the liquid, adding more water if necessary in order to cover.
Brine at least 12 hours. Remove from liquid, rinse well and pat dry.
Using kitchen gloves (rub adheres best if you do) vigorously rub the pork with the spices.
Heat your smoker to 250, and place pork on a rack. Start testing the pork for temperature after 7 hours. Once it has reached 190 (yes, I know that seems high) it is done. Here is the key part – tightly bundle the whole thing in a tin foil pack, not allowing any steam to escape and let it sit for at least an hour. This will allow the moisture within the pork to redistribute and make for the most tender, flavourful pork ever!
A simple coleslaw recipe works best for piling on top of the pork – try Jean’s coleslaw on this site, and add a few pickled onions (also on this site).
I love the balance of flavours in this marinade, it just has the right amount of sweet, heat, sour and salt …. and caramelizes perfectly on the grill. I find it works really well on pork chops or chicken thighs but I’m sure it would be great on just about anything.
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
1 tbsp chile garlic paste
2 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
zest & juice of 1 orange
juice of 1/2 lime
Make enough marinade for 8 pork chops or 12 chicken thighs.
Garnish: lime, roughly chopped cilantro and green onions.
Place all marinade ingredients in food processor and give it a good whiz. Pour half of it in a ziplock bag with meat and reserve the rest. Give the meat a massage and allow to marinade for 30 minutes at the least and up to 8 hours.
Put reserved marinade in a small sauce pan and cook over moderate heat until reduced and thickened.
Heat grill, and grill meat, brushing with the reduced marinade.
These meatballs are tender and delicious – the sauce is rich and that mint sauce is a perfect taste to brighten it all up. If you aren’t a big fan of lamb, then use minced pork.
You could buy lamb merguez sausage to make these meatballs, but if that isn’t available to you, this is an easy fix and tastes amazing.
1 pound lean ground lamb
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp harissa
1 tbsp tomato sauce
Grind salt and fennel together until smooth, then add the rest of the spices and stir together. Add in garlic, harissa and tomato sauce to make a paste. Lightly toss paste with ground lamb, until well blended.
For the best flavour, allow to sit over night but they are great if made into meatballs right away too.
Form balls about 1″ in diameter. Heat oil until shimmering, then cook meatballs until just crispy on the outside and
Meanwhile ….. on roasting pan in moderate oven (375) toss in olive oil:
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup black olives
Roast until vegetables are tender, and blend with enough olive oil to make a smooth sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss meatballs with tomato sauce and serve with mint sauce.
Mint Sauce
Blend fresh mint leaves with a drizzle of honey, freshly squeezed lemon and olive oil just until smooth – season to taste with salt.
If you have the time then a beef brisket should be cooked in a smoker, low and ever so slow ….. 10 hours minimum. If, however, that doesn’t work for you, and for lots of us at times it just doesn’t. Try this … perhaps not as authentic, but absolutely delicious.
Combine in slow cooker:
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 chipotles in adobo sauce – finely chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Rub the brisket with:
1/4 cup paprika
1 tbsp chile powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 5 lb beef brisket – cut in half width wise.
Place rubbed brisket onto sauce in slow cooker and allow to cook on low for 10 hours.
If you have the time, and ability – allow beef to rest out of the liquid, then grill quickly on each side to get a bit of crunchy texture. Slice and return to sauce in slow cooker.
Serve on fresh buns with some nice crunchy cole slaw on top.
When in Mexico, one of our favorite street foods is Tacos al Pastor. We can’t equal the flavour at home without an upright spit to grill it, but this is a close second!
A plate of pork, seasoned with Tacos al Pastor flavours and just waiting for fresh corn tortillas!
1-4 lbs pork “butt” or blade roast (just make sure it is a cheaper cut, well marbled)
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
2 ancho chiles
2 guajillo chiles
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 Tbsp adobo sauce
5 clove garlic, peeled
A few sprigs of oregano (or 1 tbsp dried oregano)
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 large onion, sliced
Slices of pineapple
4 – 6 carrots, peeled and kept whole
1. Put the ancho and guajillo chiles in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow the chiles to steep until they are rehydrated, about 30 minutes. Discard the seeds and stems and toss the chiles in a food processor along with the remaining ingredients, except onion.
2. Slice the roast into 3/4inch thick slices, but not all the way through.
3. I usually put on plastic gloves for this part – the marinade REALLY stains …Slather the marinade between each layer until all the meat is covered. Stack the onion and pineapple slices in between the slices of meat. Tie the roast back together. Cover it and allow it to marinade for at least 3 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 245 °C (475 °F). Put the roast on a row of carrots in the bottom of a roasting pan and add water to the bottom of the pan (this is to keep the drippings from smoking). You can use a meat rack if you want, but those carrots will be incredibly delicious if you use them for a roasting rack! Roast for 30 minutes at this temperature then turn down the heat to 160 °C (300 °F). Roast until the meat is very tender (about 3 hours).
5. After removing the meat from the oven, cover it with foil and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.
6. Pull or shred meat apart
Out of the oven, and ready to rest for 30 minutes or so before shredding.
Serve with:
fresh corn tortillas
minced white onion
roughly chopped cilantro
This is a great change from the usual stuffing – goes really well with any roast – beef, turkey, chicken or lamb. We’ve had it with all! Now a family favourite. Even better is that leftovers make a fantastic snack or breakfast.
Trust me – this will be your new favourite savory stuffing or bread pudding!Preheat oven to 350
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 tbsp roughly chopped garlic
Saute until onions, celery and garlic are soft and translucent. Set aside to cool.
In large bowl combine:
12-14 cups cubed stale bread (I like calabrese or french)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp Italian seasonings
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 tin artichoke hearts, roughly chopped (tough outer leaves removed)
1/4 cup minced parsley
Toss gently to combine
Mix together:
4 large eggs
3 cups cream
2 cups milk
Add the onion mixture and the egg/milk/cream mixture to the large bowl with bread and vegetables.
If the bread does not absorb all the liquid right away – set aside until it does.
Put all the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and sprinkle the top with more freshly grated parmesan and a dusting of salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour.
Our family really likes the crunchy bits of stuffing or bread pudding, so I baked this earlier in the day in muffin tins so there were lots of edges, then turned it into a clay baker and warmed it all up for dinner.
If you really want to take this over the top …. crumble a bit of brie cheese into the dry mixture before adding the onion and milk mixtures.
Often I like to do what I call “smashed potatoes” which includes the skin and all … a more rustic look. Tonight I felt like a more refined approach (and had rustic russet potatoes with not very pretty skins..) Try this with a Sunday roasted chicken or beef – or tonight we had it with lamb shanks!
Creamy Smooth, Luscious Whipped Potatoes
Wash, peel and quarter potatoes – cover with water – once water comes to a boil generously season with salt, and add a few garlic cloves. (as much garlic as you are interested in)
Turn heat down to a moderately high heat and cook until potatoes are just tender to a fork.
Remove from heat, drain well.
Add milk (whole milk or cream works best), butter, salt and pepper. Use a potato masher to blend well, and then sprinkle in your herbs – stir in.
NEVER use a food processor. This will turn your potatoes into glue.
A hand potato masher works, as does a hand held blender, or a potato ricer.
Spoon into serving dish, dot with butter and sprinkle paprika over top. Put into a heated oven for a few minutes and the edges will crisp up and everything will just look so luscious … yum yum
This salad dressing makes a large jar – use it on anything! So great for pasta salads, rice salads, dressed up grilled vegetables, brush it on chicken for grilling, let your imagination run wild. You will love it – something we first had with my “Red Rice Rocks”, also known as a bowl of goodness.
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 generous tbsp tahini paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
red chili flakes (optional)
1 1/4 – 1/2 cups vegetable oil
Combine all ingredients except the oil in a blender – blend briefly, and then slowly drizzle in the oil until smooth and creamy.
These delicious burgers have an Asian twist to them, and are absolutely oozing yumminess! Tonight they were served on a slim style bun, but can be enjoyed on a regular bun as well. For an appetizer, make the patties small and serve on individual lettuce leaves.
The dipping sauce makes these burgers particularly delicious, make sure to have napkins handy, and lean over your plate.
1 pound (450 grams ish) lean ground pork
1 bag of frozen RAW prawns (around the same weight as the pork), chopped in small but identifiable pieces
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp. soya sauce
2 tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup finely sliced chives
In a large bowl mix up the eggs, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. Gently toss in the pork, prawns and chives.
Form patties, and allow to rest in the fridge to set up.
Either grill or cook on hot griddle. These are delicate, so make sure not to try and turn or rotate until they are well cooked on the first side.
Serve on a toasted bun with aioli on the bottom, and pickled cucumbers on top. To take this on to the most delicious burger, be sure to serve with the dipping sauce.
Sweet Chili Sriracha Aoili
4 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. sriracha (or other Asian style hot sauce)
1 tbsp. sweet chili paste
Blend well and allow to sit in fridge for flavours to come together.
Quick Pickled Cucumbers
1 cup very thinly sliced cucumber – tossed with rice vinegar, and seasoned lightly with salt, pepper, and a few chili flakes
Dipping Sauce
For each person, use a little individual dipping bowl and in each:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
drizzle of chile oil or chile flakes (to taste)
a couple slices of fresh garlic, and fresh ginger
sprinkle of chives or spring onion
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