Pulled Pork again

So I have blogged about pulled pork before, but now I am doing it for real. This recipe is the ultimate feed a crowd recipe on the cheap. I am making it constantly. Blue and Gold banquet (oh cub scouting you are the bane of my existence), big family parties, and other events. Last weekend I made it for the camera crew that came to film the human sling shot at my parents house (I will blog about that later) I buy a pork shoulder from Costco, you know the big ones, I forgot the weight. First I make a rub--

Pork Shoulder Rub

3 T salt

2 T pepper

3 T brown sugar

1 T Paprika

2 t dry mustard

2 t dried sage

1/2-1 t cayenne pepper (depending on how spice you like things)

Before you rub it on the shoulder, give the meat a few liberal drops of liquid smoke. I am not really sure what liquid smoke is, but it does make it taste smokey, so just use it. Rub the rub all over the shoulder, focusing on the non-fat side. Most people like to put the meat fat side up (that is the classic way) however, I go fat side down because I don't eat the fat, and I want the parts I eat to be nice and browned and tasty, so I go fat side down. Then add 2 or three onions quartered, add 7 or 8 garlic cloves sliced or smashed, and about 8 bay leaves.

This is one package from Costco, two came in one bag

Put in the oven for about 45 minutes at 450 degrees, then turn down to 200 degrees and cook for at least 12 hours covering it half way through ( I cooked this one for like 18 hours, but that was because I was lazy) . If you want it a little quicker, just turn up the heat, add some water and cover it (like 325 for 5 hours would work). Low and slow is best. You know it is done when it falls apart. Pulling it is a matter of putting on some gloves and letting fall apart between your finger, and discarding the fat. Run the drippings through a sieve and spread it over the meat. Now in my opinion, putting the barbecue sauce all over is a crime. It tastes good on its own, and serving BBQ sauce on the side is a perfect compliment.

It is great to make in advance and just reheat it in its own drippings. You too can have a great Blue and Gold banquet! You deserve it for all those merit badges you earned for your kid!

Beet Obsession

I have just realized that I really like beets. It started the invention of the romance salad. Next, upon reading Tom Colicchio's recipe book that Kris bought me in Vegas, it has a recipe of roasted beets. So I bought me some beets at wally world (aka wall mart) for future roasting. That evening, I forced Fairb to take me to a new restaurant that I have been dying to try, Communal in Provo. (did I mention that Grandma Vicki saved spring break and let the kids have a 4 day sleep over at her house? She is amazing!) He had roasted beets on the menu.

As a review for Communal, I thought it was fabulous. The beets were great, Utah trout cooked perfectly, and my husbands pot roast was to die for. It is a great little gem. What I loved about it is that you can tell that the restaurant is the Chef's pride and joy and all his dishes are all his little babies that he is so proud of. He served his roasted beets cold with some creme freche.

The next day I roasted my own beets and ate them hot with with a little butter. Delish! I saved the rest in the fridge to put in the next salad.

Roasted beets:

Peel and quarter the beats. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Toss the beets with a little olive oil kosher salt and fresh pepper. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 400 degrees. Serve warm with butter.

If you don't want red hands for a few days, wear gloves, which I did not do.

You will devour them, which will result in a surprise for you the next day when your are in the bathroom. Gross. I just ruined this blog post didn't I?

White Bean Soup

I know I have been neglecting you all, of which I apologize. Just to make you insanely jealous, I took a girls trip to Las Vegas. I lost a TON of money . . . . at awesome restaurants!! My number one goal for the trip was to eat raw oysters every day. A goal I met. My other goal was to eat at Top Chef judge, Tom Collichio's restaurant, Craftsteak. Holy smokes! It was the best food of my life!! If you have never had Wayngu Beef (also known as Kobe Beef) it is to die for! All I want for Christmas is a Wayngu cow in my backyard ( is that even possible?) It was fabulous food, not to mention great company and lots of laughs (the highlight was when the waiter humiliated Emily by asking her if they could be facebook friends, she was red in the face for the rest of the night!!). We also ate at one of Wolfgang Puck's restaurants for lunch (can't remember the name, sorry). I was skeptical, once a chef starts putting out frozen foods I get a little concerned. However, the food was great. My friend ordered a white bean minestrone, which inspired this soup.

It is spring break and there is a foot of snow in my yard! So soup season isn't quite over yet. Now the annoying part of this recipe I created is that you really won't get the same soup unless you use the braising liquid from some pork ribs. Once you have removed the ribs from the pot, let the liquid cool enough that the fat solidifies and you can skim it from the top. Then strain the liquid from all the other stuff. What remains is a perfect stock for soup! The moral of the story is always save any braising liquid, always!!

Recipe

1/2 lb white beans (northern beans) soaked overnight

4 c pork stock (or chicken stock)

1 can vegetable broth

2 c water

1 onion fine diced

1 c carrots fine diced

1 c celery fine diced

1/3 c flat leaf parsley minced

couple big handfuls of spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Start the beans cooking in the pork stock and water. Meanwhile, dice up the veggies (except spinach) and saute them in a little oil till fragrant season with salt and pepper. Add to boiling beans and turn down to medium low heat. Add parsley. Cook till beans are tender. Add spinach and cook a little longer. Taste for salt and pepper.

note: if you don't have your own fabulous stock, you might want to add some other seasoning like bay leaf, garlic, sage. . . .