Tag: pork

Carnitas (Pork Tacos)

These carnitas are fall apart tender and cook in the slow cooker. The taco garnishments are all your choice. My crew likes fresh jalapenos, sour cream, onions, cilantro, salsa and limes. One thing that is a must when I serve carnitas is fresh lime wedges. There is something about the fatty pork with the acidic lime that makes an absolutely perfect bite.

This pork can also be used for nachos, enchiladas, burritos-basically, anything that you can imagine. If we have leftovers, I may fry an egg in the morning and place on top of some pork for breakfast. You would be surprised at the things I have placed a fried egg on.

I had full intentions of making some fresh guacamole, but the grocery store didn’t cooperate. I had left over pinto beans from a couple of nights ago that I smashed a few times with a potato masher, threw a couple of tablespoons of salsa into and heated them up. I have a gluten sensitivity, so I had corn tortillas for me and flour tortillas for the rest of the family.

Here is the best part: I purchased a huge pork butt at the local grocery store last night. This morning, I pulled it out of the fridge, trimmed off a lot of the fat, cut into large chunks, coated the pieces with taco seasoning and threw into my large slow cooker and placed on low. That was at 8am. When I arrived home at 5pm, the entire house smelled wonderful and it only took me a few minutes to grab all the fixings.

This particular cut of pork is fatty. Before serving, I skimmed 4 cups of fat from the top of the meat. Then I took tongs and just broke up the large chunks and served it right out of the slow cooker. The pork literally fell apart. This cut is also inexpensive, I spent $15 on this large pork butt and will use it for at least 2-3 meals this weekend.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook it in your oven, covered, at 225 degrees for 8 hours.

Carnitas (Pork Tacos)

These carnitas are fall apart tender and cook in the slow cooker.


Ingredients


1 pork butt or shoulder
1/4 cup taco seasoning of your choice

Directions


Trim the fat from the pork and cut into large chunks. Sprinkle with the seasoning and place in a large slow cooker on low. Drain most of the fat from the crock pot with a measuring cup. Break up the meat chunks with tongs and serve.


Make this recipe your own. Add your favorite garnishments. Or go in an entirely different direction and omit the taco seasoning and add Asian components- sesame oil, teriyaki, soy and/or ginger.

Sunday Gravy

There is so much comfort and love from a red sauce that has simmered all day. I love the thick, rich darkness of this sauce combined with the tender pork and vegetables. The hardest part of this recipe was deciding what to name it. Is it a ragu? Probably not, because of the amount of tomatoes I added. I am not Italian and not trying to replace any Nonna’s cherished recipe. However, I can tell you, just cooking tomatoes all day makes for a great sauce on its own.

Today I did not have any fresh herbs so I decided to skip the Italian trinity: oregano, basil, bay leaf. So I used good quality canned tomatoes and let the meat, vegetables and garlic stand on their own. I also add different things every time I make this, it just depends on my mood and what I have on hand. I usually throw in Italian sausage, but today I had kielbasa on hand. I found a 5lb half pork shoulder at the grocery store earlier in the week and it looked perfect for Sunday Gravy. I have used beef, chicken and pork, the possibilities are endless. You could spoon this on top of pasta or polenta. My choice would be freshly made pappardelle pasta but I did not have any on hand. It’s a rainy, cold morning, and I am certain this will be just fine over spaghetti noodles tonight.

I have a large, enameled cast dutch oven that works perfectly for this and so many other things I whip up in the kitchen. If you are looking for a gift for someone that cooks for you, think about enameled cast iron. There are some pricey, fancy French brands that many of us covet from afar and some very reasonably priced ones, as well.

One of the great things about this dish is it freezes beautifully. And that is an added bonus and it will be a wonderful, easy dinner in a few weeks after a full day of work.

The wine is important and there is a good amount in this recipe. The alcohol cooks out and what is left the deep flavor of the wine. Do not use an expensive bottle and do not use cooking wine. You always need to use a wine you would drink. I always have some Kirkland brand wines around, they are inexpensive and very good quality for the price. They are perfect for cooking and also great for a weeknight glass of vino.

The only topping you will need is freshly grated parmesan cheese. Please don’t use the stuff already grated or shredded. Grate your own cheese, always. It’s a game changer. I have a mini chopper I use for this, it was a Christmas gift many years ago and I put it to good use often.

I would pair this with a good Chianti , Pinot Noir or a Red Blend. We had an Arabilis Pinot Noir on hand that was perfect.

Sunday Gravy


Ingredients


5lb pork shoulder or butt, fat trimmed, cut into large chunks
1 package of Italian sausage or a kielbasa
7 garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 can tomato paste
2 cups red wine
2 28 ounce cans of good quality crushed tomatoes

Directions


Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Brown the chunks of pork on all sides. Remove from pot. On medium heat, saute the onions, celery, carrots for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cooks for 1 additional minute. Add tomato paste and cook for an addition 1-2 minutes. This removes any “tin” flavor from the paste. Add wine and stir, scrapping any bits of meat from the bottom of the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes. Return the pork to the pot and add the sausage. Cover the pot and place in the oven for 4-6 hours. When you lift the lid, there may be fat on the top. You can easily spoon some of that off and then stir and serve over pasta or polenta.


Make this recipe your own. Add oregano, bay leaf, basil, thyme. Spice it up with crushed red pepper. This can easily be gluten free by serving it over gluten free pasta.

Magic Marinade

This marinade is very versatile. I have used it for Asian inspired meals as well as meals that are just plain American, like steak and potatoes. The first time I put it together, I marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs. Jay threw them on the grill and it was the best chicken I had ever eaten. I have marinated anything and everything from vegetables to steaks and have never been disappointed. The brown sugar makes for some excellent caramelization on the grill.

The bonus to this recipe, is you probably have everything you need already in your pantry. The longer you marinate, the more rich the flavor. So anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight works. And of course, an overnight marinade will bring the best results.

The acid (vinegar, soy, worcestershire) works as a tenderizer so whatever protein you choose will be divine. It works well tenderizing tough cuts of beef like a flank or skirt steak. If you choose one of these cuts, make sure you opt for an overnight marinade to really cut the toughness.

If you are gluten sensitive like me, swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos.

Magic Marinade


Ingredients


1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt

Directions


Place all ingredients in a plastic sealable bag in in a pan and toss in your protein. Ideally, marinating it overnight brings out the best flavor, but anywhere from a couple of hours to 30 minutes will also bring amazing flavor. This started out as a chicken marinade, but I have used it on everything from pork tenderloin to ribeye steaks with excellent results.


Make this recipe your own. Add some heat with red pepper flakes or garlic for extra flavor.

Pork Roast

This fork tender pork roast is a staple at our house and comes with a wonderful bonus- leftovers.

Don’t be scared of the garlic. When garlic is slow roasted it turns into a jammy, sweet goodness that just melts into the roast.

Don’t be scared of the fat. There is a lot of fat that will be rendered during the cooking process. It can be tossed. The good thing is the fat has come OUT of the meat. The fat is what allows for the long cooking process and the tender, moist meat.

My favorite leftover option is tacos. I warm up the leftover pork in a skillet and throw it into a corn tortilla with fresh, sweet onions and a little cilantro. I have also made nachos, quesadillas, bbq sliders, pizza and soup from the leftovers with great results.

You can honestly choose any size pork roast- you still cook it for 8 hours.

You can opt for the slow cooker, but I find there is just something special about it in the oven.

Pork Shoulder Roast

This simple pork roast is a staple at our house and leftovers can be turned into tacos, nachos, BBQ sandwiches or soup. You can throw it in the oven on your way out the door in the morning and 8 hours later it is ready and your house will smell amazing.


Ingredients


1 6-7 lb Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt
10-20 garlic cloves
generous amount of salt and black pepper

Directions


Heat oven to 250 degrees. Place the pork roast in a heavy pan with a lid. I use a coated cast iron pan. If you do not have such a thing, put it in a cake pan and cover with foil. There is no wrong pan. I use a small knife to make holes into the pork stuff each hole with a garlic cloves. Salt and pepper generously, put the lid on and forget about it. It is done in about 7-8 hours.

Make this recipe your own. In the winter, I love to sprinkle the top heavily with fennel seeds before cooking. You could also use a butt rub prior to cooking. The possibilities are endless.
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