Smoked Loin Back Ribs w/ Roasted Tomato, Honey, and Chipotle Sauce

• 1 cup Cool Smoke Rub
• 3 racks loin back ribs
• ½ cup of apple juice
• 2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 3 cups Roasted Tomato, Honey, and Chipotle Sauce

Dust the ribs with the rub an hour before they're expected to go on the cooker.

Heat the smoker to 275°, and place 2 large apple wood chunks in the hot part of the charcoal 15 minutes before putting the meat on.

Place the ribs on the smoker meat side up and cook for 1 hour.  Spray with apple juice/Worchestershire sauce mix.  Spray again at 1.5 hours and 2 hours, then wrap in foil and continue cooking meat-side down until tender (1.5-2 more hours).

Make the sauce if needed after putting the ribs in foil.  Once ribs are cooked through, brush sauce on both sides and return to smoker uncovered for 5-10 minutes, but not long enough to burn the sauce.  

Serve immediately or hold in a warmed oven.

Lemon-Ginger Meatballs

• 2-3 pound ground pork (can substitute beef)
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and minced
• 2 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
• 2 eggs
• 3 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• freshly chopped herbs (optional garnish)

Heat the oven to 425˚ F with the rack in the middle.  Combine ingredients in a bowl. Make meatballs, set on parchment paper lined baking sheet and roast 12-15 minutes.

Pork Chops with Peppers

• 2 pork chops, about 200g each
• Olive oil, for frying
• 2 garlic cloves, skin on, crushed
• Small bunch of thyme
• Butter
• 1 red onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Small bunch of basil, leaves shredded

Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan, then add the onion and peppers. Season with salt and pepper and sauté over a high heat for 4–5 minutes until soft and colored.

Add the vinegar and let it bubble for a minute or two until it has reduced and the peppers are soft. Turn down the heat, add the Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Stir in the shredded basil and continue to cook for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Decant into a bowl and set aside to infuse. Wipe the pan clean, ready to cook the pork.

Make cuts into the fat of the chops, about 5mm deep and at 3–4cm intervals, making sure you don’t cut into the meat. Season the chops really well on both sides, pushing the seasoning into the meat.

Place the cleaned-out frying pan over a high heat until hot and add a dash of oil. Add the chops, garlic and thyme and fry for 2–3 minutes until colored. Turn and fry for a further 2–3 minutes on the other side, pushing the thyme under the chops and breaking up the garlic a little.

Towards the end of cooking time, add 3 knobs of butter and baste the chops with it as they are cooking, to speed up the cooking process and keep the chops moist. (Push the fatty edge of the chops towards the back of the pan to help render the fat.) Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and place with the herbs on top of the chops.

Transfer the chops to a plate, and rest for 5–10 minutes, spooning over the basting butter now and again.

Serve the chops on top of the peppers with the resting juices and a little juice from the peppers.

Sticky Pork Ribs

• 2kg pork ribs, separated
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 
• Olive oil, for frying 
• 6–8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced 
• 10cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced 
• 2–4 tsp dried chili flakes, to taste 
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns 
• 8 whole star anise 
• 8 Tbsp honey 
• 300ml coconut aminos 
• 4–5 Tbsp rice vinegar 
• 600ml Shaoxing rice wine or medium-dry sherry 
• 10 spring onions, trimmed and sliced 
• 800ml chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 350°. Season the ribs with salt and pepper, pushing the seasoning into the meat. Heat a roasting tray on the hob with a little olive oil and brown the ribs for 5–10 minutes until they are colored on all sides. Add the garlic, ginger, chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and honey and continue to cook over the heat for 2 minutes until the honey begins to caramelize.

Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and Shaoxing wine and bring to the boil, simmering for 1 minute. Taste and adjust the flavors, adding a little extra vinegar if necessary. Add the spring onions and stock and bring to the boil. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 1 hour until tender, turning the ribs halfway through the cooking time.

Remove the pan from the oven and place back on the hob. Heat the marinade and reduce for 8–10 minutes until the sauce is thick and syrupy. Turn the ribs in the sauce to coat them well, then serve.

Crock Pot Pork-Stuffed Peppers

• 2 pounds ground pork (or a combination of pork and beef)
• 4 large green peppers
• 1 large onion
• 2 carrots
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp dry oregano
• 1 Tbsp dry or fresh tarragon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tops of the peppers and clean the seeds out. Arrange peppers in the Crock-Pot standing up and make sure they fit securely. Grate onion, carrots, garlic and cauliflower in the food processor. You can also just chop them into small pieces with a knife if you don’t have a food processor. In a big bowl, combine ground pork, shredded vegetables, seasonings and tomato paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the peppers with the mixture and arrange leftover meat between the peppers. Add half a cup of water, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. If you don’t have a slow-cooker, the dish can be cooked in the oven, covered, for 1-2 hours.

Easy Pulled Pork

• 1 pork shoulder cut (butt or picnic), weighing 3-4 pounds
• 1-2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp of granulated garlic or garlic powder
• 6 fresh garlic cloves, peeled
• The juice of one lime (or sour orange, if you can get one)
• 1 onion
• 1 bay leaf

Mix together salt, cumin, black pepper and granulated garlic. Juice the lime over the seasonings and rub the mixture all over the pork. Use a knife to slice six thin cuts in the pork and push each clove securely inside each cut. You don’t want the fresh garlic to fall out and touch the cooking vessel or it will burn and affect the flavor of the meat.

The meat should sit out of refrigeration a half hour before you put it in the oven. This ensures that it will cook evenly throughout. If you want to let the meat marinate in the rub longer than this, put it in the fridge for an hour or even overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the roast in a pan with one sliced onion and a bay leaf. Cover and roast for three to four hours, or until the middle of the roast reads about 190 degrees and falls apart easily when pulled with a fork. Let the roast rest for twenty minutes or so, then uncover. You’ll notice a lot of liquid at the bottom. Use it as a sauce for the meat, which you will now viciously attack with two forks. It’ll fall apart pretty readily, and you’ll get the idea of the shredding method after a couple of pulls.

Cassoulet

• 2 lbs great northern beans
• 2 cups onion chopped
• ½ tsp pepper
• 4 Tbs garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbs Parsley -- chopped
• 4 cloves
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 Thyme Leaves
• ½ lb salt pork
• 2 lbs lamb, cubes
• 1 lb hot italian sausage
• 4 med tomatoes, diced
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 cups dry red wine

Soak beans overnight and rinse. Combine beans, onion, pepper, garlic and parsley. Wrap cloves, bay leaf, and thyme in cheesecloth. Add salt pork, lamb, sausage and tomatoes, broth and wine. Cook on low 9 to 10 hours. Discard spice bag and serve.

Pork Loin with Carrots, Fennel, and Lemons

• 1 1/2 lbs. carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 5 medium fennel bulbs, cut into 1-inch wedges
• 3 lemons, halved
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 pounds boneless pork loin roast, tied at 1-inch intervals
• 1 tsp ground coriander

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together carrots, fennel, lemons, and oil. Season with salt and pepper, arrange in a single layer, and roast 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and stir; place pork in center of sheet, sprinkle with coriander, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are tender and pork is browned and cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted into center should read 145 degrees), 40 to 50 minutes.

Tent pork with foil and let rest 15 minutes.  Slice pork and serve with lemons and remaining vegetables.

h/t marthastewart.com

Souvlaki

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. dried mint
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp dried onion powder
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced finely
• 2 lb. pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 ¼ inch cubes (or substitute leg of lamb)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon (for serving)

Mix all ingredients except pork, salt, and pepper into marinade and stir well. Marinade pork for three hours. Remove the marinade from the refrigerator one hour before grilling to allow the meat to come up to room temp. Skewer pork onto 4-6 skewers and sear on high heat until well browned on all sides, then move to indirect heat until cooked through. Dribble with lemon juice before removing from grill. Serve hot.

Pulled Pork for a Wedding

• 2 onions, sliced thin 
• 2 Tbs brown sugar 
• 1 Tbs paprika 
• 2 tsp salt 
• ½ tsp black pepper 
• 1 (4-6 lb) boneless pork butt or shoulder 
• ¾ cup cider vinegar 
• 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
• ½ tsp dry mustard 
• 4 cloves garlic
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (for mild heat) 

Place onions in crock-pot.  Combine brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper; rub over roast.  Place roast on top of onions.  Combine vinegar, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, mustard, garlic salt, and cayenne; stir to mix well.  Drizzle over roast.  Cover crock-pot; cook on low 8-9 hours.  Remove meat and onions; drain.  Chop or shred meat and onions, removing as much fat as possible.  Reserve juice for serving.