This Little Piggy--Take 5

As I've stated here before, I'm particularly fond of pork; bacon, chops, tenderloin, roasts and pork shoulder.  Berkshire pork is my all-time favorite, sold here in San Diego at Iowa Meat Farms and Seisels' meat, this pork is like nothing you've ever tasted before; bred for flavor (read that as fat) this piggy is delicious!  

 
Today I've got a Berkshire shoulder in the slow cooker slathered with Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Rub; we're having pulled pork sandwiches for dinner tonight. 

Pork shoulder is one of the easiest and most delicious cuts of meat to prepare, and yields enough for lots of left over meals: think carnitas tacos, pork ragu with pappardelle, sesame noodle salad with pork and spicy peanut sauce---they are all awesome and with such a large piece of meat you do get leftovers!  

We started with NO liquid in the cooker, and now have over 4 cups of liquid in the pan.

Expect to get 1/2 the amount of meat that you started with, so if it's a 5 pound shoulder, you'll get about 2 1/2 pounds of meat---enough for a small army, or the frat boys!  The slow cooker takes care of all the work, and in 6 hours on high, or 12 on low you'll have pork nirvana.    

Berkshire Pork Shoulder for Pulled Pork BBQ
Serves 8

Two large sweet yellow onions like Vidalia, coarsely chopped
One 5 pound Berkshire Pork shoulder (not every shoulder is the same---anything from 4 1/2 to 6 pounds will work here)
1/2 cup Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Rub (or your favorite)
1/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1. Lay the onions into the bottom of the slow cooker.  Lay the pork onto a cutting board, or a large piece of plastic wrap.  In a small bowl, blend together the rub and sugar, and massage into the roast.
2. Lay the roast over the onions in the slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 10 to 12 hours, until the pork is fork tender. 
3. Remove the pork from the slow cooker, and allow to cool for 20 to 30 minutes before pulling the pork into pieces.  Serve the pork with BBQ sauce (see Big Bob Gibson's Championship Red Sauce) soft rolls and slaw. 
4. If you would like to pull the pork and add it back to the slow cooker, remove the onions and liquid in the pan, and transfer the pulled pork to the slow cooker and turn to the warm setting. 
5. The onions and liquid can be strained, fat removed, and used for pork stock at a later time. 
6. Slow cooker notes:  If you have a "Crock Pot" they are notoriously hot cookers, so cook on low for the amount of time that you would on high---you get what you pay for with electrics, so if you got TWO of these for $45 there is a reason.  My favorite slow cookers are:  Breville, Cuisinart, KitchenAid, and All-Clad--high end, yet heat evenly---you will be happy with any of these cookers. 

Phillips Championship BBQ Sauce
Makes 6 cups

2 tablespoons canola oil



2 sweet onions, such as Vidalia, finely chopped


2 teaspoons garlic powder


1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper


1/4 teaspoon celery seed


1 1/2 cups ketchup


1/2 cup brown sugar


One 8-ounce can tomato sauce


1/2 cup beef broth


2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce


1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic powder, cayenne, and celery seed and cook for 2 minutes to soften the onions.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, and maintain at a simmer for one hour.
3. If not using immediately, cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Snow Day

While we have been experiencing rain here in San Diego the East Coast is being battered by a blizzard.  I have to say that when I left Boston what seems like 100 years ago, I knew I wouldn't miss the cold weather, and I don't!  Waiting for a streetcar in sub-zero weather to get to school, and the prospect of returning to the cold once school was over didn't make me all warm and fuzzy inside.  
So, as our kids on the East Coast were readying for the storm, I didn't envy them the walk to the store to pick up milk and other supplies, and while I love hot chocolate, snow days still don't appeal to me. 

If you are having a snow day, and feeling like making some chocolate, this is one of my favorite recipes.  My friend Lora Brody says that hot chocolate  should soothe your insides with big chocolate flavor, I say it should leave a large whipped cream mustache, as well!  Enjoy!


 Totally Awesome Hot Chocolate
Serves 4

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely grated (don't use chocolate chips, they won't melt---Scharffenberger, Ghirardelli, Callebault, or Guittiard are all great choices here)

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan, and heat over low heat, whisking until the chocolate is melted, and simmer for 5 minutes until the chocolate is at serving temperature.  Serve the hot chocolate in mugs garnished with whipped cream, marshmallow and candy canes for stirring.

What's For Dinner?

After teaching holiday dinner classes for the past 2 months, you would think I wouldn't be in the mood to cook the same thing, but that's what we do here at Chez Phillips.  This is my plate, from the top clockwise:  beef tenderloin with red wine reduction sauce, green beans with olive oil and garlic, Gulliver's corn, and twice baked potatoes (it's a 1/2)  It was good, but when I was making the sauce, I was thinking that the sauce really does make this meal, it's rich, flavorful and really lights up the beef.  Tenderloin doesn't have a lot of flavor, so the sauce just sets this right up for a dynamite finish. So for all of you who couldn't take my classes this fall, this sauce is for you--Merry Christmas!

Red Wine Reduction Sauce 
Makes about 3 cups

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
6 sprigs thyme leaves
4 cups beef broth (your choice)
2 cups full bodied red wine (I used Zinfandel today, but Merlot and Cabernet and Burgundy are good choices---No Pinot Noir please)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Reducing the sauce

Butter and flour mixture

Finished sauce

Deglazing the roasting pan

1. In a 3 to 5 quart saucier, melt the butter, an saute the shallot and thyme for 3 to 5 minutes until the shallot is softened.  
2. Add the broth and wine, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the mixture has reduced by 1/3 (you can see the line on the side of the pan) 
3. Remove from the stove, and strain through a fine mesh strainer.  At this point, the sauce can be frozen for 3 months, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.  
4. When ready to serve, bring the sauce to a boil, stir together the butter and flour, an whisk into the sauce, bringing the sauce back to a boil.  
5. Serve the sauce immediately over beef, pork or salmon.  
6. If you find that the sauce has a pronounced wine flavor after reducing (it has to do with the type wine---not your cooking it) I recommend that you deglaze the roasting pan with the sauce, any browned bits on the bottom of the pan will round out the flavor of the sauce.

Christmas Breakfast

Christmas breakfast here at Chez Phillips is a Dutch Baby Pancake and as you can see by the photo I nailed it this year; just wishing the rest of the family was here to enjoy it.  Basically a big popover, it bakes in a 400 degree oven to puff up and is served with warmed maple syrup, fruit or traditionally with butter, fresh squeezed lemon and powdered sugar---heaven on a plate!

Dutch Baby Pancake

Serves 3 to 4

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large eggs
3/4 cup cold milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
Warmed Maple syrup
Fresh Fruit
Lemon Wedges
Butter
Sifted Confectioner's sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the butter into a 10-inch wide shallow pie plate and slide the plate into the oven to get hot and melt the butter while you are making the batter.
2. In a blender, process the milk and eggs until frothy, about 1 minute.  Add the flour, cinnamon sugar and vanilla, and blend another 2 minutes.  
3. Pour the mixture into the hot butter and bake 15 to 17 minutes until puffed and golden.  
4. Remove from the oven, slice into wedges and serve with bacon (what else?)
5. Do-Ahead Note:  the batter can be blended, and kept in the jar in the fridge overnight, then blended in the morning and baked.  The colder the batter and the hotter the butter/pan/oven the better the puff. 

Not a crumb left!  Dr. C and Ryan have gone to the U.S. Naval Hospital to deliver gifts to the Wounded Warriors in the hospital during the holidays, we'll open presents when they return.  
Wishing you a delightful day celebrating.

Night Vigil

This morning this post was going to be very different; full of good cheer, a bit of food, maybe a photo or two and some snarky comments.  One phone call changed that; a friend of our daughters' who became one of "our kids" is in the hospital tonight in a coma and not expected to live. 
There really isn't anything I can say here that will make this any better and being 3,000 miles away from our daughter as she is grieving her friend makes it harder. 
What I do know is that Jason knew she loved him; actually Jason knew we all loved him....and I guess my lesson from this is that as I pray for a miracle, for this young, elegant, talented young man to somehow rally, and beat the odds, I know that there aren't any regrets there....making sure that we tell and show our friends and family that we love them, and care for them seems so important and yet, is so simple. Unfortunately, too many times we let things get in the way of telling or showing those we love how much they mean to us.  
As we celebrate Christmas, I'd ask you to pray for Jason, his family and friends who have filled his Facebook page with love and care, knowing that he would have done the same for them.  Wishing you peace on this night.