Kitchen Love

I love to cook. I don't ever want to do it for a living again but I would still like to share. Hopefully I can add 1 recipe a week to this, including ingredients (as accurately as I can), technique and other commentary. I would really love it if some of my friends wanted to join in the fun of contributing or trying to recreate what I have done and giving some feedback. Maybe we can get a collection of kick ass recipes going. If you want to contribute then get in touch with me and we can work something out.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Pork Carnitas

If done right this stuff melts in your mouth. I have never done this so this will be an experiment. I kind of searched all over to get an idea of what to do and decided to wing it from there. I am sure that I will have to refine it a few times before I nail it but here goes.

Ingredients:

Dry Rub:

1 T Chili powder
1 T Salt
1 T Cumin
1 T Garlic Powder

Everything else:

4lb Pork Shoulder - Boneless will be easier to work with but bone in will give you better flavor
1 C chopped onion
2 Bay leaves
4 Cloves of garlic - peeled and whole (more if you like garlic)
1 t Paprika
1 t Oregano
1 t Cumin
1 Cinnamon stick
Chicken broth
Olive oil

Method:

Mix the dry rub ingredients together and rub into pork shoulder. Put in a container, wrap and chill. I would let it marinate at least over night but up to 3 days.

Put the bay leaves and other spices, except the garlic, in the bottom of the stock pot or a slow cooker.

Put a little bit of olive oil in a skillet large enough to hold the roast. Turn the heat up to medium. Cook the onions in the skillet until they start to turn translucent. Remove from skillet and put into either a large stock pot or slow cooker.

Throw the roast into the skillet and brown on all sides.

Put the roast into the stock pot/slow cooker. Cover the roast 3/4 of the way with chicken stock and add the garlic.



Cook covered over low heat for 6 - 8 hours.

When the roast is done remove it from the stock pot and reserve 2 cups of liquid. Let the pork rest for 15 minutes. Shred the pork with two forks, removing any large chunks of fat. If you are making this ahead of time you can put the shredded pork in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Put the shredded pork in a baking dish with enough of the reserved liquid to get it moist. Heat under a broiler until the pork starts to get crisp. Then serve.



Serve with corn tortillas, sour cream *, guacamole, diced onions, chopped cilantro, chopped jalapenos, salsa... pretty much what ever you desire. The rule of thumb is to keep it simple. You are not trying to make an overstuffed burrito, instead you are making little hand sized tacos.

* About a year a go I stopped using sour cream and replaced it with yogurt. Hear me out before you freak out. The plain Greek yogurt has the same consistency as sour cream it is just a touch sweeter. I like to add some pressed garlic to the yogurt and let it chill for a few hours to allow the garlic and yogurt to mingle. If you don't tell people they are eating yogurt instead of sour cream they will never know.

**One other note. Out of all of the recipes I saw the one thing that was constant was the use of pork shoulder. The butcher recommended the rump roast but I stuck with the shoulder. It turned out pretty good for about half the price of a rump.... 

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Variant on my bad ass chicken recipe

Well I was really rushed for time tonight and didn't have time to make my "Bad Ass Chicken Recipe" so I made a variant of it. As soon as I get a chance to make it I will post the original but for now this will have to suffice. I have never made this particular variant before so it is kind of an experiment. ;)

I don't really consider this so much of a recipe as it is a method...

Ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken thighs
Bacon (thin cut)
Your favorite BBQ sauce (mine is Bone Sucking Sauce)

Method:

Take a baking sheet or Pyrex baking pan and cover in aluminum. Put a baking rack in the pan on the aluminum.

Rinse and dry the chicken thighs.

Roll the thighs up and wrap them with a piece or two of bacon, then dip in your favorite BBQ sauce and place on the rack.

Once you have them arranged nice and neat, like so:

Throw them into an oven preheated to 375. Bake for about 40 minutes, turning once and basting. Once the chicken hits an internal temp of 165 it is done.



Serve with rice and a steamed veggie for a simple, easy dinner. Enjoy with your favorite beer.

After making this there are a few alterations that I would make.
1. Given the time I would marinate the chicken in the bone sucking sauce. I think it would enhance the flavor.
2. I should have turned on the broiler on for a few minutes and really crisped that bacon. There is just something about crispy bacon and chicken that is awesome.
3. I think a grill would have been best, with some Bone Sucking Sauce to baste the chicken with as it was cooking.