Weeknight Pork Carnitas

Mexican pork carnitas are traditionally made with a slowly braised pork roast. The fatty, but wonderfully tasty pork but roasts are heavily seasoned with herbs and spices and the slow cooking breaks down the meat so it becomes very tender. My adaptation for a weeknight version of pork carnitas uses leftover grilled pork tenderloin. While pork tenderloin is very lean, it is also quite tender, so it works very well in this recipe. Since it's already cooked through, all it takes to get to the final product is to cut the pork into small cubes, season well with spices, and saute over a high heat with onions and pepper. Served the traditional way in warm flour tortillas with chopped cilantro, homemade fire roasted salsa, some grated pepper jack cheese and a squeeze of fresh lime and you'll think you're in Mexico in the middle of a busy work week. Here's how I put these carnitas together.

Pork (Tenderloin) Carnitas


Ingredients:

• 1 cooked pork tenderloin, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
•  chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder, garlic powder, oregano, black pepper...about 1 Tbsp total
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 a green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced fine
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• chopped cilantro
• juice and zest of half a lime

Directions: Heat the oil in a large skillet (cast iron would work great here) over a medium high heat. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until they soften. Add the jalapeno and the diced pork and toss with the vegetables in the oil and begin to brown the meat. Once the meat begins to pick up some color add a few god shakes of the spices (or use about a tablespoon of southwestern seasoning). Toss or stir the pork and vegetables well so that the mixture is well coated with the seasoning. Continue to cook until the onion and peppers have caramelized and the pork has browned. At the end add the lime juice, zest, cilantro and season with a little salt to taste.

While the pork and vegetable are cooking, prepare the toppings and warm your tortillas. I like to assemble mine by laying down a warm flour tortilla, spooning on some of the pork and vegetable mixture, followed by some grated pepper jack cheese, salsa, chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime and some good Mexican hot sauce.

Pork and Beans

Baked beans are a dish that holds a place close to the heart of Newfoundlander's and New Englander's alike. It's an east coast thing I suppose. With ingredients from our isolated coastal past such as dried beans, molasses and salt pork staples in maritime kitchens it's no wonder this meal is so popular from from the tip of Newfoundland down to Boston, with many variations along the way.

While I like salt pork or bacon as a base to my baked beans I wanted to try something different and have a good quantity of meat in the final dish. Thinking back to canned pork and beans I ate as a kid, I thought why not make a baked bean dish with tender sirloin pork chops (also called county style ribs). With a busy work week ahead, I hauled out my slow cooker to do the job. Since beans love the low and slow cooking method, the slow cooker was the perfect choice. The result was a delicious, rich, hearty baked bean dish with tender morsels of pork and a tangy sweetness from the molasses, mustard and vinegar. You can also taste the beer!

Slow Cooker Pork and Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry navy beans, sorted, rinsed
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 1/2 cup  molasses
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup good beer (such as Sam Adams Boston Lager or Quidi Vidi 1892)
• 4 Tbsp deli mustard
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp dried summer savory
• 3 cups tomato puree
• 1 cup water
• 2 lbs sirloin pork chops or southern style ribs

Directions:

To give the beans a head start and to ensure they become tender in the slow cooker, boil them in water for 10 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Place all the ingredients in the slow  cooker, including the pork ribs and drained par-cooked beans. Stir well so that everything is combined. Cover and cook on low until the beans are tender, 8-10 hours. Remove the pork chops/ribs from the pot and remove the meat from the bones. Return the pork meat to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some good bread and a nice bottle of beer.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches...Satisfaction at its finest!

I really enjoy pork...the other white meat as they say. As Homer Simpson would say..."yes Lisa, a magical animal". Growing up in rural Newfoundland pork was an easy and inexpensive option for meals. In Newfoundland pork chops more often than not are the choice for barbecuing (grilling), ham is a staple, and pork roasts are a common meal. For me personally, I was fortunate to enjoy a "cooked dinner" every Sunday, which consisted of Jigs Dinner (salt meat, carrots, rutabaga, cabbage and potato, and usually a peas pudding) plus more meat, either a stuffed chicken, a pot roast, or a pork roast...each with a delicious gravy to smother the works in. While I'll talk more about all those other foods in future blogs, right now I want to focus on the pork roast.

The most common choice for a pork roast, is a bone-in butt roast (actually from the front end of the pig, not the ...well you know). This cut is a bit fatty, but with that you get awesome flavour. You also get a cut of meat that can be slow cooked (very hard to overcook) so it becomes fall off the bone tender and very juicy. With Jigs Dinner, the only way I ever had a pork roast was cooked for 3 hours at 350 with salt, pepper and onion. As it turns out, the pork roast is common in many cuisines, and one of the most popular is in southern US BBQ, and more specifically "pulled pork". While the most authentic pulled pork is cooked long and slow in a smoker, my recipe for the home cook is cooked long and slow in either a slow cooker or low oven. I add a homemade dry rub and serve it with a kicker of a sauce.

Basic Dry Rub

1/2 cup kosher Salt
1/4 brown sugar
1 Tbsp each of chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder
1 tsp each of black pepper, cayenne pepper, ancho chili powder, dry mustard
mix well, and store in an air tight jar

Eastern North Carolina BBQ Sauce

This BBQ sauce may be like no other BBQ sauce you've ever had. It's "watery" instead of "ketchupy" and is best applied just before each bite you take of the pork or the sandwich. This is my adaptation on a recipe a friend of mine gave me. His girlfriend is from South Carolina so it;s pretty authentic.

Fill a mason jar with

1 Cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it hotter)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp Hot Sauce (Frank's) or less of Tabasco
a couple shakes of Worcestershire Sauce
Shake well

Pulled Pork

Preheat oven to 300 or use a slow cooker
Use a 5-6 pound butt (bone in) pork roast, as you will want leftovers. This will feed a crowd.
Rub the entire roast with enough of the dry rub to completely cover.
Add seasoned roast, to a roasting pan, add a splash of water, apple juice or beer, and cover.
Cook for six hours, or at least until bone can be pulled free with no resistance.

Remove from oven and let rest, covered for 15 minutes.
Using two forks, shred the meat (I also encourage you to taste juicy morsels)

Select good roll for your sandwiches, and toast/broil them to add a little crunch.

Pile the rolls high with pork, add a little sauce, top with the roll. Keep some of the sweet/sour and hot BBQ sauce handy and spoon or squirt some before each bite. You will not be disappointed. I like to serve this with a good coleslaw and a glass of iced tea.

Enjoy.