All posts filed under: pork

The $20 Dollar Dinner Party: Pork Ragú with Creamy Polenta

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Having friends join us for dinner in our home is one of the most fun and positive things we can do with our weekend. Sure, we could go out to dinner, there are more than enough amazing restaurants in Las Vegas to try, but there’s just something special about sharing a meal at home. Personally, I love having dinner parties. If I could, I would have a dinner party every single weekend! This particular weekend, I had a dilemma. I had a nearly empty checking account and four people coming over for dinner. The solution to my dilemma was a recipe for Pork Ragú with Polenta from the March issue of Bon Appetít Magazine. When Bon Appetít arrives in my mailbox, I get as excited as a kid with a Christmas catalog–eagerly dashing away with it and dreaming of all the scrumptious recipes I can make. When I saw this recipe, it lived in the back of my mind for several weeks, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to make it. Living in the West, I learned to cook pork shoulder using Mexican …

Cue it Up: Pulled Pork Sandwiches on Light Brioche Buns

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Yesterday was Mother’s Day and we celebrated by having both of our mothers to our home for a barbecue.  I did a lot of cooking.  I mean, a LOT.  I smoked a seven and a half pound pork shoulder, made some delicious pickled onions to go with it, barbecued chicken, baked beans and to top it off, some soft fluffy brioche buns to hold that delicious pork!  I was exhausted when it was all over, but it was fun and rewarding to honor our moms with a meal made with love that they didn’t have to cook themselves! The first time I ever made North Carolina Style pulled pork sandwiches was the year that the New Orleans Saints won the Superbowl.  I remember this because that’s the Man of The House’s favorite team and that was a very festive football season!  We had planned a big Superbowl party and I decided to try my hand at smoking a pork shoulder.  We were living in a different house at the time, with a very tiny yard …

Pork Shoulder Two Ways: Pork Chili Verde

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I entered my very first chili cook-off yesterday with a chili recipe I created using braised pork shoulder, fire roasted tomatillos, yellow chiles and serrano chiles.  I used the recipe for carnitas, only instead of broiling the pork as you would for the tacos, I put the pulled braised pork into the crock pot with the other ingredients for about 4 hours. Braised pork shoulder with fat removed and pulled into chunks15 to18 tomatillos4 to 6 yellow chiles (depending on how much heat you like)4 Serrano chiles (again, depending on how much heat you prefer)1 tablespoon cumin2 teaspoons coriander 1 large onion finely chopped6 cloves garlic, minced 1 15 ounce can of pinto beans with jalapeños, undrained1 15 ounce can of white beans, undrained1 juiced lime2 tablespoons chopped cilantroBraising liquid from the carnitas2 bay leavesSalt and pepper To prepare tomatillos, remove the papery skin and discard. You will find that they are also quite sticky and will need to be thoroughly washed before cooking.  While the pork was braising, I fire-roasted the chili peppers and …

Pork Shoulder Two Ways: Carnitas Tacos

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Yesterday, in honor of Administrative Professional’s Day, my office threw a party for the administrative staff and hosted a chili cook-off.  I originally wanted to enter a white turkey chili that I’ve made many times, but was unable to do so since two white chicken chilies had already been entered. So, back to the drawing board I went and developed a chili based on a pork carnitas recipe that was already a favorite of ours.  Since I was using a very large pork shoulder roast and the chili would take a longer time to cook, I decided to make carnitas tacos for our dinner Thursday evening. Carnitas tacos are my favorite type of taco!  These are the sort of tacos that you get from a little taco stand in Mexico, topped with cilantro, onions and a wedge of lime and they just make me feel like Summertime. “Carnitas” means “little meats” and it is traditionally made by frying pork in lard and then braising it.  The method I use is probably a little healthier, as …