BBQ Pulled Pork on Big Green Egg

Barbecued Pulled Pork on the Big Green Egg

(Recipe adapted from several you tube videos)

Ingredients:

• 2 Boneless Pork Shoulder 13-16 pounds total (Purchased from Costco)
• 1 16 Ounce Bottle of Cajun Injectable Marinade - Honey Bacon BBQ
• Syringe to inject marinade
• Yellow Mustard (French's)
• Dry Rub (Butt Rub)

Directions:

Open the package containing the pork shoulders and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels and place on a baking pan.

Get out the Marinade and the syringe to inject the marinade.

 Inject about 8 ounces of marinade in each pork butt. I usually insert the needle fairly deep into the meat and inject the marinade while moving the needle up. This allows the marinade to penetrate from top to bottom.

 Let the pork butts rest with the injected marinade for about an hour in the refrigerator. Meanwhile get your yellow mustard and dry rub ingredients ready for use.

 Coat the top and sides of the pork butt with yellow mustard. This will allow the dry rub to adhere better to the meat.

 Liberally apply dry rub to the top and sides of the pork butt.

 Flip both butts over and apply mustard then dry rub to the other side. Note: I finish with the pork butts so that the fat cap is facing up. I also smoke the butts with the fat cap up so that the fat drips down and over the meat.

 I get my Big Green Egg set up with a full load of lump charcoal and use the BBQ Guru to maintain a constant temperature. I set the BBQ Guru so that the internal temperature of the EGG is 220 degrees and put a meat probe into one of the butts. I then set the BBQ Guru so that I will get notification when the meat reaches a temperature of about 193 degrees.

I smoke with large chunks of apple wood that has been soaked in water. The EGG is set for indirect heat and I use an aluminum tray between the plate setter and the grill to catch drippings.

Between 18 and 22 hours of smoking later your pork butt will reach a temperature of 193. When you open the EGG to remove the meat you will see that the butts have developed a nice bark that is very tasty. NOTE: Do not open your EGG to look at the meat while smoking. This is all about low and slow cooking.

 So you may wonder what to do with the meat from 16 pounds of Pulled Pork. Well I use a FoodSaver to vacuum pack and seal individual 12 ounce portions that is just about perfect for 2 people for pulled pork sandwiches.

Place these packages in the freezer. When ready to eat just place a sealed bag into simmering water for 10 minutes or until hot. Slice open the bag and the meat will be very tender and juicy and smell like it just came from the EGG. Add a small amount of chicken or beef broth if the meat seems dry OR you can also add some BBQ sauce.

Beside pulled pork sandwiches, this meat can also be used for tacos, burritos, mixed into soups. 

Frijoles Negros (Black Beans)

From “Memories of a Cuban Kitchen” by Mary Urrutia Randelman

Ingredients:

1 pound dried black beans rinsed in cold water, picked over, and soaked overnight in cold water to cover by 1 ½ inches. (Remove any beans that float to the top)

1 bay leaf

1 medium-sized green bell pepper, seeded and cut into quarters

For the Sofrito:

2/3-cup pure Spanish olive oil

3 to 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 medium-size green bell pepper seeded and finely chopped

2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded aji cacbucba (Rocatillo pepper, or green chile)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1.     The next day after soaking the beans, check that the water is still covering the beans by 1 ½ to 2 inches, and add more water if needed. Pour into a large saucepan, add the bay leaf and green pepper, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and cook uncovered, until the beans are tender and they have almost cracked open, about 2 hours. Check the beans while they are cooking and if they need more liquid, add some hot water.

2.     To prepare the sofrito, in a skillet heat the oil over low heat until it is fragrant, then add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion is transparent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cumin, vinegar, and Rocatillo pepper and mix well.

3.     Add the Sofrito to the beans, mi well and cook over low heat, covered, until the beans crack open, 30 to 40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 8 servings

Note: Recommend Black Beans are by "Faraon"

Omelet In a Bag

Recipe from Colleen Smith

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• diced ham
• chopped green onion
• chopped green pepper
• chopped tomato
• hash browns
• salsa
• 1 plastic storage bag

Directions:
Crack the two eggs into the bag, shake to combine. Knead the bag to make sure the eggs are well mixed. You can put avariety of ingredients or what ever you wish for your omelet in a bag. Each guest adds the prepared ingredients of their choice in their bag and shakes it. Seal the bag making sure to get all of the air out of the bag and that the ingredients are in the bottom of the bag. Place the sealed bag into a large pot of boiling water for 13 minutes. You can cook up to 6-8 bags at a time in the large pot of boiling water.

To eat, simply open the bag and the omelet will roll easily out of the bag.

ENGLISH MUFFIN BREAD

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups of warm water
3 Tablespoons of Dry Active Yeast
2 Tablespoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Sugar
11 cups A/P Flour

Directions:
Combine the first four ingredients in bowl of stand mixer.
Start the mixer and add the flour. Blend until combined and dough has come together.
Turn the dough into a large bowl that has been sprayed with an oil spray "PAM". Make sure the bowl will be large enough for a doubling in volume.

Let dough rest in a warm place for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

Spray 4 loaf pans with "PAM" and divide the dough equally into the four pans. Allow the dough to rise to the top of the pan (about 45 minutes)

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Brush top of bread with melted butter about 10 minutes before baking is completed.

Turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Chasen's Chili

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper chopped fine
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 TBS oil
1 TBS butter
1 pound ground beef
1 pound lean ground pork
1 TBS salt (additional to taste)
1 tsp pepper
2 TBS chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 large can tomato paste
2 cans black beans

Directions:
In a large sauce pan heat the oil and the butter. Add the onion and the red bell pepper. Cook 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and save.

Add more oil and butter to pan and add beef and pork mixture that has been broken in to pieces. Add salt and pepper and brown meat slightly. Return the onion and red bell pepper mixture to the pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Bring the pot to a boil. Simmer for an hour. Add the black beans.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 1 lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Vanilla Bean Zabaglione with Berries

Picture from "TheItaliandishblog.com"

serves 4

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon dry Marsala wine
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split seeds scraped out
• 1 Tablespoon orange juice
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Chambord (optional, but yummy) 

Whip the cream until it is stiff and place in the refrigerator. 

Prepare an ice bath (just a large bowl filled with ice water) and set aside.  Fill a medium saucepan with about 2 inches of water, place on the stove and bring the water to a simmer.

In a medium size stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, wine, vanilla bean seeds and orange juice until blended.  Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture is thick, about 5-8 minutes.  It can take as long as 10 minutes.  Make sure the water is just barely simmering and not boiling - you do not want to cook the eggs, but gently heat them up. 

When the mixture is thick, turn off the heat and place the bottom of the bowl in the ice bath to cool down (make sure to not get any water into the mixture).  Whisk for a couple of minutes until the mixture has cooled down. Fold the whipped cream into the mixture.  (At this point, you can refrigerate the mixture until you are ready to use it).

Place the berries, the sugar and the Chambord in a bowl and gently toss.  Divide into 4 glasses.  Top with the zabaglione.

make ahead tip:  you can make the zabaglione ahead of time (folding in the whipped cream or not) if you like and then assemble before serving.  

The Italian Dish
theitaliandishblog.com