Orzo With Sausage, Peppers & Tomatoes

I'm back from vacation. Well, I think I'm back from vacation, it took Delta Airlines so long to get me home I can't really recall what I was doing in Arizona.

Does it really take 15 hours to fly from Phoenix to Michigan? I know we had to stop and change planes in Minneapolis, or maybe it was Osaka, but more than half a day? Really?

We were traveling on MONDAY! That's right, not the Sunday at the end of Spring Break, but Monday. SSSal travelled on Sunday and was bumped along with 14 other people. Fifteen ticket holders refused a seat and mollified with a $400 travel voucher, $10 meal ticket and a hotel room for the night. That's an airline giving away $6,150+ to not fly!

When CrabCake 2 and I got to the airport Monday things were no better. The airport was already packed with bumped-grumpy travelers stuffing themselves with indifferent burritos and tepid hamburgers. When exactly did the airport turn into the bus station?

The thing is, we actually had it pretty good; some poor saps trying to get to Salt Lake City had been bumped twice and had no real prospect of getting home before Tuesday. Folks, you can drive from Salt Lake City to Phoenix and back in 24 hours!! "Delta, we love to fly and it shows."

The high point came when the gate agent announced that the latest SLC flight was full and the 20 people waiting standby wouldn't be making this plane and that the next flight had an "equipment change" to a smaller plane so they wouldn't be making that flight either.

Delta, their slogan should be "Delta Air Lines. We love to fly, just not with you on-board."

Ah well, vacation was nice, I think. I'll try and remember some stories for the next post. Since Delta had packed the planes like a cases of sausages I searched for an appropriate recipe. Orzo with Sausage. Peppers & Tomatoes is a Giada DeLaurentiis recipe that fits the bill. Alright, the food will be served in sections, please wait for your plate to be called, enjoy...

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers & Tomatoes

from Giada DeLaurentiis

3 roasted red peppers, rinsed, seeded and chopped

1 pound orzo pasta

3 cups chicken stock

3 cups water

1 TBSP kosher salt

2 TBSP olive oil

7 ounces (about 2 links) mild Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed and crumbled

1 clove garlic, minced

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

2 TBSP chopped fresh leaf parsley

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 cup ricotta salata cheese, crumbled

In a medium saucepan bring the chicken stock, water and kosher salt to a boil over high heat.

Add the orzo and cook until firm-tender, approximately 8-10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and saute an additional minute.

Add the bell peppers, red pepper flakes and chopped tomatoes. Saute an additional 2 minutes.

Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Transfer the drained orzo to a large bowl. Add the sausage and vegetable mixture along with the parsley. Adjust the seasoning. Toss all the ingredients adding as much of the reserved cooking liquid as needed to loosen the pasta.

Top with the crumbled ricotta and serve.

OK, this meal is much better than the stuff you'll get on any plane at at any airport. I think you need to double the amount of sausage for this recipe to really work, but it's a great bring along to your next pot luck or picnic.

Until next time crablings, remember, you can do it, you can cook; just make sure your armrests, seat back and tray tables are in their full upright and locked positions.

Sesame & Soy-Ginger Pork with Soba

I heard my first Christmas Carols on the radio the other day. I guess this one station in town starts playing them November 1st. Given a choice they'd probably start right after Labor Day but then they'd be accused of "disrespecting" Halloween. Yup, you don't want to go up against "Monster Mash".

I can't stand that we completely blow by Thanksgiving, but I have to admit I'm no better than the rest. It's a Saturday in mid-November, Michigan is blowing another football game and it's 60 degrees outside. Only one thing to do: Outdoor Christmas Lights!

Every year there's that one weekend when you can risk life and limb putting up your outdoor lights without freezing your finger tips. Today was the day. So,I started rooting around in the basement, finding lights, testing strings and cursing burned out bulbs. How can bulbs burn out while they're sitting in the basement unplugged?

I got everything up. I won't turn the lights on until the Friday after Thanksgiving, but at least there were no frozen finger tips or cracked patches of skin. I'm inspired to make something a bit lighter for dinner. Grill one more time in decent temperatures. Sesame & Soy-Ginger Pork is light and quick. The marinating happens while your stringing lights or raking the last of the season's leaves. Enjoy...

Sesame & Soy-Ginger Pork with Soba

from Donna Hay magazine, Issue 46

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup oyster sauce

1/4 cup mirin wine

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup water

12 ounces soba noodles, cooked

1 TBSP toasted sesame seeds

1 TBSP vegetable oil

Add the first 5 ingredients in a re-sealable bag and mix well to fully combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.

Preheat your grill over medium-high heat.

Remove the pork from the marinade, but KEEP THE MARINADE.

Grill the pork until done. Approximately 15 - 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so.

While the pork is grilling, prepare the soba noodles according to package directions. When done, rinse the noodles under cold running water.

While the pork and soba are cooking, transfer the reserved marinade to a small saucepan. Add the water and gently simmer until the sauce slightly thickens, about 5 minutes.

Toss the soba noodles with oil and sesame seeds. Serve the noodles with slices of pork and drizzle with the sauce.

OK, quick,easy and painless on a warm autumn day. The original recipe called for green tea soba noodles. I don't know where you live, but here, green tea soba noodles are hard to come by.

Alrighty crablings, I'm sure the weather is going to turn soon. until then remember, you can do it, you can cook.

Grilled Ginger-Garlic Pork

It's that time of year. You get up in the morning and you're freezing. You put on jeans, a polo and a sweatshirt.

Then the problems start.

By 10:30 the skies are clear, there's no breeze, it's 80 degrees and you're schvitzing like an Airedale. It's shoulder season crablings. It's not summer, it's not autumn. It's both!

You can tell all the other people who keep roughly your schedule just by hanging out at a Starbucks around 1 PM. The early risers are wearing long everything - shirts, pants, socks. The late rising lay-abouts stroll in wearing shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. You don't need to ask who has a job and who doesn't: If you see knees, they're unemployed.

Well it's no different when it comes to cooking. This time of year I just can't decide what I want to make. I get up in the morning and that little bit of a chill has me thinking about cranking up the oven. Then the temp rises 30 degrees and I'm wondering how I'm gonna grill a pot roast? Today's recipe is one of those scrambling plays. Grilled Ginger-Garlic Pork has that vaguely Asian taste that I love so much. Augment it with Mustard Dipping Sauce and you have a nice little dinner, so drop the sweatshirt and enjoy...

Grilled Ginger-Garlic Pork

adapted from www.theotherwhitemeat.com (no, seriously)

4 boneless pork loin chops or pork cutlets

Marinade

1 medium onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 TBSP chopped parsley

1 TBSP grated ginger

1/4 cup red wine

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Dipping Sauce

1 TBSP dry mustard

5 TBSP soy sauce

3 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup minced green onions for garnish (optional)

Place all the marinade ingredients into a large re-sealable bag. Zip closed and shake well to mix. Add the pork, reseal and refrigerate at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.

Remove the pork from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Preheat your grill to medium-high.

When hot, grill the pork to desired doneness. Assuming a 1 inch thick chop, grill for 3 - 4 minutes per side. Set aside and loosely cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.

While the chops are resting, whisk together the dipping sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.

Slice the chops and drizzle with the dipping sauce and scatter with the minced green onions (optional).

There you go crablings. The first sorta, kinda fall-ish recipe in a while. Stay tuned, there'll be more coming.

Alrighty then, I'm outta here, until next time, remember you can do it you can cook.

Spanish Pork with Orange & Poppyseed Salad

Beat up sneakers. Ratty old jeans. The dog.

Old standbys, they're the things that make life reasonable. No matter how exotic you get, they're the things that remind you that life is best at it's simplest.

The dog had surgery this week. During his annual check-up they found a cyst on his back. No one is sure if it's a problem, but best to have it taken out and tested.

The dog. Suddenly everyone is nervous about the dog.

He spent a day wearing one of those plastic hoods; don't tell me dogs don't have emotions. The pooch was flat out embarrassed. I swear, on his walks he looked the other way every time we ran into someone. Stupid cone.

He also has this square patch shaved into his side. I keep telling people that we had a small nuclear device implanted. You know, for security.

When I took off the cone he curled up on my feet and hasn't been too far away since. Man's best friend.

If a dog is man's best friend then, delicious magazine, volume 5 issue 11, has to be CrabbyCook's best friend. It is the single greatest issue of a cooking magazine ever. I've never prepared as many recipes from a single magazine as I have from that one issue. Spanish Pork with Orange & Poppyseed Salad is a great meal, light subtle flavors and the meal looks drop dead gorgeous. What more do you need? Enjoy...

Spanish Pork with Orange & Poppyseed Salad

from delicious magazine, volume 5 issue 11 plus a few Crabby adjustments

4 pork loin chops

1 teaspoon cumin

1 TBSP smoked paprika

Zest & Juice of 1 orange

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)

Orange & Poppyseed Salad

2 oranges

1 large, seedless English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced

1/4 cup cilantro leaves or other peppery green

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and diced

1/3 cup champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar can be substituted)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 TBSP granulated sugar

2 TBSP poppyseeds

For the pork, combine the cumin, paprika, ketchup, orange zest, orange juice and maple syrup in a large zip top bag. Shake well to combine. Place the pork in the bag, seal and refrigerate at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.

For the salad. Zest the rind of one of the oranges and set aside in a small bowl.

Peel the oranges and remove the sections. Place into a large bowl along with the sliced cucumber and diced jalapeno. Set aside.

Combine the vinegar, oil, sugar and poppyseeds in a large glass jar. Shake well to combine. Set aside.

Remove the pork loin from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to grilling in order to bring it to room temperature.

Preheat your grill to medium high.

Grill the pork to desired doneness, about 5 - 6 minutes per side depending on the thickness.

Remove from the grill and allow them to rest.

While the pork is resting, divide the salad among four plates. Slice the pork chops and place atop the salad. Drizzle the orange poppyseed dressing over the plates and serve.

This is a great meal. My only complaint was that it needed a bit more heat, so consider adding additional hot peppers.

Alright, I'm off to walk the dog. Until next time remember, you can do it, you can cook.

Leftover Lo Mein

Dog days. Three dog night.

Both of those sayings refer to weather (and yes, I know the second one is a reference to a vapid and tedious '70s "rock" band). Dog Days refers to the long, sultry stretch of summer running from early July to early September. For me it's always meant the three "H"s - Hazy, Hot and Humid. It's the time of year you don't so much wear your clothing, as much as it swaddles you like a wet warm towel.

A "three dog night" on the other hand, means it's so cold that you resort to using your pets as heating elements. I think the phrase comes from outdoor types getting caught out on cold nights and trying to survive by cuddling with their dogs.

Well this summer in Michigan the "dog days" are fast becoming "three dog nights". Hot humid days have been few and far between. The nights have been in the 50's and the family pooch wants to know why he's being allowed to sleep in King & Queen Crabby's bed. The spin doctors (also a band) have changed the name from "global warming" to "climate change", good thing, because there's no warming in sight.

Well the dog days can also refer to my cooking. Normally this time of year, I open the fridge door and stand there for a while. Of course normally I'm trying to cool off, but I'm also searching for inspiration. It's a must go time of year. Well here's my latest "must-go" creation.

Leftover Lo Mein is designed to freshen up things you find in the fridge that just have to go before they decide to go bad on their own. It's a fast and simple recipe, relying on a quick Asian style sauce to punch up the flavors. If you have fresh vegetables, use them, but frozen work just fine. Enjoy...

Leftover Lo Mein

by Crabby

1 package (9 - 12 ounces) Soba Noodles (for this recipe I prefer whole wheat to buckwheat Soba)

Leftover pork, beef or chicken meat, diced

2 cups total of assorted vegetables (peas, carrots, red peppers and corn work especially well)

2 scallions sliced thinly

1 TBSP cooking oil

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP oyster sauce

2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 1/2 TBSP cornstarch

Prepare the soba noodles according to the package instructions. When done cooking, rinse the noodles under cold running water and allow to drain. Set aside.

If you are using frozen vegetables, place them in a colander and run them under warm water until they are slightly thawed. Alternatively, microwave them for 1/2 the recommended cooking time listed on the package. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch. Mix well to fully dissolve the cornstarch. Set aside.

Using a large saute pan, heat the cooking oil over high heat for 60 seconds. When hot, add the meat and all vegetables, except the scallions. Saute for 90 seconds tossing occasionally.

After 90 seconds add the cooked soba noodles and toss to combine.

Mix the sauce once again to distribute the cornstarch and immediately add to the saute pan.

Bring to a boil while stirring the ingredients. The sauce will usually thicken within 60 seconds.

Remove from the heat, scatter the chopped scallions atop the noodles and serve.

I have to tell you crablings, this is such a simple recipe and the crowds love it. If you only have beef leftovers then I'd swap the chicken stock for beef stock.

OK, it's raining again, and we aren't going to get to 85 degrees for the foreseeable future, so I'm off to find some pot roast recipes. Until next time, just remember, you can do it, you can cook.

Orange Glazed Pork Loin

Eat locally!

I always eat locally. No matter where I am that's where I'm eating.

I've complained before about this new obsession with being a "locavore" (God, there aren't enough travails in all of Hell to punish the genius who came up with that word). Allegedly we're all doing the environment good by buying locally. Yet every week, I see all the same "local" farmers putting on 500 miles a week to supply the various local Farmers' Markets. Twenty to twenty-five farmers, driving 10,000 combined miles a week to sell produce to a couple thousand people, who also have to drive untold miles to get to the various markets. Efficient, yeah right.

Now, word comes that "organic" food can contain up to 5% non-organic "material"; my doesn't that sound tasty? An article in the Washington Post shows that producers are allowed to add all sorts of strange things to food and still be able to label it organic. Wood starch in your grated cheese, mmmmm, give me some more of that. Or how about "Organic Mock Duck" that uses additives to make the "protein" have a stringy texture like real duck. Yummmm-eeeeeee!

"Organic Mock Duck"? That is wrong on so many levels I don't know where to start.

Look folks, just eat - OK? Try and support your local farmers and small businesses, but don't get nuts about it. Local vegetables should be fresher, so buy from the local farm stand. But when you're leaving see if the burlap sacks of corn are from your state or from 10 states away. Make sure you're not just buying the idea of buying locally.

Enough ranting. Today's recipe is Orange Glazed Pork Loin. Now the pork is from my butcher who gets it from some Amish guy in Ohio. The honey is from a local farmer. But the oranges aren't local. Oranges in Michigan will never be local. So forgive me my out of state citrus and try to enjoy...

Orange Glazed Pork Loin

adapted by Crabby from Weber's Real Grilling

2 pound boneless pork loin

Glaze

2 cups orange juice

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves

4 whole cloves

1 TBSP Honey

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Zest of 1 orange

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

In a small saucepan combine the orange juice, rosemary, cloves, red pepper flakes and orange zest.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer the mixture until about 3/4 cup of glaze remains, about 30-45 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly then strain the mixture into a bowl. Add in the Worcestershire sauce.

Pre-heat grill to medium high.

Reduce heat to medium and sear the pork loin fat side down for two minutes. Turn the pork loin and baste with the glaze.

Baste the pork every ten minutes until done. Depending on the heat of your grill and the thickness of the pork, total grilling time will be from 35 - 50 minutes.

Insert an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the loin. I cook my pork loin to 140 degrees, this may leave the very center of the meat slightly pink.

Remove the pork loin and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Helpful Hint: After searing, I place the pork loin on an aluminum foil sheet. This traps the basting glaze and helps caramelize the bottom of the roast.

Not bad crablings. This meal takes a bit of time so save it for a lazy Saturday or Sunday evening. A lounge chair by the grill and a beer or two should do the trick.

Until next time, remember you can do it, you can cook.

Cider Adobo

I haven't got a clue what to write about.

Some of you bop in here for the recipes. Others of you drop by to read the stories. Both can be easy. Both can be insurmountably hard. Today it's the story.

I keep an inventory of prepared recipes and photos that I pick and choose from. Sometimes a story reminds me of a meal, sometimes the meal jogs a story idea. Today, nothing. I have an ocean of photos, an encyclopedia's worth of recipes, an embarrassment of food, but "I got nothin'".

Maybe it's because of the long weekend. Maybe it's because of the heat. Maybe my brain is just empty.

That would explain the dull echoing sound.

So today I'm going to steal from the newspaper columnists. I'm going to write about nothing. It's the oldest trick in the book. Got nothing to write about? Write about nothing! No talk about Federer winning an epic match; no blithering about Palin quitting in mid-stream. Nothing.

Sigh, maybe the dog wants to go for another walk...

Sometimes cooking is like my brain: bereft of creative ideas. The easiest solution is to take something "normal" and add a different twist. That is the easy part - start fire, put meat on fire, turn over, eat. The twist, not so easy. Well, I scoured my cookbooks and print outs and found Cider Adobo. It fits today's conundrum of trying to make pate out of chopped liver. This sauce gives grilled meats a nice sweet-sour bite. Enjoy...

Cider Adobo

from Cowboy In The Kitchen by Grady Spears & Robb Walsh

3/4 cup red wine

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup apricot preserves

1/4 cup honey

2 TBSP packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon peeled & minced fresh ginger

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Place all the ingredients in a large heavy pan and stir well to combine.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Pay attention, this sauce has a desire to boil over!

When boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook the adobo uncovered until it reduces by half; this will take approximately 20 - 25 minutes.

The sauce should have a syrupy consistency.

Serve with grilled meats, especially game (quail, duck, pheasant), pork and chicken.

Refrigerated, the adobo will keep for about 5 - 7 days.

See nothing to it. You can barely call it cooking - put stuff in pot, boil, don't let it boil over, reduce, cool eat. But in the end you've added another taste weapon to your arsenal.

OK crablings, time to go. Until next time, remember you can do it, you can cook.

Mesa Steak Sauce

There are so many benefits to living in a college town. The fact that every September there's a new influx of excited, ernest young people gives the city a vibrancy that's hard to find in "regular" communities.

Mostly what it gives you though is an embarrassment of choices. The sheer variety of options is staggering. Whether it's sports, the arts or food, there is always something new and interesting to explore. And, because the city is filled with poor college students, a side benefit is that nothing is outrageously priced.

I've sat 20 rows from Wynton Marsalis and his band. I've seen the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform "Rhapsody in Blue" from the first row of the first balcony. I've seen Dee Dee Bridgewater, Arturo Sandoval and Elvis Costello. I've watched the Royal Shakespeare Company perform "Julius Caesar". Normally the cost is $50 - $75 for the best seats in the house, down to $10-$15 for the 2nd balcony (though I did once pay $150 a ticket, for the Shakespeare, but that was a fund raiser that included a dinner).

We get a lot of headliners in this town. They're only here for one night, but I've always been able to get a seat. Last Friday was no different; Diana Krall, aka Mrs. Elvis Costello, was in town, promoting her latest album "Quiet Nights".

Her performance was spectacular. The music alternated between swinging hot jazz, sultry bossa nova and smoky, spicy love songs. Anyone who writes off Krall as some middle of the road, pop-jazz creation is an idiot. Go see her live, there will be no doubt in your mind about her jazz "chops".

Now I'm sure you're thinking, oh cool he's going to transition into making chops. Sorry, wrong answer. Chops would be a good idea, but I thought something a little spicy, a little smoky was in order. Mesa Steak Sauce is a recipe from Food Network Chef Bobby Flay. Known for his use of hot spices, this recipe doesn't disappoint. The only problem with the recipe is the name; Steak Sauce is too limiting, this sauce would go well with grilled chicken, shrimp or pork. So crank up Diana Krall and enjoy...

Mesa Steak Sauce

by Bobby Flay

1 cup ketchup

2 TBSP freshly grated horseradish

1 TBSP honey

1 TBSP maple syrup

1 TBSP chile powder

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Huh? You call that a recipe? Well crablings, things don't have to be complicated to be good. This sauce is smoky, sassy, spicy and faintly sweet. It's great with steak but try it with some other foods. I suspect a drop or two with good vodka could make for a great "Bloody Mary Shooter".

Well, I'm outta here. Until next time, remember, you can do it, you can cook.

Kalbi BBQ Ribs

So last Monday morning I'm reading the USA Today. Normally I read the sports section with breakfast and save the rest for lunch, but Monday I dove right into the front page. The "big" article, the one that requires an attention span and is continued on another page, wasn't about post-election riots in Iran. It was about car sales in China.

Her are the main points: a) the Chinese like American cars, especially Buicks, b) there are a lot of Chinese people in China, c) cars pollute, ergo d) all those Chinese driving Buicks will pollute a lot.

Wow, didn't see that one coming.

But I'm not here to complain about a news article overstating the obvious. No, it was one sentence that caught my eye that I want to talk about. See, China, being a long-standing Communist country, there are some people who feel that the general population buying all these cars is somehow contrary to political philosophy. The reporter, interviewing a policeman, wrote the following:

"Chinese society is unfair now, as some can afford cars and some cannot," says Liu Dong-ming, 41, a police officer who still wears a pin in honor of Chairman Mao Zedong, a former hard-line Chinese ruler.

Did you see it? Did you catch it?

"...a pin in honor of Chairman Mao Zedong, a former hard-line Chinese ruler."

"A" former hard-line ruler? "A"?

No, no, no. Mao wasn't "A" former hard-line ruler, he was "THE" former Chinese hard-line ruler. When your "Great Leap Forward" and "Cultural Revolution" whack millions of your own peeps you are the "A" Number One-NumeroUno-Master of Disaster-El Jeffe of all former hard-line Chinese rulers!

Saying Mao is A former hard-line ruler is like saying Julius Caesar was some Roman guy with a George Clooney haircut. It's like saying Atilla was A Hun. Nope, don't short change the man, he earned his propers. Puh-leeeze!

Sheesh, next someone will tell me that The Beatles was some group McCartney was in before his solo career took off.

So long as I'm talking about THE biggest and best, here's a recipe Saveur Magazine designated "The World's Best Ribs". Now, I tried this recipe and the ribs are good, but they don't rise to "THE" status; they are strictly "A" good recipe for ribs. Regardless, the recipe is easy and good for a summer barbecue. Enjoy...

Hawaiian-Style Kalbi Baby Bay Pork Ribs

from Saveur Magazine, March, 2009

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup soy sauce

1 TBSP Asian sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped

1/4 cup water

3 pounds pork baby back ribs

3 scallions thinly sliced

Whisk together the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add the ribs and toss to coat.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to marinate at least 1 hour, though preferably overnight. Turn occasionally.

If oven cooking: Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Place the ribs, curved side up, on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.

If grilling: Pre-heat grill over high heat. Turn down the heat to medium. Using an aluminum foil sheet to separate the ribs from the rack, grill the ribs for 30 - 45 minutes, basting and turning frequently.

As the ribs start roasting, transfer the remaining marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the marinade becomes thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes.

If using an oven, turn the ribs after 20 minutes and baste with the glaze. Roast for an additional 15 - 20 minutes, or until tender.

Transfer to a platter and allow to rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Garnish with scallions and serve.

OK crablings, a good rib recipe, not the best. If you're grilling, as I was, you'll run into burning issues if you aren't vigilant. Serve these ribs with some cole slaw and cold beer and life is fine.

Until next time, remember, you can do it, you can cook.

Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Peach-Lime Salsa

Well, the Crabby Twitter-palooza experiment is over with mixed results. I Twittered for 2 hours yesterday and while I got no direct feedback from the crablings, my follower count jumped from 10 to 18.

Now it's entirely possible that I did something that impeded everyone's ability to tweet me back, so I'm not going to get upset about that. The 80% increase in followers is pretty interesting though. According to a PureWire survey of Twitter statistics, 80% of Twitterers have fewer than 10 followers. So your support has catapulted Crabby into the top 20% along with such luminaries as Ashton & Demi.

Equally interesting is that, with my 38 tweets, I am now in the top 22% of tweeters! WOW! The view from the top of this techno-wave is amazing; of course it's the view of a barren wasteland of pointless nattering, but hey, it's still a view. I'll probably have another "palooza" in the near future since there seemed to be a few of you who really enjoyed it.

"Ahh, Crabby? This last 'palooza' only brought in 8 new people. Hardly seems worth the effort."

"Bah! How dare you pee on my technology parade?! The Emperor of Twitter does too have new clothes!"

While the Twitter experiment went OK, the same can't be said for the recipe underpinning all the tweets. Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Peach-Lime Salsa seemed innocuous enough, but the resultant salsa was AWFUL! I still haven't completely figured out what went so terribly wrong. In fact, this is one of the worst salsa recipes I've ever prepared. The pork was fine, but I'll warn you, it's going to be hard to enjoy...

Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Peach-Lime Salsa

from Grilling by Williams-Sonoma

Rub

2 TBSP Chile Powder

1 TBSP Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 Pork Tenderloins

Mix the five rub ingredients in a large zip-top bag. Add the pork tenderloins and shake to coat. Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight if possible.

Salsa

2 diced fresh peaches

1 diced seeded tomato, diced

1 diced sweet onion

1 minced jalapeno pepper, seeded and deveined

2 TBSP fresh chopped mint

1 TBSP honey

Juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl at least two hours prior to serving. Refrigerate.

Remove pork tenderloins from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling. Bring to room temperature.

Prepare your grill over medium-high heat.

Grill the pork, turning every 3 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. Total cooking time, depending upon the tenderloin thickness will be approximately 12 minutes.

Alternatively, you can butterfly the tenderloins to equal thickness prior to coating with the spice rub. This will shorten the grilling time.

Remove from the grill, allow to rest 10 minutes. Serve with a spoonful of the salsa.

OK, how much easier can it get? The only problem was that the salsa was inedible. I was worried about adding the honey, I was concerned about 2 teaspoons of salt, but W-S usually does a pretty good job, so I went by the book. Boy was that a mistake. The salsa was salty and inexplicably bitter. Here's your homework crablings: figure out where this recipe went wrong!

Alrighty, I'm outta here, though with this Twitter business on my cell phone, I'm never really far away. Until next time, remember, you can do it, you can cook!

Grilled Pork with Teriyaki & Marmalade

Man, am I dizzy.  

Sunday and Monday, round and round.  Thank goodness for rain delays. More than 840 miles and over 1700 turns, all to the left.  As all of you know this was the biggest motor racing weekend of the year.  Indy 500 Sunday afternoon and, normally, Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night. That's alotta racin' boys and girls.  

Of course, this year it kept raining in Charlotte, so there was plenty of time to recover after Indy. Helio Castroneves, of "Dancing with The Stars" fame, won the Indy 500.  Not only that, but earlier in the month he had beaten the IRS in court. This was constantly brought up during ABC's coverage of the race.  You couldn't go 5 laps without one of the announcers talking about the "fairy tale" ending to Helio's month. It got to the point that I just assumed the cars chasing Castroneves were filled with IRS agents and not racers.

Normally after Indy there's a 2 hour break before the start of the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600.  But this year it was raining in Charlotte, so the race was delayed.  It really should go without saying that it's unwise to go 175 miles an hour on a wet track.  It was still showery on Monday, so there were a lot of delays; not exactly compelling racing.  The race was won by someone who was never on "Dancing with The Stars", nor any known troubles with the IRS.

Normally I either do a slow cooker recipe on Sunday or something quick and dirty that can be prepared between races.  This year I went quick and dirty.  Grilled Pork with Teriyaki & Marmalade employs a simple marinade and fast grilling time.  You're in and out fast, kinda like a good pit stop, so even though race day is over, enjoy...

Grilled Pork with Teriyaki & Marmalade

from Donna Hay Magazine, Feb/Mar 2009 plus a Crabby tweak

 

4 thick cut boneless pork loin chops

1 cup store bought teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup orange or lemon marmalade

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce or other hot sauce (optional)

Place all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well to combine.

Place the pork chops into a large zip top bag. Add half the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and preferably 8 hours.

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.  Thirty minutes before cooking, remove the chops from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

While the grill is warming, place the remaining marinade in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer and occasionally stir.

Remove the chops from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.  Discard the marinade in the bag.

Grill the chops to desired doneness.  Depending on thickness, anywhere from 3-6 minutes per side.

Remove chops from the grill and brush with the simmering marinade.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Serve with additional sauce.

That's quick and dirty.  This meal has a good flavor but the original didn't have any sauce. Without the glaze I thought the pork was a little boring.

OK crablings, I'm outta here, gotta get a massage on my neck, I keep leaning into those left hand turns.  Until next race, remember you can do it, you can cook.  Vroom, vroom!

Lemongrass Pork

Ahh-, Ahhh-, Ahhhhchoo!

Well I finally got my wish, Spring is here, and with it all it's...sniff, sniff, achoo - allergy glory. If I leave a window open or go for a stroll I snee, snee, sne...ACHOO!

Gawd, I can't breathe, I can't see, my nose is running and...

ACH-OINK!

ACH-OINK?

Uh, Oh!

Forget pollen, forget mold spores, forget ragweed.  Swine flu has reared it's nasty, curly-tailed-flat-nosed head. With amazing rapidity, the flu has spread around the world. Cases are springing up from Mexico to New Zealand, from Spain to China and from Canada to Brazil. Some blame the easy availability of air travel, but one would think that security would catch on to these porcine ninjas. After all, the cloven hoof should be a clear give-away.  

I believe this is a coordinated effort by the appropriately named "Wild Kingdom" to bring down mankind.  People, we are on the frontlines of the next campaign of the animal revolution.  From Ebola infected monkeys and SARS drenched birds to flu-ridden piggies, the animal uprising is upon us. I always knew the horsemen of the apocalypse would come, I just never thought they'd be named, Bonzo, Daffy and Porky. 

But, fear not, there is an answer.  Eat the little buggers!!!  

Around the world health officials are quick to point out that eating pork is safe, so long as it's properly prepared, (why you would want to eat anything that wasn't properly prepared is another question entirely). So strike a blow for humanity, have a pork chop.  Save your kids, eat a ham sandwich.  The only thing standing between us and utter annihilation is a well stacked BLT.

Here's a recipe to get you started in the fight.  I've been fascinated with lemongrass lately, so here's another meal that tries to exploit it's subtle characteristics.  Again, if you don't have access to lemongrass stalks, shred some lemon rind along with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, add it into the marinade. Enjoy... 

Lemongrass Pork

adapted from Donna Hay Magazine, Feb/March 2009

2 Pork Tenderloins, approximately 1 1/2 pounds total weight

2 stalks lemongrass, woody outer leaves removed and finely chopped

1 TBSP cooking oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 TBSP Soy Sauce

2 TBSP Dark Brown Sugar

Combine the lemongrass, oil, garlic, soy sauce and brown sugar in a medium bowl.  Stir well to dissolve the sugar.  

Place the tenderloin in a large re-sealable bag and pour in the marinade.  Seal the bag and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

Thirty minutes prior to grilling, remove the pork from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.  Pre-heat your grill over high heat.

Remove the pork from the marinade and lightly dry with paper towels.  

Grill the pork, turning every 3-4 minutes, until medium-well doneness, depending on thickness and grill temperature, approximately 12-15 minutes total cooking time.  

Remove from grill and allow to rest 10 minutes.  Slice and serve; acceptable garnishes include, mint, cilantro, some diced chile peppers or even a little bit of additional soy sauce.

There you go crablings, pork prepared well. Don't hesitate, we don't have the time to sit around waiting for vaccines, pick up a knife and fork and get into the fight. Remember, you have to do it, you have to cook!

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Cartoons are from Truthdig.com

Duck Fried Rice

Crabby Quiz:  What's white, more or less 50 years old, wears glasses and weighs an average of 250 pounds?

Give up?  Why, it's everyone in Section F at last Saturday's Eagles concert.

If you are "of an age", the Eagles wrote the soundtrack of your youth. Love 'em or hate' em, you can at least hum along to everything from "Desperado" and "Take It Easy" to "Tequila Sunrise" and "Hotel California". Going to a concert now is both a pleasant stroll down memory lane and a stark reminder that time waits for no fan or band.

Saturday night brought their "Long Road Out of Eden" tour to the Palace of Auburn Hills. Given that the average age of the group is 61, it seems that the road out of Eden might be considered going in the wrong direction.  Especially unnerving was the resemblance between Timothy B. Schmit and the Cryptkeeper.  Schmit wasn't alone.  Don Henley, either setting or following the lead of his fans, hadn't missed too many meals.  It had me thinking that "Heart of The Matter" referred to a chat with his cardiologist.  

There were other changes.  I understand that Time is a merciless force, so I wasn't too surprised by the occasional cane or wheelchair.  What did set me off though was the handful of scooters.  Here's a bit of Crabby advice, if you need a scooter to get around at an Eagles concert, stop eating for a while, your heart and joints will thank you.

Speaking of joints, there was no smoking at the concert.  Beer and mixed drinks were being sold in comically large plastic glasses, but I saw no grass or cocaine.  But that doesn't mean the show was drug-free; there was a guy in the Mens room making a killing dealing Cialis and Flomax.

But no one cared.  The show lasted 2 1/2 hours with a brief break.  We heard all the old songs and only had to suffer through a handful of the new ones. Recognizing that we hadn't come to learn new lyrics, the Eagles turned into one big sing-a-long. 

Leftovers.  Some of the best meals are leftovers.  In that vein, today we're going to make that Chinese restaurant stalwart, fried rice.   This meal really exists to clean out the fridge. This can be made with any leftover meat or tofu, but in honor of the richness of the Eagles legacy, I'm making it with some extra duck breast, enjoy...

Duck Fried Rice

by Crabby

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP Peanut Oil

8 ounces mushrooms, chopped into large dice

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 red or orange pepper, small dice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced ginger 

Pinch of red pepper flakes

8 ounces (or so) of leftover duck (or other meat)

1/2 cup thawed frozen peas

3 cups cooked white rice

3 TBSP Soy sauce

1 TBSP Sesame Oil

In a non-stick pan, melt 1/2 TBSP of butter over medium-high heat.  When foaming add the lightly beaten eggs and a pinch of salt.  Lift the edges of the pan to help the uncooked egg run to the sides.  

Once set, transfer the egg to a cutting board and allow to cool.

In a large saute pan or wok, heat 2 TBSP of peanut oil over high heat.  When hot add the scallions and diced peppers, cook for 2 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger  and red pepper flakes. Saute 1 minute.

Add the duck and thawed peas, saute 1 minute.

Add the rice, soy and sesame oil.  Saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Serve.

This is great comfort food.  The spiced up leftovers not only remind you of previous meals but also inspire you to think of new ways of looking at ingredients.  It's ridiculously easy and tasty.  CrabCake2 sees to it that fried rice never lasts more than one meal.

Well crablings,  I'm outta here for now, got to try and get the ringing out my ears.  Probably should have bought those official Eagles earplugs before the show.  Joe Walsh can still bring it.

Pork Chops with Dijon & Dried Cherries

"That's it. Oh yeah, baby!"

This winter won't end. It's 40 degrees outside, rain's failing in sheets, the wind's howling, a teenage girl just flew past my window...and her little dog too.

"Turn to the right. Oooooh, slowly now. OK, now spin back."

I'm getting distracted. I'm looking for diversions. I'm giving in to my baser instincts.

"God, look at the size of those!!! Those two are huuuuuge!"

Raindrops tap out "Florida" in Morse code; a keening wind moans "Arizona". I close my office door, I lean back in my chair and I let my mouse take me away. Click! 2 bed/2 bath Bonita Bay oceanview condo. Click! 3 bed/3 bath home with Sonoran views.

I'm human. The flesh is weak. I try to stay away, but it's the internet, the stuff is everywhere. It doesn't hurt to just look a little, does it? I mean, I'm a guy, guys like to look.

I'm talking about real estate porn. Since the middle of February I find myself taking breaks during the day and loading up real estate web sites. Not just any sites, this time of year my fetish runs to warm weather. Endless virtual tours of desert vistas encircling lush golf courses and beachfront condos with Gulf of Mexico sunsets.

Ahhhhhh.

I want to be outside! I need to be outside without having to spend 10 minutes putting on extra clothes. I'm tired of looking like a Sherpa. But it's too soon.

One more indoor recipe. I can't get outside to grill, so I'll give you a simple sauce that can be whipped up while the meat is resting. This recipe could be prepared with chicken breast, though today I'm going to ask you to enjoy...


Pork Chops with Dijon & Dried Cherries
base recipe from SimplyRecipes.com with some tweaks by Crabby


4 center cut or pork loin chops about 1 1/4" inches thick
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions or shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 TBSP dried cherries or raisins
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 TBSP Dijon mustard


Season the chops with salt and pepper.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and oil over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted and nearly stopped foaming, add the chops and brown 2 - 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the chops to a plate and drain the pan of any excess cooking fat. Add the green onions/shallots to the pan and saute for 1 minute.

Add the wine and bring to a boil. Scrape up any brown bits sticking to the bottom of the pan, (about 1 minute).

Add the chicken stock and return the chops to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Bring the liquid to a simmer, partially cover the pan and cook the chops for 15 minutes, turning once.

Transfer chops to a platter and lightly cover with aluminum foil. Add the dried cherries to the pan juices and bring to a boil, reduce by half, about 2-4 minutes.

Add the heavy cream and boil for an additional two minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the Dijon mustard. Check the sauce for seasoning, adjust if necessary.

Spoon the sauce over the chops and serve.


Mustard sauce reminds me of autumn, so this will have to get us through another patch of rough weather. It's a very easy sauce crablings; just have everything ready to go into the pan before you start. Until next time, remember, you can do it, you can cook.


"Oh, mama! Check out the bay windows on that one!"

Pate de Canard; Happy Birthday Crabby!!!

"Fifteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt."


Well crablings, it's our 1 year anniversary!!! One year, 132 posts, a ton of food, (more or less), and most all of us are a whole lot deeper in debt. We've made it through chicken, fish, beef, pasta, lamb, veal, desserts, a few appetizers, stock market crashes, deep recessions, financial bailouts and a near death Tomato Tree experience.

When I started this little food blog I had no real plans or goals for it, (except for total worldwide domination of the food writing industry). What started as daily 1's and 2's visiting has blossomed to hundreds per day. So what have I learned you might ask?

I've learned that I love to cook and I love to write. I've learned that you can't make a dime off this internet thing. I've learned that without moderated comments, every screwball out there will think they have free license to have a flame war on your site. I've learned I'm terrible at following up on comments posted and am equally lousy at consistently visiting my friends' sites. For those last two things I am truly sorry; I'll try and do better this year, though I won't promise much.

What about Crab Nation? Here are your top five most visited posts:

Baker's Edge Brownies
Beef Stroganoff
Baby Lava Cakes
Mojo Marinated Chicken
Viva La Revolucion Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

Crablings like their food a little sweet and with some heat, and they especially want some chocolate for dessert.

The future? The truth is I've considered dropping the site. The lack of feedback has me feeling like I'm shouting at the ocean. I know you're out there, I just can't hear you.

But then it was pointed out to me that I wasn't going to give up eating was I? And did I suddenly hate writing? Well, no. So, when in doubt, when you find yourself in a creative hole, do you stop digging? Hell no, you just dig faster!!!

Over the coming months, there'll be some changes made. The two biggest will be to the look of the page and the introduction of video. I'm not going to be eliminating the blog posts, just adding an occasional video to see if that grabs your attention. Of course that means I will be revealing Crabby's true identity. Be forewarned, though SSSal and Boonsta think I'm cute, I have always felt that I have a great face for radio. You may want to keep the kids and small pets away from the first videos.

What to have for our birthday celebration? What to have? What to have? I know!!! Something ludicrously complex and involved. You've had it very easy with me crablings; I've made a point of showing you how simple it is to make tasty inexpensive meals. Well for my birthday I want a blow-out. I want something involving cranes, trusses and pulleys. I want Pate.

SSSal makes a sensational Pate de Canard. This is not goose liver mousse, this is the ultimate meatloaf. It is involved, but in actuality it's harder to assemble than it is to cook. But if you're squeamish, if you're scared, just follow along.

"Fasten your seatbelts, everybody. It's going to be a bumpy night." Enjoy...


Pate De Canard
from Saveur Magazine, December 2008

2 duck breasts, trimmed of fat and skin,about 1 pound
3 cloves garlic
2 TBSP orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
9 bay leaves
1 pound boneless pork shoulder, chilled
3/4 pound fatback, (lard if you can't find any fatback)
1/4 pound chicken livers
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBSP chopped thyme leaves, plus 8 sprigs
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup shelled pistachio nuts
3 TBSP dried green peppercorns
12-15 slices bacon

Cut the duck breasts into 1/2 inch cubes.

Finely chop the garlic.

Transfer the duck cubes, garlic, orange liqueur, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 3 bay leaves to a small bowl. Stir to coat the duck. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to three days, the longer the better.

Chop the pork shoulder and fatback into 1/8"cubes. Mound the pork and fatback into separate piles and continue chopping with your chef's knife. Transfer the pork and fat to separate bowls and refrigerate to chill.

While the pork and fat are cooling, using a food processor, finely chop the remaining garlic. Scrape down the sides and add the chicken livers. Pulse until they are pureed.

Add the pork and fat back from the refrigerator. Working in short pulses, process the mixture until it takes on the consistency of coarse hamburger meat. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the eggs, chopped thyme, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, paprika and salt to the pork-liver mixture. Mix the ingredients together using your hands until well combined.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 day and preferably 3 days. The longer the better.

When you're ready to assemble, transfer the duck mixture, including any juices, to the bowl containing the pork-liver mixture. Remove the bay leaves. Gently fold the duck into the meat along with the pistachios and peppercorns. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Line the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart terrine pan, (or a loaf pan will do), with 4 evenly spaced thyme sprigs and 3 bay leaves. Place the bacon strips horizontally (the short way) across the bottom of the pan, covering the herbs.

Spoon the duck-pork-liver-fat mixture atop the bacon strips and gently smooth with the back of a spoon. Lay 4 strips of bacon lengthwise, (the long way) across the top of the pate.

Cover the top of the pate with two sheets of aluminum foil and crimp to the side of the pan to form a tight seal.

Boil a pot of water.

Transfer the terrine pan to a 9x13 baking dish. Transfer the baking dish to the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. Carefully, pour in enough of the boiling water to reach 1/2" up the side of the terrine pan.

Bake the pate until an instant read thermometer inserted into the middle of the terrine registers a temperature of 158 degrees, about 2 hours.

Transfer the baking dish to a cooling rack, do not remove from the water bath, remove the foil. Cut two rectangles of cardboard to exactly fit inside the terrine pan. Wrap both pieces of cardboard in aluminum foil and place them over the pate.

Place three 15 ounce soup cans atop the cardboard. Allow the terrine to sit in the water bath for an additional hour.

After an hour, remove the terrine pan from the water bath and transfer the pan to a refrigerator. Chill for at least 1 day and up to 4 days, (you guessed it, the longer the better).


To serve, remove the soup cans and foil, slide a knife around the edge of the pate. Place a serving platter atop the terrine pan and, firmly holding the terrine pan to the platter, very quickly flip the the mold over. The pate should slide easily out of the terrine mold.

Cut into 3/4" slices and serve with baguette, Dijon mustard, cornichons, maybe a little macerated onion and a killer glass of champagne.


Well, well, well. I warned you crablings; I told you it would be involved. But you only have a birthday once a year so go whole hog, (or in this case, hog, chicken and duck). If not consumed right away, this concoction with last for a week.

Interestingly enough, except for the duck, this is a very inexpensive dish, and a pound of duck isn't going to break you either. It is labor intensive and needs at least a week of planning and fussing, but it's the best "meatloaf" you'll ever have.

Well, I'm off. Happy birthday to all of you and remember, until next time, you can do it, you can cook.

Now where did I leave the rest of that bottle of champagne?


Oh, I also noticed that you don't much care for the quizzes, well tough, I like 'em. Today there are two quotes in the body of the post, "Fifteen tons..." and "Fasten your seatbelts..."

Who said them?

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, Hey It's The Daytoner 500!!!

"First of all I wanna thank God and everyone over at Petty-Roush-Childress racin' for givin' me such a good car. The Cialis-Cheerios-Hooters ToyotaFord Malibu run real good today, and I couldna won without all the help from my crew and spotters.

That two tahr change at the end made all the difference. Coursin' everyone know that tahrs wins races. Goin' with only two durin' that last stop whats gave us the lead.

When you're runnin' a plate race like Daytoner, positions what counts, so Buford Ray rollin' the dahce on a splash and go is what made the difference. We gonna need a lot more days like today if'n we gonna make the Chase."

Y'all get all that?

Here's the deal. I like NASCAR. It's got it's own language. I love the post race interviews, I love how they can't go 15 seconds without mentioning a sponser or changing caps to show their endorsements. And even though in the last few years it's gotten way too slick, it still has that vaguely "homeboy-hillbilly" feel. On top of it all, unlike Formula 1, cars actually pass each other and you don't know ahead of time who's going to win.

This Sunday the season kicks off with the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500. So I need an appropriate recipe for the day. I don't want to be too distracted with cooking, so this event is perfect for a slow-cooker/crock pot recipe. Best of all, in these troubled financial times, this recipe can feed a crowd without decimating the wallet. So this Sunday, I'll be in front of my TV, beer in hand with the sound cranked up, enjoying...


Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
by Crabby


1 large onion, chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and diced
2 pounds pork loin
2 pounds pork butt
1 cup barbecue sauce, your personal favorite
1 cup apple juice

Salt & Pepper to taste
Additional barbecue sauce
1 large jicama, peeled and thinly sliced
Hamburger Buns

Peel and chop a large onion, I prefer one of the sweet varieties that seem to be everywhere these days. Place the chopped onion in the insert of the slow cooker.

Seed and dice the pepper and sprinkle on top of the onion. If you want a spicier result use a jalapeno pepper (or two). I would avoid Chipoltes in Adobo, since every time I've tried them, the slow cooking process seems to impart a bitter flavor.

Place the piece of pork loin and the piece of pork butt in the insert atop the onions and pepper, in a single layer. A 50/50 mix of loin and butt results in a high yield of meat with just enough fat to stop the pork from toughening up.

In a large bowl mix the barbecue sauce and the apple juice and pour over the pork.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. This is an all day process, so get it started early then relax. Alternatively, use could use a dutch oven/le creuset and cook this in a 200 F oven. No peeking!!!

After 8 hours transfer the meat to a cutting board. Be careful since the pork will fall apart.

Using two forks, roughly shred the pork loin and butt.

Skim any excess fat from the surface of the remaining sauce. Return the pork to the sauce. Add additional bbq sauce to taste, for me it's between 1/2 and a full cup. Taste and adjust seasoning.

You're now ready to serve.

I like to serve my pulled pork with a thin slice of jicama* on top. It gives just the right amount of crunch and has a faint apple taste that complements the pork perfectly.

Serve with your favorite beer, (I suggest Pabst Blue Ribbon or Carling Black Label).


OK crablings, that's it for now. I know pulled pork isn't the fanciest of recipes, but it's amazingly easy to make, tastes great and very cheap too. Next time I'm going to slightly break the bank, so enjoy this meal and remember, you can do it, you can cook.


*Jicama, is often referred to as Mexican Potato. To me it's more like a very mild radish. These days it's available in most supermarkets. If your market doesn't carry jicama, MOVE! Or use a thin slice of red onion.