Pulled Pork

Ok, one of the main problems I am having lately is the lighting in my new kitchen. It is horrible! I was spoiled in our loft because we had a huge south facing window, so I had great light all the time. I am going to invest in a great hot shoot flash for my camera. So for now, you will have to do with these poorly lit photos :( Moving on to the food, which really is more important. One of Chris's favorite things to eat is pulled pork. When we got a pork shoulder in our recent CSA I knew exactly what to do with it....smoke it! I made a cabbage slaw to eat along side (recipe coming soon)

Recipe
based on cooks illustrated "barbecued south carolina pulled pork"

3 tablespoons dry mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 4-5 pound boneless pork shoulder- I used bone-in and it was fine
4 cups wood chips.

sauce ingredients
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine the dry mustard, brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Make sure to mix it up well and eliminate any lumps. Dry the pork and then rub the spice mixture all over it.


Now you will need to soak the wood chips in water for about 15 minutes.


Once they have soaked, wrap them up in foil.

and cut slits on the top. Now it is time to place it in your grill. We have a gas grill, you will need to pull up the grate and put it under.

Turn all of your burners to high and heat the grill with the top down until the wood chips start to smoke about 15 minutes. Then you can clean the grill and brush oil on the grate. Leave the primary burner on high and turn off the other burners. Place the pork on the cooler side of the gill. Close the lid and barbecue for about 2 hours.

After it has cooked for about 2 hours on the grill, transfer the meat to a roasting pan. I used my Le Creuset. Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Move the rack to the lower middle position.

Whisk together mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Mix it till it is smooth. Brush 1/2 cup of the sauce onto the pork. Bake the pork covered for about 2-3 hours or until you can insert a fork with ease. Let the pork rest for about 30 minutes and when it is cool begin to shred it with a fork. Discard the fat and then toss the pork with the remaining sauce!

Top it on your favorite bun, I chose brioche for this meal.

Cherry Almond Granola Bars

Hello all, sorry for the lack of posts. This summer has been the craziest. Buying a new house, training for a triathlon and a marathon. Thank goodness the tri is done and the marathon will be done soon. Wow, I can't wait till it is over. On to better things....food. I have always wanted to make granola bars. I make granola all the time, so how hard could bars be? Well they are not hard at all. I love the idea of knowing exactly what is in my granola bars.

1 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oats - crush in blender or food processor
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 maple syrup
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a pan with parchment paper, line it so you have extra hang over both sides, this will allow you to get the bars out of the pan a little more easily. Rub a little butter on the parchment paper and the edge of the pan.

Mix together all of the dry ingredients including the nuts and fruits.

In a separate bowl mix together the peanut butter, vanilla, butter, maple syrup, corn syrup and water. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry.


Once it is all combined press it into the pan. You may want to use a small piece of parchment paper to help press it into the pan.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes. I like mine to be a little brown around the edges and a little brown on the top. Let the bars cool for at least an hour. They can be crumbly so I placed mine in the freezer for about 10 minutes before I cut them into bars. Store them in a sealed container.

I promise to be back to my blogging this month! I am actually very excited to start cooking more cool weather dishes....stews, squash and soups!