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BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs {3 Ways}

May 27, 2011 by 2 Comments
 
BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs 3 Ways: Grilled, Oven Roasted, or Slow Cooker
{print recipe}
3 to 4 pounds country style pork ribs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1  to 1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce
Water
 
To grill the ribs, pat ribs dry and season with salt and pepper.  Place the ribs and sliced onion in a pressure cooker with 2 cups water over medium-high heat.  Once the pressure cooker begins to rattle, cook for about 20 minutes.  Remove meat and onions from the cooker and coat with a thick layer of barbeque sauce.  Place on a medium heated gril and every few minutes continue to baste with barbeque sauce.  Grill for about 10 to 12 minutes or until desired doneness.  {The meat is already cooked and tender from the pressure cooker.}
 
To slow cook the ribs, pat ribs dry, season with salt and pepper, and place on a broiler pan.  Place under broiler on high heat and cook for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Set ribs in a slow cooker with sliced onion and barbeque sauce.  Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours, until tender.  {Depending on how watery the onions are, you may or may not need to add a little water to the slow cooker.} 
 
To roast ribs in the oven, arrange the meat in a roaster pan.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sliced onions, and pour over the barbeque sauce.  Bake for 3 to 4 hours in a covered poaster at 350 degrees.  Pour sauce off, cool, and refrigerate.  The next day, or when ready to searve, remove fat from the top of the sauce and brush with a small amount of  liquid smoke.  Place in an open pan and cook at 350 degrees for about an hour, basting the ribs with sauce frequently.
 
Filed Under: Main Dishes, Pork

Balsamic Marinated Pork Loin

April 27, 2011 by 1 Comment

Balsamic Marinated Pork Loin {print recipe}
2 1/2 pound pork loin
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon steak seasoning
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus 1 whole sprig rosemary

To make the marinade, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, pepper, and steak seasoning.  Finely chop one tablespoon of rosemary and mince the garlic; whisk into the marinade.  Place the tenderloin in a glass bowl, pour the marinade over it, and cover.  Let the meat marinate at room temperature for up to two hours, stirring occasionally, or refrigerate over night.

Place pork into a glass baking dish, along with a portion of the marinate.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven, basting occasionally with remaining marinade.  Cook for about an hour, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees.  Before slicing and serving, cover with foil and let the roast rest for about 10 more minutes, until it reaches 160 degrees. {The temperature will rise as it rests.}  Serves 4 to 6 people.

Remove from the oven at 145 to 150 degrees.
See how the temperature has raised to 160 degrees?
Recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonoma.
Filed Under: Main Dishes, Pork

Bistro Ham Sandwich

April 6, 2011 by 5 Comments

This is not your ordinary sandwich.  Bechamel sauce and gooey melted gruyere cheese in between lightly grilled sourdough bread takes this sandwich to the next level.  Top this with a fried egg and it would be delicious for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. 

Bistro Ham Sandwich {print recipe}
6 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
8 slices thick sourdough bread*
8 to 12 slices good quality deli ham {about 3/4 pound}
8 slices cooked bacon
8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
For the bechamel sauce, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Once it is melted, whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes.  Don’t allow it to brown.  Warm the milk and add it to the mixture, along with a bay leaf and salt and pepper.  Continue cooking and whisking until it thickens, about 10 mintues.  Remove the bay leaf and stir in the parmesan. 
Begin to prepare the sandwiches.  Toast the bread lighly in a toaster {just to add a little crunch} and then arrange 4 slices of the bread on a flat surface. Heat the ham in a skillet until it is warmed through.  Discard the extra juices so that the sandwich does not turn out soggy.  Top each piece of bread with 2 to 3 slices of ham, and 2 slices of cooked bacon.  Spread a little of the bechamel sauce on top, add some gruyere, and then top each with another slice of bread.

Heat a large cast iron skillet.  Using the remaining butter, generously butter the outside bread on both sides of the sandwiches. Add 2 of the sandwiches at a time to the skillet and cook until lightly brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn on the other side and brown 2 more minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and set in a preheated 200 degree oven to keep warm until ready to serve.  Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.  Cut diagonally and serve.
{To make this sandwich into a great brunch recipe, crack 4 eggs into a skillet, season with salt and pepper, and fry the eggs.  Top each sandwich with a fried egg and serve immediately.}

*You can buy sourdough from your grocery store, but love to buy mine at Panera.  It’s my absolute favorite and is totally worth the extra stop.

 Recipe is adapted from Alex’s Day Off.

Filed Under: Pork, Sandwich

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

March 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I love pork sandwiches.  Just about any time they are on a menu I order them.  There is actually one restaurant my husband and I go to regularly and I haven’t even ordered anything else on the menu!  This was my first time making it at home and it couldn’t have been easier.  You just throw a few ingredients in a crock pot, wait a few hours, and you have dinner!  Delicious and easy :)
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (print recipe)
1 1/2 pounds pork steak*
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups water, amount varies
1 tablespoon liquid smoke, hickory flavored
2 cloves garlic, grated
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce**
Coleslaw, optional
Rinse the pork steak and pat dry.  Coat and rub the pork with the salt and pepper.  Place in a crock pot and add water and liquid smoke.  (You may need more or less water depending on the size of your crock pot.  You want just enough in there for the meat to cook nicely and not dry out).  Cook on low for about 6 to 8 hours until the pork is very tender.  If you need to speed up the process you can cook it on high for a couple hours and then turn it down to low for a couple more. 
Once the pork is tender, discard the remaining liquid.  Using a fork, shred the pork into small pieces.  Grate in the garlic, and add the vinegar and barbeque sauce.  Cook for about another 20 minutes until everything is warmed through and the flavors have combined.   Serve on buns and top with coleslaw, if desired.  Yields about 6 servings.
*I used boneless pork steak for this recipe because it was a nice cut of meat and I needed to use it up.  (I come from a family of farmers and my cousin is a butcher. So instead of going to the store and buying meat for my weekly recipes, I get it in bulk.)  You could use pork shoulder, pork loin, or even try it with pork chops.
**My favorite BBQ sauce to use is Open Pit Original.  I’ve tried other things in the past, only to come back to this again and again.  You could easily make your own, but this is quick and easy!
Recipe is adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.
Filed Under: Pork, Sandwich

Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce

February 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce (print recipe)

Pork Chops:
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 1 1/2 pounds pork chops, 4 pieces about 1/2 inch thick

Mustard Sauce:
1/2 shallot, finely sliced
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced

To make the pork chops, pat the pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper on each side.  Heat a cast iron skillet on high and add olive oil.  As soon as the skillet is hot and begins to smoke, add the pork chops.  Sear one side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown.  Turn over and sear the other side. Remove from the skillet and place in casserole dish on top of the stuffing.  (If you are not making stuffing just place in a baking pan and top with 1/4 cup chicken stock.)  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

To make the sauce, pour the wine into the hot skillet and work up all the drippings from the pork chops.  Add the shallots and cook until tender.  Add the butter, stir until it melts, and add the smashed garlic cloves.  Stir until fragrant.  Remove the garlic.  Stir in the chicken stock, heavy cream, and dijon mustard.  Reduce until mixture thickens and becomes a sauce.  Add in the parsley.  Serve warm over the pork chops.

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Filed Under: Main Dishes, Pork