brined pork chop with fried okra

I was surprised that the chops only needed to set in the brine for 2 hours. I’ve often done lazy marinades overnight in the fridge. But, after having cooked the pork, I wouldn’t want it any saltier.

preparing the brine: salt, brown sugar, juniper, garlic, sage

We picked up a cast iron fry pan this weekend, and this was the best alternative we have to grilling. We’ve had a few warm days in March, but we also saw snow this week. Not quite grilling weather.

brined pork: cooked perfectly in cast iron

Our verdict? Delicious. Perfectly tender meat with a great deal of flavor. My small foray into brining has me seeing the potential. Perhaps I’ll try the chicken or turkey next time.

There is one member of the family who hasn’t been happy about all of this meat-making. Everything’s been too delicious to share with poor, dear, dog.

the saddest dog in the world

Ever wonder what 5lbs of pork belly looks like?

For the homemade bacon, I cut out two slabs of about 1.8 lbs. Not for any particular reason, but that’s just how they came out. I prepared the salt cure mix as described in Ruhlman‘s Charcuterie and then added my seasonings – brown sugar, maple sugar, maple syrup. I rubbed one of the slabs with a bit of homemade cajun seasoning (cayenne, allspice, paprika, garlic and onion salts, black and white pepper) before rolling in the salt cure, to see if I could get a bit of heat in with the sugar.

can't wait til this is bacon

Well, these two are now hanging out in the fridge, and I’ll get to cut them up and smoke them next week.

In the meantime, I took the left-over bits of pork belly and made a quick meal. I had a bit of pork broth left over from my weekend boudin project (more on that soon, I promise!), but a seasoned chicken broth will do just fine. If your broth is plain, add some dried herbs during the braise, and the pork fat will do the rest of the magic.

braised pork belly with vegetables

Braised Pork Belly with Cabbage, Parsnip and Carrots
1 lb (or more!) pork belly
1 head small savoy cabbage
2 carrots
2 parsnips
1 – 1.5 cups broth
Preheat the oven to 375F. Wash the carrots and parsnips but do not peel. Halve and cut into 1″ long slices. Remove the heart of the cabbage, halve, then chop roughly.

Heat a cast iron dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pork belly, fatty sides facing down, and brown on all sides. Once browned, add broth with the carrots and parsnips, along with salt and pepper to taste. Place cover on dutch oven and braise at 375F for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, stir in cabbage, and braise for another 5-7 minutes, until cabbage is soft. If your cabbage hasn’t wilted, you can stir it on the stove top removed from heat, as the cast iron will retain some heat for a while.

Serve, and enjoy!

thanksgiving menu

Thanksgiving is bearing down upon us. It’s hard to muster up the energy to cook a weeknight dinner while I’m still planning and prepping for the main event on Thursday. But, this pork chop recipe couldn’t be easier.

Louisiana Pork Chops with Mashed Cauliflower

A basic spice rub adds a lot of punch, and I took a bit of everything from the Cajun kitchen.

from top, clockwise: paprika, black pepper, sea salt, cayenne, allspice, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar

A few minutes prep the night before will make sure you get full flavor.

prep: put rubbed chops into a freezer bag

Louisiana Pork Chops
2 center cut pork chops
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp onion powder

Mix spices together in a shallow bowl, and rub into all sides of pork chops. Place chops in a freezer bag and refrigerate overnight.

Heat oven to the broiler setting. Once heated, place chops in a broiler pan and position chops on the lowest rack in the oven. Cook chops 8 minutes – flipping half way through. Pork should cook to at least 160F internal temp.

Enjoy!

Fine

cocoa rubbed pork roast

I adapted this for the slow cooker from an oven roast recipe for Bon Apetite. The original recipe required a slow cooked oven roast, with the onions sauteed separately on the stovetop. The slow cooker method allows you to cook the onions and the roast together, with less moisture for a more concentrated flavor, and the onions help keep the pork roast extremely tender.

Cocoa Rubbed Pork
1 3-4lb center cut pork roast
1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder
3-4 cardamom pods, toasted and crushed
1 tsp cloves, ground
1 tsp peppercorns, coarsely ground
1 tsp nutmeg, ground
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp sea salt

Smothered Onions
2 medium yellow onions
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sage leaves, chopped
1 cup chicken broth

First, prepare your rub. Toast cardamom pods in an ungreased pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently. Using a mortal and pestle  (or a spice grinder), crush cardamom pods, peppercorns and cloves.

crushed spices

In a small bowl, mix the cardamom, peppercorns and cloves with the cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon and sea salt.  Wash and pat dry pork. Rub all sides with the spice mixture.  Set aside.

Peal onions and slice thinly with a knife or mandolin. Roughly chop sage leaves. Heat oil and butter in a wide saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until tender and translucent, 5-7 minutes.  Add chopped sage and broth, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour onions and broth into slow cooker. Place roast on top of onions, and cook until roast reaches an internal temp of 160F (approximately 3-4 hours on high, or 5-6 hours on low). Remove roast from slow cooker to plate and let meat rest 10 minutes.

smothered onions on roast pork

Cover the pork roast with onions and slice onto plates.

slice of cocoa roast pork

I was fidgeting a bit with an existing recipe for brown sugar glazed pork so it would work in the slow cooker.  Also, I was trying to use up some leftover apples and cider. I decided to caramelize the apples and use them as a stuffing. A savory fruit stuffing adds a nice contract to the roast, and it’s a really beautiful presentation when you’re slicing these to the plate.

apple stuffing

I used a sirloin cut roast, but this will work with a tenderloin or other cut, so long as it’s 4-6lbs and a few inches deep. Larger roasts will take a bit longer, but since we’re working with a slow cooker, you don’t need to worry about the exact time.

1 4-6lb pork roast (center cut, tenderloin, etc)

Glaze:
1 cup dark brown sugar, plus 2 tbsp
1 tbsp dijon-style mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Stuffing:
2 medium apples
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

Peel and chop to apples into 1/2 inch cubes. Add butter into a sauce pan over medium heat. When butter has melted, add apples and stir for a few minutes, until apples have barely softened.  Add cider and cook until reduced a bit, then mix in chopped rosemary . Remove from heat; allow to cool to room temp.

Wash roast and pat try. Rub with salt and pepper.  Using a long knife, slit the roast in the center. Cut on each end, and then carefully press through the center until both cuts meet.

Take apple mixture and spoon into the hole you’ve slit in the roast. Mix brown sugar, mustard, balsamic vinegar, and nutmeg in a small bowl. The texture will be grainy but moist. Rub all over pork.

brown sugar glaze

Place roast in slow cooker. Take any remaining apples and cider, and pour over roast.

ready for the slow cooker

Depending on your slow cooker settings and how much time you have, you can cook on high (around 3-4 hours for a 4lb roast) or low (around 6-8 hours for a 4lb roast) until you reach an internal temp of 160F. Your slow cooker should switch to “warm” mode after the internal temp has been reached.

Remove from slow cooker and allow meat to rest for 5 minutes.  While the meat is resting, take remaining 2 tbsp of brown sugar and rub over top of pork. This should melt on its own.  Cut into 1″ thick serving slices.

all done, with potatoes and spinach gratin