PULLED-PORK - Andrea Lynn
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Even the best chefs have difficultly determining if their meat is properly cooked from time to time. If you’re ever in a restaurant’s kitchen (or watching a cooking competition show), you will see these expert cooks poke and press and examine their meats over and over again. While professional chefs have techniques that work perfectly for them, these techniques have come as a result of some serious practice. However, if you’re a weekend griller without years of experience under your belt, consider investing in a quality meat probe thermometer that will precisely measure the internal temperature of your meat. I have a small digital unit that I keep near the grill at all times. It costs $20 and the only problem I’ve found is making sure to keep fresh batteries on-hand. Once you have your gadget, here are some ideal internal cooking temps that apply to many of the meat recipes in this issue. —Editor Overdone or Underdone? GROUND MEAT & MEAT MIXTURES Turkey, Chicken Beef, Veal, Lamb, Pork FRESH BEEF, VEAL, LAMB Medium Rare Medium Well Done FRESH PORK Medium Well Done HAM Fresh (raw) Fully cooked (to reheat) ROAST BEEF Cooked commercially, vacuum sealed and ready-to-eat POULTRY All products 165°F 160° 145° 160° 170° 160° 170° 160° 140° 140° 165° Internal Cooking Temperatures Zest Express T oo much pulled pork—it’s almost a contradiction in the making. How on earth can there be too much pork? But when you’re working with a six-pound hunk of meat, you’ll be eating the smoked masterpiece for days. Even to the tried and true barbecue lover, this can get daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. Savor that pulled pork right from the grill. But for the following nights of dinner, how about doctoring it up into various shapes and forms? The recipes below take your pulled pork leftovers and then reinvent them into other dishes. For a Mexican meets Southern spin, pulled pork is merged with cole slaw and stuffed into a flour tortilla for a taco. Or, the pulled pork is combined with cheese and sun-dried tomatoes for quesadillas. Green chiles are baked into cornbread which serves as a spongy topping for a pulled pork and corn casserole. Roasted poblano chiles are filled with pork, cheese and cream cheese. And, salad is topped with pork and spicy ranch dressing. These recipes are so crave-worthy that you’ll be making your next batch of pulled pork just to take advantage of the leftovers. PULLED-PORK LEFTOVERS We show you how to make the most out of your pig, saving you time and money in the process! by Andrea Lynn TACOS WITH PULLED PORK & COLESLAW Using chopped bread and butter pickles as opposed to sweet relish brings a crunch and sweetness to the slaw. 1 ⁄ 4 CUP PINEAPPLE JUICE 1 ⁄2 CUP MAYONNAISE 2 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES 1 ⁄ 4 CUP PICKLE JUICE FROM BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLE JAR 3 1 ⁄2 CUPS CHOPPED GREEN CABBAGE 8 MEDIUM TORTILLAS, WARMED 1 1 ⁄2 CUPS PULLED PORK TOSSED IN BARBECUE SAUCE, WARMED SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER 1 In a medium bowl, add pineapple juice, mayonnaise, chopped pickles and pickle juice; use a whisk to combine the cole slaw dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add in the chopped cabbage, stirring to coat the cabbage with dressing. Let the cole slaw sit for 5 minutes for flavors to combine. To serve, fill each tortilla with pulled pork and top with cole slaw. Prep Time: 15 minutes 15 YIELD 8 tacos ZEST FACTOR Mild 1 TABLESPOON KOSHER SALT 2 TABLESPOONS CHILE POWDER 1 TABLESPOON CAYENNE POWDER 1 TABLESPOON CHIPOTLE CHILE POWDER 1 TABLESPOON SWEET PAPRIKA 2 TEASPOONS COARSELY GROUND BLACK PEPPER 1 ⁄ 4 CUP BROWN SUGAR 1 BONE-IN BOSTON BUTT, ABOUT 5- TO 6-POUNDS 1 Make the dry rub: In a small bowl, add all the spices and combine for the rib. Using your hands, cover the pork with the rub. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least a few hours. 2 Make the pork: Remove pork shoulder from plastic wrap and let meat sit at room temperature about 30 minutes. Prepare the grill for indirect grilling at about 250°. Add the spice- rubbed pork shoulder, fat-side-up, onto the grill. Smoke the pork until the meat falls off the bone and meat registers about 200°, about 5 to 7 hours, turning the meat halfway through the process. 3 When pork is done cooking, transfer it from the grill to a rimmed baking sheet. Let the meat rest at least 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, use a fork or your hands to shred the pork into pieces. Transfer to a bowl, and combine any meat juices that have accumulated during the resting period. Toss with barbecue sauce, and serve. CHILE PEPPER-RUBBED PULLED PORK YIELD 12 servings ZEST FACTOR Medium 30 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: Up to 7 hours PHOTOS BY NICHOLAS NGUYEN; ISTOCKPHOTO Tacos with Pulled Pork & Coleslaw 22 CHILE PEPPER JUNE/JULY 2011 www. CHILEPEPPER .com 23
Transcript of PULLED-PORK - Andrea Lynn
Even the best chefs have difficultly determining if their meat is properly cooked from time to time. If you’re ever in a restaurant’s kitchen (or watching a cooking competition show), you will see these expert cooks poke and press and examine their meats over and over again. While professional chefs have techniques that work perfectly for them, these techniques have come as a result of some serious practice. However, if you’re a weekend griller without years of experience under your belt, consider investing in a quality meat probe thermometer that will precisely measure the internal temperature of your meat. I have a small digital unit that I keep near the grill at all times. It costs $20 and the only problem I’ve found is making sure to keep fresh batteries on-hand. Once you have your gadget, here are some ideal internal cooking temps that apply to many of the meat recipes in this issue. —Editor
Overdone or Underdone?
GROUND MEAT & MEAT MIXTURESTurkey, ChickenBeef, Veal, Lamb, Pork
FRESH BEEF, VEAL, LAMBMedium RareMediumWell Done
FRESH PORKMediumWell Done
HAMFresh (raw)Fully cooked (to reheat)
ROAST BEEFCooked commercially, vacuum sealed and ready-to-eat
POULTRYAll products
165°F160°
145°160°170°
160°170°
160°140°
140°
165°
Internal Cooking Temperatures
Zest Express
Too much pulled pork—it’s almost a contradiction in the making. How on earth can there be too
much pork? But when you’re working with a six-pound hunk of meat, you’ll be eating the smoked masterpiece for days. Even to the tried and true barbecue lover, this can get daunting. But it doesn’t have to be.
Savor that pulled pork right from the grill. But for the following nights of dinner, how about doctoring it up into various shapes and forms? The recipes below take your pulled pork leftovers and then reinvent them into
other dishes. For a Mexican meets Southern spin, pulled pork is merged with cole slaw and stuffed into a flour tortilla for a taco. Or, the pulled pork is combined with cheese and sun-dried tomatoes for quesadillas. Green chiles are baked into cornbread which serves as a spongy topping for a pulled pork and corn casserole. Roasted poblano chiles are filled with pork, cheese and cream cheese. And, salad is topped with pork and spicy ranch dressing. These recipes are so crave-worthy that you’ll be making your next batch of pulled pork just to take advantage of the leftovers.
PULLED-PORK LEFTOVERSWe show you how to make the most out of your pig, saving you time and money in the process!by Andrea Lynn
TACOS WITH PULLED PORK & COLESLAW
Using chopped bread and butter pickles as
opposed to sweet relish brings a crunch and
sweetness to the slaw.
1⁄4 CUP PINEAPPLE JUICE1⁄2 CUP MAYONNAISE
2 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED
BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES1⁄4 CUP PICKLE JUICE FROM
BREAD AND BUTTER
PICKLE JAR
3 1⁄2 CUPS CHOPPED GREEN
CABBAGE
8 MEDIUM TORTILLAS, WARMED
1 1⁄2 CUPS PULLED PORK TOSSED IN
BARBECUE SAUCE, WARMED
SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER
1In a medium bowl, add pineapple juice, mayonnaise, chopped
pickles and pickle juice; use a whisk to combine the cole slaw dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add in the chopped cabbage, stirring to coat the cabbage with dressing. Let the cole slaw sit for 5 minutes for flavors to combine. To serve, fill each tortilla with pulled pork and top with cole slaw.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
15 YIELD 8 tacos ZEST FACTOR Mild
1 TABLESPOON KOSHER SALT
2 TABLESPOONS CHILE POWDER
1 TABLESPOON CAYENNE POWDER
1 TABLESPOON CHIPOTLE CHILE
POWDER
1 TABLESPOON SWEET PAPRIKA
2 TEASPOONS COARSELY GROUND
BLACK PEPPER1⁄4 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1 BONE-IN BOSTON BUTT, ABOUT
5- TO 6-POUNDS
1Make the dry rub: In a small bowl, add all the spices and combine for the rib.
Using your hands, cover the pork with the rub. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least a few hours.
2Make the pork: Remove pork shoulder from plastic wrap and let
meat sit at room temperature about 30 minutes. Prepare the grill for indirect grilling at about 250°. Add the spice-rubbed pork shoulder, fat-side-up, onto the grill. Smoke the pork until the meat falls off the bone and meat registers
about 200°, about 5 to 7 hours, turning the meat halfway through the process.
3When pork is done cooking, transfer it from the grill to a rimmed baking
sheet. Let the meat rest at least 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, use a fork or your hands to shred the pork into pieces. Transfer to a bowl, and combine any meat juices that have accumulated during the resting period. Toss with barbecue sauce, and serve.
CHILE PEPPER-RUBBED PULLED PORKYIELD 12 servings ZEST FACTOR Medium30
Prep Time: 30 minutesCooking Time: Up to 7 hours
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Tacos with Pulled Pork & Coleslaw
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Pulled Pork Quesadillas
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour
3 CUPS PULLED PORK TOSSED
IN BARBECUE SAUCE
1 BAG FROZEN CORN, THAWED,
10-OUNCES
1 CAN CREAMED CORN, 14.75-OUNCES
2 EGGS
1 CUP SHREDDED CHEDDAR
CHEESE, DIVIDED
1 CAN CHOPPED GREEN CHILES,
4.5-OUNCES
1⁄4 CUP HEAVY CREAM
1 BOX JIFFY CORN MUFFIN MIX,
8.5-OUNCES
1Preheat oven to 375°. In a 9” X 13” casserole dish, add the pulled pork
in one layer, topping with a layer of thawed corn. Reserve.
2In a large bowl, add creamed corn, eggs, cream, green chiles and
cheese. Stir to combine. Add in the corn
muffin mix, and use a wooden spoon to gently combine the ingredients.
3Pour the cornbread mixture in the casserole dish over the layer of corn.
Place the casserole into the oven and cook until the center of the cornbread topping is firm, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven, and serve.
Zest Express
PULLED PORK QUESADILLAS YIELD 4 quesadillas ZEST FACTOR Medium
CORNBREAD, PULLED PORK & GREEN CHILE CASSEROLE
YIELD 4 servings ZEST FACTOR Medium15
10
1On each tortilla, spread 1⁄2 cup of cheese across the entire tortilla. On the
half of each tortilla, top it with scallions, pulled pork and sun-dried tomatoes, dividing up the ingredients among the 4 tortillas. Fold each tortilla in half.
2Coat a medium nonstick pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of
the pan. Warm over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla, cooking until each side is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas,
adding more oil to cook it as needed. Remove the quesadillas from the pan and cut each into 4 wedges. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes
The poblano chiles can also be charred in the
oven’s broiler or on the stovetop of a gas stove,
in addition to using the grill.
4 POBLANO CHILES
1 CUP PULLED PORK TOSSED
IN BARBECUE SAUCE1⁄2 CUP SPICY QUESO DIP
2 TABLESPOONS CREAM CHEESE,
AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
1Prepare the grill to medium heat. Add the poblano chiles, and close
the lid. Roast the chiles until all the skin is black, about 20 minutes, turning the chiles occasionally through the process.
2When the chiles are charred, transfer from the grill to a bowl, and
cover with plastic wrap to allow the chiles to steam for 15 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and let the chiles cool for 5 minutes.
3Preheat oven 350°. Cut and remove the top of the chiles,
along with the core and seeds. Use your hands to gently peel the blackened skin off the chile. Cut a slit halfway down each chile, and reserve.
4In a small bowl, add pulled pork, queso dip and cream cheese,
stirring to combine. Divide the meat mixture, and fill it into each chile. Add to an oven-safe dish, and place in the oven until warm, about 10 to 15 minutes.
1 BAG SPINACH, 7-OUNCES
2 TOMATOES, DICED
1 CUCUMBER, DICED
2 CARROTS, SHREDDED
1 AVOCADO, DICED1⁄2 CUP SHREDDED SMOKED CHEESE
1 CUP PULLED PORK, WARMED
HOT SAUCE, AS NEEDED
RANCH DRESSING, AS NEEDED
ROASTED POBLANO CHILES STUFFED WITH PORK
YIELD 4 stuffed peppers ZEST FACTOR Medium
YIELD 2 servings ZEST FACTOR Medium
BARBECUE SALAD WITH RANCH DRESSING
Prep Time: 10 minutes10
20
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes
These quesadillas can also
be made on the grill, cooking
about 5 minutes per side over
medium heat.
2 CUPS SHREDDED
MEXICAN CHEESE
BLEND
4 LARGE TORTILLAS
2 SCALLIONS, CHOPPED
1 CUP PULLED PORK
TOSSED IN BARBECUE
SAUCE
1 CUP CHOPPED SUN-DRIED
TOMATOES, REHYDRATED IN
HOT WATER FOR 10 MINUTES
CANOLA OIL, AS NEEDED
SALSA AND SOUR CREAM, TO SERVE
Andrea Lynn is a freelance writer/recipe developer specializing in spicy and Southern food. Her favorite chile is a tie between the mild yet flavorful poblano and the mighty, reliable fire of the serrano. Follow her on Twitter @Alynn27 or get more info at www.andrealynnfoodwriter.com.
Barbecue Salad with Ranch Dressing
1In a medium bowl, add the spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots,
avocado and cheese. In a small bowl, add hot sauce to the ranch dressing to taste. Drizzle the salad with dressing, and toss to combine. Divide the salad onto two plates, and top with warmed pulled pork. Serve.
24 C H I LE P E P P E R JUNE/JULY 2011 www.C H I LE P E P P E R .com 25
