Life has been moving pretty fast around here, and doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. One of the biggest things to fall away has been time to cook, so when I have a chance I go big.
Read moreThe Fat Boy Summer Road Trip 2014 - Day 3
Day 3 of the Fat Boy Summer Road Trip of 2014 found me waking to an awesome view of the Mississippi River west of Red Wing, Minnesota. Most of the day was the same as the last, with places and views the only real difference.
Read moreFatboy Heaven's Cuatro Chile Coloreado
I love a good chili, and love pork even more. I was trying to decide what to do for dinner tonight and decided my own variation on a Chile Verde might be fun. Instead of just green chiles I also added some sweet yellow, red, and orange chiles to the dish for some flavor balance and color.
Read morePressure smoked Bourbon Cola Pork Loin Roast
I received an interesting new kitchen appliance from the folks at WOOT yesterday, and decided to give it a try tonight. They sent me an Indoor BBQ Pressure Smoker, something that I had no idea even existed before they told me it was on it's way. It promises to smoke and cook a piece of meat in 1/4 the normal time or less, and if it works as advertised it will change much about the way I barbecue.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Crock Pot Kahlua Pork
When I was working full time at my last job, I had a few co-workers who were Hawaiian, and one of them shortly after I started introduced me to what he called "Kahlua Pig". When we found a Hawaiian restaurant down the street from work that several of us began to frequent, this was the dish I ordered most often from the menu. There is something just so basic about pork that is slow roasted without really any additions for more than 16 hours that is an amazing delight to any pallet.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Pork Harvest Stew
I love this time of year. Blustery and rainy days, temperatures cooling, and great squash and apples coming into season at grocers all over the North West. There is something timeless about the combination of apple and pork, and this stew pulls those flavors together with the help of a bit of rosemary, sage, and a whole lot of butternut squash.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast with Apple Cranberry Rice
I picked up a Pork Loin roast at the local grocer on sale the other day, and was looking for a new way to prepare it. It would have been easy to cut it into chops and fry them, but I'm always looking for a new way to cook something, especially if it includes my crock pot.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Apple Cider Braised Slow-Cooker Pork
I wanted some comfort food tonight, and found Pork Shoulder on sale at the local grocer. Since we are solidly in Fall here in the Pacific Northwest I decided to go with a nice preparation method that I've used often: Slow-cooker braising.
Read moreOn the Road Review: Ramsey's Diner, Lexington Kentucky
It frankly surprised us how hard it was to find a place open for dinner on a Sunday night in Lexington. Kentucky still has quite a few blue-laws on the books, and many places don't seem to think it is worth it to only be open for a half day on Sunday.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Pulled Pork with Sweet Corn Cake
In my last post, I talked about the great pulled pork I made. Here is another dinner I made with it, and it was another winner. What this shows more than anything is that some base proteins can be used for endless meals if they are versatile enough to be re-seasoned to fit the flavor profile of the type of food you want to prepare.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Ribs and Kraut
The wife is out of town this week and I was looking for some good old fashioned comfort food for dinner tonight. I decided to go to an old standby, Ribs and Kraut. This is super simple in the Crock-Pot, and is a great tasting dish. Traditionally it is served with mshed potatoes on the side, but I tend to stay away from heavy carbs during the week. This is a winner with the kids, and one of my favorites.
Southern Ribs and Kraut
INGREDIENTS
-
- 3 lbs. Boneless Country Style Ribs
- 32 oz. jar of Sauerkraut
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 3 Tbs. Olive Oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add oil to large frying pan and heat to medium-high
- Season ribs with salt and pepper on all sides
- Brown ribs and transfer to crock-pot
- Cook on Low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours
- Drain kraut and add to crock-pot, continue to cook for 2-3 hours
- Serve and enjoy!
Dinner Tonight: Leftovers become an awesome Asian soup
The other night I made a Five Spice Pork and had some leftovers in the bottom of the crock pot. I saved them and put them in the fridge thinking that it would be good for lunch the next day, but then I had a better idea. Since there were such classic asian flavors in the pork, I could make an easy Asian broth to turn them into a soup. Here's what I did.
Ingredients:
8 cloves of garlic
Large piece of fresh ginger
32oz Vegatable Broth
Leftovers from the Honey Apple Five Spice Pork
Bok-choy or raw spinach
Directions:
- Seperate pork from the the other pan drippings and solids in the leftovers and set aside
- Add remaining leftovers to pot
- Peel garlic and slice thinly, add to pot
- Peel ginger and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, add to pot
- Add vegatable broth
- Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20-30 minutes
- In a frying pan, saute greens in water until wilted
- Place some greens in each bowl
- Brown reserved pork until crispy in same frying pan. Divide and add to each bowl
- Cover greens and meat with broth and serve!
Dinner Tonight (and tomorrow) - Apple Honey Five Spice Pork
A very common combination in american cooking is apple and pork, but I was looking for a way to bring something more to the flavor profile this time. When I started thinking I realized that a lot of the same flavors that we use with apples are present in Chinese Five Spice recipes, and thought this would be a great combination. The pork came out fall apart perfect with a great combination of flavors. It was at once both familiar and exotic. This one will get made again here in Fat Boy Heaven.
Apple Honey Five Spice Pork
INGREDIENTS
-
- Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs.
- Red Delicious Apples, 3 sliced
- Honey, approx 4 T
- Chinese Five Spice, 2 T
INSTRUCTIONS
- Lay the apple slices (from two of the apples) in the bottom of the crockpot.
- Sprinkle with five spice.
- Cut slits in the pork loin (approx 1/2″-3/4″).
- Drizzle some honey into the slits.
- Then place apple slices into the slits.
- Place the pork loin into the crockpot.
- Drizzle the top with the remainder of the honey.
- Place the rest of the apples on top.
- Then sprinkle the whole thing with five spice.
- Cook on low for 7 hours
NOTES
Serve with veggies
Dinner Time - Slow Cooker Maple Pumpkin Pulled Pork
I love experimenting with new ways to use ingredients, and thought this would be a great flavor combination. It exceeded my expectations. The delicate moistness of the pumpkin holds up well to the maple but the bourbon and worcteshire sauce help smooth the transition. When combined with the salty goodness of the pork it is amazing. Give this a try, you won't regret your visit to Fat Boy Heaven.
Slow Cooker Maple Pumpkin Pulled Pork
If you like pulled pork, you're going to love this beautiful recipe for slow cooker pulled pork. Rich & salty, with just enough sweet to make you crave it nightly, you're gonna love this recipe twist!
INGREDIENTS
-
- 3 pound pork roast
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- hamburger buns
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place pork roast in a slow cooker. Add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, Worcestershire sauce, bourbon, and maple extract. Use a spatula to mix together the pumpkin mixture over the top of the pork. Cover and set slow cooker to high. Cook for 4-6 hours, or until pork is tender.
- Using two forks, pull the pork apart until well shredded. Stir well into the pumpkin mixture. Cover and allow to cook for another hour, until the sauce thickens.
- Spoon mixture onto hamburger buns. Serve and enjoy!
Dinner Time: Slow Cooker Pumpkin Maple Pulled Pork
I was looking through recipes last night, and thought this one seemed an awesome way to blend summer BBQ with the flavors of fall. It really has amazing depth of flavor, and hits spice notes you don't usually think of as being a part of BBQ. The cloves and allspice from the pumpkin pie spice blend with the maple and pumpkin to smell like thanksgiving came to your backyard BBQ. Add to the thanksgiving feel the creamy richness of slow-cooked pork and you end up with an amazing and EASY dinner. I served this with onion hamburger buns, but you can use any bun you prefer. Next time I think I'll use a corn-muffin style bun to bring in the cornbread stuffing element. Enjoy another little piece of Fat Boy Heaven right here:
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Maple Pulled Pork
If you like pulled pork, you're going to love this beautiful recipe for slow cooker pulled pork. Rich & salty, with just enough sweet to make you crave it nightly, you're gonna love this recipe twist!
YIELD 8 servings
ACTIVE TIME 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME 4 hours
INGREDIENTS
3 pound pork roast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon maple extract
2 tablespoons bourbon
hamburger buns
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place pork roast in a slow cooker. Add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, Worcestershire sauce, bourbon, and maple extract. Use a spatula to mix together the pumpkin mixture over the top of the pork. Cover and set slow cooker to high. Cook for 4-6 hours, or until pork is tender.
2. Using two forks, pull the pork apart until well shredded. Stir well into the pumpkin mixture. Cover and allow to cook for another hour, until the sauce thickens.
3. Spoon mixture onto hamburger buns. Serve and enjoy!
Oregon Brews and BBQs: Slick's Big Time BBQ
First on the list today was Slick's Big Time BBQ out if Newberg. We tried the Chef's Special, which included 2 Ribs, a Pulled Pork sandwich and 2 sides for $12.00
The ribs were juicy and tender, with a very nice bark. They were cooked the way I would do them in the back yard, cut thick and falling off the bone. In a competition they would be overcooked with the way the whole piece of meat came off when I tried to take a bite. The pulled pork was tender, but I didn't care for the heavy sauce they paired with this one. It was supposed to be sweet and spicy, but the spice overwhelmed the sweet here. The baked beans were more of a chili than a baked bean, and the slaw was good but not great.
Overall it was decent but not great BBQ, but well above average for a fair-type setting.
Dinner Time - Authentic Cochinita Pibil (Spicy Mexican Pulled Pork) Tacos
Pork shoulder was on sale this week, so I picked up a 4 pound boneless cut. I was looking for something new to try, and came across this recipe for a traditional mexican pork dish. The balance of the bright citrus from stewing the pork in the orange juice for 8 hours combined with the nice traditional spice that the achiote paste brings was amazing. The salsa paired with it very nice, and allowed for each of us to adjust the heat to our own tastes. Topped with Cotijo cheese they were a great light summer dinner. You'll love this one, and it makes enough to feed a large group.
Dinner Time - Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork on GF Cornbread bun
I was looking for a new pulled pork recipe yesterday, and this one looked so easy and interesting that I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful the meat came out, and how easy it was to do the pork this way. I will try this method this summer on the grill, but keeping a constant temp on my Webber Kettle for 6 hours takes some work. The combination of fruit flavors from the Dr. Pepper combined with the smoky spice of the chipotles worked really well together. The kids said it was good enough to do again, but that it was kind of spicy. Carrie and I will be having leftovers for lunch today.
The gluten-free cornbread buns I found here. I think something was wrong with my baking powder, as they didn't rise as much as I expected. I'll give the recipe another try soon and let you know how they turn out. The flavor was great, and they held up well despite the wonderful dripping pork fat from the pork.
Dinner Time - Pork Carnitas with GF Sweet Corn Muffin
I was looking for something to do for dinner tonight, and ran across a very easy to follow recipe for carnitas. I thought that rather than doing tacos or serving it with beans and rice, I would try and come up with a gluten-free bun that would work with it. I decided on a sweet corn muffin using a gluten-free cornbread mix, but dressing it up a bit with honey and a few other tricks.
Drew's Sweet Corn Muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup dairy free milk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread mix
- 1/4 cup honey
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350, spray large muffin or bun tin with non-stick cooking spray
- Whisk eggs until fluffy. Add milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and honey and mix until well combined.
- Add cornbread mix, and mix thoroughly.
- Divide batter evenly between 6 wells of muffin/bun tin
- Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Test with toothpick until pick comes out clean when stuck through center of muffin.
You can find the recipe I used for the carnitas here. Enjoy this little taste of FatBoyHeaven!
Dinner Time - Linguica and Potato Stew
I was looking for something easy tonight, and found this great recipe for a stew with a Basque twist. The flavor combination was incredible, and everyone ate their fill tonight. The combination of tomato, bacon, linguica and potatoes worked with the zucchini to make magic. Lots of bacon, lots of pork fat, how could it go wrong? This was a great fatboy comfort food meal, and I'm actually looking forward to leftovers.
Find the recipe Here.