Slow Cooker Kalua Pork

It all started for me several years ago.  My first trip to Hawaii, Maui to be exact.  In the company of good friends sitting comfortably on a tiki torch studded wooden patio, I was mesmerized by the sun setting into the ocean.  My plastic fork poised and at the ready, I finally met with destiny... Kalua Pork.  After eating the famed Hawaiian perfection of pig, I came home only to find myself in the grip of frequent and fierce cravings.  Recreating this dish righteously would require a huge amount of time, money, pit digging, etc.  However, I think I've found a way to come close enough in flavor to satisfy my cravings, and with minimal effort.  It's only an imitation, but it's damn good all the same.

The word kalua literally means "to cook in an underground oven."  Real-deal kalua pork is very slowly cooked in a pit using coals, stones, Hawaiian salt, black pepper and banana leaves.  Simplicity+ingenuity.  Its buried for 12 hours, then dug up and dug into.  The kalua method's specific nuances are what makes the results so ridiculously awesome.  I don't have the time, money, or energy to do all of this by myself.  So, I use a crock pot and some tricks to try and mimic what the kalua method brings to the party. 



After a couple tries,   I think I've got it down.  This time, however, I'm going to add a little something extra into the mix... beer.
 
For this I definitely wanted to use a beer from Hawaii.  First choice was one of my favorite beers I drank while traveling on the Big Island and Maui- CoCoNut Porter from Maui Brewing Co.  It pours dark black, with a thick tan head.  The nose is full of toasted coconut, and the body is a silky swirl of notes of chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, more toasted coconut, and a little spice kick at the end from the hops.  As it warms up, the chocolate notes become even thicker.  Multi-layered and incredibly tasty, I knew this would make a great beer to cook with.


Alright... Let's cook!

Ingredients:
1 6-7 pound bone in pork shoulder
1 and 1/2 tbl. Hawaiian Sea Salt (2 tbls if you want it a bit saltier)
2-3 tbl liquid smoke (to taste)
3 CoConut Porters (1 for cooking, the rest for drinking)
3 medium ripe bananas

Sauce:
1/2 can of CoCoNut Porter
1 tbl cooking oil (peanut oil is what I used- better flavor)
1 tbl brown sugar
1 tbl sweet soy
1/2 lime juiced
1 small chopped jalapeno
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tbl finely chopped ginger root
1 tbl finely chopped fresh garlic

Servings: Approximately 10
Time: Depends on you.  Add 1/2 hour (for prep) to however long you plan slow cooking.  The sauce is made during the last hour of cooking.

1.  Take a fork and poke holes on all sides of the pork shoulder.  Coat with liquid smoke (since no coals were harmed in the making of this dish), then rub in the Hawaiian salt all over.  Make sure and use actual Hawaiian salt.  It's fairly easy to find, and is essential for getting the flavor right.















2.  Pour 1/2 of one can of beer in the bottom of your slow cooker (save the rest for the sauce), and put the pork shoulder in the beer.  Place the bananas on top of the pork.  This will mimic the effect banana leaves have in the Kalua way of cooking this dish, which is key.  You want the bananas to be stable so they will stay in place, but also make sure they aren't being smooshed by the lid.  Make double sure the lid shuts completely. 

3.  I slow cooked it on low for 9.5  hours. 



4.  For the final hour of cooking, take the pork out and shred with two forks.  Put the shredded pork back in the crockpot and cook for an additional hour in its juices.  In the past I stopped after this step, and was very happy with the results!  Pair it with simple rice, and it's simply delicious.  This time however, I decided to go further and make a garlic ginger beer sauce.  So, before returning the shredded pork to the crockpot, remove and reserve 1 cup of the juices.  Then, while you cook the shredded pork for an additional hour...


5.  In a sauce pan heat 1 tbl of oil to medium high.  Cook the onions for approx. 5 minutes until tender.  Add the garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and cook for 1-2 minutes until aromatic.  Pour the 1 cup of reserved beer and pork drippings into the pan.  Add the brown sugar, the rest of the can of beer that was partially poured into the crockpot, bring it to a boil and then reduce to a good simmer.  Simmer for approximately 15 minutes until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon. 


6.  Carefully pour contents of the sauce pan into a blender, add the cilantro, fresh lime juice, and sweet soy.  On pulse mode, puree until completely smooth (Hold down the lid!  When blending hot liquids, they tend to try and explode out the top of the blender!).  Return the pureed sauce to the pan and keep warm until the pork is done.

The pork once again was fantastic!  Despite this being the first attempt, the sauce turned out great!  Bright, slightly sweet, slightly salty, slightly spicy, and the flavors from the beer really came through.  Lightly drizzled over the pork and rice, well, it was dynamite.  I had friends over who brought Hawaiian sweet rolls, and I also made kicked up mac salad.  The mac salad was some of the best I've ever tasted (message me if you'd like to have the recipe).

What did we learn today?  Well, that the goodness of Kalua pork can be mimicked without all the hard work and huge expense!  Give this recipe a try, have some friends over, and don't forget the beer!  

Mahalo!
The Drunken Chef

Pork Green Chile

     I was reading about the history of Mexico, and came across some interesting info regarding one of their regional contributions to the world of cuisine.  A primary building block, the chili pepper, is the fruit from the plants of the genus Capsicum, a member of the Nightshade family.  These peppers originated in the South Americas and have been part of the human diet for at least 6000 years!  After Columbus...ahem..."fostered" the trade of plants and animals (and humans and communicable diseases), chili peppers quickly found their way across the globe.  Thanks to the capsaicin they contain, chili peppers have long been prized for their many uses: medicinal benefits as a topical analgesic and joint anti-inflammatory, a non-lethal weapon, and crop defense against marauding animals are just a few.  Nutritionally speaking, these wonder fruits are chock full of vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and iron!   

 

     The history research led to recipe research.  Recipe research made me hungry...and thirsty!  Although I love pork green chili, I've never made it myself.  So, I went out to grab ingredients and picked up a six pack on my way home.  Of course I wanted to pair this meal with a beer that would have some connection to green chili.  The liquor store I stopped at didn't have a great selection of Mexican beer and I didn't want to use Corona or Tecate.  Since the chili pepper is closely associated with Mexico, and pilsners go VERY well with spicy food, I found a beer that I thought would work well enough: Montezuma's Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Bohemia pilsner.  This beer has a slightly hazy, straw color.  The body is light with very a mild floral and slightly spicy character from the hops.  The malt build is also quite mild, but the finish is very crisp and dry.  Definitely not awesome, but it's an ok "thirsty" beer.  In the future I think I'll use Negro Modelo instead.

 

  

Let's cook!

 

Time: Prep time is approx. 5 hours.  Cooking time can be as little as 4 hours.  If you can wait, 5-6 hours is better.

 

Servings:  Approx. 8 servings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

4 tomatillos halved

3 Anaheims halved

4 jalepenos halved

4 poblanos halved

2 small cans of Hatch green chilies (freshly roasted green chilies would be far better if you have the time- but I didn't)

1 onion cut into quarters

1 whole head of garlic with the top sliced off, exposing all cloves

1 15oz can of diced tomatoes drained

1 pork butt 2-3 pounds, cut into bite size pieces

3 cups chicken broth

1 bottle of beer

5 tbs flour

3 tbs oregano

3 tbs cumin

3tbs chili powder

Salt and Pepper to taste
A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce

 

1.  Set your oven to 425'.  Place all of your halved veggies face down on a lightly oiled roasting pan.  Drizzle some more oil over them, and place in oven.

 

2.  Heat a large cast iron pot to medium high heat, and brown the pork pieces in 1-2 tbs of oil.  Brown in batches if necessary.  Don't crowd the pot, or you won't get a good sear.  Once all of the meat is browned, remove to a large bowl.

 

3.  When your veggies are done roasting (you want some good brown color spots), place on a cutting board.  Put all tomatillos and approximately 1/3 of your peppers, and chilies in a blender and pulse till very smooth.  Roughly chop the rest of the chilies and onion into small pieces.  Squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves and chop very finely. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Heat your pot to medium and add the chopped onions and garlic.  Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic, stirring slowly,   Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the broth and beer while scraping the beautiful brown stuck bits off the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil, stirring till slightly thickened.  Drop the heat to a simmer.

 

5.  Drop in your browned pork (I chose to smash and tear the pork pieces before adding them back to the pot), tomatoes, canned green chilies, chopped roasted veggies, and pureed roasted veggies. 

 

6.  Add the spices and simmer on low for at least 4 hours (I did for 5), stirring occasionally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Your pork green chili will be dynamite over rice, eggs, potatoes, or enchiladas.  I had it in a bowl garnished with cilantro and with warm corn tortillas for dipping, plus a side of black beans with avocado and sour cream.  If you come up with another good use, let me know!

 

    

 

Cheers!

 

The Drunken Chef

 

 

Raspberry Chocolate Covered Bacon With Walnuts

So... I REALLY like bacon.  I mean a lot.  So, whenever possible, I try to find a home for it my cooking.  Most people think of bacon as being solely suited for savory applications.  However, sweet and salty get along quite well.  Which brings me to chocolate and bacon.  The first time I tried these two great tastes together, I didn't anticipate how good the combo would actually be. 

A couple years ago I decided to make an inaugural batch for a  dinner party.  I thought the finished product was good, but figured it would sound too weird to garner a mass sampling when lined up against more standard fare.  Surprisingly, most people jumped right in, and it was a big hit!  Recently, I made a few tweaks for some Christmas parties, and now I think the recipe is pretty dialed in. 

One change in particular that I made was to incorporate raspberry ale (pork, chocolate, and raspberries... pretty sure this knocks out a big swath of the food pyramid in one bite).  Right now, I have a lot of Frambozen available, and I love cooking with that beer.  A brown ale fermented with Pacific Northwest raspberries, makes this a solid beer.  Any decent raspberry ale will do, a true Belgian Framboise would probably be even better.


Ingredients:




1# thick cut bacon
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 2/3 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup of raspberry ale
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
crushed walnuts


Let's get cooking:

1.  Cut every piece of bacon into 1/2s, while getting a skillet hot on medium high heat.  Cook every piece of bacon until VERY crispy.  This is important for good texture.  I felt like my first batch was too chewy.  Drain each batch on paper towels. 

2.  While the bacon is hanging out, place a foil lined baking tray in the freezer (another trick I developed from trial and error).  Then, ccombine cocoa, sugar, milk, and beer in a bowl and mix well.  Pour into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, constantly stirring.  Let boil 1 minute, and if it doesn't seem thick enough, add a little more cocoa.  Turn down to very low heat and add vanilla.

3.  Dip each piece of the bacon, and coat about 2/3 in chocolate.  Place all pieces on the cooled baking tray. 

4.  Once you have every piece of bacon dipped and placed on the tray, sprinkle every piece with walnuts.  Place the tray in the refrigerator, until shortly before serving.

Looking for a dessert that's a little off the beaten path?  Give these a try!  Take 'em to a party, and I promise you'll be surprised at how quickly they disappear.

Cheers!

The Drunken Chef