Category: Pork
Dutch Oven Pork Roast
I learned this technique of using a dutch oven to cook a pork roast from a French cook book I have
What’s neat about this method is that your using nothing but the roast itself, no liquids or veggies up front
Basically you cook the roast alone and as the fat renders the pork roast cooks in it’s own juices and develops great flavor
I’m starting off with a 2 pound pork loin roast
Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat
Sprinkle the roast with kosher salt and ground black pepper
Once the oil is smoking slightly place your roast in the pan fat side down and sear 2 – 3 minutes
Sprinkle the bottom end with more salt and pepper
Flip and repeat until all sides are nice and browned
I even browned the ends using a fork to help out
Once the roast is all seared, move the pot to low heat, cover and cook for an hour, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145 F
Turn the roast every 10 minutes or so as it cooks
Lets take a peek
Yum!
Take the roast out and let it rest for 10 minutes
Next we will need 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock, 1 cup of apple juice (or cider), 1/2 cup of dry white wine (like a Chardonnay), 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of Gravy Master
Add the butter and white wine to the pan juices and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-6 minutes to burn off the alcohol
Add in the stock, apple juice and Gravy Master
Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer another 5-6 minutes
Time to thicken the gravy a bit
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan, add in 1/4 cup of flour (more as needed) and whisk until bubbly and lightly browned
Whisk this into the gravy and cook another 5 minutes
Another tip I learned from this French style of cooking is topping foods off with fresh herbs and garlic, which just adds another level of delicious flavor
I’m using a handful of fresh parsley and 2 garlic cloves
Place them in a food processor and chop away
Slice the roast very thinly
We served the pork covered in gravy, fresh parsley and garlic with a little crushed red pepper
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Dutch Oven Pork Roast
Ingredients
2 pound loin pork roast
kosher salt
ground black pepper
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of apple juice (or cider)
1/2 dry white wine
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of Gravy Master
2 tablespoons of butter (for the gravy)
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves
crushed red pepper (optional)
Directions
Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the roast with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Once the oil is smoking slightly place your roast in the pan fat side down and sear 2 – 3 minutes. Sprinkle the bottom end with more salt and pepper. Flip and repeat until all sides are nice and browned
Once the roast is all seared, move the pot to low heat, cover and cook for an hour, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145 F. Turn the roast every 10 minutes or so as it cooks. Take the roast out and let it rest for 10 minutes
Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup white wine to the pan juices and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-6 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add in the 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock, 1 cup of apple juice and 2 tablespoons of Gravy Master. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer another 5-6 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan, add in 1/4 cup of flour (more as needed) and whisk until bubbly and lightly browned. Whisk this into the gravy and cook another 5 minutes
In a food processor chop 1/2 cup of fresh parsley and 2 garlic cloves. Slice the roast very thinly. Top the roast with gravy, fresh parsley, garlic and a little crushed red pepper
Tools used to make this recipe
Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood
KitchenAid 3-Speed Hand Blender
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved
Seared Pork Chops & Red Cabbage
This is a great recipe for a weeknight meal
A few minutes in the pan then a few minutes in the oven and dinner is on the table!
Seared & seasoned pork chops are topped with a layer of flavorful red cabbage
We like the flavor of the bone-in pork chops but you can use boneless as well
Season 4 chops liberally with kosher salt, black pepper, onion & garlic powders
Heat a cast iron pan over high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter
Sear the chops for 2 minutes, flip and sear for another 2 minutes
Top the pork with 4 cups of cooked red cabbage and place in the oven that’s been preheated to 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes
Click here for an easy German Red Cabbage recipe
This meal is perfect paired with egg noodles!
Enjoy!
Simply Sunday's ~ Seared Pork Chops & Red Cabbage
Ingredients
4 pork chops
kosher salt
black pepper
onion & garlic powders
2 tablespoons of butter
4 cups of cooked red cabbage
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
Season 4 chops liberally with kosher salt, black pepper, onion & garlic powders
Heat a cast iron pan over high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter; sear the chops for 2 minutes, flip and sear for another 2 minutes
Top the pork with 4 cups of cooked red cabbage and place in the oven that’s been preheated to 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes
Tools used to make this recipe
Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved
The Ultimate Pulled Pork
I call this The Ultimate Pulled Pork not to be pretentious but because using the right roast and a pressure cooker makes all the difference
What you want for pulled pork is a pork butt
What did he just say?
Pork Butt?
That’s right… but not that butt!
It is a Boston Butt or the upper part of the front shoulder, this cut of pork has a flat bone it it and yields a lot of meat
It is also very marbled with fat which helps keep it juicy
A Boston Butt really needs time to cook to get the rich tender meat your looking for, whether on the grill, in the smoker, the oven or even the Crock Pot, your’re going to need hours and hours
That’s why we are going into the pressure cooker and in about 1 1/2 hours we are going to have a delicious meal!!!
I started here with about an 11 pound butt
Sprinkle the butt generously with kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
Start by seasoning the fat cap, that is the thick strip of fat you will find on one side
Heat about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the pressure cooker on medium heat
Place the butt in the pot fat cap side down and let sear for 6-8 minutes
Season the back side while it sears
Flip and sear the other side for another 6-8 minutes
Remove the meat from the pot and set aside
Next up, we will need 1 large onion, 1 fennel bulb and 3 cloves of garlic
I remove the whispy fronds from the fennel and give everyone a nice chop
Put the onion, fennel and garlic in the pot, season with a little salt and pepper. Cook about 6-8 minutes
Next we will need 2 apples
You can leave the skin on the apples just discard the core
I like a mixture of flavor from the apples so here I’m using 1 granny smith and 1 McIntosh
Next put in the apples and stir everybody up
Cook another 5-6 minutes
Next we will need 2 cups of apple cider, 1 cup of dry white wine (like a Chardonnay), 1 cup of chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of Gravy Master
Add in the white wine to deglaze the pan, that is break up the great brown bits left on the bottom from the searing of your meat
Let this come to a boil and cook about 5 minutes
Then add in the stock, apple cider, Gravy Master and a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
Place the meat back in the pot, fat cap side up
As the fat renders and cooks down it will penetrate the meat helping it to stay moist
Cover and seal and follow the pressure cookers instructions to bring it up to full pressure
Once at full pressure, start a timer for 1 1/2 hours (you may need more or less time depending on how many pounds the meat is)
Once the timer goes off, remove the cooker from heat and follow the cool down instructions to relieve the pressure so you can safely open it
Oh man, that looks and smells great!!!
Remove the meat, set aside and let rest while you make the gravy
Place a colander over a sauce pot and strain, keeping the liquid
Once strained you can discard the fruit and veggies
Get the gravy on the stove and bring to a boil
In another pot melt 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat and whisk in a 1/4 cup of flour
This flour and butter mixture is called a roux (pronounced rue)
Cook this mixture until it is light brown in color
Pour the roux into your gravy and whisk to incorporate, this will help it to thicken
You can cut the pork into chunks or shred using 2 forks or your hands
We chose to shred it
At this point there are options
We can go the BBQ route by adding some Simply Sunday’s Barbecue Sauce
Or we can use that delicious gravy
We are going to get multiple meals out of this much pork
For our first use over the weekend we are serving this over some pasta with fresh parsley and crushed red pepper
It will also make some great sandwiches on a busy weeknight!
All I can say here is YUM!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ The Ultimate Pulled Pork
Ingredients
One 10-12 pound shoulder or Boston butt
1 large onion
1 fennel bulb
3 garlic cloves
2 apples
1 cup of dry white wine
2 cups of apple cider
1 cup of chicken stock
1 tablespoon of gravy master
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of flour
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
ground black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
Directions
Sprinkle the fat side (fat cap) of the pork butt generously with kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in the pressure cooker. When you see faint smoke, lay your butt in the pot fat side down and sear 6-8 minutes. Season the back of the pork, flip and sear another 6-8 minutes, remove and set aside
Chop the onion, garlic and fennel bulb, add them to the pot, season with salt and pepper and cook about 6-8 minutes. Core and cut the apples into slices (no need to peel), add them to the pot, stir everybody up and cook another 5-6 minutes
Next deglaze the pan with the white wine, bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cook 5-6 minutes. Add in the chicken stock, apple cider and Gravy Master and season again with salt and pepper
Place the pork back in fat cap side up and seal the pressure cooker according to the instructions. When at full pressure, time the pork for 1 1/2 hours. Allow the pressure cooker to depressurize according to its instructions, remove the lid and remove the pork to a cutting board. Let the pork rest 10 minutes
Strain the juice into a pot and discard the veggies and apples. Bring the gravy to a boil. In another pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in 1/4 cup of flour and cook until incorporated & lightly brown. Whisk this roux into the gravy to thicken it
You can cut the meat into chunks or pull the meat apart with two forks for more of a pulled pork. We served this over pasta with that delicious gravy. Cook the pasta according to the packages directions and toss with some parsley and crushed red pepper
Tools used to make this recipe
Presto 16-Quart pressure Canner
Pyrex 3-Piece Glass Measuring Cup Set
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved
Southwestern Smoked Pork Roast
There is nothing quite like some outdoor cooking
Especially when you have a beautiful day and a little extra time on your hand
Now I say a little extra time on your hand but really that is just upfront
Once your smoker is going there is little left to do
I soaked about 3 cups worth of pecan wood chips in water overnight
This is key in the smoking process, as the coal we use is doing the actual cooking, the wet wood chips are adding the smoky flavor
Let’s work on the roast
I have a 3.5-pound boneless pork roast
I’m going to make some slits in the roast, slice up 4 garlic cloves and push them into the slits
Next, I’m going to generously sprinkle the roast with The Spice Apothecary’s Southwestern Dry Rub
Cover the whole roast with the rub and let it sit for 30 minutes to absorb
While that is resting let’s get the smoker going
I use a Weber Chimney Starter to get my charcoal going. I use about two starters worth of lump hardwood coal which will get the smoker up to a toasty 250 F
Once your coals are ready sprinkle your wet pecan chips over them
Put the roast on the top rack and close up your smoker
I cooked my roast for about 1 hour 40 minutes
I checked the temp every so often with a meat thermometer, looking for an internal temp of around 145 F
I’m thinking, yeah… that looks good
Remove the meat and let it rest for at least 10 minutes, however, you can also cool it completely to use the next day sliced for sandwiches
We chose to slice this with a meat slicer, nice and thin for sandwiches but anyway you eat this I can assure you, it will be a hit
Note: Even though our roast is done, those coals are still hot. I plan ahead and always try to have something else to throw on the smoker
Waste not want not
In this case I cooked up our Smoked Wings for another great meal!!!!
We served this delicious pork on buttered and toasted ciabatta rolls with tomatoes, Pickled Onions, muenster cheese and some garlic mayo!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Smoked Pork Roast
Ingredients
3.5 pound boneless pork roast
4 garlic cloves
The Spice Apothecary’s Southwestern Dry Rub
Directions
If using pecan, cherry or apple wood chips, be sure to put about 3 cups worth in water overnight
Make some slits in the roast, slice up 4 garlic cloves and push them into the slits. Next to generously sprinkle the roast with The Spice Apothecary’s Southwestern Dry Rub. Cover the whole roast with rub and let it sit for 30 minutes to absorb up the rub
Get your coals hot and add in your soaked wood chips. Once your smoker reaches around 250 F you can place your roast on the top grate. Let the roast cook for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 145 F
Remove the roast and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. You can also cool overnight and use sliced for sandwiches
Tools used to make this recipe
Wilton 3 Piece Cookie Sheet Set
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved