With a neighborhood party coming up, I decided to make a big batch of pulled pork. It’s one of my favorite dishes to make for a crowd. Everyone likes it and it’s one of those dishes that really benefits from being made in quantity. Also, it epitomizes a lot of what barbecue is about - the art of taking a tough cut of meat on a long journey over a low flame in order to turn it into that tasty tenderness that we all love.
- 2 pork butts (pork shoulder roasts), about 18 pounds total
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup of your favorite barbecue rub (this batch used Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust)
- 1 cup of your favorite finishing sauce (I used this Lexington-style sauce)
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This is a thin, vinegar-based sauce that’s most commonly served as a finishing sauce with pulled pork.
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tbs sugar
3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Whisk together all ingredients until sugar and salt are dissolved.
Pull pork into thin shreds and toss with half of the sauce. Save the remaining sauce to serve at the table. Makes about 2 cups.
This sweet-yet-tangy sauce takes a little time, but is well worth it.
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup molasses (unsulfured dark or regular, but not blackstrap)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground yellow mustard (Colman’s if you can get it)
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1 teaspoon chili powder
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1 teaspoon onion powder
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1 teaspoon granulated garlic
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1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
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1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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½ teaspoon allspice
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½ teaspoon cinnamon
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½ teaspoon mace
Mix all ingredients together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until sauce has reduced by a quarter to about 2½ cups. Bottle and refrigerate.
The best meal we’ve had this Summer.
Charred Onion Salad (from Taming the Flame by Elizabeth Karmel by way of Serious Eats)
- 2 large sweet onions
- 4 slices of good crusty french bread
- 1cloves of garlic, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 pieces of jamón serrano, cut into strips
- Grated Parmesan to taste
- Olive Oil
- Kosher sea salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper (more…)
Anyone who’s traveled anywhere in the world has come across this scene: a roadside stand with a table and a few chairs, a couple of coolers, a smoky fire in an old oil drum, and a load of this well-marinated chicken sizzling on top of it. Whether it be on a Caribbean beach or at a fire department fundraiser, this is the quintessential grilled chicken - crispy, juicy, smoky, and tangy. (more…)
When it comes to ribs, I’m partial to baby backs - lean, tender, tasty, and fairly quick to cook. I usually do them over an indirect heat at 225°F for about 5 hours. But for this batch of ribs I decided to try going with direct heat and rely on a foiled cooking technique that I typically use for spare ribs to give me equally tender ribs in less time. (more…)
With all the fresh herbs coming up in our garden, I like using some of them for this tangy Argentinian marinade. Chicken is not exactly traditional gaucho food, but it pairs well with the citrus and garlic, and the extra oil helps keep the breasts moist.
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 tablespoons)
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 4-6 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
- 6-8 boneless chicken breasts
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This salt roasting recipe combines the best of several cooking techniques - steaming, roasting and (of course) grilling. It’s a bit of work, but because the food essentially cooks in its own juices, the moist and flavorful results are certainly worth the effort.
- 6 cups kosher sea salt
- 1 cup water
- 6 fingerling potatoes, or a dozen baby red or yellow potatoes
- 2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 USDA Choice or Prime ribeye steaks, at least an inch and a half thick
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- 2 tbsp butter, softened slightly
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp candied ginger
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 3 freestone peaches or nectarines, halved & pitted
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
Heat grill to high.
Combine softened butter, honey, vanilla, and candied ginger together in a food processor and pulse until mixed into a soft paste. Refrigerate.
Brush cut side of peaches with melted butter. Grill cut side down 3-5 minutes until you get good grill marks.
Turn peaches over and fill pit hole with a teaspoon or so of the ginger/butter mixture.
Grill for 1-2 minutes cut side up until the butter has melted.
Carefully remove from grill, top each half with with 1 a dollop of mascarpone, and serve with remaining ginger/butter mixture on the side.
Paella is a classic dish from eastern Spain. Recipes vary widely, but are always based around rice, saffron, and olive oil. It is traditionally cooked over an open fire in a wide, flat pan called a paellera. In that spirit of outdoor cooking, this is a simple version that has been adapted to work well on a grill. (more…)