Blackberry-Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

Just when I think having twins couldn't possibly be any more amazing, I discover something new that just makes my heart explode. Last week it was the babbling they do at each other, apparently understanding what the other is saying. The week before that it was that when one learned to climb the stairs, the other one insisted he do it too (with much less ease, grace, and a lot more grunting). And the week before that it was their love for chasing each other around in their walkers. Can you imagine anything cuter than two tiny babies chasing each other with extraordinarily fat legs? Heart explosion.  

But this week I came to an extra extra special realization.  From now until who knows how long, probably the end of time, when one gets sick - so will the other. Awesome. Sure, regular siblings have similar challenges, but twins just CONSTANTLY gravitate toward one another. They play with the same toys. In fact, the only toy they ever want is the one that the other one is currently playing with/slobbering all over. So the germ swapping is immediate, unavoidable, and miserable. And yet somehow it was so cute to watch them respond so differently to the same cold...one acted like someone amputated his leg and that there was no way he was coming out of this alive, while the other just continued smiling, squealing, and stuffing his face with McDonald's pancakes. Two very different boys, two very distinct heart explosions.

In the midst of all this sickness, I decided to make grilled marinated pork tenderloin.  Why? Because it tastes great with wine.

If you decide to make this - and you won't regret it - make sure you leave enough time for marination. Is that even a word? I doubt it. Pork is one of the few meats that really does take on a 24 hour marinade perfectly; it infuses flavor without making the meat gummy or overly saturated.  I recommend at least 8 hours, but if you can swing 24, do it. Plus, if you're making this for a summer BBQ, how great to have your main dish basically done before guests arrive? All you have to do is pop it on the grill. You will LOVE this sweet and flavorful pork.

Recipe (serves 4-6)

• 2 pork tenderloins
• 1 cup blackberry preserves
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 crushed bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large ziploc bag, add the pork and refrigerate for as long as you can, up to 24 hours. Mine was probably actually more like 27 when it was all said and done.  Then, you can grill the pork tenderloin perfectly and easily using this 7-6-5 method. It works perfectly.  Heat the grill to high. Remove the pork from the marinade (reserve the extra if you want to reduce to a sauce).  Place the pork on the grill, cover, and leave undisturbed for 7 minutes. Flip the pork over, cover and grill for 6 more minutes. Turn the grill OFF, and let sit in the covered grill for 5 minutes. The pork should register about 140, then you can remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes (it will keep cooking a bit here and raise about 10 degrees).  Our grill gets SUPER hot - like hard to keep below 500 hot - so I usually only leave it in the last phase for about 4 minutes. If your grill stays closer to 400, I would do the full 5. But even when I do the full 5, the pork is not too overcooked or dry.  Anyway, that's the way to do it. If you want, you can reserve the extra marinade and reduce down on the stove for 10 minutes or so and serve with the pork. Make sure to bring it to a boil for at least 10 minutes since it was hanging out with the raw pork.

Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I just got back from a baby music class. It was super cute, but I think my main takeaway is that it might be time for me to go back to work. I knew 1.7 out of 20 songs that we sang (itsy bitsy spider and twinkle twinkle), I couldn't quite match the singing intensity or commitment of the other moms, and quite honestly I didn't feel totally comfortable dancing around in a circle to Ring-Around-The-Rosy (which I didn't know the words to). What does that song even mean, anyway? I actually think my face turned red while I was prancing.

The babies seemed to love it though, so they'll definitely go again. Sounds like a great job for Dad.

Moving on to food, pulled pork+sweet potato+BBQ sauce+other stuffing stuff is the most fun and delicious weeknight meal. Or weekend meal, I suppose. I shouldn't pigeon hole it. I have a couple pulled pork recipes here and here, but honestly I just made a really simple version for this recipe. Then I stuffed the sweet potatoes with corn, avocado, cheese, and drizzled with BBQ sauce. Heavenly.

Recipe

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• Toppings of choice: avocado, cheddar/jack cheese, corn...
• 2.5 lb boneless pork shoulder
• Pork/poultry BBQ seasoning (optional; store bought)
• 1/2 can beer
• 3-5 cups beef broth, depending on size of pan
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse/kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• Pepper to taste

Coat the boneless pork shoulder in BBQ seasoning (I just use a store bought version- you can skip this and just do S&P if you want).  Preheat the oven to 300.  Heat some olive oil in a large dutch oven.  Brown the pork on all sides. Deglaze the pan with the beer (anything you like the flavor of), then add in enough beef broth to almost cover the pork (about 1/2 inch out is good).  Throw in the rest of the seasonings, bring to a boil, then cover tightly and place it in the oven for 3.5-4 hours.  It will probably be done around 3, it will just keep getting a little more tender after that. I usually do close to 4...it just needs to be easily shredable. I know shredable isn't a word.  Take the pork out and remove the lid; place it over high heat and boil down the liquid until it thickens and reduces quite a bit. You can skip that step and just strain the pork to get rid of some of the liquid too. Shred the pork.

Cook the sweet potatoes however you want. I usually poke them and bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 45-60 minutes for a really big sweet potato. It will be less if they are more normal sized (honestly I would like to know where Central Market gets their mammoth sized produce).  Slice open the potatoes, top with cheese, avo, corn and anything else you're using. Top with the pork and then drizzle with BBQ sauce (I like a sweet sauce here like Rufus Teague or Sweet Baby Ray's).

The Most Delicious Pulled Pork

I could have titled this post 'Spicy Pulled Pork,' or 'Pulled Pork in a Spicy Dark Beer Sauce,' or 'Pulled Pork Tacos,' but none of them were as fitting at 'The Most Delicious Pulled Pork.'

Seriously, I will never make pulled pork any other way again.  This is my recipe, forever and ever until the end of time. 

I've made pulled pork several times before, and I've loved them all. But, this time I tried to get creative by creating a darker sauce, a bit more spice, and the addition of a Pasilla pepper.  And that, my friends, it what threw the flavor over the edge.  Slight smokey and medium heat, the Pasilla pepper did something very special to this pork and I will forever be grateful.  Now, if you don't have access to a Pasilla pepper, which you probably don't unless you live in Texas, you can substitute for an Ancho chile.  Both a Pasilla pepper and Ancho chile are dried versions of a poblano-type pepper.  And that's all the education I'm going to give you on this topic, because it's all I know.

Do yourselves a favor, and MAKE THIS FOR YOUR FAVORITE PERSON THIS WEEKEND.

Recipe

• 3 lb boneless pork shoulder
• 1 Pasilla pepper or Ancho chile, ground/finely chopped in a food processor
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1.5 teaspoons chile powder 
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (I used a food processor)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 can Mexican beer (I used Tecate)
• 1-3 cups Beef broth

Preheat the oven to 300.  Mix together the chopped up dried Pasilla or Ancho pepper (I used a little over a tablespoon of the coarsely ground pepper), cocoa powder, brown sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and chile powder.  Cut the pork shoulder into about 4 large chunks, and rub all over with the seasoning (reserve all the extra seasoning that doesn't 'stick').  Heat a large dutch oven (or oven proof covered pot) over medium high heat, with plenty of olive oil.  Sear all sides of the pork until browned, working in shifts if you need to. Reduce the heat to low and transfer pork to a bowl. Add the onion, and cook for several minutes. Add the pork back in (and any remaining seasoning that fell off), and add the beer (use GF beer if cooking gluten free).  Pour in enough beef broth to pretty much cover the pork (you can use half broth and half water here to cut down on the salt content).  Bring to a boil for a few minutes, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven.  Cook for about 4.5 hours, remove, and shred!! To reduce the sauce a bit, you can place it on the stove top and bring to a low boil for 15-20 minutes (if you want a thicker sauce to pour over the meat). Serve on tacos with avocado, corn salsa, cheese, sour cream, and thank your lucky stars that you're not a vegetarian.

Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwiches

You won’t find these photographs published anywhere in Food & Wine magazine or Bon Appetit.   Not because they weren’t the most delicious thing ever, but because I was behind the iPhone. I mean camera. I need to care. I need to take a photography class.

But quite frankly I am most interested in the cooking and eating part of blogging. Those are the most fun.  And let me tell you  - pulled pork is fun. I’ve said it over and over, but it might be the perfect meat.  I got 3 lbs for less than $10, I spent about 10 minutes preparing it before slow roasting it, it made the house smell amazing, and then you can smother it in whatever you want. In this case, barbecue sauce.

I used a store bought spicy brown sugar pork rub, a store bought BBQ sauce (Rufus Teague's), and I also bought the pork and buns.  Wonderful Sunday dinner and lots of leftovers for BBQ quesadillas throughout the week. 

Recipe

•  2-3 lb pork shoulder (this was for two people plus leftovers)
• Brown sugar rub
• Beef broth 
•  ¼ cup brown sugar
• Worcestershire
• BBQ sauce
• Hamburger or slider buns

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Drizzle a little olive oil into a large dutch oven, and heat to medium-high.  Prepare the meat with plenty of your dry rub of choice, then brown on all sides. Pour in enough beef broth to almost cover the meat (an inch or two exposed), and mix in the brown sugar and worcestershire.  Cover the pot, then place in the oven and cook for 3-4 hours, until fork tender. I think I did about 3.5 hours.  Remove the meat and shred.  Place on toasted buns and top with TONS OF BARBECUE sauce. 

Apple & Onion Stuffed Pork Roast with Apple Butter Glaze

Pork + apples = fall to me. I understand the apple piece, but I don’t know why I feel that way about pork.  Maybe because beef is dark and makes me think of winter, and grilled chicken is light and makes me thing of summer. Pork is in between.  Now it makes perfect sense.

Anyway, this recipe got hijacked by my husband. I wanted to make a slow roasted pork loin with apple butter glaze, and he wanted a stuffed pork with apples and onions.  Because we’re married now and it turns out you need to compromise, we did both. We stuffed a pork loin with apples and onions, and glazed it with apple butter.  YUM.  It really was quite pleasing to the palate and the eye. I would serve this at a dinner party, as long as John’s not in charge of buying the apples. My very specific request for HONEYCRISP was denied and replaced with gross green Granny Smith.  The flavor came out just the same, but red looks so much prettier with pork.

Recipe

Pork

·       2-3 lb boneless pork loin roast

·       1 tablespoon salt

·       1 tablespoon brown sugar

·       ½ teaspoon pepper

·       2 cups apple juice

Stuffing

·       1 tablespoon olive oil

·       2 medium onions, diced

·       3 apples, diced

·       ½ cup apple juice

·       ~1 cup cubed bread

Glaze

·       1 cup apple butter

·       ½ cup brown sugar

·       1/4 teaspoon cinnamon + pinch of ground cloves

Start by butterflying or rolling out your pork.  I can’t really explain how to do this, so you might want to find a video on youtube. That’s what I did. But basically I cut a slit lengthwise into the pork roast about one inch from the bottom, then continued to cut and roll out the pork until it was flat.  Then mix the spice seasoning of salt, brown sugar, and pepper and sprinkle on one side of the pork (that will become the inside of your roll).  Preheat the oven to 325.

Meanwhile, make the stuffing.  Cook the onions in a tablespoons of olive oil, and add the apples a couple minutes in.  Pour in the apple juice and continue to cook for 5-10 more minutes. Add the bread cubes, and stir to coat.  Spoon stuffing onto the flattened pork (you won’t be able to use it all, but you’ll want to serve it on the side – it’s delicious!).  Then, slowly roll up the pork and secure with kitchen twine.  Sprinkle more of the seasoning mixture on top. 

To make the glaze, heat the apple butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a small saucepan until smooth.

Spray a small baking dish with Pam. Place the pork roll in the dish, then pour 2 cups apple juice over and around.  Glaze the pork with the apple butter.  Cover with foil, and bake for 45 min to one hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 (time will vary depending on the thickness of your roast).  

 Serve with leftover apple butter glaze and stuffing! 

BBQ Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Hi!! I'm back, after 2+ weeks on vacation. A wonderful vacation - I must say - cruising across the Aegean Sea with John's family, trapped on a boat with endless amounts of food and wine. My kind of paradise. 

So, since our trip ended right at the start of the 4th of July weekend, we skipped our usual Wisconsin lake weekend and stayed in the Dallas heat. I had to find some way to celebrate of course, so I made a dinner that consisted of 3 main courses: BBQ pork tenderloin, sweet orange-soy chicken skewers, and lobster rolls. A perfect way to dive back into eating light after 2 weeks of binging. Grilling is healthy though so we're fine.

I'll start with the BBQ pork tenderloin. I will tell you that as I was making this marinade (it's an original, at least as far as I can tell), I didn't think we would like it. In fact, that's when the chicken skewers got thrown into the mix as a backup. But, I was wrong. It turned out just as I had wanted it to, a sweet and tangy pork with a bit of spice - very flavorful. I've said it before and I'll say it again, pork tenderloin is the perfect spring/summer dinner party entree (I guess I don't know why it couldn't be fall too). 

Recipe

For the pork:

• 2 pork tenderloins
• olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of your favorite BBQ pork rub (*or you can make your own, see below)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the marinade:

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard (or a squirt of yellow mustard would do)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Prepare the pork by brushing with olive oil, then sprinkling with the dry rub and brown sugar. Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Add the pork and marinade to a large ziploc bag, then marinate at least 8 hours or overnight (I always do overnight). 

To grill, heat the grill to medium-high. Remove the pork from the marinade, transferring the rest of the sauce to a pan. Grill the pork about 5 minutes on each side over direct heat, then transfer to indirect heat for another 5 or so. The temp should register around 140.  Remove the pork from the grill and tent with foil for about 10 minutes before slicing.  Meanwhile, bring the reserved marinade to a low boil. Serve with pork on the side. 

Enjoy the rest of your 4th of July weekend!

*You can easily make your own dry rub with spices in your pantry:  I like to use about equal parts of paprika, salt & brown sugar, half part cumin, and sometimes a pinch of granulate onion or garlic

Peach Balsamic Grilled Pork Tenderloin

It may be hard to focus on the pork in that picture with those giant roasted carrots taking up half the screen, but please try. The carrots will get their moment later.

This past weekend was a really, really fun one. My parents were in town from Wisconsin, where they escaped a blustery late-spring snow storm for one of the most beautiful weekends in Dallas.  They got 6+ inches of snow on Thursday, causing a day of flight delays and late arrivals. I always tell them that as I much as I love them, I don't know if I could live there again. That weather is bull$#@%.

On Saturday night we stayed at our house and cooked, ate our body weight in cheese before dinner (the Wisconsin in all of us), and drank one too many bottles of wine...and had one of the most enjoyable nights we’d all had in a long time. I think, at least. I guess I don’t really know where it was on their scale of enjoyability, but it was very high on ours.

Anyway, on to the food. Pork tenderloin is my go-to dinner party meal, especially in the spring or summer. It’s so easy to marinate the night before, then throw on the grill for an easy and delicious meal. I always grill it the same way: 5 minutes on each side of medium-high indirect heat, then 5-7 minutes over indirect (until inside reaches 140). Then cover in aluminum foil for 10 minutes…it turns out perfectly moist and flavorful every time.

Recipe

·         2 pork tenderloins

·         1 jar peach preserves (about 1 cup)

·         ¾ cup balsamic vinegar

·         ½ cup brown sugar

·         ¼ cup olive oil

·         ¼ cup honey

·         3 tablespoons soy sauce

·         Dash Worcestershire

·         2 bay leaves, crushed

Mix all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, add the pork, and marinate at least 8 hours or overnight (I always do overnight!). Grill as directed above, and enjoy!  I served with wild mushroom risotto, roasted carrots, tomato mozzarella salad, and cheesecake. Recipes to follow!

Thanks mom and dad for a wonderful weekend, and for appreciating the art of eating as much as we do.

Grilled Pork Chops with Browned Butter Cherry Sauce

Last week I realized why I married my husband. He likes to talk about what he eats as much as I do.  Seriously. Some couples like to do outdoor activities, some like to discuss global issues and politics, some have a passion for conserving the environment. The Braleys - we like to eat.

John went to a business dinner last week, and the post-meeting feedback I received was strictly about food. The Porch, a go-to restaurant in uptown Dallas, has fantastic pork chops. So fantastic, that I heard about them for the next three days. I've never had them before, so I can't claim that these taste just like them, but I created a similar recipe based on the information that my husband was more than willing to share.

Recipe

• 4 bone-in porterhouse pork chops, about 1 inch thick
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 8 Cipollini onions
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 2 cups fresh cherries, sliced and pitted
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon corn starch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Start by making the sauce. Melt the butter over medium high heat in a large skillet, until the butter gets browned and bubbly. Add in the cute little onions, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and let the mixture reduce for about 5 minutes. Add the wine, and reduce by about half. Mix the remaining sugar with the sliced cherries, and pour into the skillet, mixing well. Add the chicken broth, and cook on medium-low for about 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the grill for medium to high heat. Brush the pork chops with olive oil and plenty of S&P.  Place the pork chops on the hot grill, and cover for 3 minutes. Flip over, and grill for 4 minutes more, or until a thermometer reads 145 degrees in the thickest part. Overcooking pork chops is a sure way to dry the heck out them. They should not be cooked over 145 degrees, as they will continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes after you remove them from the grill. Transfer the chops to a plate and tent with aluminum foil.

When you are almost ready to serve, mix the corn starch with water, and whisk into the cherry mixture. Bring the heat to medium-high, or until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce over the pork chops and serve immediately. These got my husband's thumbs up, so if you want a fun spin on a grilled pork chop - and are tired of walking past the giant vats of fresh cherries at Central Market and wondering what you could do with those - give these a try.

 

Marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Want to know what you should grill this weekend? Here you go:

Marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin. But start now, because the longer you marinate it, the better this turns out. Yes we served ours with a side of mini grilled shrimp, because one entree is never enough.

We are really into dinner parties lately. What's better on a weekend night than having a group of good friends over for food, fun, and wine? Nothing!  I have a few rules for dinner parties that I try to adhere to:

1. Make it relatively easy. This is not the time to attempt Beef Wellington.
2. Try to choose something that allows you to do most of the prep work before guests arrive, so that you can relax and enjoy their company while they're there.
3. Serve dessert, $%mn it.
4. Don't invite boring people.

If you follow all of my golden rules, I guarantee a good time will be had by all.

So, for our dinner party we had on Memorial Day, I decided to serve marinated grilled pork tenderloin. The marinade is a recipe from my aunt, and it has become a staple for our mid-summer get-togethers in the good ol' states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. If you don't know if you like pork tenderloin, trust me, you do. Try this recipe. The key is a looooong marinating process....I highly encourage 24 hours. The other key to pork tenderloin: DON'T OVERCOOK IT. It will be dry.

Recipe

• 3 pork tenderloins
• 1 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup key lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 bay leaves, crushed

To prepare the marinade, you're going to need to start with a lot of these:

Which also means you will need one of these:

For that much lime juice, you're not going to want to juice them by hand. Trust me, I've tried that and it all ends up in your eyes.

Mix the honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, olive oil, lime juice, and bay leaves in a large ziploc bag. I am a firm believer in using bags for marinating...it does a better job of making sure the juices really get in there.

Pat the pork tenderloin dry, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Poke little holes in the pork with a knife to ensure the marinade really seeps into the tenderloin (this is my own technique, it seems like it works...though I haven't seen any hard evidence).  Place the tenderloins in the bag with the marinade, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, rotating a couple times for even distribution. Remove from the refrigerator about a half hour before grilling, and place the pork on a plate. Reserve the marinade.

Heat the grill to medium/medium-high on just one side. Prepare the other side for indirect grilling (leave the other side off). Brush a little olive oil on the grates, then place the tenderloins over direct heat. Brush some more marinade on them. Cover the grill and cook for 6 minutes. After six minutes, flip the meat over to the other side, making sure all sides are browned (brush a little more marinade on the other side) - another 5 minutes. After 11 minutes of cooking over direct heat, move them over to the indirect heat for another 5 minutes (grill covered), until meat registers 145 degrees. I would check the temperature after 15 minutes of total cooking time (11 direct, 4 indirect) - you absolutely do not want the temperature to go any higher than 145 when you take it off. For a pinker center, take it off at 140. Transfer the tenderloins to a plate and tent with aluminum foil. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing into 1-inch pieces.

I love this recipe, and every time I eat it I feel happy with life and summer. And what a perfect dinner party entree - more elegant than hamburgers or chicken, but literally all the prep work is done the day before. And like any good dinner party, I served this for dessert.

Good times, good food, good friends!

Pulled Pork Tacos

I catered my first party a few weeks ago, though I am still awaiting payment from my client. Apparently my husband thinks he can get my services for free. Perhaps next time I will need to draft up some sort of a contract ahead of time.

Several weeks ago John enthusiastically offered to host the annual Christmas lunch they do every year at his company.  I was actually quite enthusiastic about it as well, I was excited to come up with a menu and cook for a large group (30 people) - because I have never done that before. Of course if you would look at our typical Sunday night dinners, one would think I was cooking for 30 people every week.

We wanted to do something fun and relatively easy. We decided on pulled pork tacos because they are amazing, you can make them the day before, and we live in Texas and we love tacos and pulled pork. Our menu was complete with Texas Caviar and a 7-layer salad, both of which I will be posting later. Oh and lots of Christmas cookies.

For blogging purposes I will cut down the serving size to a normal number of people (6-8), but keep in mind this is a great party food when you are having a large number of guests (for 30 people I got 12lbs of pork shoulder)

 Recipe

• 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder
• olive oil
• 1 large jar salsa (or about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2-3 cups beef broth

For Tacos

• Corn and flour tortillas
• Avocado slices
• Sour cream
• Sliced tomatoes
• Salsa
• Caramelized onions
• Cheese - cheddar or feta are great options

These are so easy you are not going to believe it. I still can hardly believe it as I'm writing this. Unwrap the boneless pork shoulder and pat dry.  I had the butcher cut the meat into smaller pieces (about 4x4 inches I would say) - but you can easily do this yourself. Salt and Pepper the meat. Heat a couple tablespoons olive oil in a large dutch oven over med-high heat. Add the pork shoulder, browning each side.

Mix the beef broth, cumin, cocoa, and brown sugar in a separate bowl. When all the sides of the pork are browned, add the broth mixture to the meat. Add more broth or water if necessary - the pork should be nearly covered. Pour in a jar of salsa. I use Pace Medium because I truly believe it is the best salsa out there. And I have tried every single one of them.

Mix things around if you want, or don't. The beauty of this pulled pork is that it turns out delicious no matter what you do to it. Turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 3 to 4 hours.  Just cover the pot and walk away. FYI, you could also place it in the oven at 325 for 2 hours. I prefer this recipe stove-top, but pork shoulder is not very temperature-sensitive and will turn out wonderful regardless. So, do whatever floats your boat.

After 3 hours (or 2 depending on your method), check the pork. It should shred very easily with a fork. If it does not, just cook for another 30 minutes or so longer.  

When the meat is done, remove it to a plate to shred. 

Oh boy. Grab a few pieces with your fingers and eat it.

Strain the braising liquid from the pot to remove any fat that has surfaced, and return the liquid to the stovetop. Turn the heat up to med-high, and bring to a low boil until the sauce has thickened. Mix the sauce with the shredded meat.

Yes, it is in a tupperware container. I was making this the night before, and I did not feel the need to be all fancy and put it in a nice serving dish just for the purpose of this blog. Sorry guys.

Now, the great thing about this pork is its versatility. We served it on corn and flour tortillas with caramelized onions, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, and salsa as toppings. You could also add some barbecue sauce and serve it on hamburger buns, or add it to BBQ Chicken Pizza, of course then it would be BBQ pulled pork pizza. But how delicious does that sound? 

Another great thing about this pork is that it freezes nicely. We froze the minimal leftovers we had from the party, and we have big aspirations for it. Heck, we might even add it to lasagna. It will depend on how crazy we want to get. Have fun!

Apple and Onion Stuffed Pork Chops

This recipe goes against everything I believe in as a cook. It is easy, fast, healthy, and cheap.  And yet it might be my favorite thing on this blog so far.  If you can put your goal to spend money, calories, and time on a meal aside for one night - make this, you won't regret it. 

Recipe:

• 2 bone-in pork chops, at least 3/4 inch thick
• 1 cup chopped apple (I used honey crisp because they make me happy)
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup torn bread, more if desired
• Apple Juice
• Olive Oil
• Chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut slits in the pork chops to create pockets for the stuffing, and place in a baking dish (this part is slightly annoying, but you can do it!). Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the apples, onions, and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions are done but still slightly crisp. Right now your kitchen will smell like Fall in a Pan.

Add in the torn bread, and drizzle a little bit of chicken broth and apple juice in the pan, just enough to wet the bread. Gross, I don't like that sentence. Stir around until bread is totally saturated and stuffing-like.

Next, remove from heat and fill each pork pocket (say that 3 times really fast, it's fun) - with the stuffing. You will have some leftover, but that is wonderful because you will want to eat it by the handful. Keep that in the pan and save for later. 

No, that picture was not taken by a trained professional. Place the pork chops back in the baking dish. Pour apple juice over the pork to let it marinate while it cooks - I use about 2-3 cups. You can also add a little chicken broth if you desire. You don't want it to cover the pork completely, but you want it to form a layer on the bottom of the dish about 1/2-3/4 inch thick.

Place the pork in the oven and bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 45 minutes to one hour (for thicker chops).

Heat up the remaining stuffing, and serve!!