Two-fers!!! Arnold Palmer Sangria and Carribbean Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Drizzling Sauce

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know it's way too hot.  But, instead of complaining about the you know what, make something cool and refreshing to sip on while you grill yourself some amazing pork!

Arnold Palmer Sangria

2 cups chilled lemonade
2 cups freshly brewed iced tea, sweetened to your taste
1 bottle (750 ml) Sauvignon Blanc
1 orange thinly sliced
1 lemon thinly sliced
1 lime thinly sliced
1 pint of strawberries, sliced in half
1 pint of blackberries, sliced in half

Combine the lemonade, tea and wine.  Add the sliced fruit, cover pitcher and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. 

A.J highly recommends you have enough ingredients to double this up, you'll want to make two pitchers this weekend. 

He's heard temperatures are going to be out of sight this weekend!

Caribbean Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Drizzling Sauce

1 2-1/4 lb. pork tenderloin (if they packed as 2 tenderloins, that's fine) trimmed of fat and silver skin

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (if you used bottled, I recommend only Nellie and Joe's Key West Lime Juice usually found on the baking aisle)

1 cup Jerk marinade, recipe follows

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Canola or vegetable oil

Jerk Drizzling Sauce, for serving, recipe follows

Rinse meat and pat dry with paper towels.Place meat in a glass bowl, DO NOT USE A METAL BOWL, and rub the 1/2 cup of lime juice all over the meat. Place bowl with meat in the refrigerator uncovered for about 15 minutes while you make the marinade.

Jerk Marinade

1/2 cup chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons brown sugar - light or dark, doesn't matter
2 crushed bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 Jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and de-veined
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the thyme, green onions, parsley, onion, brown sugar, bay leaves, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, jalapenos, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil and process to a smooth paste. Transfer to a glass bowl NOT METAL bowl and stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, and vinegar.

Pour the marinade over the meat and turn to completely coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight, turn every couple of hours.

Preheat grill to medium, spray the grates with non-stick cooking spray. Remove the meat from the marinade, a nice coat of the marinade should still be clinging to the meat.  Season the meat with salt and pepper and place the tenderloin(s) on the grill.  Sear all sides then move the meat to finish cooking over in-direct heat, turning every 12 to 15 minutes. Cook until the pork is just cooked through and nicely browned on the outside and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 145 to 150 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloin(s) from the grill to a platter, tent with foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Slice and generously ladle the drizzling sauce over the top.

Drizzling Sauce

6 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 jalapeno, de-seeded, de-veined and minced

Combine all ingredients in a small pot and cook over medium heat until reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Drizzle warm sauce over pork and serve remainder in a bowl at the table for dipping.

Hope this took your mind off the you know what and cooled you off!  Have a great weekend!

Grilled Pork Chops with a Savory Lager Sauce

Luxury to me is sitting outside, sipping a cocktail, listening to music, visiting with friends, grilling, and eating outdoors...one of life's most appreciated gifts.  My family gets really happy when the weekend rolls around because they know were are cooking outside pretty much the whole weekend. 

Do you know what makes grilled beef, pork or chicken even better?  A dipping sauce!  Just gotta have sauce and not just any sauce, but a richly flavored savory sauce.

So come along children, let's get started:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 medium-sized red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic pressed through a garlic press or minced
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon blackberry preserves
1/2 cup beef broth
1 cup lager
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 to 4 center cut pork chops
Kosher salt and and freshly ground black pepper

Squeeze the lime juice in a small bowl, whisk in the ketchup, mustard, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce; set aside.

In a small pot over medium to medium-high heat, melt the butter and saute the onion and garlic until softened, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the lager to thoroughly combine.

Add in the preserves and the reserved ketchup mixture.  Bring to a bubble, but not to a rapid boil.  Then simmer until sauce is reduced to about 1-1/2 cups, about 30 minutes.

Thought I forgot about the cayenne, didn't you?  Okay, this where you add in the cayenne.  If 2 teaspoons of cayenne seems a bit much, it really isn't but you can be prudent and use 1 teaspoon.

Remove the pot from the heat and allow to slightly cool.  If you're anxious like me, dip in a potato chip or six in for a quality check, but beware of what happens when you do this and forget to put the meat on the grill...just saying.  Not that it happened, but it could.  Okay, it kinda did a little.

Preheat the grill to medium. Pour 1 cup of sauce into a bowl for serving and dipping at the table and put the rest in a container for basting.  Season the chops with salt and pepper. Grill steak about 3 minutes per side.  Brush the sauce on one side of the chops, close the lid and cook for 3 more minutes.  Flip and repeat.  Plate the chops and allow to rest for 5 minutes and serve with sauce on side.

Using a Smoker 101

When it comes to barbecue or smoked meats,  pork, hands down is my all time favorite.  It's not always easy to get my husband to put something on the smoker. Smoking is time consuming and he's got his projects all lined up in advance and I'm more of a spur of the moment person.

Growing up I thought my dad could barbecue and smoke stuff like nobody's business and I still feel he was damn good.  My brother, John watched and learned and perfected by dad's technique.  Sorry dad, you can't touch John.

While my technique is FAR from perfect, it's pretty darn good.  Let's face it, I'm no John, Larry or Chris but this post is for those of you who have not taken that step in to the smokey, slow-paced world of real outdoor cooking.  This is a Beginner's or 101 post into smoking some ribs.

This is the bowl that goes down in the bottom of the smoker right above the charcoal. I lined it with foil for easy clean-up.  The bowl is filled with liquid to keep the meat moist during the low and slow cooking process.  Sometimes I add a beer to the water, sometimes I add a little bourbon, sometimes I add both.  A cup or two of apple juice works well too.  Fill the bowl about halfway with liquid.

     

Pile the charcoal in the place where the charcoal goes...sorry I don't know the technical name.  Pile it up and PLEASE use real charcoal and not the easy light coals.  There is a big difference in the way your food tastes.

Squirt the coals down good with lighter fluid and let them sit for about 10 to fifteen minutes.  Soak them again and let them sit for another 10 minutes before lighting.

Place the bowl in the smoker.  If you like to use wood chips when you smoke, now would be a good time to soak the chips in a bucket or large bowl of water.

Put the grill in place.

Fire up the coals.  Since we have a wood deck, I placed some blocks under the bottom of the smoker to be safe and not damage the wood.

After the fire goes out and the coals begin turning white, spread them out a little.  Be prepared and have more coals on hand.  Since the cook time is slow, once you see your temperature beginning to drop on the smoker, load up a "chimney" with coals and soak and light them.  When they begin to turn white, add them to the coals at the bottom of your smoker.

Place the rest of the smoker over the coals and wait for it to come to temperature.  If you're using wood chips, you can carefully toss them into the hot coals through the little door on the front.  Use an oven mitt, the door is hot.

When the smoker reaches its "Ideal" temperature, place your seasoned meat on the grill. Pour a glass of tea or pop a beer and relax!

I cooked these ribs for about 2-1/2 hours. 

Slather one side with your favorite barbecue sauce and cook for another 30 minutes and repeat on the other side.

I can guarantee two things:

1.  Your neighbors will be envious.

2.  Your eyes will roll in back of your head when you eat!

Damn Good Grilled Pork

Chris from Nibble Me This calls this Porkus Chopus Maximus, but I just call them Damn Good. Because brining is so versatile. it has become status quo for me especially with grilling.

Chris used thick cut bone in pork chops. Our local grocer had these lean, thick cut boneless chops on sale for $1.99 per lb. I just had to buy them!

The brine consisted of 2 cups of apple juice, 2 cups of water, 3/4 of a cup of turbinado sugar and 1/2 cup of coarse kosher salt. The pork chops were placed in a large re-sealable plastic bag and the brine poured over the chops. The chops were allowed to brine in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.

After brining, rinse and towel off the pork chops and add your massage your favorite dry rub on these babies. I used 1/4 cup turbinado sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup smokey paprika, 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 tablespoon chipolte powder.

Sear the chops on both sides and then move them to in direct heat until they have an internal temperature of 150 degrees. Allow the chops to rest and the juices re-distribute for about 5 minutes.

You won't need any side dishes, these chops are total beasts all by themselves!

Grilled Pork Chops and Pineapples

I won two bottles of Bob's Country Sauce in a giveaway from Michele from Life Lightly Salted

If you haven't visited Michele before, stop by her blog, I promise you will drool over her recipes and I believe she is having another giveaway.

Every time I opened the pantry door, these two bottles were staring me down. I really wanted to use them, but I hadn't figured out exactly what I wanted to do with them. So I moved them to the back so they'd quit looking at me.

Monday, I had planned on cooking pork chops, but I hadn't figured out how I was going to cook them. The weather was so beautiful, and I love being outside, so grilling was the obvious answer.

I had some pineapple chunks in the fridge and thought they would go great with the chops. How good are grilled pineapples? YUM! The heat cooks the sugar in the pineapple and the taste is amazing. Pair them with grilled pineapples and you'll feel like you're on vacation in your own backyard.

4 center cut pork chops

1 small can of drained pineapple chunks

1 bottle Bob's Country Sauce

Salt

Black Pepper

Garlic Powder

1 foil pan - brownie size

Season chops on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Arrange pineapple chunks in foil pan and place on grill. Sear chops on pre-heated grill, 5 minutes each side. Move chops to foil pan and place on top of pineapple. Drizzle Bob's Country Sauce on one side of chops, close lid on grill and allow to cook for about 10 minutes, turn chops and generously drizzle more Bob's Country Sauce over chops, close lid and cook ten more minutes.

Remove chops and pineapple, plate and serve. Allow family to worship you as a domestic grilling goddess!

Mango Teriyaki Pork Chops

I really do like pork chops and I am amazed by the comments I've read on this blog when I put up a pork chop recipe that many of you do not regularly throw chops into your rotation. I guess I'm the odd one out. Chops are pretty affordable and also pretty lean and I'm going to try and share my love of pork with you. One note here, I believe this will work with pork tenderloin and with baby back ribs.

Mango Teriyaki Pork Chops -


Rinse 4 to 5 center cut, boneless pork chops with cold water and pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

In a shallow pan, combine 1 cup of mango juice or mango nectar juice and 1 teaspoon ground ginger.

Add 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce. Pour marinade mixture over chops.

Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.

Set up grill for indirect cooking over medium heat (no heat source directly under ribs). Remove chops from refrigerator and allow chops to come up to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Remove chops from marinade mixture, but do not discard marinade. Place pork chops on the grill. Cover grill. Rotate and flip chops around rack every 10 minutes.

While chops are cooking, make sauce by first adding chop marinade to a saucepan. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add 1 cup 1 cup of BBQ sauce (recommended K.C. Masterpiece Original). Simmer 10 minutes and remove from heat.

About 20 minutes before chops are done, generously brush with sauce. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Turn chops and brush on more sauce and repeat. Cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot with sauce on the side.

INDOOR: Prepare and marinate chops as described above. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove chops from marinade, reserving marinade, and place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Tightly cover with foil. Bake preheated oven for 35 minutes. While chops are baking, make sauce. Remove chops from oven and carefully drain fat from roasting pan. Continue baking ribs, uncovered for 20 minutes more or until tender, turning and brushing occasionally with sauce.

When I went outside to brush the chops with the sauce, our dog Scout was foaming at the mouth. She seriously was. I spooned a little of the sauce over her food and she went absolutely nuts! That all the testimony I need!


Serve and admit that your really do love pork.

Smoky Mountain Ribs and Slaw

I'm learning that when you barbeque meat here in Appalachia, cole slaw is the natural accompaniment. Barbeque is on my top ten, but cole slaw is not on of my favs.

Smoky Mountain Ribs - Rinse and dry one slab of pork baby back ribs. In a bowl mix 3/4 cup paprika, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 pinch of cayenne, 1 tablespoon season salt, 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper 1 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoon onion powder. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients and rub into ribs, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 6 hours. Remove from refrigerator and let meat temperature come up a bit. Slice ribs into 2 to 3 rib sections and wrap in foil. Place wrapped meat on heated 250 degree grill (charcoal works best) over indirect heat for abut 2 hours, turn after 1 hour. After two hours, open foil packets, remove foil and liberally brush meat with your favorite barbeque sauce. Cook meat for about 30 minutes, turn and coat the other side and cook for another 30 minutes. Meat should separate from bone easily.

Cole Slaw - Shred one medium head of cabbage, two peeled carrots and one medium onion in food processor using the grater attachment. Empty shredded vegetables into a large bowl. In a medium sized bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonaise, 1/4 cup yellow mustard, 3 tablespoons apple cider vineager, 1/3 cup granualted sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Wisk these ingredients together and pour over shredded vegetables. Toss dressing with shredded vegetables to thoroughly coat. Cover bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours. As an option, you can add 1-1/2 teaspoons of curry powder right before serving cole slaw.