American Cooking Day
For only the second time since we have had our house in LBI,
I could not go down for the 4th of July to watch the fireworks. I
was a bit disappointed, but I had a playoff ice hockey game late on Tuesday,
and only had off of work on Wednesday, so it really wasn’t worth it to drive
down. I decided to stay home and spend my day cooking and making some things I
had been wanting to for some time. I wanted to celebrate America’s birthday in
the best way I know how, by making some truly all American food!
I bought a pork shoulder and decided to create my own dry
rub and smoke it on my grill. It was nine lbs, so I figured I would need at
least 10 hours on the grill to get the desired results I wanted. I had bought
hickory chips from home depot and I soaked them and put them in an aluminum pan
in the grill to create the smoke. I rubbed the shoulder the night before, and I
let it sit in the fridge overnight. I put it on the grill early, about 9 am,
and I simply let it go. I sprayed it down with apple cider vinegar every hour
or so to keep it moist. The final result was incredible! I took it off the
grill at about 8pm and I think for the first time smoking something and doing
it on a grill and not in a smoker, it turned out pretty fantastic.
Unfortunately, the internal temperature got caught in the plateau stage around 165
degrees. For truly fall apart tender pulled pork, it needs to be upwards of 180
degrees to fully break down the fat all the way through. So mine was pull apart
tender in some areas, but not quite that way in others. It was delicious in
flavor none the less, especially because I slathered it in the homemade
barbeque sauce I had made earlier in the day.
I made a spicy from scratch barbeque sauce earlier in the
day. It was outstanding! It had quite a kick, but it was still sweet and had a
really nice bite from the vinegar. I kept it and put it in a bottle and have
been using it on other things ever since and its only gotten better with time.
The recipe is listed below if you want to attempt it yourself.
Something else I had wanted to do since I had first tried
them in my senior year at college…Fried pickles. We tend not to deep fry many
things in my house, if at all, so having the house to myself was the perfect
time to try it. I made the pickles with dill chips and an egg wash and mixture
of whole wheat and ap flour and a little bit of corn meal. They fried up so
nicely in the cast iron pot that I used, so I let them drain and then began
taste testing them. They were great. Super crunchy on the outside, and salty
and juicy on the inside, they really are one of my favorite snacks out there.
Since I had the oil already there, I decided to make my own
homemade French fries too. I fried them twice, so I could get them nice and
crunchy, exactly the way that I like them. I dipped them into both the bbq
sauce and the mayonnaise I made, and they were truly phenomenal fries.
I think I did America proud by cooking some traditional
American fare, and enjoying a nice craft beer. I love cooking and smoking is
definitely going to be something I take part in much more often, especially
once I get my own place. I hope you enjoy the recipes and they come out as well
for you if you try them! Cheers!
Spicy BBQ Sauce
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/2 onion diced
6 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup mustard
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon red pepper flake
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients (vinegar last), reduce and simmer over low for 20 minutes. Allow to cool. Puree in blender to make it smoother.
Fried Pickles
For the sauce
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 cups canola oil
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon crystal hot sauce
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon juiced
For the pickles
1/2 cups sliced dill pickles, drained and patted dry
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons Essence Creole by Emeril
Oil for deep drying
Prepare sauce. In a blender combine eggs, salt, and lemon juice. Process briefly to combine. While motor is running, add oil in a slow steady stream until mayonnaise has emulsified. Transfer to a non-reactive bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to serve with fried pickles.
Drain pickle slices on paper towels. Combine eggs and milk. Coat pickles with egg wash. Combine whole wheat and ap flour and season with Essence. Transfer pickles to seasoned flour, shake off any excess, and deep dry in 350 degree oil in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain well on paper towels before serving with dipping sauce.
Spicy BBQ Sauce
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/2 onion diced
6 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup mustard
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon red pepper flake
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients (vinegar last), reduce and simmer over low for 20 minutes. Allow to cool. Puree in blender to make it smoother.
Fried Pickles
For the sauce
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 cups canola oil
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon crystal hot sauce
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon juiced
For the pickles
1/2 cups sliced dill pickles, drained and patted dry
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons Essence Creole by Emeril
Oil for deep drying
Prepare sauce. In a blender combine eggs, salt, and lemon juice. Process briefly to combine. While motor is running, add oil in a slow steady stream until mayonnaise has emulsified. Transfer to a non-reactive bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to serve with fried pickles.
Drain pickle slices on paper towels. Combine eggs and milk. Coat pickles with egg wash. Combine whole wheat and ap flour and season with Essence. Transfer pickles to seasoned flour, shake off any excess, and deep dry in 350 degree oil in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain well on paper towels before serving with dipping sauce.
No comments:
Post a Comment