Carolina Style Pulled Pork Sandwich

The previous job I had sent me to many places around the U.S. and the world. But I'll never forget my first project; I was on in North Carolina in the middle of Nowheres-ville and about the only highlight of that trip was the barbecue I sampled there. Different regions of the U.S. specialize in different types of barbecue; for example, Texas is known for brisket and North Carolina is known for pork. Since I still live in an apartment I couldn't smoke the pork shoulder but the dry rub still remains the same. The sauce I created was an apple cider barbecue sauce, much like the one I had in North Carolina. I also made spicy aioli coleslaw from the aioli leftover from yesterdays dinner.

Pulled Pork Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 pound pork shoulder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot (roughly chopped)
4 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
1 teaspoon all spice
1 cup water


Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients, except for the all spice, together in a bowl. Then generously sprinkle the dry rub on the pork and pat down at the end to ensure the rub stays on. In a skillet, add the olive oil and turn the heat to high. You'll want to sear in the flavors by browning the entire pork. I used a pressure cooker to save some time in cooking the pork but you can use a roasting pan and an oven as well.

If you're using a pressure cooker, add the water, shallots, garlic, and all spice to the pot. Do the same if you're using a roasting pan. Before putting your pork in the pot or roasting pan you'll want to elevate it to keep it away from most of the liquid. I used a foldable stainless steamer basket for the pressure cooker. For the roasting pan, you can use the rack that comes with the roasting pan. Set you pressure cooker on high pressure and cook for 1 hour, in the roasting pan set your oven to 275 degrees and cook for 3-4 hours. I normally, cover the roasting pan when I cook in the oven to seal in the steam and create a little pressure to help the meat cook and tenderize a little faster. This will also keep it moist. After the the is cooked you can test to see if your meat is tender by pulling on it - if it pulls apart easily, then you're ready to remove it from the pressure cooker/oven and let it cool for at least 15 minutes. After it has cooled, use your hand to separate the meat into smaller edible pieces.

Barbecue Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large tomato (diced)
1 large shallot (diced)

Directions:

In a sauce pan, add the olive oil and turn the heat to medium high. Add your shallots and cook for about 4 minutes or until it is translucent. Then add your brown sugar and let it melt but not caramelized. Add water immediately after all of the sugar dissolves. Next add your paprika, cayenne pepper, and tomatoes. Bring the heat down to simmer and let it cook for 10 minutes. Now add your apple cider vinegar, kosher salt, and black pepper. Let this simmer for another 10 minutes. With an immersion blender, begin blending your sauce in the sauce pan. If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer your sauce to a regular blender and blend until all the large ingredients have broken down.

To assemble your sandwich, take two pieces of bread and layer that with your pulled pork and add about 1-2 tablespoons of your barbecue sauce on top.

The coleslaw is very easy to make. Slice 1/4 head of cabbage into thin strips and add to a large bowl. Now take the aioli we created yesterday and add that to the cabbage. Toss thoroughly to coat all of the cabbage.

This dish is a little time consuming but very worth it. Especially if you have a lot of mouths to feed or you just want to have some food leftover for the next day.

Steamed Artichoke with Spicy Aioli Dip

Most of you are probably tired of seeing aioli postings however; But I'm not done showing how versatile and easy this dip is. By now, you get the idea that you can make endless combination of flavors with aioli. This dish is semi-inspired by the restaurant formerly known as  Houston's in Dallas. While they drizzle olive oil and grill their artichoke, steaming it is simpler and allows you to taste the artichoke for what it is. This aioli is spiced with cayenne pepper and paprika and is a perfect pairing with the sweet and earthy taste of the artichoke.

Ingredients:

1 large artichoke
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups water
1 large egg
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Trim about 2-3 inches off the top of the artichoke to reveal all the layering. This is an important step, because as you steam the artichoke this will allow the artichoke to cook evenly and consistently. In a steamer, add water and sea salt and bring to a boil. Next place the artichoke top down so the steam can infuse into each layer. Steam for approximately 20 minutes or until the stem is tender. Remove from the water and let it cool for at least 5 minutes before peeling the leaves. When peeling the leaves you'll want to discard the first one or two outer layers and also the inner core that sits on top of the artichoke heart itself. In the picture above you'll notice the artichoke heart is filled with the aioli. I like to do it this way as you'll want to save the best for last.

For the aioli, you can choose to take the shortcut route and use mayonnaise (not miracle whip) and disregard the egg and oil but you'll want to use all the other ingredients listed. If you're making it from scratch, separate the whites and yolk from the egg (do not throw anything away, except the shell). Add the egg whites to a food processor and turn it to the lowest setting. Slowly drizzle half the oil until the mixture emulsifies. Next add kosher salt and the egg yolk, continue processing on lowest setting. While the food processor is still on add: garlic, lemon juice from half a lemon, cayenne pepper and paprika (these are the same ingredients you'll want to add to your store bought mayonnaise if you're taking the shortcut route).

As I stated earlier, I used the artichoke heart as a bowl to hold the aioli. To eat simply dip the artichoke leaves in the aioli and with your teeth you'll want to scrap the inside of the leaves. I was told last night that this can be very addicting. Hope you all enjoy!

Egg Salad

 



I know what you're thinking already, egg salad? Where's the abundance of egg? Well, the egg is in the dressing. This is dish is a take on a classic Laotian salad, "yam salat", that my mother use to make. I believe her dressing was a mixture of thousand island and something else. I really can't remember on the top of my head right now. But I basically made this dish because I had tons of veggies left and didn't want it spoil. Of course, you may all know of the many variations of lettuce wraps that I usually make when dieting, well, that started to get boring. The dressing I created is actually a basic aioli with egg yolks from the hard boiled eggs. As I stated earlier, the egg is all in the dressing.

Ingredients:

1/2 head green leaf lettuce (roughly chopped)

1/2 cucumber (peeled and thinly sliced)

4 scallions (cut into 3 inch pieces and then julienne)

8-10 sprigs cilantro (roughly chopped)

2 Roma tomatoes (seeded and julienned)

5 eggs (hard boiled)

1 egg (raw)

1 cup canola oil

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Juice 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/8 cup water

Directions:

Mix the lettuce, cucumbers, scallions, cilantro, and tomatoes well in a large bowl, the bigger the better.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 5 eggs to the boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes. Discard the hot water in the sink and begin adding cold water from the faucet to help cool it down. Once the eggs have cooled down, peel the shells of the eggs and discard. When all of the eggs have been peeled, gently cut the eggs in a circular motion (do not cut all the way through, only to the yolk) until it is split in half. Remove the yolks and set aside in a bowl. Thinly cut the egg whites and add them to the salad mixture.

This is probably redundant but I'll show you how to make an aioli again. In a food processor add the egg whites of 1 egg. Set the speed to mix. Slowly drizzle half a cup of canola oil until the mixture thickens (4-5 minutes) now add the raw egg yolk and continue drizzling the remaining oil. You mixture should look like mayonnaise  (that's what it is at this point). With you setting still on mix, add lemon juice, salt, and vinegar. Now add your garlic and set your speed to process for about 1 minute (now it's an aioli). Add your hard boiled egg yolks and water to the mixture with your speed set on mix. The texture of this dressing shouldn't be thick like mayonnaise, if it is add a little more water. Your dressing shouldn't be to runny either so be careful when you add the water. Remove the dressing from the food processor and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

To serve, add dressing to the salad and toss until everything has been properly dressed.

Side note:

My mom likes to add stir fried beef in the salad as well. If you would like to add this to the salad here's how to make it. You'll need 1/2 pound paper think slices of beef (doesn't matter which cut), 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, 1 garlic clove (minced), and 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Heat the oil on medium high heat and add your garlic and then your beef. Add your oyster sauce shortly afterwards and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until well done. Let this cool before adding to your salad. It's also customary to add all of the sauce from the stir fry to your salad as well, it'll give it the extra saltiness that pairs well with the slightly tart dressing. In the picture above I actually used thinly sliced pork shoulders and cooked it the same way.