Pineapple Pulled Pork

I have come to the conclusion that if I am to continue to post recipes and thoughts about cooking, I am going to have to do it while the thoughts are fresh in my head -- like immediately after dinner. Sad as it is, I can't keep a thought in my head these days for very long, especially a subtle change I may have made in a recipe, or even where I found it in the first place! I am sad to admit I might be getting senior brain! Ahhh!

Anyway...enough about my forgetful brain...this is a recipe you won't forgot, not only because it's so easy to make, but because it's so tasty. I just cleaned up the dishes and here I am with all my fresh thoughts.

The easy to tasty ratio of this recipe is perfect. I put the pork shoulder in the slow cooker this morning before we left for Mass and after spending some time this afternoon traveling to help Doug's mom with some household stuff, we returned home to some yummy smelling pork.

The taste is similar to a barbecued pork, but the pineapple flavor is definitely there and the flavors are a little more mellow. The texture was very tender -- but was not falling off the bone, so it wasn't mushy at all.

We love our pulled pork with cole slaw, so each sandwich was served with a toasted Hawaiian slider bun and a dab of cole slaw.

The recipe idea originated here at The Beeroness, but I made quite a few changes. We had many types of beer in the fridge downstairs, but none were IPA and not knowing a stout from a lager (I rarely drink beer), I chose to add about 4 oz of good white wine instead. If you'd rather not add alcohol, I think a 1/2 cup of pineapple juice would be wonderful, too.

Pineapple Pulled Pork

makes 24 sliders

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

¼ cup low sodium soy sauce

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup Heinz chili sauce

2 t. sriracha

2 T. brown sugar

2 cup chopped pineapple (I used frozen nuggets, slightly thawed)

3.5 lb pork shoulder

salt and pepper

12 ounces IPA (or 1/2 cup good white wine or pineapple juice)

24 Hawaiian rolls, split

In a food processor or blender add the garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, sriracha, brown sugar and pineapple. Process until well combined.

Place the pork shoulder inside a slow cooker, salt and pepper all sides liberally.

Pour the pineapple mixture and the IPA beer over the pork.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove roast from slow cooker and cool a little before shredding. Strain juices. After shredding pork, pour some of the juice over and let sit. Use a straining spoon for serving.

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Serve with cole slaw, fresh fruit salad, a pasta salad, or serve over steamed white rice instead of buns with some steamed green beans.

Rumbi Rice

We had a very fast spring break last week -- it seemed like I blinked and it was over, and now we are having re-entry. It's so much harder to get into life after a break -- it makes me wonder if it's worth it...but the free time is so wonderful.

I have a backlog of recipes to share with you here. This one was a big hit, which is rather odd since it is veggie-packed. I saw the recipe at a new-to-me favorite website "Favorite Family Recipes." It's called Rumbi Rice and is apparently a popular dish at a popular restaurant in Utah. I've never been to Utah, and thus not the restaurant, but it just looked like a yummy dish with a funny name. 

I made it exactly as directed, using my rice cooker for the rice (good rice), except when it came to the Hawaiian sauce (Mr. Yoshida's). This sauce is an unknown in my neck of the woods, so I used Kikkoman which was super duper salty. I used the Hawaiian sauce sparingly, but the kids and my husband did not, and they had a hard time finishing their meals. I would highly recommend making a homemade teriyaki if you are not able to get a low-salt version, or using the sauce very sparingly. Oh...and I left out the celery (reluctantly) because of my celery haters.

And, by the way, I think it would be just as good without the chicken. My family disagrees.

This served my five with leftovers.

Rumbi Rice

1 T. vegetable oil

4 carrots, peeled and grated

3 celery stalks, washed and sliced

1 zucchini, chopped into small cubes

1 1/2 c. chopped broccoli florets

2 c. chicken, grilled and cut into small cubes

*Rumbi Rice (see recipe below)

**Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce (see recipe below)

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, zucchini, and broccoli (pretty much equal parts of said vegetables.. you can add more or less veggies depending on your taste). Saute ONLY until vegetables are crisp tender. About 1-2 minutes tops.

Serve over Rumbi rice and top with chicken. Serve with Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce on the side (about 3 Tbsp. per bowl.. you can add more or less depending on your taste).

*Hawaiian Coconut Rice with Red Beans (aka Rumbi Rice)
2 c. long grain white rice
2 1/2 c. water
1 (14oz) can coconut milk (about 1 1/2 c.)
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed

Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker. Gently stir it all together so the beans are all mixed. Place the lid on and start the rice cooker. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.
If you don’t have a rice cooker… Combine water, coconut milk, and sugar in a saucepan. Stir in rice and beans. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender. 

**Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce:
3/4 c. Mr. Yoshida’s teriyaki sauce
1 t. soy sauce
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce (Sriracha)
1 tsp. fresh ginger
pinch of salt
pinch of brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. cold water

Combine Yoshida’s, soy sauce, garlic sauce, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water and SLOWLY add to sauce for thickening. You want it to be slightly thicker than the Yoshida’s sauce. Allow to simmer for about a minute. Cool to room temperature and serve with your rice bowls.

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Summer Supper #4

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The grill is getting quite a workout so far this summer, and with delicious results. Note to self: get a propane back-up -- nothing worse than running out of gas halfway through the cookout.

This recipe was a huge hit again with the menfolk. I enjoyed it, but I'm not really a dark meat eater, so though I ate my share, I ate in moderation (always a good thing!). I think the next time I make it I'll prepare a few boneless breasts, even though I have a feeling they won't soak up the marinade quite as well as the thighs did. The recipe for the chicken came from Christy at The Girl Who Ate Everything. I pretty much followed the recipe exactly except, knowing that the marinade gets discarded after the chicken soaks, I just couldn't "waste" 2 cups of soy sauce -- that's like more than a whole bottle. Besides, I could see my little pile of chicken thighs and I knew that I didn't need all that liquid. As it turned out, exactly half the marinade quantity was enough to completely submerge all the chicken -- any more than that would have been a waste. Thus, I have halved the recipe for posting here. In order to not waste the extra coconut milk (most cans are 14 oz.), substitute it for some of your cooking water for the rice -- it adds some creaminess that you'll enjoy.

For the grilled veggies and pineapple, just cut some veggies (I used red onion, red peppers and zucchini as well as fresh pineapple) into 1 inch pieces, or 1/2 inch slices for the zucchini and wedges for onion, skewer them and grill them right next to the chicken. It helps to spray the skewers with olive oil to keep them from sticking.

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken

serves 6 to 8

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3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup water

3/4 cup brown sugar
4 green onions, chopped
2 T. finely chopped white onion
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
1 t. sesame oil
6 oz. ounces coconut milk

Trim chicken thighs of any visible fat. Mix soy sauce, water, brown sugar, onions, garlic, sesame oil, and coconut milk in a large bowl. Marinade chicken for at least 4 hours or overnight to make sure the flavor gets infused.

Grill chicken at a low heat so that the marinade does not burn for 5-7 minutes per side or until done. (put the veggies on the same time as the meat).

Serve with grilled veggies and pineapple over a platter of coconut rice and garnish with green onions.

Source: modified from The Girl Who Ate Everything 

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Kalua Pork and Cabbage

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Last week we celebrated the feast of St. Damien of Molokai with a Ohioan/Hawaiian luau (Ohio because that's where we are!). We have learned about St. Damien at home and my children find his life to be fascinating (who wouldn't?). We've never enjoyed Hawaiian food, however, and so I wasn't sure what to expect. I asked Esther for a recommendation on typically Hawaiian food and she told me that Kalua Pork and Cabbage is one to try. She gave me a link for a crock-pot method, which is the one I made. But now that I know what I'm looking for in terms of taste, I think I'll try the other method she gave me, which is a little more jazzed up. I must say, however, that almost every recipe I found for Kalua Pork is exactly three ingredients: pork, salt, and liquid smoke. Pretty simple stuff.

I admit I was hesitant about the liquid smoke in this recipe. I don't like a smoky flavored BBQ sauce and I was afraid the smoke flavor would be overwhelming, but because the list of ingredients is so basic, there didn't seem to be any way around it. I used a Mesquite flavored liquid smoke (which is apparently a mild flavor) and it was very natural tasting -- it tasted as though it had been smoked outdoors. My family loved the flavor and the texture of this tasty pork and I think we will enjoy it again -- it's just too bad St. Damien's day only comes once a year.

Kalua Pork

serves 6

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about 3 lbs. Pork butt or shoulder
3 T. concentrated liquid smoke (I used the mildest Mesqite flavor)

3 T. Kosher, rock, or Hawaiian salt (I used Kosher, but if you can find Hawaiian that might be a real treat)
Small head of cabbage
Water

Place pork roast in the crockpot. Pour liquid smoke over it and sprinkle with salt. Fill crockpot with water to cover.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Roast should pretty well fall apart when stuck with a fork. Remove pork from crockpot and let sit until cool enough to handle.

Cut cabbage into large chunks and place in the broth of the crockpot and let cook on high until cabbage is tender. When pork is cool enough to handle, shred and add back to the crockpot until serving time.

Serve cabbage and pork over hot white rice.

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