Kalua Pork

Kalua pork is a traditional Hawaiian dish where the pig is cooked underground.  It's a common dish and is super tasty.  This recipe comes from my mother's aunt, who was born & raised in Hawaii.  It's very simple and tastes delicious.  I have only tried the crockpot method, but my mom will attest that both the oven and crockpot ways are great.  We had this with rice, mac salad, sweet rolls and an amazing fresh pineapple from Walmart (go figure).  My little sister is going to BYU-Hawaii in the fall and this was my excuse to celebrate that...or just to have a delicious tropical dinner in Idaho.

boneless pork shoulder/butt (I typically get about 3 lbs. for the 2 of us, we have leftovers for a few days)
1 - 2 Tbl. liquid smoke
coarse salt

1.  Place pork in crockpot.  Don't worry about cutting the fat off or anything.
2.  Using a ziplock bag, rub liquid smoke and salt on each side.
3.  Cook 6 - 7 hours in crockpot on HIGH OR wrap tightly in heavy duty foil and bake in 9 x 13" pan (whatever will fit it) at 350 degrees for 6 - 7 hours.  No peeking!
4.  Shred pork, discard fat and enjoy!

very tender pork

yum!

a delicious meal!

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Pork

I love sweet & sour pork and this recipe did not disappoint.  It was simple and tasty.  And pretty easy to throw together!

1 1/2 - 2 lb. pork loin or shoulder, trimmed & cut into 1-inch cube
1 Tbl. oil
2 (8 oz. each) cans crushed pineapple in juice
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 Tbl. ketchup
1 Tbl. quick-cooking tapioca
3 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1.  In skillet, brown pork cubes on both sides in oil; drain off fat and place in crockpot.
2.  In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients and pour over pork.
3.  Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours, or on high from 4 -5 hours.

I'm sorry, this was the only picture I managed to get

Char Siu

 

I grew up having this Asian pork dish for years and have sorely missed it.  One time when Jenna came to visit us, she brought us a few packets and made me so happy!  My mom always made it differently than what the packet says, and that's the way I love it and prefer it.  Instead of cooking in the oven or whatever, she always cut the pork into thin slices, marinaded it overnight and pan-fried the pork in a pan on the stove.  It's a very simple dish, tasty and fun--because of the bright pink color!  I usually have this with rice and steamed zucchini or broccoli, delicious!

1 packet char siu seasoning--NOH is the brand I grew up with
1 1/2 lb. pork chops, cut into thin strips
1/2 c. water

1.  Mix seasoning packet in with water.
2.  Cut pork into thin strips, place in ziplock bag (I always 'double-bag' when I marinade, just in case it leaks).
3.  Pour in marinade, let sit at least 6 - 8 hours, overnight is best.
4.  Cook in big skillet on stove on medium-high heat, probably about 5 - 8 minutes.

pretty pink pork!

so pink!

when Jenna came to visit, we made blue rice, such a colorful dinner!

Nutritional Facts
servings per recipe: 6 
amount per serving (3 oz.)

Calories: 205.9
Total Fat: 9.6 g
Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 4.6 g
Cholesterol: 67.1 mg
Sodium: 118.7 mg
Potassium: 382.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 1.5 g
Dietary Fiber: --
Sugar: 1.5 g
Protein: 26.6 g
Vitamin A: 0.3 %
Vitamin C: 0.6 %
Calcium: 0.8 %
Iron: 5.5 % 

Crispy Panko Pork Chops

This recipe was delicious!  And so simple!  I used two thick pork chops this, but I think it'd be just fine with thinner chops--it was a lot of meat to eat.  The spices worked so well together and I love panko crumbs, which made the chops so crispy, but still juicy and tender in the inside.  This worked perfectly with potatoes and a vegetable dish on the side.  Hooray for delicious, simple dinners in under 40 minutes!

3 Tbl. canola/vegetable oil
2 thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 lbs.), I used boneless
1/2 c. panko crumbs
2 Tbl. grated Parmesan cheese
1 heaping Tbl. minced Italian parsley
1/4 c. flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
salt & pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Season pork chops with salt & pepper and set aside.
2.  Mix together panko crumbs, Parmesan, parsley and 1/2 tsp. salt.
3.  Place flour in one shallow bowl, the eggs in another bowl, and panko mixture in last shallow bowl.
4.  Heat 3 Tbl. of oil over medium-high heat.  Dredge pork chops first in flour, than the eggs, and lastly the panko mixture, making sure to coat meat evenly.
5.  Add pork chops to pan and cook until golden brown & crispy on each side, about 2 minutes per side.
6.  Remove pork chops from pan and place in a baking sheet.  Cook in the oven, uncovered, for about 15 - 25 minutes.  Allow them to rest at least 5 - 10 minutes before servings.

after cooking on both sides, before oven

love the crispy golden brown color

if only pictures could capture how juicy this was!

Slow Cooker San Francisco Pork Chops

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and got a craving for pork chops.  I'm still not 100% confident with using pork in recipes, or my slow cooker, but this recipe looked right up my alley.  I've used my slow cooker a bit more in the last few months, and am starting to love it.  I didn't know they were so many types of recipes you could make with one!  Anyways, this looked delicious, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  It turned out fairly salty, so I'd recommend lightly seasoning the pork chops and using low-sodium broth and soy sauce.

4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick [it apparently doesn't matter if you use boneless or bone-in chops]
2 Tbl. olive oil
salt & pepper for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 Tbl. packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbl. cornstarch
1 Tbl. cold water

1.  In a large 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until simmering and hot.  Lightly season the pork chops on both sides with salt & pepper.  Brown the chops for 1 - 2 minutes on each side until golden.  Transfer to slow cooker.
2.  Turn heat down to medium and add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly until garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned!).  Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar & red pepper flakes.  Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Pour over chops.
3.  Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 - 8 hours until meat is tender.  If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones.  Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate - they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point.
4.  In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth.  Whisk the mixture into the sauce in the slow cooker.  Return the chops and cook on high for 30 - 60 minutes longer, until sauce is slightly thickened [if you want a very thick sauce, once you've removed the chops from the cooker, pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove.  Add in cornstarch mixture and bring sauce to boil; boil for 1 - 2 minutes, until thick.  Add pork and heat through.].
5.  Serve chops over rice or mashed potatoes.

with flash

so tender!

Nutritional Facts
servings per recipe: 4
amount per serving

Calories: 357
Total Fat: 16.9 g
Saturated Fat: 5.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 7.5 g
Cholesterol: 90.1 mg
Sodium: 1505.1 mg
Potassium: 657.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 17.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
Sugar: 14 g
Protein: 35 g
Vitamin A: 0.2 %
Vitamin C: 1.9 %
Calcium: 4.6 %
Iron: 7.5 %

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Peach Sauce

We saw this on an episode of America's Test Kitchen a few weeks ago, and I was trying to get a clear answer from Zak about what he wanted for his birthday dinner.  As we salivated over this pork, he said, 'I want that.'  And so I went off, searching for the recipe on-line.  I found it on a site for grandparents, so go figure.  It was a simply enough recipe, I just fretted about finding someone I knew with a roasting pan (success), and making the sauce.  I wanted it to be more of a thicker, glaze-type sauce, but it didn't turn out to be that way.  And we couldn't remember how it looked like on the show, so whatever.  It still tasted good--everything was sublime, and we have a lot of delicious leftovers we are excited about!  The pork was salty in a good way, and the sauce really helped balance that.  It was an excellent birthday dinner, I rounded it out with some mashed potatoes and zucchini monterey.  Great birthday dinner!

Pork shoulder
1 bone-in pork shoulder/butt, 6 - 8 pounds
1/3 c. salt
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
black pepper

Peach sauce
10 oz. frozen peaches, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups) or 2 fresh peaches, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. + 1 Tbl. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbl. whole-grain mustard

1.  Using sharp knife, cut slits 1 inch apart in crosshatch pattern in fat cap of roast, being careful not to cut into meat.  Combine salt and brown sugar, rub over entire pork shoulder and into slits.  Wrap roast tightly in double layer or plastic wrap, place on rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate at least 12 and up to 24 hours.
2.  Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat to 325 degrees.  Unwrap roast and brush off any excess salt mixture.  Season with pepper, transfer to V-rack, coated with nonstick cooking spray and set in large roasting pan.  Add 1 quart water.
3.  Cook roast, basting twice during cooking (and add water as needed), until meat is extremely tender and thermometer inserted registers 190 degrees, about 5 - 6 hours (it was ready in 5).
4.  Transfer roast to carving board and let rest, loosely tented with foil for 1 hour.  Transfer liquid in roasting pan to fat separator and let stand 5 minutes.  Pour off 1/4 c. jus; discard fat and reserve or discard remaining jus.
5.  Bring peaches, wine, sugar, 1/4 c. vinegar, 1/4 c. defatted jus and thyme to simmer in small saucepan.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 cups--about 30 minutes.
6.  Remove thyme, stir in remaining tablespoon vinegar and mustard, and keep warm.
7.  Using sharp paring knife, cut around inverted T-shaped bone until it can be pulled free from roast.  Serve, with sauce.

before cooking, it had marinaded for 24 hours at this point

all done, and smelling delicious!

it was so tender, the meat just fell off nicely

peach sauce


a really, really good meal