Pork "Beef" Stew

A couple weeks ago, I had a hankering for beef stew.  It had been cold and snowy and beef stew was one of my Mom's specialties when I was growing-up.  Unfortunately, my wife doesn't like beef.  In fact, she doesn't eat much in the way of red meat at all.  One of the few red meats she will eat is pork and only when prepared in certain ways.  She happens to really like the Halloween Stew that I make, so I thought maybe I could just try to make a beef stew and substitute some pork butt (boneless shoulder) meat instead of the beef.  And that's how this recipe was born.

It turns out that pork is an excellent and economical stand-in for beef in a beef stew recipe.  It also turns out that my wife doesn't much like this stew.  Oh well, more for me...

Pork "Beef" Stew

2 pounds boneless pork butt (aka "Boston Butt" or Boneless Shoulder Roast)
1 large onion, cubed
3-4 carrots, sliced into thick coins or half-inch cubes
2-3 stalks of celery, sliced into half-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 quarts beef broth or prepared beef bouillon
1 pound red bliss potatoes, washed and cubed
1/2 cup red wine, un-oaked like a Merlot (optional)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pot or dutch oven, working in batches, brown the pork and remove it to a plate.
3. Adding fresh oil to the potk, saute the onions, carrots, and celery until they begin to soften.  Add the garlic and saute briefly.
4. Add the wine (if using) and scrape-up any bits on the bottom of the pot.  Allow the wine to simmer a few moments until the strong alcohol flavor dissipates.
5. Add the potatoes, broth, meat, and any meat juices collected on the plate.  Scrape-up any remaining bits on the bottom of the pan.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer gently until the pork and vegetables are tender, 30-45 minutes.
7. Prepare a slurry of 1/2 cup of flour and approximately 1 cup of water.  Stir it well or shake it in an airtight container.  It should be smooth and the consistency of a pourable cinnamon bun icing.
8. Drizzle half of the flour slurry into the hot soup, stirring constantly so that no lumps form.  Bring the stew back up to a slow boil and check the thickness of the broth.  If you prefer it thicker, add more slurry.
9. Serve with crusty bread and butter.

Pressure Cooker Variation
Prepare as directed in the base of your stove-top pressure cooker up through step 5.  In step 6, close the pressure cooker and bring it up to full pressure.  Cook for 25 minutes.  Quick release the steam and return the pot to the stove.  Finish the rest of the recipe steps to thicken the broth.

Slow Cooker Variation
Prepare pork and vegetables as described.  Instead of browning the meat and sauteing the aromatic vegetables, place the vegetables in a microwave safe bowl.  Coat with olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Microwave on high 3-5 minutes until they have started to soften and the onions lose their pungent odor.  Place the vegetables, meat, and broth into the slow cooker, omitting the red wine.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  Remove 2 cups of the broth to a saucepan and thicken it into a stiff gravy using the instructions in steps 7 and 8.  Stir the gravy into the slow cooker.  Alternatively, it can be left as liquid and tastes delicious.

Weeknight Dinner: Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin served over Israeli Couscous

Pork tenderloin can be a fantastic weeknight meal.  Toss it into a zip-top bag with some oil and seasoning as little as a half-hour before you cook it and it comes out great.  Let it marinate overnight and it'll taste even better.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Before we get to the recipes, we need to address a couple of elephants in the room.

Loin vs. Tenderloin
First of all, let's not confuse pork tenderlin" with "pork loin."  Both are delicious cuts recipes for one can be adapted to the other, but they are quite different.  Pork loin is a long tubular cut of meat about 4 to 6 inches in diameter.  A whole loin is over two feet long, but most butchers cut it into shorter roasts that look like small logs.  It is often sold with a cap of fat left on top and tied with butcher's twine.

Tenderloin is a much smaller piece of meat.  It's usually no more than 2 inches in diameter and less than a foot long.  One end is fat and it tapers down to a point.  It's extremely lean and naturally tender because it sits under neat the loin up against the rib cage, so it does very little work when the animal walks.  On a cow, the tenderloin is sold as fillet, the most expensive cut.  On a pig, it's usually cheaper than bacon, making it a great bargain.  On a chicken, it's the cut that becomes chicken fingers.

Pink is Okay
Let's get this out of the way upfront.  If you want to make excellent, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth tenderloin, you need to get over your fear of eating slightly pink pork.  If you want to cook it until completely white, you can do it, but it won't be nearly as good and you're much more likely to end-up with dry meat.  There's a very fine line between well-done and dry with this cut and I don't think I've ever nailed it, myself.

Cooking pork to well-done was born in the 1960's and 70's from fear of the parasite "trichinosis."  However, even the CDC's own website says, "Successful trichinae control programs by the U.S. pork industry have nearly eliminated the disease in domestic swine raised in confinement..."  So, if you're going to buy your pork from a commercial source, it's pretty safe to eat your pork cooked to medium, which is just right for this cut, in my opinion.

How to Cook It
I'm going to give you a recipe, but here are a few of tips and tricks that you can use whenever cooking a pork tenderloin:

• Don't buy it pre-marinated.  Why?  The ingredients list should be reason enough.  You can't pronounce half of the ingredients and it's incredibly easy to toss together your own simple marinade.  Also, this is not a cut of eat that needs a lot of flavor added to it.  It tastes pretty good on its own with salt and pepper. 
• Marinate a minimum of 30 minutes up to overnight in a simple vinaigrette or just herbs and oil with salt and pepper.  That's it.  it's really that simple.
• Treat this cut like you would a steak.  Sear it on all sides, either on a grill or in an oven-safe pan, and then finish it in the oven or on a cooler side of the grill.  If you need to, remove it from the heat after searing and allow the pan or grill to cool down before finishing.
• Use a meat thermometer.  As I mentioned above, there's literally a difference of less than 5 minutes of cooking between done and overdone.  A meat thermometer will help you nail your target consistently every time.
• Cook until 5 to 10 degrees less than your final temperature (135 degrees) and let rest with a loose piece of foil on top.  It will coast another 10 degrees on the counter for a final temp of about 145.  A simple instant read thermometer should be in every kitchen (like this one).  If you want absolute insurance, get a remote probe thermometer that you can keep in the meat and it'll beep when it's done.
• Serve it with a simple starch and vegetable.  Mashed potatoes are great here, giving you the same "meat and potatoes" comfort feeling as roast beef or pot roast.
• Tenderloins are usually sold as a two-pack in a cryo-vac package.  They're often swimming in a slippery pink juice that is basically dissolved meat proteins.  I like to open up the pack when I get it home, drain the juice, pat the loins dry, then wrap them separately in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer.  When I'm ready to make one, I pop it in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power to defrost it.  You can also defrost it in the fridge overnight or all day.

And now, the recipe:

Roasted Pork Tenderloin With Garlic, Herbs, and Sundried Tomatoes

Note: The herbs, garlic and tomatoes in this recipe are just made for swapping-out.  I've done garlic and rosemary.  You could use some citrus zest and juice.  You could even tip in some spicy-hot things from your pantry.  The sky is the limit.  Just keep the oil since it helps carry the flavor (many seasonings are oil-soluble) and the salt and pepper.

1 pork tenderloin
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning (herbs only, no salt)
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
10 sundried tomatoes (approximately)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1) Add everything but the tenderloin to a gallon zip-top bag.  Close the bag and mix the ingredients up.

2) Open the bag and add the tenderloin.  Re-close the bag, removing as much air as possible.  Squish the ingredients around in the bag to coat the meat.  Allow to marinate on the counter up to 45 minutes or place in a shallow pan in the refrigerator (to prevent leakage) and marinate up to 24 hours.

3) When ready to cook, heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Heat an oven-safe pan (cast iron works great) on the stove top on medium-high heat.  Using tongs, remove the meat from the bag, leaving most of the oil and seasonings behind.  Place in hot pan and brown evenly on all sides.

4) Once meat is browned, remove pan from the burner.  Allow sizzling to calm a bit and add the remaining contents of the bag to the pan.  Using tongs, place the tomatoes on top of the pork to keep them from burning in the bottom of the pan.

5) If using a probe thermometer, place the probe into the meat, trying to get the tip of the probe in the center of the meat towards the thicker end.  Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and roast until the center of the meat reaches 135 degrees.

6) Remove the meat from the oven, cover loosely with a piece of foil, and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.  Slice thinly with a sharp knife and serve with a starch and vegetable of your choice.  Center of the thickest part should be just slightly pink and very juicy.

Halloween Pork Stew

This year, Halloween happened to fall on a Saturday and both sets of Grandparents wanted to come over to go trick-or-treating with the little one.  I was trying to figure out what to serve for dinner that wouldn't interfere with our candy-acquiring activities and I happened across an interesting recipe a few weeks before that I had been wanting to try.  It fit the bill and turned out absolutely amazing.

The recipe is based on a "Pork and Pumpkin Stew" recipe from Williams-Sonoma.  It requires a well-stocked spice cabinet, but is totally worth it.  I've modified it slightly to use butternut squash, which is much easier to find year-round and easier to peel since it has no bumps in the skin.  I also substituted a few ingredients that were clearly there to encourage sales of obscure Williams-Sonoma products (like 2 tablespoons of chicken demi-glace).

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  I've made it twice, now.

Halloween Pork Stew

Note: This recipe would clearly work best with a fatty cut of pork such as boneless pork butt or shoulder, which gets soft without drying out.  However, I had lean pork loin on-hand and it worked just fine.

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound peeled, diced butternut squash or pumpkin
1 yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
1 (9oz) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar  

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon corn starch 

3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1) Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

2) In a small bowl, mix the spices (ginger, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves, pepper flakes) and corn starch.  Set aside.

3) In a large heavy oven-safe dutch oven, heat the oil and brown the chunks of pork.  Remove the pork to a plate to rest.

4) Add onion to the pan and more oil if needed.  Sauté over medium heat until the onion begins to soften.  Add garlic, tomato paste, and spice mixture.  Sauté until the spices bloom and begin to smell but do not burn them.  Add the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape-up any bits on the bottom of the pan.

5) Add the tomatoes, squash, pork, and vinegar to the pan.  Stir well.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

6) Cover, bring to a boil, and transfer to the oven.  Cook until the pork and squash is fork-tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

This is best served in a shallow bowl over white rice or with nice crusty bread or toast.

Hello, Again! ...and Meat Pie

Why, hello there!  I've been a bit derelict in my duties as a blogger as of late.  To you, I apologize...  I had such good intentions but the holidays being what they are and my "regular job" being what it is, I just couldn't squeeze in the time.  That said, I have a great post for today...  Tourtiere!  Otherwise known as French Meat Pie.

I think I've mentioned before that my family (on both sides) is mostly of French-Canadian ancestry.  Migrating from Canada, through Maine and New York during the Industrial Revolution, they settled in the areas surrounding Woonsocket, Rhode Island in the Blackstone Valley to work in the various woolen mills.  That was back when immigrant folks stuck together and the Woonsocket area seemed as French as Quebec herself.

Today, the city still remembers its French Canadian roots with signs as you enter the city that welcome you with, "Bienvenue!", The Museum of Work and Culture, and the American-French Genealogical Society.

So what does all this have to do with Meat Pie?  Well, it's tradition amongst Canadian-French folk to make Tourtiere (pronounced "Tor-tee-ear") around Christmastime and for New Year's Eve to celebrate the season and ring in the new year (usually served as part of a very late night party after Midnight mass and involving lots of festive beverages, but I digress).  The dish, like many ground meat dishes of that time, was born of frugality but often contained spices that would have been saved for special times like the holidays.  Like the American Meatloaf, every family has its own recipe for Tourtiere and each one is as different as the next.

I thought I'd share with you my favorite recipe for Tourtiere.  This one is an adaptation of one that was given to me by a wonderful woman by the name of Claire who lives in the still quite French village of Manville, Rhode Island.  The original recipe had many of those imprecise instructions that are characteristic of recipes from that era, so I've updated it a bit for the modern home cook (complete with measurements for the seasonings, which you were just supposed to know by taste, I guess).  I hope you enjoy it!

Tourtiere
(aka French-Canadian Meat Pie or "Pork Pie")

Important Note: The original recipe calls for "3 to 4 Uneeda Biscuits" as a thickener and they were the secret weapon of this particular recipe.  Uneedas are a very old-fashioned thick, dry unsalted cracker that were discontinued a couple of years ago by Kraft Foods when they needed to streamline their product line.  Their closest cousin, the Crown Pilot Chowder Cracker, was given the boot as well.  I've searched high and low and the closest match I've found thus far is a hefty cracker made by Goya.  If you can find those, use them but reduce the salt.  Otherwise, about a half sleeve of unsalted Saltines will do the trick.  The recipe makes 2 pies but may be halved.


2 two-crust pie shells (4 rounds)
2 pounds ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup boiling water
1 cup finely chopped onions
3 medium-sized russet potatoes ("baking potatoes")
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon oil or butter
8 Goya Crackers or about 1/2 Sleeve of Saltine Crackers
1 egg (optional)

1) Wash potatoes and pierce skin several times with a fork.  Bake potatoes in the microwave on high, beginning with 5 minutes.  Microwave an additional 2 minutes at a time until a butter knife slides through easily or potatoes are soft to the touch.  Set aside to cool.

2) When potatoes are cool, remove white flesh and discard the skins.  Mash well or run through a potato ricer.

3) In a large pot or dutch oven, saute onions until soft but not brown.  Add meat and boiling water.  Cook, stirring until the meat has lost its red color.  Add the spices and continue cooking for another minute or so.

4) Stir in the potatoes, mixing until almost all of the potatoes are no longer visible.  Crush the crackers thoroughly and add a little at a time as needed until the mixture has thickened and most of the crackers have dissolved.  Mixture should be pasty but not dry with no liquid in the bottom of the pot.  Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.  Allow to cool slightly so it won't melt the pie crust.

5) Prepare two bottom pie shells in pie plates.  Divide the mixture equally between the pie shells and smooth-out the top.

6) Add the top crust and seal and crimp the edges as you would a fruit pie.  Pierce several holes in the top of the crust with a knife.  Optionally prepare an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water) and brush the egg wash all over the crust.  This will give it a glossy shine once it is baked.

7) Bake pies on a baking sheet at 375 degrees until the crust is golden brown and the meat filling is heated through (you can stick a probe thermometer through the vent holes if you wish).

8) Serve hot or lukewarm with ketchup on the side (this part is a personal preference).  Pies may be made up to 2 days in advance, refrigerated and reheated.  They also freeze very well.  If planning to reheat, consider under-baking the crust slightly to prevent over-browning.

Thrifty Cooking - Grind It

It seems as though most truly American dishes are based on ground meat. Burgers, meatloaf, American Chop Suey... It makes sense, given that these dishes originated in the home where pinching pennies was and still is important. Ground meat has traditionally been economical because it was made from the end cuts and pieces that the butcher couldn't sell as steaks, roasts, or other cuts.

In the last few years, ground meat, especially ground beef, has become almost as expensive as some of the primary cuts. This may be partly due to the fact that we demand leaner meat these days, requiring the butcher to use better cuts and it could just be a matter of supply and demand and popularity. For example, in the 1970's, a flank steak was one of the cheapest cuts of meat you could buy because it was tough and chewy and nobody wanted it. Today, thanks to the popularity of fajitas, flank is among one of the more pricey cuts.

If you find that you have more time than money, one of the things you can do is grind your own meat. It sounds awful and time consuming but in actuality, it's pretty easy if you have the right tools. Plus, it tastes better, saves you money, and you can control the fat content. This Christmas, I bought a piece of pork butt and ground it myself for my meat pies. I ended-up saving about $2 per pound over the pre-ground pork and it was leaner and tastier. I've done the same with beef when pot roasts and bottom roasts are on sale.

The Tools
Of course, if you want to grind your own meat, you need a meat grinder. Alton Brown of the TV show Good Eats claims you can use a food processor for the job if you're careful and many people already have those. Check it out on FoodTV.com if you're interested.

Another option is a hand-crank grinder. This is the old metal thing that Grandma used to clamp to the kitchen table and crank away. You can find them for little money at antique shops, yard sales, or even in Grannie's closet. If you've got the arm strength, time, and stamina for it, be my guest. It builds character. :-)

I prefer to use an electric meat grinder most of the time. I happen to have an attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer. However, truth be told, a stand-alone grinder costs about the same price. Check thrift stores like the Salvation Army and yard sales. You may find a second-hand one for a bargain. The same goes for eBay.

The Grind
Purchase a piece of inexpensive meat. If the meat is particularly lean, ask the butcher for some "fat back" or buy a roast with a fat cap on the top of it. You need some fat, even in lean ground meat in order to not end-up with a gritty texture once cooked. Don't worry about how much is on the meat as you're going to cut it off and add it to taste anyway.

Separate the meat from the fat and any bone and cut any gristle or silver skin off. Cut both the meat and the fat into rough 1-inch pieces. Decide how much fat you want to include, either by weight or by eyeballing it and put the excess aside.

Put the die with the larger holes into your grinder and place a large bowl under the output--use a large bowl because the meat tends to splatter a bit. Begin grinding according to the directions that came with your grinder, alternating pieces of fat with meat as best as you can. When done, mix the meat gently if the fat is not evenly distributed. Divide the meat into portions and put into zip-top storage bags if freezing or storing.

Extra Perk: Homemade Sausage
If you're grinding your own meat, homemade sausage patties are only a step away. Find a good sausage seasoning recipe and toss the meat cubes with the seasoning prior to grinding. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so and then grind as before. Form the meat into patties and cook or store. It's that simple. And, if you let the sausage rest in the fridge for another hour or more, it'll become even more flavorful.

I personally love the breakfast and Italian sausage recipes from Alton Brown's Good Eats episode on sausage. They also can be found at www.FoodTV.com.

Happy Grinding!

Recipe: Cranberry-Studded Potato-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

The other day, I happened upon a great deal for Pork Tenderloin and picked-up two. My usual recipe for that cut of meat is to sear it on all sides, dump 1/4 cup of honey mixed with a pinch of cayenne over it and finish it in the oven. It's an excellent, fast, easy recipe but one gets tired of it after awhile.

Unfortunately, most recipes for pork involve apples. It's, of course, a great pairing, but my wife is allergic to apples. During a recent trip to Maine, I had a meal where the chef had taken the pork tenderloin and created a potato-based stuffing for it. If you can find a way to stuff mashed potatoes into anything, I'm all for it.

Below is my version of the recipe. We had it for dinner the other night and it was delicious. I highly recommend it. For the most part, it's easy to prepare and you'll look like you were slaving all day in the kitchen.

Cranberry-Studded Potato-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
This recipe was inspired by Chef Moe at the Pinecrest Inn. She served a similar potato-stuffed pork tenderloin on her Autumn menu and I thought it was absolutely delicious.

1 large pork tenderloin (about 1.25 pounds)
2 small potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley celery leaves
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons sour cream
salt & pepper

Notes:
- This will work with smaller tenderloins but you may wish to serve 2
- This will work with a small pork loin roast as well
- Sour cream can be substituted with buttermilk, yogurt, half & half, cream, or milk
- Other dried fruits such as raisins, currants, chopped apples, or apricots may also taste good
- If you don't have a skillet or other pan that can go from cooktop to the oven, sear the roast in a large frying pan. Transfer to a glass baking dish when placing it into the oven.

Make the Stuffing
1) Peel potatoes and cut into large cubes. Boil in water until fork-tender.
2) Mash potatoes thoroughly or press through a ricer.
3) Stir-in sour cream.
4) Season with salt & pepper and stir-in parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5) Put stuffing aside to cool.

Make the Pork
1) Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2) Unwrap the pork and pat dry. Using a sharp boning knife, remove any fat and the tough silver skin from the top of the meat. Try to remove as little meat as possible.
3) Place cranberries in a small bowl with enough water to cover them. Heat in the microwave on high 1 1/2 minutes until the water is hot and cranberries have plumped-up. Drain thoroughly.
4) Using a sharp boning knife (a sharp pairing knife will do in a pinch), gently make a 1/4-inch deep slice into the meat going the long way. Using shallow slices and working slowly, continue to cut the meat so it will unroll like a jelly-roll and so that it is roughly a uniform 1/4 to 1/2 inch in thickness.
5) Using the tip of your knife, cut a series of small pockets in the thickest sections of the meat. Stuff each pocket with 1-3 cranberries. Continue until all cranberries are used.
6) Using a rubber spatula, spread the stuffing mixture over the unrolled meat, creating a uniform layer of about 1/4-inch.
7) Roll the pork back up jelly-roll style, taking care not to squeeze the stuffing out.
8) Tie the roast with kitchen twine using a series of rings of twine about 1-2 inches apart down the length of the roll. Don't pull too hard on the knots or you'll just squeeze the roast out of shape and lose stuffing.
9) Generously season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper.
10) Heat a large oven-proof skillet on high with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. When oil shimmers, place the roast into the pan with a pair of tongs. Allow the roast to brown well on one side before turning. Continue turning and browning until all sides are brown.
11) Position the pork seam-side down in the pan and move it to the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove and let the roast sit 5-10 minutes. It should continue cooking another 5 degrees or so. Cooking beyond 160 will dry the pork out.
12) Remove twine, slice into thick slices and serve.



Note: Photo at the top depicts pork served over buttered rice with sweet baby corn and a side of home-made cranberry sauce.

Bakin' Bacon - The Easy Way

While I try not to eat too much of it, I love having bacon in the house. Not only does it function perfectly as a partner to eggs and home fries (or hash browns), but a few slices add a lot to a sandwich or burger. Crumbled, it's the perfect addition to a salad or baked potato.

The problem with bacon is that it's just plain messy and difficult. If you only want one or two slices, you have no way of getting them off of the one-pound brick in your freezer. Plus, after frying-up a batch, you end-up with an inch of grease in a pan and splatters all over the stove that need to be wiped-up. And, your entire house will smell like bacon for a week. Alright. Some people might enjoy that part, but not me.

The solution, for me, is the oven and the freezer. While the oven may not be new news to you, the freezer might be and we'll get to that.

The Oven
The oven is probably the most efficient and clean way to deal with bacon's greasy mess. Completely cover your best half sheet pan with aluminum foil. Pinch any seams together before covering the pan. Place a cooling rack on the pan (the one you use to cool cookies). Lay the bacon out on the cooling rack and cook them in a 350 degree oven until they're crisp. After baking, let the pan sit long enough for the grease to solidify (stick it in the fridge if you're in a rush or it's a hot summer day). Use the foil to wrap-up the grease and toss into the garbage. You should have minimal cleaning to do on the pan itself. The rack, you'll have to scrub a bit but it's a small price to pay for no odor and no grease spatter. If you're a big bacon eater, you can even dedicate a single rack for this purpose and avoid bacon-flavored cookies.

The Freezer
The freezer is where the truly ingenious part comes in, if I do say so myself. Whenever I buy bacon, I usually buy two or more packages. Instead of freezing the raw bacon, I immediately cook it using the oven method described above. Once it has cooled, I take the crispy strips, drop them into a gallon sized zip-top bag and stash them in the freezer. They'll stay fresh and individually frozen for a few months easily. When you want one or two strips for a sandwich, take them out of the bag, wrap them in a paper-towel (burrito-style), and heat them in the microwave on high for one minute. Voila. Instant BLT. Want real bacon bits for your salad or baked potato? Same technique. When they come out of the microwave, let them cool and then snip them with clean scissors or kitchen shears.

Making it Extra-Special
Bacon is pretty fantastic all by itself. However, I learned a trick to make it even better from way too many hours watching FoodTV. Once your bacon starts to crisp, remove it to the oven and "paint" it with maple syrup using a basting brush. Turn each strip and paint the other side. Return it to the oven. When the bacon comes out, paint-on a second coat before serving. Maple and Bacon. A match made in heaven.

Thrifty Cooking: Two Little Piggy (Pork, Part 2)

This is one of a series of blog entries that will deal with the idea of "thrifty cooking". In these terrible economic times, when people are getting layed-off by the hundreds, we can all save a lot of money by going back to some of the skills our grandparents had in the kitchen. All it takes is a little time and a bit of confidence. I'll show you how to turn an inexpensive cut of meat into three family meals, or how to make the most out of inexpensive pantry ingredients like rice and dried legumes.

Continuing Our Discussion of Pork...
The other two inexpensive cuts of pork are the "butt" and the "shoulder". The butt, which isn't actually the cow's rear-end, comes from the upper part of the front leg. The "shoulder" cut or "Picnic Shoulder" are the lower part of the front leg.

Both are fairly fatty pieces of meat with great "marbling" (streaks of fat embedded throughout the lean parts of the meat). The only practical and healthy way to cook them is low and slow because the slow cooking allows the fat to melt and drip from the meat, moistening things as it goes. Also, the collagen breaks down into gelatin and makes things "finger-licking." Both cuts tend to be incredibly cheap, sometimes under a dollar a pound on sale.

Slow cooker recipes work well with both of these cuts, as does traditional southern barbecue (if you have the time). My favorite thing to do is to simulate southern barbecue using a wet cooking method called braising. This is the same process that we use for dishes like Yankee Pot Roast. It produces tender, fall-apart-with-a-fork meat that's stringy and incredibly tasty.

Indoor Pulled Pork
Note: This process can be done in a slow cooker for 4+ hours on high or 8 hours on low.

1. Choose your cut of meat (butt or shoulder). Remove any large chunks of fat. If you chose the shoulder, determine whether you want to keep the skin on or not. It contains a thick layer of fat underneath that will keep the meat moist but is not necessary with this particular cooking method.

2. Dry the outside of the meat with paper towels and coat it liberally with a spice rub. Either find a recipe for spice rub online or buy a bottle at the supermarket. True southern BBQ folks wage wars over their secret recipes. Since they'd probably disown us as part of the human race for what we're about to do (fake Barbecue), it doesn't really matter. Choose one with flavors you like. :-)

3. Put the meat in the fridge uncovered for 20-60 minutes (overnight is better) to let the rub do its job. During this time, the flavors will begin to really penetrate the meat.

4. Take the meat out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature a bit. Heat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pork into a baking dish, add 1-inch of water to the bottom of the pan and cover it tightly with foil. Place the roast into the oven. Cook for 3 or more hours until the meat literally falls off the bone. Test it periodically with a fork and make sure to re-seal the foil each time so the meat steams.

5. When the meat is done, remove it from the oven and the pan and let it sit on a cutting board uncovered for 15-20 minutes. When it's cool enough to work with, take chunks of the meat off with a knife or fork. At this point, you could serve one meal as chunks of pork roast with potatoes and a veggie if you wish. Treat it like pot roast.

6. With the leftovers, shred the meat with two forks, removing fat as you find it. Hold the two forks facing down, one in each hand, and pull the meat apart using the tines of the forks. You can freeze or refrigerate the meat at this point if you wish. Add some bottled BBQ sauce or make some from scratch, reheat in the microwave, pile onto a bulkie roll, and you have yourself a fantastic pulled-pork BBQ sandwich. Incidentally, this works with chicken legs as well and takes a fraction of the time.

Thrifty Cooking: One Little Piggy

This is one of a series of blog entries that will deal with the idea of "thrifty cooking". In these terrible economic times, when people are getting layed-off by the hundreds, we can all save a lot of money by going back to some of the skills our grandparents had in the kitchen. All it takes is a little time and a bit of confidence. I'll show you how to turn an inexpensive cut of meat into three family meals, or how to make the most out of inexpensive pantry ingredients like rice and dried legumes.

Another hunk of meat people sorely underestimate the value of is pork. We all have these ideas that pork is bad for you, is loaded with fat and cholesterol, and, let's face it, many of us had the horrible experience as a child of eating a dried-up pork chop coated in something like shake 'n bake and fried in a pan with oil or butter.

In reality, today's pork is quite lean and very good for you. Remember the marketing slogan, "Pork, the Other White Meat?" That was the National Pork Board telling us that they'd re-engineered the pig through selective breeding so that it, in the words of Timon and Pumba, "It tastes like chicken." It's also nearly as healthy as chicken. What's more, the USDA's latest rules and regulations make sure pork is much cleaner these days, making it possible to actually eat it at a temperature that's still moist or even a little pink (if you're into that thing).

So, why is pork a bargain? Well, there are 3 inexpensive cuts you can squeeze at least 3 meals out of: The Loin (not tenderloin--that's different), the shoulder, and the butt. For this post, we'll focus on just the loin. I'll save the shoulder and butt for another post.

The Loin
Whole pork loins in sealed vacuum packs go on sale at many supermarkets for under $1.99 per pound on a very regular basis year-round. At the wholesale club (BJ's, Sam's, Costco), it pretty much stays at around $1.85 per pound or less. Your average loin is just under 10 pounds, which means you get the entire thing for under twenty bucks. Not a bad deal when you can get 3 or more meals out of it. It's also not a bad deal when you consider that this is the same cut on the pig that would become Filet Mignon on a cow.

You heard me right. This is a prime hunk of meat for twenty bucks and the same hunk from a cow would run you $60 bucks or more at the wholesale club and $32 for a 1-inch slice of it at your favorite steakhouse. The whole loin is about as long as your arm. So what do you do with it?

Disassembling the Loin
First, cut a hole in the packaging and let the juices drain out into a clean sink. Don't worry, it's not blood. It's a protein-filled liquid. Cut the rest of the packaging off and pat the meat dry with paper towels so it's easier to handle. Put it on a long cutting board (or an exceptionally clean countertop).

You'll notice a large cap of fat on the top of the roast. Your first decision is whether to leave the fat on or take the fat off. Some say it keeps the meat juicy. I find it's easier to slice and serve without the fat because there's a piece of tough "silver skin" below the fat that will not melt or soften during cooking. If you choose to remove the fat, use a boning knife if you have one or a sharp non-serrated pairing knife to remove it.

Running up one side of the loin, you'll notice a strip of very fatty meat called "the chain." Cut the chain off and put it aside.

Once you're happy with the loin, start by cutting it into 3 small "roasts". Just divide it into three cylinders of equal length. Each cylinder will be progressively smaller in circumference because the loin tapers at one end. That's okay. Take your biggest one and tie 3 to 5 pieces of food-safe butcher's twine around it about an inch apart with overhand knots (the knot you use to tie your shoes). The objective here is not to win an boy scout badge for your tying skills. The point is to keep the piece fairly round so it'll cook evenly.

If you want a second roast, do the same with the next largest piece. With the remaining pieces, you can do a number of things:

Cutlets - 1 to 2-inch slices cut from one of the larger cylinders. You see these sold in the market as "medallions" or boneless pork chops at twice the price.

Chunks - To use like stew meat.

Scaloppini - Cut 1-inch slices and pound them to less than 1/4-inch thin with the smooth side of a meat mallot. Again, you pay more for these already pounded at the supermarket.

Take all of your pieces, wrap and freeze them. You now have 3+ meals. What can you do with them?

Cooking the Roasts
1. Set your oven to 325 and heat an oven-safe non-coated pan on high on the stovetop. Add some oil and wait for it to shimmer but not smoke.

2. Heavily salt and pepper the outside of the roast and place it into the pan. It will sizzle and stick to the pan. Wait 2-3 minutes until the meat no longer sticks to the pan.

3. Rotate it to sear the other side. Keep browning and rotating until all sides are brown and crispy.

4. Turn the heat off and let things settle down a bit. Pour either 1/4-cup of honey or 1/4-cup of maple syrup (even the fake stuff) over the roast. Rotate it once to sop-up the syrup, then put the whole thing into a 350 degree oven.

5. Cook until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140 if you like it pink and 155-160 if you like it not pink but still juicy. Anything over 170 will taste like sawdust. Take it out of the oven, place meat on a cutting board and let it rest, covered in foil 10-15 minutes. Slice thinly, and serve.

You WILL need an inexpensive meat thermometer for this. I can't give you a reliable time like "so many minutes per pound." It just doesn't work that way. If you still have one of those cookbooks from the 1970's that says cook it to 190, ignore it. You won't die. I promise.

Cooking the Cutlets
For the cutlets, cut them thick and find a recipe that lets you stuff them by cutting pockets in the sides like a pita pocket (spinach and cheese works well). Then, sear them on each side (using the instructions for the roast above) and finish them in a 350 degree oven until the internal temp is 140 for a pink center, 155 for a non-pink juicy center.

Cooking the Scaloppini
Find a recipe for chicken or veal picatta, chicken marsala, chicken parm, or anything else made with very thin pieces of meat and substitute pork for the meat. Usually, these dishes have a nice sauce that goes great over rice or mashed potatoes.

What about The Chain?
The last thing to address is that fatty "chain". This piece makes very good ground pork that can be used for meat loafs, meat balls, pork pies, or sausage patties. A meat grinder, even an old hand-crank model works best. Ask Grandma. She'll probably give you hers. If you don't have a meat grinder, it can be done in a food processor, but it won't come out quite as nice.

1. First, cut some of the excess fat off. Don't go crazy--just make sure we're talking 40% or less fat to 60% meat instead of the other way around.

2. Cut the meat in chunks and run through a meet grinder or pulse in small batches in a food processor until hamburg consistency.

If you're making sausage, ignore my recipe and consult Alton Brown's recipes for sausage on FoodNetwork.com. There's enough fat in the chain meat that you probably won't need to add fatback as instructed in most sausage recipes.