Root Beer Pulled Pork

There were a few versions of this going around on Pinterest for a while. This is my take on it.

Ingredients

2 lb pork loin

12 oz root beer

1 small onion, sliced

18 oz bbq sauce

Directions

1. Place pork loin in slow cooker and top with sliced onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with root beer. Cook on LOW for 6 hours. Cooking on HIGH for 3 hours will work in a pinch as well.
2. Drain liquid from slow cooker. Shred pork with forks or chop with a knife. Add pork and onions back to slow cooker and cover with bbq sauce. Cook on low for about 15 min, or until heated through.

Serve on rolls.

I made a double batch of the Smokey BBQ Sauce for this and it was fantastic!

I also like to add sour cream to my pulled pork sandwich!

Boston Baked Beans

I'd been looking for a good baked bean recipe for a few years. I'd tried a couple and none were ever very good. I made one last call to my friends and family for a recipe that rocked, and my bud Martha came through! These beans are fantastic!

Thanks to Martha for sharing! Check out her food blog - Throwing Spoons

From Cook's Illustrated - Published January 1, 2003. 

Ingredients

4 oz salt pork, trimmed of rind and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 oz bacon (2 slices), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped fine

1/2 cup mild molasses

1 1/2 tablespoons brown mustard

1 pound dried small white beans (navy or pea beans, about 2 cups), rinsed and picked over

Table salt

1 tablespoon mild molasses

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Ground black pepper

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300°F.
2. Add salt pork and bacon to 8-quart Dutch oven; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and most fat is rendered, about 7 minutes. Add onion and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup molasses, mustard, beans, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 9 cups water; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cover pot and set in oven.
4. Bake until beans are tender, about 4 hours, stirring once after 2 hours.  Remove lid and continue to bake until liquid has thickened to syrupy consistency, 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer.
5. Remove beans from oven; stir in remaining tablespoon of molasses, vinegar, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Why this recipe works: To create a Boston Baked Beans recipe packed with multiple levels of intense flavor yet traditional enough to make Fannie Farmer proud, we started with a combination of salt pork and bacon browned in a Dutch oven before adding dried small white beans. Cider vinegar gave our sauce tanginess while mustard and molasses boosted its flavor. Removing the lid for the last hour of cooking reduced the sauce in our Boston Baked Beans recipe to a syrupy, intensified state.

The beans can be made ahead. After cooking, cool them to room temperature and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Serves: 4 to 6

20-Minute Barbecue Ribs

Ingredients

1 rack (2½-3 pounds) pork loin back ribs (baby back ribs)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

¼ cup water

1 recipe of Smokey BBQ Sauce

Directions

1. For ribs, remove membrane from rack of ribs using Boning Knife (see Cook’s Tip). Season both sides of ribs with salt and black pepper. Cut between each bone to separate rack into individual ribs. Arrange ribs, cut side down, in two layers in Deep Covered Baker. Add water. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 8 minutes. Turn ribs over. Microwave on HIGH 7-10 minutes or until Pocket Thermometer registers 160°F when inserted into meatiest part of ribs alongside bones and ribs are no longer pink.
2. Transfer ribs to Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl. Add 1 cup of the Smokey BBQ Sauce and toss to coat.
3. Heat Grill Pan over medium heat 5 minutes. Place ribs onto pan; cook 4-6 minutes or until grill marks appear, brushing with remaining sauce and turning once. Transfer ribs to a serving platter.
4. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Cook’s Tip: The membrane found underneath the rack is not only tough, but it also holds in excess fat. Removing the membrane helps to render out the fat during cooking. To remove the membrane, lay the rack meaty side down. Using the tip of the Boning Knife, gently cut under the membrane on one corner. Using a paper towel, grasp the corner of the membrane and gently pull it away from the bones. Trim any visible fat along the underside of the rack.

©The Pampered Chef, Ltd., 2007

Smokey BBQ Sauce

Recipe from The Pampered Chef

I don't normally suggest buying specific spices from places, but this Smokey BBQ Rub is AMAZING! It makes fantastic BBQ sauce and you can also just sprinkle it right on meat before cooking. Definitely worth the price in my opinion!

Ingredients

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tbsp Smokey Barbecue Rub

2 tsp cider vinegar

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; remove from heat.
2. Reserve half of the sauce for serving. Brush remaining sauce over foods before baking or broiling. (For grilling, brush sauce over foods during last 10 minutes of cooking to prevent burning.)
3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.