Kalua Pork with Cabbage

What a week!  It is good to be back into the kitchen, but better now that I am settled (sort of) in my new place.  Along with moving I was working on a commercial for NBA 2K15 - yes, the video game - on top of working my normal job.  With all of that going on this was placed on the back burner (no pun intended) and forgotten about.  But it is a new day and I have a new recipe to share.

If you are anything like me, you enjoy food...I would hope so if you are reading this blog.  If for some chance you got here by mistake and have read this far - good for you!  Maybe cooking isn't your thing.  That's totally fine, but try these recipes out.  If it doesn't turn out...well, just post about it on HERE and let me know so I can enjoy your mishaps while I photoshop the crap out of mine.

Back to the recipe, living in Las Vegas there is a large Hawaiian population.  With that comes amazing Hawaiian food and restaurants.  One of my favorites here is L&L Hawaiian BBQ where they have everything from Spam Musubi to Kalua Pork.  Personally, these are my two favorites but I'm not about to go out to eat all the time so I started making it myself.

Normally this recipe would have you cooking the pig in a hole in the ground.  For those of you that live in Vegas you probably know how impossible it is to dig into the earth here.  Though, it's delicious I am not about to try and dig through this ground, so we make due with what we have.  A SLOW COOKER!  Below is the recipe as I have found it online.  With that being said...let's just get to cooking.


Kalua Pork and Cabbage

Kalua Pork and Cabbage

Ingredients

• 2 TBS Kosher Salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 (5 lb) bone-in pork shoulder roast
• 1 TBS soy sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke flavoring
• 1/2 large head cabbage, shredded

Instructions

1. Mix kosher salt, black pepper, and ground ginger in a bowl; rub evenly into surface of pork roast; place seasoned roast in a slow cooker.
2. Stir soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke together in a bowl; pour over the pork roast.
3. Cook on Low 10 hours.  Add cabbage to the pork and sauce in the slow cooker; cook another 30 minutes.  Shred pork to serve.

There you have it.  Simple and easy.  I did change the recipe a bit.  Before I do the rub I like to pierce the pork roast with a knife a fair number of times - a la Jodi Arias - so the liquid can get into it a bit.  With the pork in a slow cooker I will rub the liquid mixture into the pork as best as I can.  Doing this helps keep the dry mixture of salt, black pepper and ground ginger on the pork.  Whether this helps or not I don't know.  It's just what I do, and there is nothing wrong with deviating from recipes.  It's hard to mess this recipe up.  Also, as I don't need 5 pounds of pork so I only use two to three pounds and adjust the recipe accordingly.  Now, if you aren't into doing the conversions yourself HERE is the link to the original recipe where you can adjust the number of servings and it will calculate all of the measures for you.  This original recipe makes for 10 servings.  Changing it it to six servings as I did will call for just over 3 lbs of pork.

I love this recipe, but some of the people in my house didn't care for the lingering smell that comes with slow cookers.  Vegetarians...I hope catch a flesh eating virus.  How ironic would that be?!?  (Disclaimer:  Only kidding about that.  My roommates are neither vegetarians nor have a virus.)  On the bright side, if nobody else eats it at least the dog will like it.

That's all that I have for today.  Enjoy, share, reply and until next time....

Happy Snacking!

Luke

Crockpot Fig Apple Butter

The other day I polled my Facebook friends about what kind of things they would like to see from a food blog like mine.  As it has been two years since my last post I figured revamping it would be necessary.  The responses I got were that some just wanted straight up recipes, some wanted restaurant and food reviews and one very excited friend just screamed, "CROCKPOT RECIPES!"

I love crockpots.  They are time savers, easy to use and easier to clean.  It's the best way to make food when you are having a lazy day.  Also, it will fill your home with the scent of awesomeness.  And the best part is that there is no end to the number of recipes you can find for the crock pot.  For me, the first one that came to mind was a Fig Apple Butter that I made a month ago.  

That day I wanted a pizza, but didn't want a typical pizza and was feeling adventurous with toppings.  Looking into my fridge to see what I had to work with I started to cry when I realized that I had nothing.  It was my day off from work and I was exhausted. Going to the store isn't something that I wanted to do.  Then I noticed that I had some goat cheese near the back of my top shelf (don't worry, it wasn't THAT old).  Having some apples for an apple butter that I wanted to make I began to look up other recipes that might go with the goat cheese when I came across PaleOMG.com and their Crockpot Fig Apple Butter.  Having all of the items I threw it into the crockpot and went about my day (which then turned into running to the store for pizza dough and prosciutto) and then taking a nap because I had actually RAN to the store.   The rest was up to the crockpot.  So, as to fulfill my friend's wish (and to stop my mother from directing people to other blogs) here is my first recipe for the crockpot.  ENJOY!!

Fig Apple Butter Pizza with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Crockpot Fig Apple Butter - Recipe found at PaleOMG.com

Ingredients

• 20 dried black figs, stems removed, cut in half
• 6 apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup honey (or other sweetener such as maple syrup)
• 3 TBS cinnamon (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.  Mix well.
2. Put the slow cooker at low and cook for 6-8 hours until apples are completely soft and almost mushy.
3. Place ingredients in food processor and puree until smooth.  You may have to do this in a few batches.
4. Store in refrigerator in a glass jar.

This stuff is seriously amazing on almost everything and has a hearty cinnamon flavor to it.  Keep in mind that this recipe can be tailored to your palate especially where the cinnamon comes it.  Some people will love it as it is and some of you will probably want a little less cinnamon in it.  That is okay.  Recipes are meant to be like maps - they only offer suggestions, nothing is definite and the possibilities are endless.  So, eat your heart out Julia Child.

Until next time...

Happy Snacking!!

Luke