Apple City Barbecue - 1994 Memphis in May BBQ Winner
----------------------------------DRY RUB----------------------------------
10 tb Black pepper 5 tb Garlic powder
10 tb Paprika 3 tb Celery salt
5 tb Chili powder 1 tb Dry mustard
5 tb Red pepper
--------------------------------FINISH SAUCE--------------------------------
32 oz Hunt's Ketchup 8 oz Apple cider vinegar
8 oz Soy sauce 4 oz Apple juice
4 oz Worcestershire sauce 1 tb White pepper or to taste
1 tb Garlic powder
Mix dry rub ingredients. Rub into pork ribs. Put rubbed ribs into the
refrigerator for 4 to 10 hours before cooking. Bring sauce ingredients to a
boil. Then add 1 finely grated onion, 1 grated medium Golden Delicious
apple and 1/4 grated small bell pepper. Cook until desired thickness. Cook
prepared ribs for about 5 1/2 to 7 hours over charcoal kept at 180 to 200
degrees. Baste occasionally with warm apple juice. Use soaked apple wood
chips in the fire to create a sweet flavor. About 30 minutes before
serving, brush ribs with finish sauce. Right before serving, sprinkle on
dry rub. Serve sauce on the side. TIP: Don't rush the cooking process.
return to list
Authentic Carolina Pork Barbeque
1 Pork butt (shoulder) 6 oz Chili sauce
1 ga Cider vinegar 1 1/4 oz Crushed red pepper flakes
10 oz Worcestershire sauce
Mix all sauce ingredients together. Use as a basting sauce for the meat.
The pork has to be barbecued - that is, cooked long and slow over a real
wood fire, preferably hickory. Temp should be around 220 degrees, and it
takes at least 1-1/2 hours per pound, or until internal temp. reaches
150-160 degrees. Needless to say, this is difficult to accomplish in the
average backyard Weber kettle, although it can be done. It has to be served
on a CWB: Cheap White Bun. After that, the only question is "with or
without?" Sweet cole slaw on top, that is.
From: D_swartz@gate.Net (Debbie Deneese
return to list
Authentic Southern Style Barbecued Ribs (Secret Recipe)
--------------------------------SECRET SAUCE--------------------------------
1 Bottle ketchup, 32 ounce 2 lg Lemons, sliced
-large size (Heinz is my Tabasco hot sauce to taste
-favorite) -(3 drops to 1/2 ts)
2/3 sm Jar prepared yellow mustard Ground black pepper to
-(ie. French's) -taste (lots of it)
1/2 lb Dark brown sugar No salt (plenty in the
1/3 lg Onion, chopped coarsely -ketchup)
3 tb Distilled white vinegar
Preparation time: 1/2 day, but constant attention is not required.
Simmer the sauce, stirring until the sugar is melted. Then, stir
occasionally for a few minutes while the oil is drawn out of the lemon. Do
not allow to scorch. Remove from heat and set aside.
Broil the ribs flesh side up until browned. Turn and cook flesh side down,
brown again. Now brush both sides with some of the sauce and cook on each
side for five minutes. Do not let them burn or blacken! The RIBS at this
point look good, but they are still raw.
Cut the ribs apart and dip each rib in the sauce. Pile the ribs high on a
full-sized oven broiler rack and pan, and pour any remaining sauce, less a
cup or so, over the ribs.
Cover the ribs with heavy-duty aluminum foil, tucking in around the
outside edge of the pan to make an airtight container. Cook in the oven at
325F for 2 hours.
Remove from oven and open very carefully. Beware the live steam that will
rush out. Allow to sit, opened for a few minutes.
The end result is smoked, steamed, tender meat which falls from the bones.
All fat is rendered and drains into the pan.
Use leftover sauce when warming over the second day.
SAUCE VARIATION: Molasses, tomato paste, onion, spices
Unfortunately I don't have anyplace to grill outdoors so can first part of
the recipe (which calls for outdoor grilling) be substituted by putting the
ribs in the oven?
Rinse and dry ribs; then cut apart. Heat about 3 cups oil in a wok. When
very hot, add ribs in small batches and fry until brown and crispy, about 5
minutes. Remove and drain.
[They are absolutely delicious at this point. Once I forgot to make the
sauce until I was half done eating the ribs! They're great served at this
point with various Chinese dips ++mustard with a dish of chopped scallions,
hoisin sauce, chili sauces, etc. S.C.]
Combine sugar, vinegar, salt and soy sauce. Remove oil from wok; return
wok to stove and turn heat to high. When hot, add vinegar mixture. Cook,
stirring, over high heat until syrupy. Add ribs; toss in the mixture until
well coated. Serve warm or at room temperature.
San Francisco Chronicle, date unknown...
I have never tried that, but I suspect a compromise could be worked. Most
of the actual cooking occurs during the oven portion. The purpose of the
outdoor grilling is to both sear and seal the meat, and impart the unique
flavor of barbecue to the ribs by exposing it to the smoke created when the
drippings from the meat vaporize on the hot briquettes. An additional (and
desirable) flavor is also imparted to the meat if real charcoal briquettes
are used.
The addition of the "Secret Sauce" during the last portion of the outdoor
phase also contributes to the taste.
As a non-outside alternative, I would suggest oven broiling of the ribs as
a substitute for the outdoor searing. During the final portion, the
coating of the slabs could still be done (the 5 minutes per side part).
To possibly aid in giving a barbecue-like flavor, a drop or two of liquid
smoke could be added **only** to the small portion of the sauce that is
used to coat the ribs during the searing process. There's a possibility the
time under the broiler may need to be shortened when compared with the
outside method.
Liquid smoke is a very potent ingredient, and I have never found it
satisfactory for my own use. Obviously, some must, as it is still sold. As
a rule of thumb, I would advise forgetting about the amount recommended for
use on the bottle, and if in doubt, "use less". Then, following the oven
broiling, you can continue by cutting the ribs apart, and continuing by the
recipe.
Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; October 5 1992.
return to list
Barbecued Pork #2
-Dottie Cross TMPJ72B 3 Drops red food coloring
3 tb Honey -(optional)
2 tb Commercial hoisin sauce 2 (3/4-pound) pork tenderloins
2 tb Reduced-calorie catsup 1/4 c Reduced-calorie catsup
1 tb Low-sodium soy sauce 2 tb Sesame seeds
1/8 ts Chinese five-spice powder
Combine first 6 ingredients; stir well, and set aside.
Trim fat from pork, and place in a large shallow dish.
Pour honey mixture over pork. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours,
turning pork occasionally.
Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade. Place pork on a
microwave-safe roasting rack. Cover with wax paper, and microwave at MEDIUM
HIGH (70% power) 7 minutes. Brush pork with reserved marinade; rotate rack
a quarter-turn. Cover and microwave at MEDIUM HIGH 6 to 8 minutes or until
meat thermometer registers 160 degrees; set aside. Place remaining marinade
in a glass measure; microwave at HIGH until mixture boils. Brush over pork;
cut into 1/4-inch slices. Serve warm with catsup and sesame seeds.
Yield: 12 appetizer servings (serving size: 1-1/2 ounces pork, 1 teaspoon
catsup, and 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds). 102 calories, 2.8 grams fat (0.8 g
sat, 1.2 g mono, 0.6 g poly), 40 mg cholesterol, 169 mg sodium. Source:
"Cooking Light" magazine - January/February, 1993 Reformatted by: CYGNUS,
HCPM52C
return to list
Barbecued Pork Chops #1
6 Pork chops -brandy or rum
TIPSY MARINADE: 3 tb Dark soy sauce or 2 tb
3 tb Barbecue sauce (tomato -oyster sauce
-based) 1/2 ts Five spice powder
3 tb Sugar 1/2 ts Salt
2 tb Dry sherry, gin, whiskey, 1 Garlic clove, mashed.
Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour over pork chops.
Marinate for 3-4 hours in refrigerator or for 1/2 hour unrefrigerated.
Barbecue pork chops for 15 minutes on each side, basting with leftover
marinade every few minutes. Serve 4-6. Can substitute chicken.
Origin: Homestyles, Canadian Classics Shared by: Sharon Stevens
return to list
Barbecued Pork Strips
2 lb Boneless pork butt
----------------------------------MARINADE----------------------------------
2 tb Light soy sauce 1 tb Brown bean sauce
2 tb Chinese rice wine 1 tb Hoisin sauce
-or dry sherry 1 tb Red bean curd
2 tb Sugar 1 ts 5-spice powder
1 tb Minced garlic
-------------------------------BASTING LIQUID-------------------------------
3 tb Malt sugar or honey 3 tb Boiling water
CUT THE PIECE OF PORK BUTT in half. Cut the two halves into 3/4-inch
strips. Put the strips in a bowl with the marinade and mix well to coat
them thoroughly. Marinate at room temperature for 3 hours, or overnight in
the refrigerator. Remove the pork from the marinade and baste the strips
with the malt-sugar mixture. Use curved skewers (available in Chinese
cookware shops and some restaurant- supply stores) to hang the meat from
the top shelf of the oven over a large pan filled with water to a depth of
1/4 inch. Roast the pork at 350F for 45 minutes, basting occasionally with
the malt sugar or honey. Increase the heat to 425F and roast for 20 minutes
to finish the pork. When the pork is cool enough to handle, cut it into
1/2-inch slices. Arrange the pork slices on a platter. Serves 4 to 6 as a
main course accompanied by vegetables, 8 to 10 as an appetizer.
return to list
Barbecued Spareribs #3
3 1/2 lb Pork ribs 12 ts Freshly ground black pepper
2 ts Salt
----------------------------TANGY BARBECUE SAUCE----------------------------
1 1/2 tb Peanut oil 1 tb Orange zest
2 tb Finely chopped shallots 2 tb Chinese chili bean sauce OR
2 tb Finely chopped scallions 2 ts Satay paste
1 tb Finely chopped garlic 2 ts Tomato paste
1 tb Finely chopped fresh ginger 1 ts Chinese white rice vinegar
2 tb Fine chopped fresh cilantro - or cider vinegar
3 tb Finely chopped fresh chilis 1/2 c Orange juice
2 tb Rice wine or dry sherry 1 1/2 tb Light soy sauce
3 tb Hoisin sauce 1 1/2 tb Dark soy sauce
2 tb Sugar 1 ts Salt
2 ts Chinese sesame oil 1 ts Freshly ground black pepper
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 250F. Salt and pepper the pork ribs evenly and place in
a baking dish and cook for 2 hours to render the fat and tenderize the
meat. Remove the ribs from the dish, drain the fat and set aside. Heat a
wok or large frying pan and add the oil. Quickly add the shallots,
scallions, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for 20 seconds and add the rest of
the sauce ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce gently for 15
minutes. Allow the sauce to cool. (These steps can be done hours ahead or
even the night before.) When you are ready to cook the ribs, smear them
with the barbecue sauce. Make a charcoal fire and, when the coals are ash
white, grill the ribs, basting with any remaining sauce. Cook the ribs for
5-to-10 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. Serve immediately.
KEN HOM PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK
return to list
Barbeque Pork
1 lb Pork tenderloin 1 ts Dark soy sauce
2 tb Honey 1 tb Sherry
3 tb Light soy sauce 1 Clove garlic; mashed
2 tb Hoisin sauce 1 tb Sugar
2 tb Catsup
trim meat and cut into strips about 2" wide and 6" long. Combine remaining
ingredients in bowl; pour over pork and marinate 2+ hours. Skewer pork with
steel hangers and hang onto top rack of oven over shallow roasting pan
containing a few inches of water. Preheat oven to 425 for 10 minutes. Roast
pork 20 minutes. With baster, coat with drippings every 5 minutes. Reduce
heat to 325 and roast 5 minutes more. Slice each strip diagonally against
the grain into 1/4" pieces. Serve cold. Dip with Chinese hot mustard and
sesame seeds. I LOVE THIS RECIPE! Mike Crouch
return to list
Barbequed Ham - Ala Starzingers
1 ea Cured ham, about 7 pounds 2 oz JD sour mash whiskey
1 tb Cinnamon 2 tb Brown sugar
1 ts Dry mustard 1/2 ts Molasses
1 tb Ginger 2/3 c Wine vinegar
1/2 ts Cloves, ground Pineapple juice
Make your fire of prune or fruit wood, approximately two or three inches in
diameter, and enough charcoal to keep the bed of coals at an even heat. If
ham still has some of the rind, cut it off. Leave fat on and score.
Place ham in cooker, and cook it about the same length of time you would
bake it (follow directions on label for the type of ham you have). Baste
ham as it cooks. The outside fat will char black, but don't let that worry
you. Just don't let it burn. Keep the fire constant.
When ham is done, break off charred fat with a knife. Put back on cooker
for another 10 or 15 minutes and use up remainder of basting sauce. Remove
ham, cut off excess fat, slice, and serve.....
Basting Sauce:
Place the cinnamon, mustard, ginger, and cloves in a mortar, or small jar,
and cover with the whisky. (The alcohol will dissolve the essential oils,
and that's what gives the flavor). Let set for an hour or so. Put the
brown sugar, molasses, and vinegar in a pint jar. Grind the spices with a
pestle, or stir well, and add to the vinegar-sugar solution. Pour in
enough pineapple juice to make a pint. Stir well.
Now your are ready to paint your ham. Mix the sauce each time you baste,
so that the spices are evenly distributed. Don't leave any dregs in the
jar, put them all on the ham to get the full, spicy flavor.
By "Carey W. Starzinger" on Jul 10, 1997
return to list
Barbequed Pork Chops
4 Large pork chops Celery salt
Barbeque seasoning Paprika
Garlic salt K.C. masterpiece sauce
Rub chops with seasoning and add garlic, celery salt. Sprinkle paprika and
smoke on coals for 20 min. low heat. Increase heat for about 40 min. Baste
during last few minutes with sauce.
Typed by Annette Johnsen Source: Kansas City Barbq. Society
return to list
Barbequed Pork Ribs/Currant Glaze
1 ts Ground ginger 1 ts Salt
1 ts Ground coriander 3 lb Pork loin back ribs or
1/2 ts Paprika 1 1/2 lb Spareribs
1/4 ts Pepper
-----------------------------------GLAZE-----------------------------------
1/2 c Red currant jelly 1 tb Dijon mustard
3 tb Orange juice Thin orange slices,garnish
1 tb Lemon juice
Combine the first five ingredients and rub on the meaty side of the ribs.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. An hour or so before serving, start
cooking ribs 10 to 12" from coals (or under broiler) turning from time to
time. Pork will take 60 to 70 minutes to cook depending on the thickness.
Meanwhile, heat to combine red currant jelly, orange and lemon juice with
mustard. Brush ribs with the glaze during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Garnish with orange slices.
return to list
Barbequed Ribs, Missouri-Style
2 tb Salt 2 tb Chili powder
1/4 c Sugar 4 tb Paprika
2 tb Cumin, ground 2 ea Racks of 3/down pork ribs**
2 tb Pepper, black, fresh ground
-------------------------------BASTING SAUCE-------------------------------
1 3/4 c Vinegar, white 1 tb Salt
2 tb Hot pepper sauce 1 tb Pepper, black, fresh ground
2 tb Sugar
The term "3/down" refers to the weight of the ribs. In this case, it is
three pounds or less for each slab of 10 to 12 ribs.
Combine salt, sugar, cumin, pepper, chili powder and paprika to make
barbeque rub. Rub ribs thoroughly with this mixture. Place ribs on baking
sheets and cook in 180 degree oven for 3 hours. Do not turn; slow cooking
infuses spices.
Remove from oven. (ribs may now be covered and refrigerated up to 2 days
before grilling)
Use very low charcoal fire with rack set as high as possible. Grill ribs 5
minutes to 30 minutes per side, depending on heat and temperature of ribs.
Ribs should have light outer crust and be heated throughout.
If you prefer juicy ribs, coat with basting sauce just before removing from
grill. Otherwise serve dry with sauce on side. Remove ribs from grill,
cut in between bones and serve.
Note: Recipe is easily halved or doubled. Keep 2:1 proportion of sauce to
rub.
return to list
BBQ Pork Roast
3 lb Pork, Center cut loin 8 Peppercorns
1 tb Sage 1 tb Season salt
1 ts Allspice 1 c Applesauce
1 ts Coriander 1/2 c Brown sugar
1 ts Nutmeg
Combine sage, allspice, coriander, nutmeg, peppercorns and season salt in
food processor. Pulse until spices are combined.
Pat dry pork roast and press spices on fat cap of roast. Roast in dome BBQ
grill until 160F. internal temperature with indirect roasting. This can be
done with a pan directly under the roast and coals placed on either side of
pan. Roasting time should be about 90 minutes.
During the last 30 minutes of roasting, combine applesauce and brown sugar
and coat top of roast. Continue roasting until internal temperature is
170F. Apply applesauce mixture until all is used.
Remove roast from grill and let set for 15 minutes before carving.
return to list
BBQ Ribs 1991 World BBQ Contest Winner Memphis in May
----------------------------------DRY RUB----------------------------------
4 ts Paprika 2 ts Ground black pepper
2 ts Salt 1 ts Cayenne
2 ts Onion powder
-----------------------------------SAUCE-----------------------------------
6 tb Salt 4 c White vinegar
6 tb Black pepper 4 c Water
6 ts Chili powder 1 Large yellow onion; diced
4 c Ketchup 1/2 c Sorghum molasses
DRY RUB DIRECTIONS: Mix in jar, cover and shake well to mix. Sprinkle rub
liberally on ribs. Allow to stand 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature
until rub appears wet.
RIB SMOKING DIRECTIONS: Prepare smoker for long, slow cooking using hickory
chips for flavor. Cook ribs, bone side down at 230 degrees for 2 hours
using indirect heat. Turn and cook 1 more hour. During last 15 minutes,
baste with BBQ sauce diluted by 1/2 with water. Serve ribs with warm
undiluted sauce on the side.
BBQ SAUCE DIRECTIONS: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to
a rolling boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring every 10
minutes or so. Pour into sterilized jars, seal and let stand for 2 to 6
weeks before using.
return to list
BBQ'd Baby Back Ribs #4
-----dry rub----- 6 tb Salt
4 ts Paprika 6 ts Chili powder
2 ts Salt 4 c Ketchup
2 ts Onion powder 4 c White vinegar
2 ts Ground black pepper 4 c Water
1 ts Cayenne 1 Large yellow onion; diced
-----sauce----- 1/2 c Sorghum molasses
6 tb Black pepper
DRY RUB DIRECTIONS: Mix in jar, cover and shake well to mix. Sprinkle rub
liberally over and into the surface. RIB SMOKING DIRECTIONS: Prepare smoker
for long, slow cooking using hickory, mesquite is also very good. Some
people prefer to do back ribs using some of the wood of the fruit trees,
apple, pear, etc. BBQ SAUCE DIRECTIONS: Combine all ingredients in a large
saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer. Allow to cool for at least one hour to
allow the flavors to blend.
By capterie@netroute.net on Jun 24, 1997
return to list
BBQed Chile-Marinated Pork Spareribs
2 Racks pork spareribs 3 tb Brown sugar -- firm packed
8 Dried New Mexican chilis 2 ts Salt
Seeded 3 tb Tequila
3/4 c Hot water 1/2 c Veg. oil
1/2 c Ketchup 1/2 ts Cumin
2 Cloves garlic 1/8 ts Allspice
1/2 c Cider vinegar
In a large kettle combine the spareribs with water to cover, bring the
water to a boil and simmer the ribs skimming the froth as necessary, for
about 50 min. Drain the ribs well and pat them dry.
While the ribs are simmering, in a blender puree the chilis, water, ketchup,
garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, tequila. oil, cumin and the allspice.
30 In a jelly roll pan or on a tray coat the ribs generously with some of the
chili sauce, reserving the remaining sauce in a small bowl, covered with
plastic wrap and chilled for a least 8 hours or over night.
Let the ribs stand at room temp. for 1 hour and grill them on an oiled rack
set 5-6 over heat source for 6 min. on each side In a small saucepan simmer
the reserved chili sauce for 3 min. and serve it with the ribs.
return to list
Boneless Pork Loin
1 Boneless pork loin 1/4 c Lime juice
9 Cl Garlic 4 Crushed chili peppers
1/4 c Soy sauce 1/2 c Olive oil
Recipe by: Lloyd Throw the marinade ingredients into a food processor,
garlic and soy first, until mixed then add the rest. Marinate at least
overnight, then fire up the grill using the indirect method. Put two or
three large chunks of Hickory o the coals when they are ready.
For an ~4 lb pork loin it will take ~ 3 - 4 hours, adding charcoal and
hickory as needed.
return to list
Bourbon & Honey Smoke-Roasted Pork Tenderloin
----------------------------------MARINADE----------------------------------
1 c Olive oil 1/4 c Soy sauce
1/2 c Bourbon 1/2 c Thinly sliced onion
3 tb Honey 2 tb Fresh sage
1/2 c Lemon juice -- coarsely chopped
1 tb Minced garlic 2 ts Pepper
1 1/2 tb Fresh ginger root 1 ts Salt
-- peeled and grated
---------------------------------MAIN DISH---------------------------------
3 Pork tenderloins
-----------------------------GRILLING MATERIALS-----------------------------
Charcoal briquettes -- preferably fruit wood
6 Wood chips (up to 8)
Combine all marinade ingredients; blend well. The marinade for this dish
can be prepared a day in advance; marinating should go on for 24 hours.
Lay the pork tenderloins in a ceramic or glass dish and pour marinade over
them. Turn the tenderloins several times during the 24 hours that they are
marinating in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, pat the pork dry.
Preheat charcoal in an outdoor grill and soak the wood chips in water for
30 minutes. Add the chips to the hot coals. Roast the pork evenly for
about 40 minutes, until its internal temperature is 165 F. If pork is to be
eaten hot, allow it to sit on the edge of the grill for 10 minutes or so
after it is cooked so that the juices can be drawn back into the meat.
Good served either hot or cold, accompanied by a green tomato chutney.
From Someplace Special restaurant in McLean, VA. In _The New Carry-Out
Cuisine_ by Phyllis Meras with Linda Glick Conway. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company, 1986. Pg. 130. ISBN 0-395-42504-2. Typed for you by
Cathy Harned.
return to list
Bubba Tom's Eastern North Carolina Style Barbeque (Short)
1 5-8 pound boston butt pork r 12 oz Apple cider vinegar
1 Apple cider vinegar 2 tb Cayenne pepper flakes
4 tb Cayenne pepper flakes ---------------------
8 bn Garlic 1 tb Salt
-----pan sauce----- 2 c Water
Recipe by: Tom Solomon While nothing can duplicate the sweet ambrosia of
slow, pit-cooked, whole h
First, get yourself some pork shoulders or Boston Butt roasts, as many as
your smoker will hold comfortably. I use a Brinkmann Professional Pit
Smoker with an offset firebox, but you can do this with a vertical
Brinkmann water smoker as well. The key is providing a moist, smoky,
indirect heat for a long period of time.
What I do is put a bag of charcoal in the firebox, open the vents, light
it, and let it burn down to coals. Then I add wood (generally oak, since
hickory is scarce up here)--two parts wet (soaked) wood to one part
dry--regulate the dampers, and put the shoulders or butts, fat side up, in
the cooking chamber. Beneath the meat I put a drip pan half-filled with
apple cider vinegar. You must keep the heat between 180-260 degrees
throughout the smoking process; the optimum range is 220-240 degrees.
Normally, I'll add apple wood to the firebox as well, and I always add
between 5-7 whole heads of garlic during the process. Keep the firebox fed
and a good smoke going for between 8 to 10 hours. Do not open the cooking
chamber to baste the meat--the only time you open the cooking chamber is
when the temperature spikes above 260 degrees, and you open it only long
enough to bring the temperature back in the proper range. By the time the
smoking period is finished, the outside of the pork will have a golden
amber to dark brown crust.
Now, take the meat and put it in a covered Dutch oven. If it's too dark
outside to continue, preheat your indoor stoves' oven to just under 300
degrees; otherwise, just raise the temperature in the cooking chamber a
like amount. Get a quart-sized Mason jar; fill it halfway with apple cider
vinegar, add one (or more) teaspoons of red pepper flakes, and fill the
rest of the jar with water. Dump this into the Dutch oven with the pork,
cover, and cook until the meat falls from the bone, about 2 more hours or
so.
When the meat is done, let it cool a bit. [NOTE: If you're too tired, you
can stop here for the day--cover 'em up, put them in the fridge, and warm
'em up the next morning and continue the procedure]. While it's cooling,
fill some 16 ounce bottles with apple cider vinegar, adding about a
teaspoon of red pepper flakes to each one (I use Grolsch beer bottles with
those pull-down caps, any excuse for buying good beer...). When the pork
has cooled enough to handle (I use latex gloves) pull it into thumb-sized
chunks, discarding as much fat as possible. Pack roughly 3 pounds of
barbeque into a large frying pan (I use a Number 10 size cast iron
skillet). Dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt into 2 1/2 cups of warm water and
pour it into the pan. Add about 12 ounces of your apple cider vinegar and
red pepper sauce, turn the heat to medium, and let the liquid slowly simmer
off, stirring frequently, until the sauce just barely oozes over the top of
your spatula when you press down on the barbeque with it. Remove from heat,
and congratulate yourself--you've just made a fine batch of Eastern North
Carolina Style Barbeque.
return to list
Bubba Tom's Eastern North Carolina Style Barbeque Long Version
Boston Butts & Picnic 4 tb Cayenne Pepper Flakes
-Shoulders, smoked 8 Bulbs garlic
---------------------------------PAN SAUCE---------------------------------
12 oz Apple Cider Vinegar Salt
2 tb Cayenne Pepper Flakes Water
"INFUSION" TECHNIQUE FOR HOMEMADE EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA STYLE BARBEQUE
Tom "Big Heat" Solomon bigheat@earthlink.net
I: INTRODUCTION:
Eastern North Carolina style barbeque is, by most accounts, the oldest
style of barbeque in the United States. Originating during Colonial times
in the coastal regions of Virginia and the Carolinas, it endures and
thrives today in the eastern third of the state of North Carolina.
According to Vince Staten and Greg Johnson, this style of barbeque
"originated in those days when people thought tomatoes were poisonous and
refused to eat them. When the early settlers wanted a seasoning for their
barbequed pig, they chose English ketchup, a vinegar seasoned with oysters
and peppers and other spices, but containing no tomato."
Staten and Johnson observe that "[today] Down East they cook the whole hog,
with no baste, over hickory coals, then 'pick' the meat off the bone, chop
it into fine hunks, and coat it with a thin, hot vinegar-based sauce."
Since cooking a whole hog is not a valid option for most home barbequers, I
have come up with a three-step "infusion" technique that yields a
reasonable facsimile of Eastern North Carolina style barbeque.
II: EQUIPMENT:
The recommended smoker for making homemade Eastern North Carolina style
barbeque is a horizontal wood-fueled smoker with an offset firebox, such as
the Brinkmann Smoke 'N Pit Professional, or similar style smokers made by
companies such as Oklahoma Joe, BBQ Pits By Klose, etc. I have had some
success using the small, vertical, $30 dollar "water smokers" as well;
however, it is an onerous process and does not, as a rule, produce the
deep, rich, smoky results that off-set smokers yield. I have no experience
with gas smokers, but many people have reported good results using gas and
wood chips and/or wood pellets. If you have a gas smoker rather than a wood
unit, I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to make a perfectly
acceptable version of Eastern North Carolina style barbeque. After all, the
key is "heat, smoke, and time," with smoke I think being the most important
element. While using gas will not make your barbeque "authentic" or
"traditional", you are not cooking a whole hog, either, so by all means use
what you have.
III: WOOD:
This technique assumes you will be using wood for both heat and smoke.
Those using wood only for smoke can make the necessary adjustments.
As noted, hickory is the traditional wood of choice for Eastern North
Carolina style barbeque. However, oak is also commonly used, and both are
good, strong, full-bodied woods. From my experience, the ideal mixture is
40 percent hickory, 40 percent oak, and 20 percent apple wood--apple
imparts a distinct, slightly sweet essence that nicely balances the
slightly bitter, high harshness of hickory and the deep, mellow baritones
of oak.
Different schools of thought exist regarding in what state (pre-burned
coals, split logs, or whole logs) the wood should be added to the burn
chamber, and what color the smoke produced by the burning should be--a
barely perceptible blue, or a clean white smoke. Nearly everyone agrees
that the wood should be well-seasoned, as green wood tends to produce a
bitter creosote that can ruin barbeque.
In my experience, the bitterness sometimes produced by a white smoke is
mitigated by the use of the infusion technique. What I do is start a fire
in the burn chamber using plain old charcoal, let the charcoal burn down to
glowing embers, and then add split wood logs, using a ratio of two dry logs
to one wet (presoaked) log. These are not hard and fast rules, however--I
would encourage you to experiment with pre-burned wood coals, whole logs,
all dry logs, whatever you feel would work best for your own taste buds and
expertise. The only word of caution I would add is that if, instead of
using the infusion technique you will be pulling the pork and adding a
table sauce (i.e. having a "pig pickin'"), you would be well advised to use
pre-burned coals rather than split and/or whole logs in the burn chamber.
IV: MEAT:
In a word, pork. Period. No exceptions.
How much barbeque you want to make is up to you. The ideal cut would be
what Dave Lineback calls a "barbeque cut", which is a whole shoulder (a
picnic, commonly referred to in grocery stores as a pork shoulder) and
Boston Butt joined together. If you have access to a friendly butcher, by
all means use that cut. If, like me, you do *not* have access to a custom
butcher, use a ratio of two Boston Butts to every one pork picnic shoulder.
Most retail grocery store butchers will be happy to "special order" a whole
shoulder for you; likewise, they will also be more than happy to charge you
the price of the more expensive cut (typically the Boston Butt) for the
whole thing when it arrives. Picnics, at least here in Virginia, are often
significantly cheaper per pound than Boston Butts, so for me at least it
makes more sense to just buy them the way the retail grocers package them.
Hey, it's all going to be mixed together in the end anyway...
V: THE INFUSION PROCEDURE:
STEP ONE: Bring the meat up to room temperature. Get your smoker started,
and when you have a good base of coals in the burn chamber put the pork in
the cooking chamber--fat side down for the first hour, fat side up for the
rest of the smoking process. Maintain a steady smoke and a temperature
between 220 and 260 degrees at the *surface* of the meat. Ideally, stay as
close to 220 degrees as you can. Have about 8 whole bulbs of garlic
soaking; every couple of hours toss a couple of the bulbs into the burn
chamber [trust me :-)]. Smoke the meat (no baste, no mop, no rub) for a
*minimum* of 8 hours (this would be if you were using a vertical water
smoker, since 8 hours is about the outside limit of what you can get from
those units in a single session). Ideally, you should smoke the meat for
between 10 to 12 hours. Beyond that, I have found you begin to run into
diminishing return in regards to smoke penetration of the meat.
STEP TWO: Transfer the meat to a large, covered Dutch Oven. Put a little
bit of water and apple cider vinegar into the bottom of the oven so that
the pork does not dry out. You can leave the oven in the smoker, or bring
it inside and put it in your range oven. Bake the pork at 275 degrees for
an additional 2 hours or so, until the internal temperature of the pork at
it's thickest point reaches 160 degrees. The pork should be separating from
the bone at this point.
STEP THREE: Let the pork cool until you can handle it without burning your
fingers. Pull the pork into thumb sized chunks, discarding as much fat and
gristle as you can. In a large cast iron skillet, pack about two or three
pounds of pulled pork. Make a finishing sauce of 16 ounces good quality
apple cider vinegar and 1-2 tablespoons cayenne pepper flakes (this is a
rather fundamentalist finishing sauce--by all means feel free to experiment
with other variations of Eastern North Carolina sauces if you desire
something a bit more elaborate). Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt into 2-3
cups hot tap water and pour this over the pulled pork. Add 8 ounces of
finishing sauce, turn the heat to medium, and cook the liquid down by about
a third. Add another 4 ounces of finishing sauce, and cook the liquid down
some more, stirring frequently with a spatula so that Mr. Brown and Miss.
White each spend some good quality time together in the sauce. When the
liquid is cooked down to the point that it *just* oozes over the spatula
when you press down on the pork, remove from heat, and serve your homemade
Eastern North Carolina style barbeque.
VI: CLOSING THOUGHTS:
While this procedure is for Eastern North Carolina style barbeque, I see no
reason why it couldn't be adapted to other regional styles of barbeque.
Experiment, make improvements, and above all have fun with it. I hope it
works as well for you as it has for me.
Enjoy!
Suggested Wine: Dixie Beer
Serving Ideas : French Fries, Hush Puppies, Coleslaw, Camp Beans
Recipe by: Tom Solomon By Bear on Apr 02, 1997
return to list
Charlotte Pork Sandwich II
------------------------------------BOIL------------------------------------
2 ea 6 lb Pork shoulders 3 c Cider vinegar
12 ea Whole cloves garlic
------------------------------------MOP------------------------------------
1 ts Non-iodized salt 1 tb Cayenne 1/4 c Boil liquid 1/4 ts Black pepper
12 ea Cloves from boiling 3 1/2 c Cider vinegar
3/4 ts Sugar
-----------------------------------SAUCE-----------------------------------
1 1/2 c Mop sauce 1/3 c Smokey BBQ Sauce
1/4 c Pork boiling liquid -Salt to taste
Simmer sauce 2 1/2 hours. Slow cook pork then shred. Add sauce and allow
to steep overnight. Make sandwich and add cole slaw on top.
return to list
Curing Hams
1 500 pound ham, uncooked 1 qt Molasses
1 And 1 1/2 gallons fine liver 2 ts Cayenne pepper
1 3/4 lb Saltpeter 1 ts Black pepper
1 qt Hickory ashes, well sifted
Recipe by: Housekeeping In Old Virginia Mix these ingredients well together
in a large tub, rub it into each ham with a brick, or something rough to
get it in well. Pack in a tight, clean tub and weigh down. Let the hams
remain six weeks: then take them out and rub each one on the fleshy side
with one tablespoonful black pepper to avoid skippers. Hang in the meat
house, and smoke with green hickory for from ten to twelve hours a day for
six weeks, not suffering the wood to blaze. On the 1st of April, take them
down and pack in any coal ashes or pine ashes well slaked. Strong ashes
will rot into the meat.
I wonder what it tasted like? Now, I can drive down hill to my local
Safeway and *buy* fresh meat govt. inspected. I wonder though, are we
missing something? A lot of work, that is for sure.
return to list
Curing Pork Virginia Style
Recipe by: dgill@ccsinc.com Good cures start with good meat. We raise our
own hogs and fatten them on a corn based ration supplemented by whatever is
available - stale bakery products, household garbage, etc. Garbage should
not dominate the ration as the fat will be soft. Top hogs weigh 220 pounds
and yield about a 16 pound ham. We like to cure hams between 20 and 30
pounds. Large hams with adequate fat layers age better and don't dry out as
much during extended storage. Country cured hams will keep indefinitely but
achieve their full flavor after about one year when "white flecks" appear
in the muscle. We feed our hogs to 300 pounds or better but don't let them
get too fat.. Some cuts may be slightly tougher with heavy hogs. Hams,
shoulders and bellies may be bought from packing houses and can be ordered
by butchers if you are not in position to grow your own. You may have to
buy box lots but make absolutely sure that the meat is fresh and quickly
chilled. Pork should be put in cure as soon as possible after chilling and
trimming but, properly handled, it can be a couple of days old. I once
bought ten, 25 pound hams that had been two days in transit to the butcher
and then were left in his cooler over the weekend. I lost the whole batch!
Those hams had also been trimmed excessively leaving little skin and fat
covering. As a result, I have gone back to raising my own so I know what I
have to work with. I am supposed to talk about curing bacon and I will get
around to it. As hams (and shoulders) are more valuable, demanding and
risky, the entire process is keyed to the larger cuts.
Curing and smoking facilities vary greatly. Traditional farm hamhouses /
smokehouses are windowless wood frame buildings about ten feet square with
a dirt floor. Wooden plank benches provide work areas for mixing the cure
and salting down meat. Joists are within reach and studded with 20 penny
nails for hanging meat. The dirt floor allows a higher humidity in winter
and allows a smoldering fire to be built inside - both for smoking and to
keep meat from freezing during extreme cold. Some hamhouses have external
smoke generators - simply a firebox with a stovepipe stuck through the
wall. This arrangement makes it easier to cold smoke for several days (or
weeks) in the spring without exceeding 100 deg. F. and is essential if the
smokehouse is made of wood and insulated. Either the eaves are loosely
fitted or there are operable vents to allow for air exchange, especially
during smoking, so that there is adequate fresh air and the smoke does not
become stale and acrid. Openings are covered by fine screen mesh and the
interior is kept dark to discourage skippers (larvae of a small black fly
which also likes pork). My smokehouse follows the tradition except that
the walls are poured concrete and the roof is metal. The thick walls store
a lot of heat and smooth out daily temperature fluctuations. I have no
smoke generator or operable vents but there is plenty of air exchange at
the eaves. In places where conditions are not favorable, curing and smoking
chambers with temperature and humidity controls and a smoke generator can
be easily fabricated or small cuts may be cured in the refrigerator.
My dry cure is mixed by the "pour 'til it looks right" method. My daddy
showed me how. There was a request from a pork eater in Israel to provide
metric measurements. Unfortunately, I don't know how to convert the SAH
(Standard American Handfull)! I buy plain (not iodized) dairy salt in 50
Lb. bags from a farm supply co-op and other ingredients from one of the
warehouse retailers.
To each 50 lbs of salt, mix about 1 gal. of molasses (blackstrap if you
have it), about 2 pounds of ground black pepper, about 8 oz.of paprika
and 1 SAH (about 4 oz.) of red pepper or cayenne. I use molasses rather
than brown sugar so that the mixture can be packed around the meat. Color
should be light brown and texture should be friable: it should pack when
squeezed in the hand but crumble easily; like good loam soil ready to be
plowed. Proportions are not critical and you can add whatever dry spices
sound good. Just mix and dump until you have a mixture that looks like it
will cure pork! Back when hog killin' was the norm, everyone had their own
mixture. Some used plain salt or salt and pepper, others added refined
sugar, brown sugar, or molasses and so forth. You can add some salt peter
for added safety if you want to. I have never used it and have no idea how
much to put in. If you have no sense of adventure, buy Morton's sugar cure.
Spread a 1/2 inch layer of cure on the bench, place meat skin side down
and cover all surfaces with about 1/2 inch of cure. Force cure into the cut
shank ends of hams and shoulders. I prefer laying all of the pieces out
separately so I can see when cure gets thin, but you can pile it all up and
overhaul more often. During the phase of rapid cure uptake, a lot of fluid
is drawn from the meat. That is why you use rough wooden benches with the
planks not too tight - dirt floors help too. Of coarse, never use treated
wood in contact with food. Check the meat every few days at first then not
as often as salt absorption decreases. Overhaul several times by moving the
pieces around, making sure they are covered with cure (it won't stick to
the dry skin on hams so don't worry about it).
Bacon, at last! As a rule of thumb, smaller pieces such as bacon should
stay in cure for 1.5 days per pound. This usually coincides with the time
that the fresh sausage runs out. At this point I usually slice some to try.
It should be salty but not too salty to eat without soaking. When you are
satisfied with the cure, brush the salt off and hang. I like to let them
hang for a couple of days before smoking but it is not necessary. Use cold
smoke (less than 100 deg. F.) unless you plan to use it or freeze it within
a few days. I use 2 fairly green hickory logs about 12" in diameter. Once
burning on the dirt floor I adjust the distance between the logs so that
they smolder actively but don't flame. Hickory will keep going like this
for a day or so with minimal tending. I just check it every few hours and
make adjustments. Smoke does not need to be thick and heavy to flavor meat
and adequate air volume is important when using green wood. I believe that
smoke should enhance
return to list
David's Barbeque Ribs
4 lb Baby back ribs or spareribs 1 c Sake or white wine
Sauce 1 tb Grated fresh ginger
1 c Soy sauce 1 tb Minced garlic
3/4 c Sugar 1/2 c Ketchup
Preheat Oven to 300 degrees. Season ribs with salt, pepper, and garlic
powder. Wrap racks of ribs in double thickness of foil and bake for 1 1/2
hours at 300 degrees.
Mix together all of the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a
boil then simmer for 20 minutes covered. Remove from heat and cool.
Take ribs out of oven and remove the foil. Put ribs in a baking dish and
pour sauce over and let marinate for 8 hours or overnight in the
refrigerator.
When ready to cook, heat up barbeque to medium heat and take ribs out of
marinade and put on barbeque. Cook for about 20 minutes on each side
basting constantly.
return to list
Drunken Spareribs
4 lb Spareribs 1/4 c Brown sugar
1/4 c Bourbon 1 tb Dijon mustard
1/4 c Soy sauce
Place ribs on rack in roasting pan. Mix remaining ingredients and spread
thickly over both sides of ribs. Roast in 350øF oven until brown and crisp
(1-1/4--1-1/2 hours), turning once and basting frequently with sauce.
Serves 4.
Source: "Cooking With Style," by Charlotte Adams, Doubleday & Company,
Inc., 1967.
Bon appetite! From: LYN RUST Date: 01-02-93 (05:55)
*Extra Note: I know this ain't BBQ, but any recipe that calls for 1/4 cup
of Bourbon has GOTTA be good.
return to list
Flesh of the Pig Ala Bob Greenberg
---------------------------------BASIC RIBS---------------------------------
3 lb Country Ribs or other 2 tb Black Pepper fine ground
1 c Cider Vinegar 2 tb Garlic Salt
----------------------------SAUCE FOR RE-HEATING----------------------------
1 Open Pit small bottle 1/4 c Molasses
1 Small Bottle A-1 Sauce 1 Supply of Hickory Chips
Regular old supermarket pork. Spare ribs, country ribs, or any other pork
Not too much fat. Cut off any gross excess, and cut them to EVEN thickness.
You'll ruin everything if you cook the meat unevenly. You may compensate by
scoring the meat. In a large baking pan, soak the ribs with cider vinegar,
after which sprinkle them with garlic salt and finely ground black pepper.
(Don't use pepper mills, or other peppers.) It doesn't seem to matter how
long the ribs soak, or how much vinegar is on them. Just make sure it hits
all sides, you don't have to puncture them. This sweetens the meat. The key
to the fire is the hickory chips. Keep feeding these amazing little fellows
to the charcoal. The flavor comes out of these chips and you cannot do
without them. Make sure the fat and chips don't light up your whole dinner
and ruin it. Cooking: A moderate hot fire a couple of inches or more from
the meat, and a grill of reasonable cleanness. As the meat cooks turn it
often, do not let it burn, do not baste it with anything. Don't cover the
grill and don't stray too far -- fire is always hiding in the wings. Here
is the catch -- the trick -- the hard part, is the timing. You may ruin
some meals before you hit it, but the time to take them off the grill is
one minute after trichina danger is past. As soon as the meat turns brown
it's time to eat. You can use the small strips you cut off to judge just
when things are perfect. Special Purpose Sauce: (don't eat it cold, it's
awful) 1 bottle Open Pit, One bottle A-1 Sauce, 1/4 C of molasses. Start
re-heating the sauce until slow boil, dump in the cold pork from the
fridge. alt. without sauce wrap the meat in foil and heat at 325 oven for
15-20 minutes. Sauce can be stored and reused, but remember it will have
pork fat in it now.
return to list
Ginger Sherry Pork Chops
1/3 c Dry sherry 1 ts Honey
2 tb Soy sauce 1 Garlic clove; finely chopped
1 tb Vegetable oil 4 Butterfly pork chops;
1 tb Gingerroot; finely chopped - 1" thick
Mix all ingredients except pork in shallow glass dish. Place pork in dish;
turn to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove
pork from marinade; reserve marinade. Cover and grill 4-5" from medium
coals, 14-16 minutes, brushing occasionally with marinade and turning once,
until no longer pink in center.
return to list
Grilled Pork
Beer (to cover) Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Marinade meat in beer to cover, at least overnight, or longer. Start fire.
Rub in lemon pepper seasoning on all sides, including any cavities and
creases. Cook meat on grill until done. This may be used for ribs, roasts,
or chops. May use Cavendar's instead of lemon-pepper.
return to list
Harbor Village BBQ Pork
1 Boston pork butt (about 3 2 ts Mui Gwe Lo rice wine
-1/4 pounds) 1/3 c Light soy sauce
1/4 c Harbor Village Chef's BBQ 1 ts Five-spice powder
-Marinade 1 c Water (for roasting pan)
1 1/4 c Sugar Glazing Sauce
1 tb Salt
--------------------------------BBQ MARINADE--------------------------------
2/3 c Cooking oil 1 1/4 c Sugar
8 Garlic cloves, peeled and 1/2 c "nam yu" (red bean curd
-minced -"cheese")
1 3/4 c Hoisin sauce 1/2 c Sesame seed paste
1 3/4 c Ground bean sauce
-------------------------------GLAZING SAUCE-------------------------------
17 1/2 oz Container of maltose sugar 2 ts Mui Gwe Lo rice wine
1/4 c Hot water
Ran across this in the SF paper the other day and, on reading the
ingredients, knew immediately that this is one for you. In the article
that accompanied the recipe the author talks about a Chinese BBQ oven that
the chef who originated this recipe uses. It's made out of stainless
steel, five feet tall with a 180,000 BTU burner in it! This is something I
really need for my kitchen. This looks like a full-on, no- nonsense
Chinese BBQ.
Most master chefs seldom reveal all their kitchen secrets, but Derun Yu
shared this recipe for a barbecued pork marinade, adapted for the home
oven. Armed with a Chinese rice bowl, he assembled the ingredients, then
poured them into a scale so we would have precise measurements.
Versatile Chinese barbecued pork is the "ham" of Chinese cooking. It may
be sliced and served as an appetizer or entree, or like a sandwich, cubed
and stuffed in bread dough and steamed into pork buns. It's good stir-
fried with vegetables, tossed with noodles or cooked with scrambled eggs.
Prepare the marinade: Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over medium-high
heat. Add the garlic and gently fry just until it floats to the surface
and is golden brown (about 2 minutes). Quickly remove the garlic and
discard. Pour the garlic oil into a large mixing bowl, let cool.
Stir in remaining ingredients with the garlic oil into a smooth sauce. Pour
into a glass jar. cool. If the marinade is covered with 1/8 inch cooking
oil, it will keep in the refrigerator for several months.
Yields 5 cups.
Then combine the sugar, salt, rice wine, soy sauce, Barbecue Marinade and
five-spice powder in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Add the pork butt and
marinate for about 30 minutes (when using spareribs, marinate for 1 hour).
Preheat oven to 500F. Pour the water into a 10 X 14-inch roasting pan.
Place the roasting rack in the pan (the rack should not touch the water).
Remove the meat slices from the marinade and place on the rack; reserve the
marinade. Roast for 8 minutes, turn over and roast the other side for 8
minutes longer. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F. Brush the pork with
the reserved marinade; roast for an additional 20 minutes on each side.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
Slice the pork butt into 1/4-inch slices.
Prepare the glazing sauce: To soften maltose sugar, place the container
(uncovered) in a microwave oven at high setting for 1 minute. Transfer the
softened maltose into a double boiler with the water and rice wine; stir
until the glaze is well mixed. Keep the sauce warm until ready to use.
Makes 2 cups.
Then spoon a few tablespoons of the glaze over pork before serving. NOTE:
Hoisin sauce, ground bean sauce, nam yu, maltose sugar and sesame seed
paste are available in Chinese markets.
Joyce Jue. San Francisco Chronicle, 8/19/92.
return to list
Javanese Pork Sate
1 1/2 lb Pork loin; boneless 1 tb Brown sugar
1/2 c Onion; minced 1 tb Vegetable oil
2 tb Peanut butter 1 Garlic clove; minced
2 tb Lemon juice ds Hot pepper sauce
2 tb Soy sauce Rice; cooked, hot
-----------------------------------RAITA-----------------------------------
3 md Cucumbers; peel, seed, thin 1/2 ts Black pepper
- sliced 1/4 ts Cumin
1 tb Onion; minced 2 tb Cilantro; chopped
2 c Plain yogurt
Make raita by combining ingredients. Cover and chill for 2-24 hours to
combine flavors.
Cut pork into 1/2" cubes; place in shallow dish. In blender or food
processor combine remaining ingredients except rice and raita. Blend
until smooth. Pour over pork. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 10 minutes.
Thread pork on skewers (if using bamboo skewers, soak in water 1 hour to
prevent burning). Grill or broil 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until
done. Serve with hot cooked rice and raita, if desired.
return to list
Luau Pig
Recipe by: Bill Martin Luau pig is a bit labor intensive, but
outstanding!!! Round up some large male friends and neighbors. Tell them to
bring shovels. You go and buy about 6 cases of beer and some ice to keep it
cold. (About a half a case per male friend or neighbor with shovel - no
shovel, no beer).
Prior to getting your friends and neighbors together, look around and find
a source for very old, round river rocks, that have not been in or around
water in a long, long, geologic time. What you're trying to find is good
cooking rocks, that won't explode when you heat them. You'll need about 15
to 30 the size of your head, depending on the size of the pig. Wood, a big
hunk of chicken wire fencing to go around and lift the pig, small spool of
stainless steel wire, lots of burlap bags, and banana leaves if you can
find them. (leaves of "Elephant Ear" plants will also work, as these are a
form of upland Taro) You'll also need one or two pieces of sheet metal big
enough to cover the pit completely, and two pieces of plywood to go over
the sheet metal. Heavy gloves for everyone.
Once you've got the rocks, the neighbors, the beer, the small to medium
pig, and a big pickup load supply of hardwood, (preferably mesquite, but
any good cooking hardwood or fruited will do.), assemble your friends and
neighbors with shovels in your backyard and dig a hole. About 4 or 5 feet
deep, and about 10 to 12 inches bigger than the pig all around. Drink beer
about 3 times during the digging if its a hot day. Now, at about 3pm, build
a medium size fire in the bottom of the pit. When its burning well, put in
a bunch of your rocks around the fire, then start sliding pieces of your
hardwood vertically into the bottom of the pit, all around the sides of the
pit. Get it?? Keep loading in wood, fairly fast, as it burns to coals,
until you have a bed of red-hot coals about 1 to 1.5 feet deep.
Meanwhile, some of your other friends and neighbors have cleaned up the
pig, (it has been gutted, right??), it is laying on layers of: 1) wet
burlap, 2) banana leaves, 3) wet burlap, 4) chicken wire, 5) pig, on its
back, legs in the air. Season the pig with about a cup of rock salt, and
black pepper. Next step is to fish 3, 4, or 5 hot rocks, (whatever will
fit), out of the fire pit, and place inside the stomach cavity of the pig.
(before putting in the rocks, punch some holes in the belly skin, on both
sides so you can wire the belly skin together over the rocks.) Working
quickly now, fish the rest of the rocks out of the fire pit, make a shallow
depression in the coals with shovels or garden rakes, heaping some of the
coals up the sides of the pit; wrap the chicken wire, burlap, leaves and
all around the pig, wrap and hold with wire. Leave the two edges of the
chicken wire sticking up out of the burlap and leaves on top. These will
be the handles you use to lower and raise the pig into and out of the pit.
It should now be late afternoon, early evening. Lower the pig into the bed
of coals. Place the hot rocks around and pile on top of the pig. Rake
coals over the sides of the pig. Cover the pit with the sheet metal, with
the plywood on top. (The plywood is there to supply strength for the next
step. If your sheet metal is fairly thick and heavy, {strong}, you can
forget the plywood.) Now shovel dirt from the hole all around the pit to
seal the edges of the sheet metal, shovel about a half inch of dirt or more
on top of the sheet metal for insulation. Drink more beer. All but 3 or 4
of your friends can go home now.
Get out some lawn chairs, set up a table, bring the TV out to the backyard,
layout a couple sleeping bags, and take turns making sure nothing catches
fire, (the plywood), and not too much smoke and heat escapes.
Depending on the size of the pig, anytime from about 10am next morning and
2pm next afternoon, have all your friends, and their families show up with
their part of the potluck. Drinks, potato salad, poi if you like that
sort of thing, fish dishes, Jell-O and dessert. Carefully rake away and
sweep away the dirt from the top of the pit. Remove the plywood and sheet
metal. With rakes or shovels, gently pull away the coals and hot rocks
from around the pig. With rakes, or hooks made out of rebar, about four
guys grab both sides of the chicken wire and carefully heave the pig out of
the pit. A wooden table is best at this point, and lots 'n lots of pots,
bowls, and large containers; plus a garbage can to discard the bones. Open
the chicken wire and pull away from the pig. (It is traditional in Hawaii
that the guys who have done the hot, heavy work of cooking this pig, gets
first choice of the crackly skin and meat that clings to the chicken wire.
Yummmmmmm!!) Using big cooking forks and the biggest knives in your
arsenal, carve and rake the meat from the bones and put into the pots,
bowls and containers. (The meat should be so tender at this point, that it
nearly falls from the bone.)
During the carving, someone should take *all* the rocks out of the pit and
then be watering and putting out the fire that remains. (The rocks will
shatter and explode if you water *them*). The rocks need to be taken out of
the pit and set aside safely so no one gets burnt on them, and saved for
the next luau. Even watering the pit, the hole will be quite hot, so a
couple guys should start filling it in with the dirt they took out
yesterday!
You've worked hard. Drink more beer. Eat. Life is good!!!!
return to list