Ingredients:
• 1 head of Cauliflower
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 4 tbsps McCormick’s Monterrey Chicken Sea seasoning
• 2 to 3 oz Gruyere cheese grated
Directions:
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375ºF.
Grate the Gruyere and set aside.
Break down the cauliflower by cutting around the stem from the bottom. Continue to cut florets loose until you achieve florets no larger than popped popcorn.
Place florets in a bowl and drizzle a one tablespoon of olive oil over the florets, using a spatula or big wooden spoon, toss the florets a little and repeat by drizzling another tablespoon of olive oil and tossing, repeat 4 more times to coat all the florets with olive oil.
Sprinkle one tablespoon of spice mix over florets and toss to coat, repeat this one tablespoon at a time until you use all the spice mix and the florets are evenly coated with spice.
Prepare to 9 x 13 roasting pans by spreading the remaining olive oil evenly over the bottoms of both pans.
Divide the cauliflower evenly between the two pans and spread them in a single layer around the pan.
Place the pans in your preheated oven and set your timer for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, oven the oven and sprinkle the Gruyere cheese evenly over the contents of both pans. Turn off the oven.
Close the oven door and set the broiler to high. Let the broiler do its thing for about 3 minutes and then check the cauliflower. If the cheese is turning brown and bubbly, remove the pans and set them on cooling racks to cool for a few minutes, if not, let it go and check it every minute until golden cheese is achieved.
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 cup Heavy Cream
Directions
Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape all the seeds out.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the squash pieces cut-side up on the baking sheet. Melt 2 tablespoon of the butter and brush all of it over the tops and insides of the squash halves. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until knife tender, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, peel, core, and cut the apple into medium dice. Cut the onion into medium dice. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the apple, onion, and sage leaves, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
When the squash is ready, set the baking sheet on a wire rack until the squash is cool enough to handle. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh into a heavy bottom sauce pot and add the sautéed apples and onions; discard the squash skins.
Add the broth, water, and measured salt and pepper, stir to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large pieces of squash, until the flavors meld, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream.
Using a stick (immersion) blender, purée the soup until smooth and creamy. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Ingredients:
• 5 tbsps. olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 green chili peppers, finely sliced
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 3 whole cardamom seeds
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks or 1 tbsp. powdered cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or more fort hotter
• 2 pounds of red potatoes cut in 3 ¼ inch chunks
• 4 cups of beef stock or broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 pounds stew meat
Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in the thick bottomed pan. Once oil is up to temperature, brown the meat on all sides and then set it aside.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and let it get hot. Add onion and simmer until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the onion is caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Add minced garlic, green chilis, ginger paste, cardamom seeds, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Cook until the garlic begins to brown, 3 to 5 more minutes.
Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and 2 cups of broth into the onion mixture. Simmer until most of the broth has evaporated and the mixture has thickened.
Stir in stew meat until coated with spice mixture and simmer covered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the beef is cooked through and tender, about two hours.
After 1 ½ hours, add the potatoes to the pot, add the remaining 2 cups of broth. Stir well to coat the potatoes with the spice mixture. Cover the pot and continue cooking for 30 more minutes.
Check the potatoes for doneness, then stir one final time to help thicken the broth. Serve hot.
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried ground thyme
1 pound smoked sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces (I prefer Andouille)
1 pound smoked ham hocks
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
10 cups chicken stock
4 cups cooked white rice
Vegetarian Option
For a vegetarian version, omit ham hocks and sausage, substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock, add
2 canned chipotle chilies in Adobo, minced, and 2 tsp liquid smoke (if desired). You could also add some vegetarian smoked sausage to the pot if you can find a brand you like.
Directions
Prep time: 8 hours (See Pressure Cooker Alternative below)
Cooking time 2 ½ to 3 hours. (See Pressure Cooker Alternative below)
Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside. (See Pressure Cooker Alternative below)
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers and season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft. Add the bay leaves, thyme, sausage, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans, ham hock and enough chicken stock to cover everything by 1 inch, stir well, and bring to a boil. (See Pressure Cooker Alternative below) Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours. (Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more chicken stock, about 1/4 cup at a time.)
Remove from the heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot.
Remove the ham hock, let it cool enough to handle and then carve/strip the meat off the bone, discarding the skin, fat and bone. Return the ham hock meat to the pot. Return to the heat and continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.
Serve over steamed white rice.
Pressure Cooker Alternative
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour.
This meal comes together a lot faster and still tastes just as great if you cook it in a pressure cooker. I use a Fagor Rapid Express cooker that runs at 15psi.
The pressure cooker
You will not need to soak the beans overnight for this method. Follow the above directions and after the liquid starts to boil, place and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for bringing the cooker up to pressure. As soon as it has reached pressure, turn the heat down to low and let it cook under pressure for 30 minutes.
Do a quick release of the pressure by placing the cooker in your sink and running cold tap water over it until the pressure has dropped off and it’s safe to open the lid. Test the beans for doneness. If they are still too firm, repeat the pressure cooking process and let them cook for an additional 5 minutes under pressure. Quick release the pressure and test again. Repeat until you are happy with the tenderness of the beans.
With the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Remove the ham hock, let it cool enough to handle and then carve/strip the meat off the bone, discarding the skin, fat and bone. Return the ham hock meat to the pot. Return to the heat and cook (not under pressure) until the beans are tender and creamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and remove the bay leaves.
Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Transfer to a food processor and process on medium until rub has no lumps. Dispense into a sealed container.
2 or 3 RIPE (mostly black with some yellow) plantains
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
8 Tbsps Salted Butter (1 stick), plus a few tablespoons more if you’re going to butter the baking dish.
1/2 Cup Dark Rum, I used Bacardi Oro
1/4 Cup Sherry, I used Amontillado
2 Tsps. Ground Cinnamon, I used Saigon Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Freshly Grated Nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºf
Combine all ingredients except the butter & plantains, in bowl; whisk untill fully combined.
Melt the 8 tbsps butter in a 1 quart saucepan over medium heat.
After butter is melted, add the sauce and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer, stirring frequently for 8 to 10 minutes.
Cut the ends off the plantains, slit the skin lengthwise in several areas. Carefully peal each part off the plantain. This can be a bit of work, so be patient and go easy so you don’t smash the plantain.
Slice each plantain on the bias (diagonally across) making about 3/4″ thick slices. Take a baking dish that is at least 1 inch deep, either butter the inside of the dish, or spray it with a cooking spray like PAM.
Pour a little of the simmered sauce into the bottom of the dish. Arrange the plantain slices flat in the bottom of the dish. Turn them over so both sides get sauce. Pour enough extra sauce over the slices until it is about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the slices.
Place on middle rack of a 350ºF oven and cook for 25 to 45 minutes. Test with a toothpick after 20 minutes to check for softness. If they are not ready, check at 5 minute intervals until the toothpick inserts easily. Really ripe plantains will get soft faster than plantains that were not very black. The mostly yellow plantains may also not be quite as sweet as the mostly black ones.
1 cup mashed ripe (black skin) plantain (two medium size plantains)
4 tbsps sweet cream butter (salted)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder.
These are NOT rotten, they are PERFECTLY RIPE plantains. Black Banana = Bad, Black Plantain = SWEET!
Directions:
Set the butter out to soften about 2 hours before you start.
Slice off the ends of the plantain. Use a sharp knife to slit the skin from end to end. Peel the skin sideways in one piece (like you are unwrapping it). Slice into 1/2″ slices and cook in boiling salted (2 tsps) water over medium-high heat, until a fork inserts easily all the way through a slice (maybe 10 minutes or so). Remove the slices with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Mash with a fork, or a potato masher, leaving some texture to the mash.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla thoroughly with a mixer (medium speed).
With a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut the plantain mash into the other dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and baking powder). It should result in a crumbly dough. Add the plantain mixture to the liquid ingredients and mix moderately with the mixer.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured 9″x5″x3″ non-stick loaf pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour. Check with a wooden toothpick in the center of the loaf. When it comes out clean, the bread is done. If you have an instant read thermometer (like a Thermapen), look for 200ºF in the middle of the loaf.
Set the pan on a cooling rack and let it cool for 15 minutes. Place the cooling rack on top of the loaf pan, hold the pan against the rack and invert them so the loaf comes out of the pan onto the cooling rack. If you buttered/floured the pan properly, the loaf should come right out.
Let it cool completely before slicing. Tastes great, if you want a little more decadence, you can add about 1/4 cup of crushed/chopped walnuts, pecans or cashews to the batter.
Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet on a Almond Mascarpone and Whipped Cream Cloud with a Ginger-Almond Phyllo Crisp and Toasted Almond Slivers
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation
Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in sugar and cocoa; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; add chocolate and vanilla, stirring until chocolate melts. Cover and chill completely.
Pour chocolate mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm.
Almond Mascarpone
Ingredients
1 pound mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 ounce almond liqueur, such as Amaretto or 1/4 ounce Almond Extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, softly whipped
Preparation
Beat mascarpone cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar and almond liqueur/extract at high speed until smooth.
Whip heavy cream and remaining sugar until you get soft peaks.
Add the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture and beat at high speed for another 20 to 30 seconds.
Set aside if plating within a hour or so. Refrigerate if prepping for next day.
Ginger Almond Phyllo Crisps
Ingredients
1/2 cup almonds, ground
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, ground
6 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup melted salted butter
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Spread sliced almonds on a sheet pan or cookie sheet and toast for about 10 minutes. The almonds should turn a light golden color and smell very nutty. Be careful to not let them burn.
Remove from oven and transfer to a cool sheet pan. Let them cool to room temperature.
Process crystallized ginger in a food processor until it looks like sand.
Use the food processor and process the almonds until they are finely chopped.
In small bowl, combine almonds, sugar and ginger. Set aside.
Place the phyllo dough between pieces of wax paper and cover with a lightly dampened kitchen towel. If you do not do this, the dough will dry out very quickly and become brittle and unusable.
Arrange 1 piece of parchment paper to line a baking sheet.
Arrange 1 piece of parchment paper on your counter top. Arrange 1 piece of phyllo on that parchment paper and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar mix. Lay another piece of phyllo on top, repeat the process, use the brush to gently press the sheet down onto the previous sheet. Top with a third piece of phyllo, pressing down gently, and brush with butter.
Chill stack 10 minutes.
Using a very sharp knife or a rolling pizza cutter, carefully cut the phyllo into 3 lengthwise strips; cut each strip into triangles about an inch and a half on a side.
Carefully transfer half of the rectangles to the prepared baking sheet with a large metal spatula.
Bake until crisp and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes at 375ºF. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Bake the remaining rectangles in the same manner.
Plating
You can follow the example in my photo, which is a bed of the Almond Mascarpone cradling a scoop of sorbet, a small pinch of toasted almonds on top of the sorbet, and the Phyllo Crisp beside. Or… just use your imagination!
Boston Butt also known as pork shoulder is the top portion of the front leg of the hog. The terminology for pork shoulder can vary widely depending on the region. However, the upper part of the shoulder, commonly known as Boston Butt, or just Butt, comes from the area near the loin and contains the shoulder blade bone. The lower part of the leg is most commonly called the Arm Picnic, or simply Picnic.
Buying Your Butt
Butt comes packaged many different ways. If you buy it at a supermarket or a big box store, you’ll most likely see it vacuum wrapped, called cryowrapping.
Look at the packaging carefully, often cryowrapped pork comes with an injected preservative liquid, sometimes labeled as “Enhanced”. This essentially triples its shelf life in the store.This is something to watch out for, check the dates very carefully before you buy. You may have heard of “Wet-Aging” beef in vacuum pack. Pork DOES NOT dry age, it simply goes bad, by which I mean it will smell bad and the liquids will become gooey. This is undesirable and unacceptable. If you have no choice but to buy one like this, I would recommend that you carry a sharp pocket knife with you. After you have paid for the meat, BEFORE you have left the cashier, cut the plastic open and smell the pork. It should smell fresh, if it doesn’t, have them replace it. There is no down side to this. You can tape it shut when you get home, place it in a two gallon zip-lock bag and freeze it, or cook it.
The ideal, of course, is to find a meat market that sells fresh butt that has no injected liquid, no brine and no preservatives. Ask for it untrimmed (Packer), bone in, you can do the trimming at home and it’ll cost less.
Rub, Brine, Inject or Mop????
There are a dozen different ways to approach enhancing the flavor of this already flavorful cut. I’ll address a few more popular here so you’ll be familiar with them and maybe do your own experimenting with them later.
Aye, that’s the Rub
This is a very popular way to get flavor into the meat. I’ve included the recipe for my Butt Rub here because I’ve had great results with it.
Brining the Beast
Brining was originally developed to preserve meats when there was no refrigeration. Corned Beef and Pastrami are two meats that started out life as Brisket and became very different flavors after preservation. This led over time to experimenting with brining to change or enhance the flavor of a meat. Flavor Brining meats has become all the rage these days, however pork butt is not commonly brined because of its naturally high fat content, yet there are some recipes that do so. One of the common complaints about brine pork butt is that it now just tastes like ham. You’ve brined away all the natural sweetness of the butt when you brined it.
This Won’t Hurt A Bit
Injection is commonly used to add moisture and flavor into meats that may tend to become dry during the long, slow cooking process. Injections can be as simple as apple juice to as complex as any marinade you can dream up. Pork but does not normally need to be injected, but when it is, it’s usually injected with apple juice. This results in a super moist pork that has a bit of sweetness from the sugars in the apple juice.
Cleanup On Aisle 3, Bring The Mop!!
Mopping is another method commonly used to add flavor and moisture. Once again, a pork butt generally doesn’t need to be mopped with anything unless you’re just doing it to add flavor. The big drawback to mopping is that you have to open your smoking compartment to mop. Every time you open it, you extend the cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes because you lose a lot of your heat.
OK, let’s get your butt in the smoker!!
You need a 7 to 8 lb Boston Butt – Bone In and about 8 to 16 hours…. so plan ahead!
Matt’s Butt Rub
Ingredients
1 cup turbinado sugar (sold as Sugar in the Raw)
1 cup smoked paprika (or regular if you don’t have smoked)
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup powdered or granulated garlic
2/3 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoon ancho chili powder
3 teaspoons ground oregano leaves
3 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Pour all the ingredients into a Ziploc bag, seal it and massage and shake to mix.
Trimming And Preparation
The butt is the one piece of meat you need to trim the least. Trim virtually all the fat off the fat side of the butt. There is quite a lot of internal fat in the but, so there shouldn’t be an issue with moistness. Removing the fat exposes more meat to the rub and creates more crunchy crust.
After trimming the fat, Lightly oil the pork butt with canola oil, apply rub liberally and pat/massage into the surface. Some BBQ cooks say that you should use mustard, but a lot of the herbs and spices are soluble in oil and penetrate the surface of the meat better with oil than with mustard, Besides, after 10 to 12 hours in the cooker (for a typical 8 lb butt), there’s absolutely nothing left of the mustard.
Most recipes say to leave the pork butt in the refrigerator overnight to let the rub sink in. Tests have shown that even in 48 hours the rub still only gets in about 1/4″. I generally apply the rub after the butt has been out of the fridge for an hour or so. This lets the meat warm up a bit so the smoker doesn’t have a huge thermal deficit to overcome.
Rule of Thumb is No More Than 4 hours Over 40º
The colder the center is, the longer it will take to reach 190º. (Warming up the core faster could be one benefit to injecting room temperature apple juice.)
When ready to smoke, get your fire going and let the smoker come up to temperature and stabilize before you put the meat in.
This cook started with a couple ounces of pecan wood, after 1 hour I added about 2 ounces of apple wood, then after a third hour passed I added 2 ounces of cherry wood. Once the cherry was gone I did not add any more smoking wood.
If It Were Up To Me…
The best way to get wonderfully tender and juicy butt is:
run the smoker at 225 degrees Fahrenheit
keep the smoke going for the first 4 hours and then just monitor the cooking temperature
don’t open the smoke compartment until your instant meat thermometer tells you the butt is at 190ºF degrees inside. If yer lookin’, ye ain’t cookin’!!
How Long Do I Cook It???
Truthful answer… UNTIL IT’S DONE! It’s very difficult to predict exact cooking times. There are so many variables…. How cold is it outside? Is it raining? Is your smoker insulated, or is it thin steel and a victim of temperature changes? How cold was your butt when you put it in the smoker? Have you opened the smoke cabinet to “peek” at your wonderful creation? (Remember? If yer lookin’, ye ain’t cookin’!!) Have you successfully maintained the temperature at 225ºF? All these come into play.
My best advice is start two hours earlier on your first butt. If it’s done before your guests arrive, double wrap it in heavy aluminum foil, wrap several layers of bath towels around it and close it up in an ice chest (no ice) until the guests arrive. Believe me, that butt will stay hot for quite a long time this way.
The Finish Line
After the butt reaches 190 take the butt out, double wrap it in heavy aluminum foil, wrap several layers of bath towels around it and close it up in an ice chest (no ice).
Going in the smoker.
When you unwrap it, be careful to catch any juices in the baking dish. You can pour these juices over your pork after it’s been pulled, chopped or sliced.
Smokin’
For Sliced Pork Butt
If you want to slice the pork butt instead of pulling or chopping, take it out at 185ºF, and wrap it like above.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with Matt’s North Carolina BBQ Sauce or Matt’s Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
