Pork and Hominy Stew

This is a ONE POT meal.  Adapted from our original post, we've added more hominy, changed to Prime Pork Chops versus a Roast and eliminated serving it over rice.  Prepared in a Emile Henry Cassoulet on the grill this is an amazing meal.  This is ESPECIALLY good prepared a day in advance and warmed up for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

€        1 Tbls plus 2 Tsp Chili Powder

€        1 Tsp Sea Salt

€        ½ Tsp Garlic Pepper

€        2 Lbs. Boneless Pork (preferably Pork Chops but Shoulder, Butt, Roast, ALL work) cut into 1 Inch pieces.

€        4 Slices, Bacon, cooked and crumbled

€        1 Large Sweet Onion, thinly sliced

€        1 Cup Diced Ham (not smoked)

€        12-14 Baby Carrots, chopped

€        1 Heaping Tbls. Minced Garlic

€        2 Large Anaheim Peppers, seeded, cut into 1/4-inch strips (then  chopped into 1 “ lengths)

€        2 Cups drained canned White Hominy; use 4 cups if you don’t plan on serving over rice!)

€        1 Cup canned Diced Tomatoes in juice

€        1 Cup Beer

€        1 Cup Chicken Broth (low sodium)

€        1 Tsp. dried Marjoram

€        1 Tbls. dried Cilantro

Preparation

1.    Mix 2 Tbls. chili powder, salt, and garlic pepper in bowl. Rub spice mixture all over pork.

2.    Sauté bacon in heavy large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

3.    Add Pork to bacon drippings in Cassoulet and sauté until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl.

4.    Reduce heat  and add onion, ham, carrot, and garlic to pot; cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits.

5.    Add chilies; stir 1 minute then add the hominy, tomatoes with juices, beer, broth, marjoram, pork, and remaining 2 teaspoons chili powder , crumbled bacon and the cilantro and bring to boil.  Reduce heat further then cover and simmer until pork is very tender, about 20 minutes. 

*These fresh green chilies, often called pasillas, are available at Latin American markets and also at some supermarkets.

(Adapted from Aidells, Brice, 2002, Bonappetit.com 2002, http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2002/02/pork_and_hominy_stew#ixzz11rtrtGJh

Steak Rub - Our Jail Break Favorite

Jail

As noted in our original recipe Computer specialists a.k.a. nerds, refer to breaking the code to the operating system for a computer system as a ‘jail break.’ 

Cooks refer to cracking the code to recipes and spices as a breakout or a copycat.   I like to refer to this rub as a Jail Break…of course originally “if I tell you what steak rub this copycat recipe is formulated from I’d have to kill you” no longer applies. 

After exhaustive searches to purchase more of my favorite steak rub I can no longer purchase it directly or online.  So the journey to perfect a similar spice continued and this last and final recipe is particularly equal or maybe even superior in taste, finish and satisfaction.   

The changes in proportion and the substitution of Himalayan Pink Salt combined with the use of a Mortar and Pestle created the exact coarseness required to match the original.   Working in small batches helped as well.  This has become our replacement steak seasoning now outpacing our top three ‘famous’ retail rubs now when we grill out prime cuts like KC Strips or Ribeyes.   

Ingredients – You determine the size of the batch you want to create, however if you use a portion of 3 as approximately equal to 3 Tsp. you will produce 2.8 ounces (or a couple of small spice bottles) full of rub.

€        3 portions - Granulated Roasted Garlic (20 g or .9 Oz.)

€        1 portion - Coriander powder (2 g or .1 Oz)

€        2 portions – Himalayan Pink Salt (16 g or .6 Oz)

€        2 portions – 4 Color Peppercorns (9 g. or .3 Oz.)

€        2.5 portions - Red Pepper Flakes (8-9 g. or .3 Oz)

€        2.25 portions - Dill Seed (6 g. or .2 Oz.)

€        2.25 portions - Yellow Mustard seed (9 g. or .4 Oz)

The key is to find the correct coarseness while adequately mixing the spices.  The use of the Emile Henry Mortar and Pestle improved the first batch coarseness by replacing the blender mixing and grinding approach.  Store in a well sealed container and always shake mixture before applying each time you bring it out.  Enjoy!