Pork Until Forking Tender!

The boom of 'pulled pork' thanks to Adam Richman & co has got me salivating at the very thought of tucking into a burger with the melting pork slathered on top. Accompany this by supping a bottle of Goose Island wheat beer which I did in London last weekend at Lucky Chip vs. The Player Bar and stick a fork in me I'm done! 

I had some pork chops and wanted to marry them with BBQ sauce so I created this little number. It's not quite 'pulled' as that requires something on the bone like shoulder or ribs but it does turn the chops very tender indeed. For sides I have puckered it up with sweet potato and rosemary tempura chips, and a classic slaw. Don't forget the bottled beer. God bless America!

The BBQ sauce marinade (for 8 chops): 

400ml Passata  

200ml Water

100ml Tomato ketchup

4 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

4 Tbsp. Soft brown sugar

2 Tsps. Smoked Paprika

2 Tsps. English mustard

2 Tsps. Salt

1 Tsps. Chilli Powder

Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside. 

For the chops:

8 Pork chops 

Oil 

Salt & Pepper

BBQ sauce

Preheat your oven to 150c. Rub one side of each chop with the oil and season with the salt & pepper. Ideally get a griddle or griddle pan (a frying pan will do) smoking hot and place each chop oil side down. You probably have to do this in 2 or 3 batches as overcrowding the pan will drastically lower the temperature and the will not sear. 

Now oil and season the bare side of the chop while the other side is searing. Once the first side is coloured nicely, turn and when that side is done using tongs colour the fat on the sides. Once all the chops are done, lay them in a large roasting dish, overlapping slightly with the fatty rind raised up. Take the BBQ sauce and make sure the chops are completely covered and pour the rest of the sauce around the dish. 

If your dish has a lid use this or cover with foil and place in the oven for 2 hours. After the 2 hours uncover and cook for a further 15mins. 

Sweet potato & rosemary tempura chips: 

Tempura Batter

1 egg

250ml Ice cold sparking water

115g Plain flour

Pinch of Bicarbonate of soda

In a large bowl beat the water and egg together until frothy. Then beat in the flour and Bicarb until you have a smooth batter. 

1Tsp. Garlic Granules or puree

1 large sprig of rosemary, chopped (1Tbsp approx.).

Stir the garlic and rosemary and garlic into the batter. 

Heat your deep fat fryer to 190c. Cut the sweet potato into French fry (You can keep the skins on if you like) or potato chip discs, whatever takes your fancy. If your fryer is small you will have to do the chips in batches. It is very important not to overcrowd your basket as the batter will make them stick together. If you are confident enough take out the basket and fry them this way, but be very carefully when placing and removing the chips from the hot oil. Drain them on kitchen paper and place each batch to keep warm in the oven. This will also keep them crisp. 

The Slaw:

This can be made well in advance. 

½ Small white cabbage or ¼ of a large

1 Red onion

1 Medium carrot

1 Crisp red apple

4Tbsp. Mayonnaise 

4Tbsp. Sour cream

1Tsp. Horseradish

1Tsp. English mustard 

Salt & pepper

In a large bowl mix together the mayo, cream, horseradish, mustard and salt & pepper. Finely slice the cabbage, onion and grate the carrot and apple. Place them in the bowl and mix together until well combined. Check the seasoning, add more salt & pepper if necessary and place on the table or in the fridge until needed. 

To Finish:

When the chops have finished cooking, place them on a plate and keep warm in the oven. Now, tilt the roasting dish and try and spoon out any excess pork fat, being careful not to lose any sauce. If the sauce has dried a little and gone sticky just add a little boiling water, stir until the sauce comes together again, ‘cleaning’ dish as you go. Pass the sauce through a sieve and reserve.  

Plate up the pork chops and spoon the sauce over the top, and place the tempura chips on top. Serve them up with the slaw at the table and some soft sub or Scottish rolls. And don’t forget the beer! 

'Colombo' Pork Curry

The Colombo curry powder,
from the French Caribbean

A melting pot: a statement that both describes the structure of this dish and the origins from which it was born.  The Caribbean is a divine mixture of African, Native American, Spanish, British, Dutch, French, Indian and Chinese influences. All of them vying for the various trade routes and in this case, spice. Add these to the wonderful array of produce already available in the region and you have some fantastic food.

The ‘Colombo Curry’, you could be forgiven for thinking, originates from the streets and homes of Sri Lanka’s largest city, and you wouldn’t be far wrong. This curry originates from the French Caribbean, where Sri Lankan workers were brought there to work on sugar plantations, bringing with them the spices most common to the sub-continent.

The central ingredient to this curry is the Colombo Curry Powder (Poudre de Colombo), which I found several different versions of, containing a myriad of different spices. The central spices are cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, black mustard seed, and fenugreek (Methi) seeds. Other versions I found contains allspice, nigella seed, aniseed, cinnamon, cloves, and toasted white rice which will give you a nutty flavour.

For my recipe I chose several which I thought represented the sub-continent and the Caribbean, (there is a readymade version, I couldn’t find it in the shops) but, the beauty of it is you can design the powder to your taste and have a play, which is part of the fun. I marinated the meat overnight, which will help tenderise the meat, and give the curry another dimension of flavour. It can be done for a few hours beforehand but is not essential. All this as well as another important ingredient, sweet potato, means it breaks down into a stew like constancy and the potato almost becomes part of the sauce.

The rest of the vegetables for this also lead the way for experimentation, using types that are going to break down well like, carrots, bell pepper, courgettes, aubergine, potato and Okra. I wanted to keep the Caribbean theme going using classic ingredients such as Scotch Bonnet chillies, allspice and thyme.  I used 2 Scotch bonnets because I like a lot of heat, but you can change to suit your taste. Remember you will also get heat from the mustard seeds and peppercorns. Here goes:

For the marinade:

600g diced pork

Juice of one lime

1 garlic clove, diced

1 onion sliced

½ tsp of cumin

2tbsp oil. Groundnut or Rapeseed is good.

Mix all the ingredients together, cling-film and place in the fridge.

For the curry powder:

2tbsp white rice

2tbsp coriander seeds

2tbsp cumin seeds

1.5tsp black mustard seeds

1.5tsp of black peppercorns

1.5tsp fenugreek seeds

2tsp nigella seeds

1tsp allspice

2tbsp of turmeric

Get a small Skillet or small heavy based frying pan and place on a high heat, when the pan is hot add the white rice and toast for 2 minutes, they must be golden brown, if the pan is too hot turn the heat down. Add all the seed ingredients (not turmeric) and toast for a further 2 minutes again until golden brown. Place the ingredients into a coffee grinder, or if you’re feeling strong a good heavy pestle & mortar and grind to a fine powder and mix with the turmeric. This will give you enough for two curries; place the rest of the powder into an airtight container.

For the curry:

1 large onion

2 garlic cloves

1-2 sweet potatoes

2 potatoes

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

2-3 carrots

3-4 tbsp of Colombo curry powder

Bouquet-Garni : bunch  thyme & parsley, 2 bay leaves.

1 litre of chicken stock

2 scotch bonnet chillies

1tsp corn four mixed with 2tsp of water

Salt.

1.       Clear most of the marinade off the meat as best you can, and fry on a high heat until coloured all over. Add you chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  During this time slice your onions, peppers, and dice your garlic. After the 10, add them to the pot with the curry powder.

2.       Bring the pot to the boil, and simmer on a high heat for 15 mins. Now, large chunk your sweet potato, potato, and slice the carrots. When the 15 is up add these to the pot with the herbs and chillies, salt to taste and a little water to cover the veg if necessary. Simmer for 45 mins.

3.       After the cooking time remove all the ingredients from the pan with a slotted spoon, into a dish. Stir the corn flour paste into the sauce and boil rapidly, it will thicken instantly. Check seasoning, add little salt if needed and Turn right down. Add the solid ingredients back to the pan. 

4.       Serve with nice fluffy white rice.

5.       Why not…

·         Substitute the pork for lamb, mutton or even goat or rabbit!

·         Omit the meat altogether, this would make a fantastic vegetarian curry.