Pulled Meat

We love pulled pork.  However, this recipe can be used with any large, lean, and tough cut of meat that you want to turn into a pulled sandwich.  It is great for a winter’s day treat.  Warning: This is an all-day cooking affair!  Steps you can take to shorten the time: 1. Do not do step one of the directions (this is not necessary, but does improve the flavor slightly); 2) cook on high in the crock pot (best results will come from the slowest setting, but the difference is negligible); 3) cut the meat into smaller chunks (you can do this at any stage in the process).  Warning:  This makes your house smell wonderful! 

Ingredients:

·         SPICE RUB

o   3 parts brown sugar

o   2-3 parts paprika

o   1 part mustard powder

o   2-3 parts cumin

o   2 parts Kosher salt

o   1 part freshly ground pepper

o   1 part onion powder

o   1 part garlic powder

o   1 part dried thyme

o   1 part dried oregano

·         8 allspice berries

·         12 peppercorns

·         boneless pork shoulder OR any other lean large hunk of meat (lamb, beef, elk, etc,)

·         SAUCE

o   2 teaspoons vegetable oil

o   1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste

o   1/8 cup red wine vinegar

o   3 tablespoons tomato paste

o   1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce

o   3 squirts of Mustard

o   1 Chopped Shallot

o   4 Minced Garlic cloves

o   1/8 to 1/4 cup dry white wine

o   1/4 to 1/3 cup Ketchup

o   1/8 cup molasses

o   1 to 5 squirts of Sriracha

o   1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken broth

o   2 cups water

·         Buns

Directions:

1.    If you have time or the forethought…place the meat in a sealed container and surround with paper towels—this is meant to draw out the juice from the meat and intensify the flavor.  Ideal conditions would have you doing this 48 hours before prep time, but you can start this whenever or not do it at all.  Change paper towels ever 4-5 hours—if possible.

2.    Create the spice rub.  I’ve given recommended ratios, but use change them as desired based on personal preferences.  I generally like more cumin and paprika than most people.

3.    Coat the meat in the spice rub.  Let sit in the fridge for 15 minutes.

4.    Heat a pan and coat the pan with olive oil.  Sear all sides of the meat—creating a light crust where the spice rub is seared on the meat. 

5.    Remove the meat from the pan and add the garlic and shallot to brown.  Add more oil, if necessary.

6.    Deglaze the pan with about 1/8 to 1/4 cup dry white wine.

7.    Once the wine cooks down a bit add the:

a.   apple cider vinegar

b.   red wine vinegar

c.    tomato paste

d.   Worcestershire sauce

e.   mustard

f.     ketchup

g.    molasses

h.   sriracha

8.    Let the sauce cook for 3-5 minutes until it is bubbling and then add it all to the crock pot with the water (adjust the water up or down based on the size of the meat).  The total liquid should cover about 40-60% of the meat.

9.    Add the allspice berries and peppercorns to the liquid

10. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours (times are approximate and at any point you can cut the meat into chunks to speed along the process).

11. Once the meat is cooked and “pulling” apart, remove about 2/3 of the liquid and return it to a pan.

12. Heat and reduce this liquid by about 50%.  Add a cornstarch “slurry” (cornstarch dissolved in water) to thicken, if desired.  Additionally, you can add any of the sauce ingredients or spice rub ingredients to the sauce at this time based on your personal preference.

13. Once the sauce reaches the desired thickness, place in a jar (squeeze bottle) and allow individuals to portion on their meat as they see fit.

14. Serve on toasted buns.

John Quincy Adams

We’re on year #6 for our annual President’s day celebrations here at the Fricks household. Michelle was excited to prepare a meal consisting of some of JQA’s favorite dishes for dinner, but unfortunately, he wasn’t much of a foodie.  Here is a short excerpt from John’s extensive diary: “Five or six small crackers and a glass of water give me a sumptuous dinner.” Not giving me much to work with there!  Instead, since Adams was a well renowned ambassador to many countries prior to becoming president, I was inspired to make a traditional dish from each position for our feast tonight. Turned out to be a delicious culinary tour! Cheers and happy President’s day!

The Netherlands: 1794-1797

Dutch Sandwich Spread

Most butchers and sandwich shops in the Netherlands sell a rich, creamy white sandwich spread known as Heksenkaas, which translates to “witch’s cheese.” The root minced root veggies have a nice earthy bite to them while the parsley adds a bright note of freshness (and beautiful color!). We served ours atop pumpernickel bread and topped it off with some Genoa salami. Sliced radishes might be a nice addition to this mini sandwich as well. It might also be good with sourdough or a hearty whole wheat bread. Dennis is also considering concocting an egg salad with the leftovers next time we whip up a batch.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

·         1 small leek, chopped

·         1/4 celeriac root, chopped (I found this at Whole Foods)

·         2 TBSP fresh parsley, roughly chopped

·         1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

·         7 oz. cream cheese (I did a combination of reduced fat and fat free)

·         Sea salt & freshly milled pepper, to taste

·         green onions, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

1.    Chop leek, celeriac root, parsley, and garlic. Place in food processor and mince finely.

2.    Add the cream cheese, salt and pepper and pulse a few times until well mixed.

3.    Remove from food processor. Add some air by whisking. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to use. (The spread should keep for several days, but ours only lasted 2 because we liked it so much!)

4.    Decorate with green onions just before serving to prevent wilting.

 

Prussia (modern Germany): 1797-1801
Currywurst
One of Michelle’s very favorite memories and dishes from her study abroad in Deutschland!  Fun fact: there is even a museum devoted to Currywurst in Berlin where the dish is most popular. We sliced the sausages and bathed them in the sauce, but they can also be served atop a hard roll. The Germans would never use a “normal” hot dog bun, but we wouldn’t chide you for doing so. The sauce itself is also great for dipping if you have a side of fries and sour cream.

 

Ingredients:

·         sausages or brats of any variety (we used chicken Andouille tonight, but Michelle’s very favorite is Thüringerwurst; unfortunately, it is not easy to come by here in the good old US of A)

·         2 cloves garlic, finely minced

·         1/4 small sweet Vidalia onion, finely diced

·         1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

·         3/4 small can (4 oz. total) tomato paste

Seasonings: (these are all very rough estimates; start here and adjust flavor profile to your liking)

·         1 TBSP curry powder

·         1/2 TBSP brown sugar

·         1 tsp. paprika

·         crushed red pepper, to taste

·         salt

·         freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1.    Lightly sauté garlic and onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent.

2.    Add tomato sauce and paste and initial round of seasonings.

3.    Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to infuse flavors. Taste and add more seasonings, as needed. Cook for at least 15 minutes, preferably longer to create deeper flavors.

4.    Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium. Grill (or burn, as per our preference!) sausages.  If sausages are not pre-cooked, boil before placing on the grill to ensure innards are cooked through.

Russia: 1809-1814

Russian Vinegret Salad

This winter salad recipe dates back to the early Soviet era when fresh vegetables were hard to find and often spoilt by the time they reached the markets of the big cities; hence the boiled and pickled root veggies here that would have lasted much longer. The flavors reminded us of a traditional German potato salad. The “real” vinegret reicpe calls for boiled beans in place of peas, but we thought this might get too starchy and were pleased with our substitution.

 

Ingredients:

·         1 beet

·         2 carrots

·         1 small Russet potato

·         1/2 small red onion

·         sauerkraut (squeeze out excess moisture before using)

·         dill pickles, diced (and a splash of the pickle brine)

·         frozen peas

·         Sunflower oil (you can substitute olive oil here)

·         caraway

·         freshly ground black pepper

·         salt, to taste

Directions:

1.    In a small pot, boil beet until tender. (The beets leaked pink juices everywhere and took longer than the other veggies, which is the reason for keeping them isolated).

2.    In another pot, boil carrots and potato.

3.    Allow veggies to cool to room temperature. Peel and dice into small chunks.

4.    Place beet in a deep bowl and pour over sunflower oil. Mix together.

5.    Finely mince red onions and stir in with beet.

6.    Next add diced carrot, potatoes, sauerkraut, pickles, and frozen peas.

7.    Stir in a little pickle juice along with caraway, pepper, and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Add more sunflower oil, if needed.

8.    Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour to allow flavors to meld.

 

United Kingdom: 1814-1817
Figgy Pudding
(serves 4-6)

“Oh bring us some figgy pudding! Please bring us some figgy pudding!” Now the topic of a popular Christmas carol, this English dessert originated in the 15^th century. At that time, fig trees were commonplace in English gardens and often used in desserts. Sadly, at the beginning of the 19^th century, figs were gradually replaced with less expensive raisins in many dessert recipes and the same holds true today. This “pudding” is actually more cake-like. Be careful not to over-cook so the final product is still moist.

Ingredients: 

·         1/4 cup butter, softened (but not melted!! my mistake the first time around.  oops!)

·         1/3 cup molasses

·         1 egg

·         1/2 cup buttermilk

·         1/4 tsp. baking soda

·         1 tsp. baking powder

·         1/3 tsp. salt

·         1/3 tsp. ground cinnamon

·         1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

·         1/4 tsp. allspice

·         1/4 tsp. ground cloves

·         1/2 tsp. lemon zest

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

·         1 cup dried figs (alternatively, you could use 3/4 cups dried figs combined with 3/4 cup currants or dates)

·         1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

 

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2.    In a medium sized bowl, whip butter until creamy.

3.    Next, add molasses and mix well.

4.    Beat in eggs.

5.    Add buttermilk and mix well.

6.    Stir in baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and lemon zest. Mix well.

7.    Add flour and cocoa powder and mix well.

8.    Remove any stems/pits and chop dried fruits into fine pieces. Stir into batter mixture.

9.    Spoon into greased ramekins. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until top starts to crack and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Alternatively, bake in muffin tins for smaller portions or a loaf pan; baking time will depend on the size of your baking vessel.

10. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Portugal: 1796

Although Adams was appointed ambassador to Portugal by George Washington, he never served there as he was reassigned when his father John Adams became president. To honor this, we drank a Ruby Port wine from Portugal with dessert.  This was an “Aha-moment” for us when we realized how popular PORT wines are in the country of PORTugal.