Pork Shoulder Roast with Blueberry & Port Pan Sauce – No Pulling Required

Pork shoulder is a popular cut of meat, but it’s almost always cooked until “fork tender,’” which to your average cook means falling apart. This is fine for pulled pork sandwiches, or many other amazing dishes, but sometimes I want something different. It’s sort of like, I love braised short ribs, but sometimes I want roast beef.

Like I said in the video, most people go with pork loin when they want to do a roasted dish like this, but the lower cost shoulder makes a great alternative. The good news is that pork shoulder is much fattier, which makes for juicier, more flavorful meat. That’s also the bad news.

Unlike the very user friendly pork loin, there will be larger veins of fat running through the roast. Big deal, I say. Nothing a steak knife can’t solve, and meat you do liberate will be more than tender enough, as long as you pull it from the oven when the internal temp is about 145 degrees F.

By the way, I’ve given up trying to answer questions about replacing the wine and other booze in these recipes. Of course you can leave it out, and/or sub other things, but since I never do, I can’t guide you very well. So, either start drinking, or start googling…and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients for about 4 large portions:

2 1/2 to 3 pound boneless pork shoulder roast (aka pork butt)

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil to sear meat

1 large shallot cut in half

3 springs rosemary

1 cup fresh blueberries

2/3 cup port wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 or 3 tablespoons cold butter
-Roast at 325 F. until an internal temp of 145-150 F.

Next Up: Roast Pork with Blueberry Sauce

This is Only a Test

While I was testing a crispy, Korean-fried chicken breast for a future blog post, the real test here was producing a video in 1080p HD. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we will be transitioning to this new format over the next few months, and to accomplish that, I have to learn Adobe Premiere Pro CS6.

I’ve been using an old, and relatively simple version of iMovie all these years, and so staring at all these new buttons and dials is a little intimidating. I’m hoping most of them don’t actually do anything, and are only there to fill out the interface, but we shall see. In the meantime, thank you for putting up with this test, and as always, enjoy!

Coney Island Hot Dogs, Just Like They Make in Detroit

The story of how the Coney Island hog dog got to the Midwest is pretty straightforward, but no one really knows exactly how the wiener first came to be topped with what is basically a hot meat relish. 

We don’t call it that for obvious reasons, but it does add an entirely new dimension to the old frank. There are many stories, but regardless of how, it only takes one bite to know why.

Like every other ancient American recipe we post, I have no idea how authentic this is, and have never been to Detroit, or even Flint. I have had Nathan’s version, which I enjoyed, but the word on the street is that it’s not nearly as good as the relatives it spawned.

By the way, I’m assuming that if you’ve had the real thing, you’ll let me know if this is even close. Like I said in the video, it’s a long summer of hot dog eating, and I think this coney “don’t call me a chili dog” is a great way to shake things up. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for enough Coney Sauce for 8-10 hot dogs:
(all spices are to taste!)

1/2 cup diced onion

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (lean)

2 tbsp butter

2 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp celery salt

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2-3 tbsp chili powder or to taste

1 tsp cumin

pinch cayenne

2-3 cups water

1/3 cup ketchup

- Simmer about 1 hour or until desired texture is reached

Next Up: Coney Dogs

This gorgeous photo comes courtesy of drpavloff. 

Happy 4th of July!

I wanted to wish you all a happy and healthy Fourth of July! I was going to experiment with another 1080p HD upload today, but then I remembered it was a National holiday, and that I don’t need to work today. Still getting used to that kind of thing. 

Anyway, the point is I hope you can join me in not doing any work today…unless you consider grilling and drinking beer work. Have a great long weekend, and as always, enjoy!

By the way, if you're still needing to figure out a fast and very patriotic dessert to bring to that party later, please check out the no-bake, flag cheesecake pictured above!
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Grilled Marsala Marinated Skirt Steak – Thank You, Chicken Parm!

It’s not often that my recipe inspirations cross species, but this juicy and delicious, Marsala-marinated skirt steak is one such case. 

I was in Santa Monica a few years ago, where I ordered a chicken parmesan that featured a garlic, rosemary, and Marsala-spiked sauce; and I loved the subtle sweetness the wine added to the tomato.

For whatever reason, I thought of those flavors while brainstorming a quick skirt steak marinade, and this is what happened. Skirt steak is always great on the grill, and doesn't needs much help, but I loved how this came out. I can only wonder how much better it would have been if I’d actually let it marinate.

The plan was to prep this in the morning, and grill it for dinner after at least eight hours in the marinade. But, due to hunger-related circumstances beyond my control, it ended up being an early lunch. Even though it only soaked for a short time, it was still very nice, but hopefully you'll exercise a little more self-control. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

1 1/2 pound skirt steak

2/3 cup Marsala wine

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp dried rosemary, or 1 tbsp fresh

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp kosher salt

6 cloves garlic, minced

- Marinate for 8 hours to overnight, and grill over high heat (brush grates with oil first, and wipe off excess marinade)