Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Five Spice Glaze

June 30th, 2008 by Dennis Green

This recipe is a real hit whenever I make it at home, and recently field tested by my boss, who was looking for a long cooked, easy recipe to make for some houseguests. You can vary the flavouring by changing what you put in the glaze, I quite often will do it with barbecue flavours, using chili powder and barbecue sauce, a more European profile with garlic, lemon, honey and herbs, or whatever tickles your fancy. The important part is the cooking process, and a balance of sweet and either salty or sour in the marinade.

Day 1:

5-7 lb (2.5-3 kg) boneless pork butt roast

Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tbsp mustard (french or Dijon)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped or grated ginger
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp five spice powder (or 1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of cloves)

Whisk all ingredients together and rub into pork well
Place in a large resealable plastic bag and marinate overnight in the refrigerator

null

Day 2:
Preheat oven to 425 F

Remove pork from bag and place into a roasting pan lined with parchment
Baste with any remaining marinade
Roast for 45 minutes, until nicely coloured on top
Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350 F

null

Cover TIGHTLY with a double layer of aluminum foil, shiny side down. Make sure there are no holes, as it is important to trap all of the natural juices and steam inside

Place covered pork back in the oven and cook for another 2 1/2 hours
Remove from oven and let rest for 1/2 hour, covered
Slice and serve (it should be fork-tender and almost falling apart)

null

Posted in food, recipes, entree, pork | No Comments »

Simple Honey Glazed Ham

October 6th, 2007 by Dennis Green

We have a ham a few times a year, and usually buy either a butt or shank half, bone in. You can score the top and then when you brush it with glaze, it gets all golden and crispy as it bakes. Leftovers make great sandwiches, can be fried for breakfast, and the bone is great for pea or lentil soups.

1/2 ham, either the butt or shank portion
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 325 F

Place ham in a roasting pan lined with parchment paper
Score top of ham into 1 inch diamonds
Place ham in oven and roast for I hour, uncovered
After an hour, baste with glaze every 15 minutes, and continue to cook for an additional hour, or until a meat thermometer registers 140 F
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 1/2 hour before serving
Carve into thin slices and serve with candied yams and a green vegetable

Posted in food, recipes, entree, pork | No Comments »

Rack of Pork with Raspberry Hazelnut Glaze and Plum Apple Sauce

September 10th, 2007 by Dennis Green

When preparing a marinade for pork I always try and strike a balance between sweet, sour, salt and spice, as all are complimentary to the flavour. My preferred method for marinating is to put the meat in a large resealable plastic bag, combine the marinade ingredients, add them to the bag, zip it shut, removing all of the air so that the marinade gets all around the meat, rubbing it well, and then placing the bag in the fridge for a couple of hours. I have found that this way, you need only a small amount of marinade to cover the meat, and it penetrates the flavour in further.

1 rack of pork (4- 5 lb)

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1/4 cup hazelnut oil
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp agave syrup (or honey)

1/2 tsp Old Bay spice (or pinch cayenne)

coarse salt
steak spice

Place pork in a large resealable bag. Combine vinegar, oil, mustard, syrup (or honey), and bay spice (or cayenne), and add to bag. Zip shut, removing as much air as possible , and place in refrigerator for 2-6 hours to marinate. Remove from bag, reserving marinade, and transfer to a sheet pan. Season well with salt and steak spice (you can use your favourite blend, or make our own, recipe follows)

Place pork, bones down, on a preheated barbecue over medium indirect heat and cook, cover down for 1 1/2 hours, basting every 15 minutes, until it registers 140 F on a meat thermometer.

Remove from heat, allow to rest in a warm spot for 20 minutes, and carve into individual chops.

Steak Spice

This will make a nice sized jar, mix well, grind as needed and use to season meats and poultry.

3 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp green or pink peppercorns (dry)
1 tbsp Szechuan pepper
1 tbsp fennel seed
1 tbsp dill seed
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp yellow mustard seed
1 tbsp brown mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp chili flakes

Posted in food, recipes, entree, pork | No Comments »