Pork Two Ways

I have to apologize for my lack of blogging.  I think it's safe to say that I got "blogged out" for the last month or so.  However, I have made some pretty awesome meals, but I must admit that cooking was so much fun when I began blogging and sharing the new recipes I was trying.  However, I got a little too into it and it lost its sparkle.  Now that cooking is fun again, and I've actually thrown a small dinner party, I feel it right to post something I made about 2 weeks ago.

About two weeks ago, Caleb, Hercules, and I traveled to good ole Nashville to visit family and go to a wedding.  What I came away with, well I like to call it a Lisa Barron Swag Bag.  It was filled with great goodies, my favorite of those being the current issue of Food Network Magazine. 

As you can see, it contained 50 new taco ideas! Well, with Caleb being born in Mexico, he is CONSTANTLY asking me to make Mexican.  Now you may not know this, but my Mexican repertoire consists of tacos, enchiladas, and burritos.  The first two being made out of a box and the latter being bought at Moe's.  ("Welcome to Moe's!!!").

 So trying out a new EASY taco... right up my alley.  So at the store, I bought a HUGE pork shoulder for $11.  Right before making the tacos, I cut it in half and threw one half into the crock pot!  I'm telling you this meal could not get any easier!  To the left you can see this is only half of the pork!  I use the other half in another recipe... Just hold your horses.




So according the the recipe of Pork Carnitas, this one being by Melissa D'Arabian, you throw in the pork with oranges, cumin, onion, garlic, jalapeno, oregano, salt and pepper.








After about three-four hours it's time to shred up your pork and throw it back into the crock pot to soak up even more yummy juices!

 Then,  as per the same Food Network Magazine, I made a pineapple salsa by Jeffrey Saad.  I chopped up fresh pineapple, cilantro, white onion, and an orange habenero chili... which I also happen to rub all over my nose.

Sidebar, rubbing butter and snorting milk does help!

So then I blended this whole mixture up.

 I also made a grilled pineapple chunky salsa with some grilled (on the George Foreman) pineapple, cilantro, white onion and lime juice.  To the left, you can see the one I ate, and to the right, the one Caleb ate with a spoon.  Not really, but it was too spicy so of course he loved it.

So then it was time to put our pork carnitas together! I just threw on some sour cream (Caleb did not of course) and added the pork mixture with some pineapple salsa on top! It was oh so easy and delicious! I don't know that I would call it authentic Mexican, but the taste was fabulous.

Now what did I do with the other half of the pork, you may be asking... I made barbeque! I'm not positive the recipe I used because I mostly just threw in a bunch of bbq sounding ingredients into the crock pot! :) I believe I got most of it from this one.  I basically threw in molasses, ketchup, whiskey, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire, an orange, onion, and probably some other things I can't think of at the moment.  I let that all bubble up with the huge pork shoulder for about 4 hours and then I served it up with a homemade slaw and some sweet potato fries!  It was oh so delicious! The slaw was so easy! I chopped up some fresh cabbage and threw it around with a small spoonful of mayo, some EVOO, and a splash of vinegar.  After seasoning with salt and pepper it was perfect enough to eat by itself or add it to the BBQ sandwich!

So that is how I utilized a huge pork shoulder to make pork two ways!

Enjoy! Till next month when I get the urge to blog again!