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Elotes
Elotes
In my opinion, there is no better way to eat corn on the cob than the Mexican way: elotes. This is a staple in food stands all over Latin American countries. Corn on the cob is roasted and lathered in multiple layers of all that is sacred(at least in my book). Mayo and sour cream, cotija cheese, chili powder, cilantro, and squeezed lime juice encase the ears, making this just about the tastiest food ever. Screw your butter and salt.There are a couple of ways to prepare the corn. I shucked mine and broiled it. You can also brown the corn in a cast iron skillet. The best way is to leave your corn in the husks and grill it. I will grill my corn until the husk is pretty much burnt off and there is a slight char on the ears. Regardless of how you prepare your corn on the cob, the outcome in the end will be oh so rewarding.
Ingredients
- 2 ears corn on the cob shucked
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp Mexican sour cream
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese
- ancho chili powder to taste
- 3 tbsp cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place the top rack 6” from the broiler. Place the corn on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil. Brush the ears of corn with butter.
- Broil the corn for 5 minutes on all sides until slightly roasted. This whole process will take 15-20 minutes.
- Mix together the mayo and sour cream. Spread a thick layer on all sides of the corn.
- Roll each ear of corn in cotija cheese.
Casamiento (Honduran Red Beans and Rice)
Casamiento (Honduran Red Beans and Rice)
Red beans and rice is a popular side dish served in just about every home in Honduras. What’s different about this bean and rice dish is that the red beans aren’t kidney beans. They are a particular type of red bean called silk beans. You can usually find them in the Latin section of the grocery store labeled as Salvadoran or Central American beans. They are smaller than a kidney bean, darker, and smoother in texture.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 1 1/2 cups bean broth
- 2 cups basmati rice cooked
- 1 1/2 cups dry red beans cooked; bean broth saved
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions and green pepper for 8 minutes.
- Stir in the rice. Fry for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the bean broth and beans. Season with salt. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Cider Brined Smoked Pork Chops
Cider Brined Smoked Pork Chops
This recipe is a much improved version of the cider brined pork chops that we used to sell on my meat team. As always, I recommend using a bone-in pork chop that is at least 1” thick. 1.5”-2” is even better. Brine the chops in a simple mix of cider, salt, and brown sugar for 4 hours. Pat them dry and season them with a thick coating of the dry rub. Let the chops rest for an hour at room temperature before smoking.Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. I used applewood and pecan wood chips for the smoking process. Both work great with pork. Maintain the smoking temperature between 225-250 degrees. At the 90 minute mark of smoking, use a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. You want the thermometer to read 150 degrees. Depending on the size of your pork chops, they could be done now or need another 30 minutes of smoking. Once finished, let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 6 bone in pork chops 1” thick
Cider Brine
- 1/2 gallon apple cider
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Wood Chips
- applewood chips
- pecan wood chips
Instructions
- Mix the brining ingredients together.
- Brine the pork chops in a gallon sized storage bag for 4 hours.
- Pat the chops dry with paper towel. Season with the dry rub on both sides of the pork chop. Let rest at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Throw in your pork chops. Monitor the internal temperature with a probe thermometer 90 minutes into smoking. The pork needs to read 150 degrees. The chops could be done at this point. They also might need another 30 minutes of smoking.
- Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before serving.
