Tag: main course
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.
Baleadas
Baleadas
Baleadas are the most popular food in Honduran cuisine. The basic version consists of a flour tortilla smeared with refried beans made from red beans, crumbled queso fresco, and mantequilla cream. The tortilla is then folded in half, resembling a refried bean taco. Scrambled eggs, chorizo, and avocado are great additional topping that you can add. Simple, yet so satisfying.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- flour tortillas
- refried beans
- queso fresco crumbled
- sour cream
- avocado sliced
Instructions
- Heat up the cooking oil on a griddle over medium heat. Lightly toast the tortillas for less than a minute a side.
Fugazza
Fugazza
Argentinian cuisine has a huge Italian influence. Fugazza is the Argentinian version of pizza; served as an appetizer or a main course. Fugazza has a thicker, airy crust, has no tomato sauce, and is topped with a ton of thinly sliced onions and mozzarella cheese. The onions are traditionally put on the fugazza raw, but you can sauté them as well. Fugazza is always baked in a pan with 1” sides or a wide cast iron skillet.
Equipment
- standing mixer
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 2/3 cup bread flour
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup warm water
Toppings
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large white onion thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese sliced
- 1/4 cup parmesan grated
Instructions
- Mix together the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let the mixture activate for 10 minutes until bubbly.
- Using the dough hook on a standing mixer, mix together the flour, salt, and olive oil.
- Add in the yeast mix.
- Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes until the dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Place the rough ball in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the ball. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours.
- The dough will double in size. Punch it down.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven. Lightly grease a 12” circular pan with 1” sides with olive oil. Press the dough into the pan. Let it rest.
- Heat up olive oil a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for 7-8 minutes until slightly caramelized.
- Place the onions in a single layer on the dough. Sprinkle on the oregano. Bake the fugazza for 15 minutes.
- Take the fugazza out of the oven. Sprinkle with parmesan. Top with slices of mozzarella cheese. Turn on the oven’s broiler. Broil for 2 minutes.
- Let the fugazza rest for 15 minutes before serving.
