Tag: vegetables
Collard Greens with Smoked Pork
Collard Greens with Smoked Pork
Southern style collard greens is one of my favorite side dishes. They take a little bit of time to cook, but are extremely easy to prepare. Simply boil pork shanks, onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper for an hour. Add in the collard greens and continue to boil for 45 minutes. Remove the shanks from the pot. Take the meat off the bone and chop up, returning back into the pot with vinegar. Simmer for another 15 minutes and you’re done. If you happen to not eat pork, you can substitute smoked turkey to the greens.
Ingredients
- 2 smoked pork shanks
- 1 gallon water
- 1/2 medium white onion sliced
- 1 head garlic peeled
- 3 tsp crushed red pepper
- 3 bunches collard greens centered rib removed; washed
- 1 cup vinegar
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the shanks, onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Boil for 1 hour.
- Add the collard greens to the boiling water. Boil for 45 minutes.
- Take the shanks out of the water. Carefully remove the meat from the bone and chop up into bite sized pieces.
- Add the meat back into the pot along with 1 cup of vinegar. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
Smoked Pork Shanks
Smoked pork shanks are great to have around when making collards greens, split pea soup, beans and rice, and many more dishes. They add copious amounts of hammy goodness to whatever you’re making. They also cost a fraction of the price smoking them yourself compared to buying them already smoked. The raw shanks I purchased are $1.49/lb compared to $5-$6/lb smoked.So what’s the difference between pork shanks and pork hocks? Shanks are from the front shins of the pig, aka forshank. They will have the shin bone through the center with a lot of meat surrounding the bone. The bone also contains marrow, which will add a lot of flavor. Pork hocks are from the ankle of the pig. They contain a little less meat. They contain a lot of collagen and cartilage that also adds flavor. The shanks will only need a day to brine. In the brine is pink curing salts, which will turn your shanks to ham. The shanks will take about 2 1/2 hours to smoke. I use hickory wood since it is a nice neutral flavored wood for smoking. They can be instantly used once finished, stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, or frozen in freezer paper for up to 6 months.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 2 pork shanks around 2” thick
Brine
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp pink curing salts
Wood Chips
- hickory wood chips
Instructions
- Mix together the brining ingredients.
- Place the pork shanks in a gallon sized storage bag with the brine. Brine for 24 hours.
- Pat dry. Place on a rack and leg dry out at room temp for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place your shanks in the smoker.
- Smoke your shanks for 2 1/2 hours.
Gobi Manchurian
Gobi Manchurian
Gobi Manchurian is a popular Indo-Chinese influenced dish eaten all over India. The sauce that the fried cauliflower is tossed in is reminiscent of sweet and sour pork, but less sweet and a lot more spicy. You can eat gobi manchurian as an appetizer or with egg fried rice as a main course.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into medium sized florets
- 3/4 cup corn flour
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- oil for frying
Sauce
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 green onions white parts only; chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 3 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 cup water
Garnish
- green onions green part; chopped
Instructions
- Mix together the batter ingredients.
- Toss the cauliflower into the batter. Make sure every piece is evenly coated.
- Heat up 3” deep of vegetable oil in a small pot over medium high heat. Lightly drop some of the battered cauliflower into the oil. Fry for 6-8 minutes until they are golden brown. You will have to fry the cauliflower in a few batches.
- Drain on paper towel and set aside.
- Heat up 3 tbsp of cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the green onions for 2 minutes.
- Add in the ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the chili garlic sauce, ketchup, and soy sauce. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute.
- Add in the vinegar, sugar, black pepper, salt, and water. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Turn off the heat Toss the fried cauliflower into the sauce. Garnish with green onions.
Smoked Sweet Potatoes
Smoked Sweet Potatoes
Talk about one of the most low maintenance side dished you can make…it’s smoked sweet potatoes. Throw the sweet potatoes in the smoker at 250 degrees for 2-2.5 hours. That’s it. I like to use maple wood chips to smoke the sweet potatoes. If you happen to have sweet potatoes the size of small footballs, cut them in half so they don’t take 4-5 hours to smoke. My favorite way to top sweet potatoes is with some butter, brown sugar, and fresh cracked black pepper.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- sweet potatoes
- salt
- butter
- brown sugar
- cracked black pepper
Wood Chips
- maple wood chips
Instructions
- Wash your sweet potatoes. If ginormous, cut them in half. Rub with salt on the outside.
- Preheat you smoker to 250 degrees. Place your sweet potatoes on a rack and get a smokin.
- Depending on the size of your sweet potatoes, they can take anywhere between 2-2.5 hours to smoke.
