Maple Glazed Smoked Pork Belly

 

Andrea and I love good food and also have a great interest in creating a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and our families – which probably contributed to my pursuit of food and nutrition studies in university. It is the perfect background to have when developing recipes for food cooked on the smoker.  At the top of our minds are always 2 goals - creating food that is both healthy and delicious. SO here goes with this recipe for smoked pork belly using the Broil King Keg. We combed over a lot of recipes for braised pork belly in the process,   including some that  called for the addition of large quantities of oil  to the pork belly while marinating, cooking and finishing*! DO you really need to add more fat when cooking pork belly??  We decided to try to moderate on this ingredient, and make sure that each ingredient that we used was essential for delicate, flavor packed, mouth-watering pork belly.

* Lang, Adam Perry, 2009. Serious Barbecue, Smoke, Char, Baste, & Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking, Hyperion.

Maple Glazed Smoked Pork Belly
 

 Important to know:  1) You will need to marinate the pork belly at least  12 hours  ahead of cooking and   2) Cooking Time is 7-8 hours

One 3-4 pound pork belly piece

Marinade:

¼  cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

¼  cup apple cider vinegar

8 cloves garlic

2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

¾   tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp crushed red chili peppers

1 cup water

Maple Glaze:

1/4  cup Jack Daniels

½  cup maple syrup

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

2 tbsp apple cider

½  tsp dried chili pepper flakes

Final seasoning:

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped green onions

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt

Marinate pork belly:

12-24 hours ahead of time, combine marinade ingredients in food processor and blend until garlic is finely chopped. Place pork belly in a large resealable plastic bag and pour over marinade. Refrigerate overnight.

Cooking the pork belly:

Set up the Broil King Keg with enough lump hardwood charcoal for 8 hours of cooking at 250⁰F.  Soak 1-2 cups of fruit wood chips for smoking.  This is also be cooked using the gas barbecue set on low (275⁰F). Be very vigilant of watching for flare-ups during the final stage of grilling, when applying the glaze.  Place the pork belly into a similar sized rectangular disposable aluminum tray and pour marinade and 1 cup water over top. Cover with heavy-duty aluminum foil and seal edges tightly so that steam does not escape.  Place in the smoker and cook at 250⁰F for 5 ½  hours.

Remove pan from smoker, and with foil still sealed tightly, allow pork belly to rest in the liquid in the pan for 2 hours.

Smoking and glazing:

Add soaked woodchips to smoker and open vents to bring oven temperature to 375⁰F.  Remove pork belly from pan and reserve cooking liquid. The pork belly will be quite delicate at this point and will require gentle handling during the final grilling process.  In order to facilitate this, organize to have a wire grilling basket on hand. The basket will help maintain the rectangular shape of the pork belly and prevent the skin from sliding around.  If not available, use a wire rack and a  very large spatula for carefully turning the pork belly on the grids.  Place pork belly skin side down on a wire grilling basket . Place on smoker and allow skin to crisp for 15 minutes. Monitor for flare ups. Meanwhile, prepare glaze by combining Jack Daniels, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, cider vinegar and red pepper flakes in a glass dish.  Carefully remove pork belly from smoker and brush all over with glaze.  Return to smoker and cook for 5 minutes, carefully turn, apply remaining glaze and cook for another 5 minutes. The pork belly will be finished when the glaze caramelizes on the meat and is a beautiful glossy dark brown.

Finishing:

Scatter chopped parsley , green onions, salt and pepper on the cutting board and sprinkle with apple cider vinegar. Carefully remove the pork belly from the basket or wire rack and place on top of this mixture. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Turn and rub mixture on the other side. Gently cut into one and a half-inch square cubes, continuing to dredge in the finishing mixture.

Sauce:

The reserved cooking liquid can be used as a flavourful sauce, once the fat has been poured off.  Pour reserved liquid into a large glass measuring cup. Pour off the fat that has floated to the top. Skim or spoon off the final inch or so, using a tablespoon.   Add any remaining glaze to this mixture. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat and cook for another 10 minutes. This sauce is delicious poured onto the prepared pork belly and simply boiled new potatoes and wilted kale cooked with garlic and lemon juice. 

We enjoyed it again on Sunday for lunch, in a delicious Canadian sandwich featuring pork belly, Old Canadian cheddar cheese and thinly sliced apples. It was the perfect meal to get us ready for an energetic ski around the golf course!

Nora, Bev, Briar and Pepper

And now we're back to cooking in the snow!!!

 

Home Sweet Home: Smoked Prime Rib of Beef

The past two weeks were spent on a very special mother-daughter adventure, setting sail from Florida, cruising through the Panama Canal and reaching our final destination in Lima Peru.  We were treated to many wonderful meals at sea and on land, and we hope to bring to you some of the exciting South American flavours in future posts.  

 

Arriving home the first order of business was restocking a very empty pantry,   and preparing a family dinner on the Broil King Keg.  Nothing says “home” like a roast beef dinner, and this evening’s smoked prime rib was one of the best we’ve ever tasted.  The low and slow temperature results in an evenly cooked, tender and delicious roast.

Smoked Prime Rib of Beef

1  5-pound Prime Rib Roast

¼ cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 ½ teaspoons dried rosemary

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder

Pat the meat dry with paper towels. 

Mix the mustards, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic in a small bowl, and brush generously all over the meat.  Combine all the dried herbs and spices in a small bowl and sprinkle generously over the mustard.  Allow to sit at room temperature while you light the coals in the Broil King Keg.

Set the temperature to 350°F, with the top control dialled to 3 and the bottom to 2.  Place the prime rib on the smoker without a drip pan and let smoke for 4 hours.  During this time, the temperature of the smoker should gradually fall to about 250°F.  Test the internal temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer:  it should reach 135°F.

Slice thickly.

Acorn Squash on the Smoker

1 acorn squash, halved and seeds removed

2 tablespoons butter

½  cup maple syrup

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch salt

Combine the butter and maple syrup in a small bowl and microwave 45 seconds.  Stir until butter melted, microwaving again if necessary.  Add the nutmeg and salt, and divide between the two halves of squash.  Brush the mixture around the edges as well. 

Place  on the prepared smoker for 3-4 hours. 

And finally, a big happy birthday wish to Abby. She is lots of fun, and an extremely accomplished baker.  We will be sure to feature some of her pie recipes in future blogs.

Jordan, Charu and Abby enjoy some grilled salmon with asparagus and lentil salad

Crostini with Grilled Vegetable Tapenade

 We have so much to be proud of with all of our children, and look forward to celebrating their successes and accomplishments.  One of those moments brought us back to New York city this week, where Ben had 2 shows opening. First we joined him at the James Fuentes Gallery in the Lower East Side. It was a wonderful evening - so beautiful and such great energy about his work.
On  Thursday night, his second show opened at the Martos Gallery in Chelsea. There was a lot of buzz around that show too, with a recommendation :  9 things to do in New Yorks Ar/?t World before Jan. 16  and an interview

As always, we ate a lot of good food on our visit. We are so often inspired by food that we eat while traveling.  The secret to duplicating a complex, sophisticated restaurant meal is to start with a simple base, like a grilled steak or scallops and serve it with a great sauce. We have a bit of product development to do over the next few weeks because these sauces pictured here were delicious!!

 When you are in Chelsea, visit the Red Cat, we had a great lunch there.  In the Lower East Side, we loved 'inoteca.  Also had some delicious wine and cheese at  88 Orchard  before the opening.




 
Coming home is always a let down.  You open the refrigerator and yikes!??!!?!  Faced with all of the leftovers and dregs (of Christmas!!) I decided to take the best of the vegetables that I had, added a lot of fresh herbs for a marinade and made a grilled vegetable tapenade to serve with goat cheese on crostini.
   We took it for friends for dinner on Saturday night and had it in wraps for a light dinner on Sunday night.



Grilled Vegetable Tapenade with Goat Cheese on Crostini


This marinade/vinaigrette is a version of pesto that is so versatile. Make a big jar of it and use it often, as we do for this dish.
Marinade:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh herbs, chopped (try a combination-parsley, basil, fennel, sage, tarragon work well)
1 shallot, peeled
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

2 tbsp chopped walnuts
salt & pepper, to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.

Grilled vegetables:
1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise

3 portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 each yellow, orange and red pepper, cored

1 tomato
1 red onion, quartered

Marinate vegetables for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat barbecue on HIGH for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to MEDIUM and grill vegetables 6-7 minutes per side. Reserve marinade.  Leave peppers on barbecue for 5-8 more minutes until blackened.  Place peppers in a paper bag for 10 minutes to loosen skins - this will make peeling them easier. Peel the skins off of the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Dice all of the vegetables into 1/4 inch pieces and place in a large glass bowl. Combine with 1/3 cup of reserved marinade. Add more chopped fresh basil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Crostini:

1 baguette
6 ounces goat cheese

 Slice baguette on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Take the remaining marinade, should be 1-2 tablespoons left and combine it with 1/2 cup of olive oil. Brush baguette lightly on both sides with this olive oil mixture and place on grids. Grill for 3 minutes per side. Remove from grills. At this point, you can set everything aside to assemble later, or assemble and eat them right away! Spread with goat cheese, top with 1 tablespoon of grilled vegetable tapenade and place back on barbecue for 5 minutes on MEDIUM.

Beef Brisket on the Smoker

The holiday season was so great. Our kids were home off and on for almost a month - there was always somebody coming or going, and to be honest, that is how we like it. The best dinners are when we have to add a few more settings to the table because somebody has invited a friend or 2  to join us!
But, things have started to quiet down a bit as everyone has headed back to school or work. So Friday night, we were able to head into Toronto to take in a Raptors game. We took this shot to bring home for the girls to look at - we heard that Kim Kardashian's ex-husband Kris Humphries was available.(There were no takers)

Mark didn't get the memo about slowing down though! He was so excited to have received a chain-saw for Christmas from his loving wife that he felt compelled to get to it! He and our neighbour Luke took down a few trees on Sunday. What a sight- at least it was very entertaining for the photographer.

 Meanwhile, since he is such a great multi-tasker, he was able to coax Leslie into giving him a hand at the smoker, before she headed back to Toronto.

Deli Style Brisket

½ cup kosher salt

6 tablespoons packed brown sugar

¼ cup pickling spices

8 cups water

4 pound beef brisket

Rub:

¼ cup black pepper

¼ cup toasted coriander seeds

¼ cup mustard seeds

6 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoon garlic powder

Mop:

Few tablespoons rub

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup water

24 hours ahead, combine the brine ingredients in a large bowl.  Place the brisket in an extra large ziplock and pour the brine over it.  Seal well and place in a shallow pan in the refrigerator.

The next day, light the smoker, settingthe temperature at around 225 ° F and sprinkle the coals with soaked  wood chips.  Drain the brisket and pat it with the rub.  Place the brisket on the smoker (without the diffuser) and mop every 45 minutes for 3 ½ hours.  Wrap the brisket in foil and continue to cook at a low temperature for another 2 hours. 

Let the brisket stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.  Serve with your favourite mustard, pickles, and Charlie’s Red Onion Chutney. He found the recipe in The Guardian.

RED ONION CHUTNEY

8 red onions
1 red chilli
2 bay leaves
25ml olive oil
200g brown sugar
150ml balsamic vinegar
150ml red wine vinegar
Step 1: Cut your onions and chilli into short, thin slices and put them into a pan with the bay leaves and oil. Cook gently over a low heat for about 20 minutes.

Step 2: Once the onions are dark and sticky, add the sugar and the vinegars and simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the chutney is thick and dark.

Step 3: Pour the chutney into hot, sterilised jars and let it cool. Ideally, you should leave it for a month or more before you eat it, to mature in flavour.

Makes about 4-6 jars.

Be patient - Today may your the lucky day!