Tag: Crockpot

Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork

Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

When I was getting ready to make this Asian pulled pork, I knew I wanted to write about it. I didn’t intend to write about it so soon – I knew I had a few posts to be written, the pictures sitting in their appropriate folders on my desktop – but things changed.

As I was putting all of these ingredients together on Monday, the kitchen already started to smell good. The fragrance of the lemongrass and ginger, combined with the rice vinegar and soy sauce, had begun to permeate the kitchen, and when my friend Elsa stopped by while I was making the pickles, she asked, “What smells so good?” as soon as she opened the door. When I left for work a few hours later, the slow cooker was on, the pickles were in the fridge, and mostly I just couldn’t wait to get home and eat the stuff.

After work, I had a message from my mom, asking me to call her. My phone was nearly dead (a morning on the phone with various auto insurance agents will do that to you), so I decided to wait till I could get home and plug my phone in to call. I opened the front door, and I was surrounded by this smell. The Asian flavors swirling around, making my stomach grumble. And then I looked at Jonah, sitting at the kitchen table, and he asked me, “Have you called your mom?” No. “Herby died,” he said.

I immediately called my mom, who was on the other line with my Nana, and said she’d call me back shortly. Herby, or Poppa Herb, is my grandfather. Herby had been sick for a long long time, and I had known for a while that his time was coming to a close. We all knew. And yet, as I said to Jonah moments after he told me, knowing it’s coming doesn’t seem to make it any less sad. Herby suffered for a long time, and so did Nana, really. He was unwell and hard to care for, and he was very ready to go. So after some tears, we couldn’t do much but continue to get dinner ready. The lid came off the slow cooker, and the scrumptious aroma wafted into the air, perfuming our meal. Before we actually sat down to eat, I got to talk to my mom, who let me know that one of the last meals Herb enjoyed was 5 (count them, 5) slices of her french toast. Thank goodness he ate well until the end. And then we ate.

As I started to think about writing this post, I haven’t been able to think about this dish without thinking of Poppa. And while the association could be sad, it really isn’t. It makes me a little more thoughtful, but mostly happy. Happy that I got to have this wonderful extra grandfather, who loved me like I was his own flesh and blood, who believed in me, who used to do little funny dances around the kitchen, who wore all those silly sweatshirts we made for him when we were little, and who made it possible for my family to see each other every year on the Oregon coast. And while I certainly don’t want this recipe to make you sad, I do hope that this post can make you think a little bit more about doing and eating the things we enjoy, and who we enjoy them with.

Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork Tacos

Note: You’ll see in my pictures that I minced up the lemongrass with the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño, as recommended in the Garden Betty recipe. I would suggest cutting it into coins or large chunks instead – the stalks were too hard for my food processor, and so I ended up with some sharp/pokey pieces of lemongrass amongst the meat.

Ingredients

Pulled Pork

2 inch piece of ginger
1 jalapeño
5 large cloves of garlic, or 6 smaller cloves
2 stalks of lemongrass
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbl fish sauce
2 1/2 lbs pork shoulder roast
4-5 large portobello mushrooms (optional, but recommended)

Quick Pickled Daikon and Carrots

2 large carrots
1-2 large daikon
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar plus 1/2 cup
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup lukewarm water

Tacos

Small corn tortillas
Lime wedges
Cilantro
Slices of jalapeño (if you like heat)
Sauces: sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, plum sauce…

Instructions

Pulled Pork

To prepare the meat, mince the garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and lemongrass (I did mine in the food processor; see note). Combine those four ingredients, as well as the brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and fish sauce in a small pot over low heat. Cook until the brown sugar is dissolved, then pour into your slow cooker. Place the pork shoulder in the sauce, turning to coat, and then cook for 8-14 hours (I did mine for 8… but it definitely could’ve been softer and more fall-apart-tender, so I suggest going for longer). If you are opting to use the portobello mushrooms (which you really should), cut them into large slices and add them to the slow cooker 4 hours before the meat is done.

Quick Pickled Daikon and Carrots

Once the meat is nestled in the slow cooker, ready for the long haul, you can prepare your pickles. Peel and julienne the daikon and carrots, and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle them with the salt and 2 tsp of sugar, and then gently massage/knead them for 3 minutes. When the daikon is very bendy, and a little pool of water has collected at the bottom of the bowl, rinse the vegetables in cold water, and pat or press them dry with paper towels. Put them into a jar (or jars, depending on how big your jars are and how big your carrots and daikon were). Now make the brine by combining the 1/2 cup sugar, rice vinegar, white vinegar, and lukewarm water in a bowl and stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the brine over the vegetables in the jar, and allow to sit for at least 1 hour. In a jar, these will last for about 4 weeks in the fridge.

Tacos

When the meat is cooked, remove the strings, and pull it apart with two forks. Leave the slow cooker on warm while you warm you tortillas, slice your cucumbers and jalapeño, and pick your cilantro. Then, enjoy!

P.S. The meat and sauce and toppings make great leftovers when heaped atop a bowl of fresh rice or soba noodles.

Poppa Herb and I at the Oregon coast, many years ago.
Poppa Herb and I at the Oregon coast, many years ago.

Weekend Finds 11:3:13

Phew! We just got back yesterday from a relaxing, sun-soaked week in Mexico. We were there celebrating my birthday and my sister’s birthday with my mom and her boyfriend. It was so much fun, and there were food adventures to be had! Post coming soon about that.

This Weekend Finds is starting to lean towards the holiday season. I don’t know if you know, but this year Thanksgiving falls on the second night of Channukah, for the first time ever, and the only time for the next 75,000 years. My family, being a little eccentric, is going full steam ahead for “Thanksgivukkah,” so the holiday has been on the brain lately. Here are some things we’re thinking of:

1. Rosemary Wreath Place Cards

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Rosemary wreath place cards from Spoon Fork Bacon

I’m super into these mini wreaths, made of rosemary, so you know they’ll smell delicious. Head over to Spoon Fork Bacon for the (not that hard) tutorial!

2. Butternut Squash Latkes

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Butternut Squash Latkes: perfect for Thanksgivukkah

My mom wanted to make traditional latkes and put cranberry sauce on top (which, I guess, is still a possibility), but I always like making new latke variations. This seems like the perfect year to try these butternut squash and sage latkes.

3. Squash Soup with a twist

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Squash soup with a twist from Orangette

Moving away from the holiday theme, this soup from Molly Wizenberg over at Orangette looks wonderful. I love squash soup, but I love even more that this one has some unusual ingredients for a squash soup: fish sauce and sriracha anyone? I can’t wait to try making it.

4. Drinking with your eyes

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Learn more about what that wine label tells you.

This is an entertaining article about the design of wine labels. Not that it helps terribly much – I still probably won’t know what to pick up when I go to the store – but it’s interesting to learn about what all goes into the design, and the tools label designers use.

5. Cocktails in a slowcooker

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Slowcooker cocktails are perfect for holiday parties!

This idea to put your mulled wine or spiced cider in a slow cooker instead of a pot on the stove is brilliant. Having a bunch of people (who’ve been drinking) gathered around the stove where there is fire has always made me nervous, and this seems like a great alternative, and a way to get people out of the kitchen and into other rooms.

Weekend Finds 9:29:13

Well, it has been officially windy and rainy in Portland this week (downing trees and outing power and everything!), so the time has come to hunker down, put on those shawl collar sweaters, and bring some of these weekend finds to life.

1. How to Make a Good Crockpot Meal

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Crockpot tips from Bon Appetit

First and perhaps most importantly, let’s revisit slow cookers as it gets colder. I never know which recipes on the internet to trust, but one resource I always listen to is Bon Appetit. This is a great little reminder of the do’s and don’t’s of crockpotting.

2. Pumpkin Time!

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Pumpkin pumpkin everywhere!

Portland is certainly getting into the fall swing of things, as many bakeries are featuring pumpkin on their menus. This article from Portland Monthly tells you who’s falling for what fall treats. Pumpkin streusel muffins, pumpkin caramal ricotta tart, pumpkin cupcakes with molasses butter cream… how can I decide? It’s also inspiring me to revisit some of my favorite pumpkin recipes

3. Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Cinnamon Raisin Bread from A Subtle Revelry

Ok, admittedly, all of these breads from A Subtle Revelry look beautiful, but the cinnamon raisin loaf really stood out to me. I grew up eating cinnamon raisin bread, toasted, slathered with cream cheese. I remember how good it would make the kitchen smell in the morning before I went to catch the bus to school. Imagine how heavenly the house would smell if you made a whole loaf. From scratch.

4. Leif

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Beautiful Agate platters from Leif.

This online shop has some beautiful tabletop items. I’m particularly into the dip dye place mats, the dipped mini bowls, and the agate platters, which would make for an AMAZING cheese spread, and you know it.

5. Buttermilk Bacon Grease Cornbread

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Buttermilk bacon grease cornbread from Local Milk

I can’t even. This buttermilk bacon grease cornbread from Local Milk sounds so effing good, I have a feeling that once I make it I’ll hide it from everyone else and eat the whole dish, still warm, slathered in butter and honey. Ok, maybe not, but I’d like to do that. There’s another variation for Coconut cornbread in her post that also sounds scrumptious.