Pork Recipes

Baby Back Ribs

Baby Back ribs are great because they are easy to eat with your hands, thus a great party food. People often make the mistake of thinking that baby back ribs should be slow and long cooked. Not true at all. Baby Back Ribs are cut from the back rib section of the pig and the meat on them is therefore tender like a center-cut pork chop. For that reason, they should be grilled quickly and without pre-cooking.

The real work in great ribs comes from the flavoring, not the cooking. The flavor comes from what you put on the meat both before during and after cooking. I believe great ribs are flavored twice (dry rub and then a sauce). This recipe produces ribs that have flavor with a spicy kick, so adjust accordingly to your taste.

Ingredients

1 rack (approx 2pounds) baby back pork ribs
(each full rack serves 2-3 people)

2 cups barbeque sauce (see recipe below)
1 cup spice rub (see below)

For the Dry Rub

2 Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons Chile powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon dry mustard
1 Teaspoon dry sage
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup salt
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together. This mix will keep well in a sealed container for months.

For the Barbecue Sauce

1 medium/large red onion chopped
1 medium/large yellow onion chopped
2 whole medium garlic bulbs, each clove chopped
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes, pre-seasoned with basil & garlic
2 8 oz can tomato paste
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup cider vinegar
¾ cup tarragon white vinegar
1 ¾ cup ketchup
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons powdered mustard
3 teaspoons ground cumin

If you like a thicker and/or sweeter bbq sauce you can also add 2-3 tablespoons of molasses OR 3 - 4 tablespoons brown sugar.

1. over medium high heat, sauté the onion, celery and garlic until translucent (approx 5 minutes)

2. Add all the remaining ingredients, and simmer sauce, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until smooth. Puree sauce in a blender, it's ready!

To Make the Ribs...

1. At least 4 hours and preferably 24 hours, before grilling, apply dry spice rub to ribs and refrigerate.

2. Heat a gas grill on high for at least 10 minutes with the lid closed If you have a thermometer on your grill, you're going for 450-500 degrees internally.

3. Place ribs meat side down on grill. Lower heat to medium high and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Turn ribs over and lather meaty side with barbeque sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.

5. Turn ribs again and cook for 3 minutes.

6. Turn ribs once more so that the meaty side is again facing up and lather with sauce once more. Turn off heat, but leave ribs in grill, covered for 3 additional minutes. This should produce ribs that are cooked through, but still tender. Separate your ribs as desired and serve with additional sauce.

Balsamic Pork Chops

This dish’s success rests on two keys; not overcooking the chops and getting the sauce just right. Double the whole thing to serve 4.

2 thick center cut pork chops
½ white onion, sliced
½ cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon butter
½ cup balsamic vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Makes 2 servings

1.Season each pork chop with a tablespoon each of olive oil and a layer of salt and pepper on both sides

2. Heat a gas grill to 450 degrees and cook pork chops to rare with perfect grill marks on both sides. This is usually achieved with 2 minutes on first side, 2 minutes on second side and 1 minute on each side again (6 minutes total, depending on thickness of chops). When you remove the chops from the grill, the internal temp should be between 115-135 degrees.

3. Remove from grill and set aside

4. In a large sauté pan, heat remaining olive oil to medium high

5. sauté onions for 1 minute

6. Place all remaining ingredients (except pork chops) into pan and cook for 3 minutes

7. Place pork chops in sauté pan and allow sauce to glaze by turning the pork often, bringing it to an internal temperature of 155 degrees, about 5 minutes.

Basic Pork Roast

Well, I admit that I started to roll out my batch of “recession proof” recipes in the wrong order last week when I posted the very ambitious BBQ pulled pork recipe; this is the basic, toned down, very easy version of a fork tender, pull apart roasted pork with outstanding flavor (if you love pork, that is). This is a simple slow roasted dish that highlights the outstanding flavor of the meat.

I am told by a friend that this dish works equally as well by using an oven as opposed to a grill and following the directions below. I have not tried it, but I trust the friend that told me so if you are more comfortable using an oven, go for it.

There is almost nothing to not love about this dish! It’s made with a very inexpensive, accessible cut of pork; since it’s pork, the other white meat, it’s nutritious and fairly low in fat, comparatively to other meat dishes; it produces a ton of outstanding food that provides a variety of leftovers that only get better in the days following the preparation.

1 Pork shoulder butt roast 3-5 pounds. (Your choice of either boneless or on the bone. I prefer boneless. Also, I have seen the boneless tied and untied, again your choice. I prefer the un-tied version.) I suggest looking for what they call a Boston butt roast of about 4 pounds. Every super market sells these.

1 disposable aluminum baking pan sized and shaped to snugly hold the roast. I suggest finding a roast that perfectly matches a 5 pound loaf pan (11 ¾ x 5 5/8 x 3 3/16)

Dried Thyme leaves (I suggest about 4 teaspoons to start)
Salt
Black pepper
Olive oil

1. Place roast in baking pan and lather olive oil all over the roast, then evenly distribute salt, pepper and thyme across entire roast, all sides. The amount you use is based solely on your tastes. I suggest starting with approximately 1 teaspoon of each spice per side of the roast (4 teaspoons total of each) If you like a more herby roast, use more thyme.

2. Cover baking pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow roast to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours prior to cooking

3. Preheat grill to 500-525 degrees (all burners at high)

4. Place aluminum baking pan directly in the center of your grill, close the lid and allow to sear for 15 minutes

5. After 15 minutes, lower heat controls on your grill so that within an additional 15 minutes (30 minutes total cooking time) your grill is at 275 degrees. This will take some tinkering with your grill. You may have to turn all of your burners off and restart them at low, etc. Make sure to leave the grill lid closed throughout the process.

6. Roast the pork at 275 degrees for an additional 2 hours beyond the 30 minutes that has already occurred.

7. Remove roast from grill, leaving grill burning. Remove aluminum foil lid and pour 2 cups of liquid into a liquid measuring dish.

8. Using two dinner forks facing away from one another, pull apart the pork into large chunks in the roasting pan

9. Cover pan again tightly with foil and cook for an additional 30 minutes at 275.

10. Meanwhile, use the two cups of reserved drippings to make a gravy; skim 3 tablespoons off of the top of the reserved drippings (the drippings will have separated with the fat rising to the top) and place in a small saucepan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons of flour. Whisk quickly into a blond roux, then add remaining liquid and whisk together. Add salt and/or pepper as desired as gravy thickens. Serve gravy with roasted pork.

BBQ Pulled Pork

Don’t be scared off by the long directions; all of this is fairly easy and WELL worth it. Also, this can all be done in one day with great results. I provide guidelines if you want to truly make this a labor of love and do the dish over the course of 2-3 days, but trust me, either way this is a fantastic meal.

There is almost nothing to not love about this dish!

1. It’s made with a very inexpensive, accessible cut of pork

2. Since it’s pork, the other white meat, it’s nutritious and fairly low in fat, comparatively to other meat dishes

3. There is almost nothing to not love about this dish!

4. Though seemingly time consuming, it’s easy and takes very little effort on your part.

5. It produces a ton of outstanding food that provides a variety of leftovers that only get better in the days following the preparation.

6. It’s versatile; I like to eat the finished pork with a fork right off of the serving plate. My wife piles hers high on a potato bun with onions ands makes a BBQ pork sandwich. The possibilities are endless.

The general idea here is to slow roast a pork butt (which has nothing to do with the pig’s ass) until the meat is so tender it literally pulls apart with ease. I have made this dish with both boneless and on-the-bone pork butts with identical success. This BBQ version is for people who love tender, juicy pork and great BBQ sauce. My BBQ sauce (recipe below) is a balanced version of tangy and sweet. If you have a sauce you prefer, substitute it for my sauce as you go in the directions below. Both the dry rub and injections I describe below are necessary in my opinion as they provide a seasoning base and cooking liquid for the meat. I’d suggest trying the recipe once using my formula so that you get a feel for it, then experimenting from there. Trust me, once you’ve had this dish you’ll be dying to make it over and over again.

In a perfect world, the steps below are done over the course of 24-48 hours to allow the seasonings to settle into the meat, but it all works in the course of one great Saturday too.

1 disposable aluminum baking pan sized and shaped to snugly hold the roast. I suggest finding a roast that perfectly matches a 5 pound loaf pan (11 ¾ x 5 5/8 x 3 3/16)

1 batch of dry rub, recipe below.
1 batch of Vinegar sauce, recipe below
4 cups of BBQ sauce, recipe follows below

DRY RUB

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 cup salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

VINEGAR SAUCE

¾ cup apple cider vinegar
¾ cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Mix together all of the dry rub ingredients

2. Evenly distribute dry rub across and throughout entire pork roast.

3. Place roast in baking pan (if you are planning days ahead, at this point place the pork, covered into a refrigerator overnight and then proceed to step 4 the next day. If not, proceed immediately to step #4)

4. Mix together all of the vinegar sauce

5. Using a meat injector, find random, evenly distributed spots along the roast to inject the sauce into the heart of the meat. Some of the sauce will and should escape the meat and into the bottom of the pan.

6. Cover baking pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow roast to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours prior to cooking (preferably it would be refrigerated again overnight after step 5 and cooked the next day after assuming room temperature but we don’t all have three days to wait for such an awesome dish)

7. Preheat grill to 500-525 degrees (all burners at high)

8. Place aluminum baking pan directly in the center of your grill, close the lid and allow to sear for 15 minutes

9. After 15 minutes, lower heat controls on your grill so that within an additional 15 minutes (30 minutes total cooking time) your grill is at 275 degrees. This will take some tinkering with your grill. You may have to turn all of your burners off and restart them at low, etc. Make sure to leave the grill lid closed throughout the process.

10. Roast the pork at 275 degrees for an additional 2 hours beyond the 30 minutes that has already occurred.

11. Remove roast from grill, leaving grill burning. Remove aluminum foil lid and discard all of the liquid in the pan.

12. Using two dinner forks facing away from one another, pull apart the pork into large chunks in the roasting pan and then pour approximately 2 ½ cups of BBQ sauce over the meat.

13. Cover pan again tightly with foil and cook for an additional 30 minutes at 275.

14. At this point the meat is ready. I serve it by pulling it apart into smaller, just larger than bite size pieces and placing it on a large platter, allowing people to either make sandwiches or eat as is. Serve remaining fresh BBQ sauce on the side.

BARBEQUE SAUCE

This will make more than the 4 cups you need for the pulled pork which is great if you have guests who really want to mop their pork, or this is a great sauce to freeze and have on hand.

This is the sauce I use for my baby back ribs each year at the 4th of July party and is also excellent on chicken and basically any other meat that lends itself to bbq sauce. This sauce is slightly spicy and not too sweet.

(If you like a thicker and/or sweeter bbq sauce you can also add 2-3 tablespoons of molasses OR 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar)

1. Over medium high heat, sauté the onion, celery and garlic until translucent (approx 5 minutes)

2. Add all the remaining ingredients, and simmer sauce, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until smooth. Puree sauce in a blender or food processor, it’s ready!

Cajun One Pot Stir Fry

One-pot meals offer the pleasure of home cooking assembled with little fuss and minimal clean-up, and nearly always contain a starch, protein and vegetable all rolled into one happy dish. With that, I present to you this mish-mash of flavors which is a favorite at Williams Manor

8 Ounces smoked sausage (I recommend a smoked polish or andouille).

4 ounces shrimp, peeled, tails removed and chopped

1 Large russet potato, peeled and diced

1 large white onion quartered and sliced

1 ½ cups chopped celery

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon spice salt (recipe below)

1/8 cup olive oil

SALT MIX RECIPE

Makes one cup (can be stored in air tight container for months)

2 Tablespoons paprika

2 Tablespoons garlic powder

1 Tablespoon dried thyme

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon dried basil

1 Tablespoon cayenne

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon black pepper

1 Tablespoon salt

MAKES 2-4 SERVINGS

If you have the time, grill the sausage and allow to cool ahead of time for a nice char flavor. In all events, slice sausage into rounds and then the round in half.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add olive oil
Add the potatoes and cook, stirring the entire pan once every minute, for about 7 minutes.
At around 7 minutes, you will begin to see browning on the edges and corners of your taters.
Add and cook onion, celery and garlic for about 2 minutes
Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes
Add sausage and stir together
Add seasoning salt mix and stir, then serve in shallow bowls

Chile Verde

This Dish can be made with tomatoes to create a red sauce, but the green version using tomatillos is the authentic way. I hate Americanized Mexican food, so be warned that this is true, authentic Mexican food.

Ingredients
2 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
2.5 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
Flour
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Anaheim Chiles, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pasilla pepper, cut into cubes
3 fresh jalapenos, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound tomatillos, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
4 cups chicken stock

To Make..

1. Season the pork with a good amount of salt and pepper, then lightly flour each piece.

2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium high and brown the pork cubes in small batches, on all sides. Remove pork and place into a large saucepan.

3. In the skillet, saute the onions and peppers for about five minutes, then add the chiles. Cook for an additional 3 minutes while stirring occasionally.

4. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

5. To the meat, add the sauteed vegetables, chopped tomatillos, herbs and cilantro. Cover with the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 2 hours until the pork is fork tender, stirring occasionally.

7. Serve with rice, beans and/or tortillas.

Chili Glazed Grilled Pork Chops

Most people make very similar fatal mistakes when preparing pork chops. The most common blunder is overcooking the meat; Pork chops are a very delicate meat that if overcooked just slightly, becomes firm and tough. Secondly, even if the meat is accidently cooked correctly, most people fail to marinate or season the pork chops properly, producing a bland chop. This marinade glazes the chop with a spicy flavorful outer layer and allows the taste of the pork to shine through in the middle.

Make sure you buy thick, center cut pork chops of high quality and marinate them for as long as possible.

2 thick center cut pork chops
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
¼ cup Chipotle peppers in sauce. Available canned in any grocery store’s Mexican food aisle. (use a fork and mash the peppers while mixing with other ingredients)

Makes 2 servings

1. Combine marinade ingredients and mix well.

2. Add chops to marinade. I prefer a tightly sealed Ziploc bag or, if necessary, a Tupperware of appropriate size. The trick is to make sure the chops are swimming in the marinade.

3. Allow to marinate, shaking/mixing container often. Chops should marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, refrigerated.

4. Bring chops to room temperature before grilling

5. Pre-heat grill to 450 degrees.

6. Turn, grilling for an additional 2 minutes

7. Turn again, grilling 3-5 minutes, depending on heat of grill and flare-ups

8. Turn a final time and allow an additional 3-5 minutes to achieve medium rare. Pour remaining marinade (what’s left in the bag) onto the chops. The middle of the chop should feel identical to the base of your thumb when you press on both with your index finger. If using a meat thermometer, you’re looking for 145 degrees.

Dr. Christina’s Ribs

My wife, Christina, forced me into rib retirement by shaming me with this recipe. For as long as I can remember as an adult, I was the rib-guy amongst friends. 4^th of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day, any day by request…fall off the bone, perfectly sauced baby back ribs were my thang. And then my wife started bragging about her dopey “Dr. Pepper ribs,” and I laughed and pointed and fell over and pointed at her some more, all the while exclaiming “you’re from Texas! And you make Dr. Pepper ribs! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.” And then she made them. We haven’t spoken of it since.

There are a million variations of soaking your ribs in Dr. Pepper. Personally, I believe Christina’s trick is her seasoning mix and her cooking technique of searing them off over the grill at the end. Either way, these are the ribs I’ll be eating for the rest of my life, and things could be a lot worse than that.

Christina says: Don’t be afraid of the number of steps! It’s not as daunting as it reads.

FOR THE RIBS:

2 racks, about 5 pounds of baby back ribs

½ cup kosher or sea salt

2 liters Dr. pepper

½ cup chili powder

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ red onion, minced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ cup ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup Dr pepper

2 tablespoons honey

MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS

Approximately 12 hours prior to serving, place ribs, bone side up (meat side down) in a large deep container (we use oversized aluminum trays) big enough to hold and submerge the racks entirely in liquid. Cover racks evenly with salt
Pour 2 liters of Dr Pepper on top of ribs until fully submerged.
Cover with foil and place in refrigerator for 8-14 hours
As long as 6 hours prior to serving, begin making sauce by warming 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat
Saute onions and garlic for 2 minutes
Add ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, and 1 cup of Dr Pepper and bring to a boil
Immediately lower heat to simmer and slowly drizzle in honey
Check for seasonings and adjust as necessary
Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until sauce thickens
Remove sauce from heat and reserve for rib use as follows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Remove ribs from Dr Pepper and discard the liquid. Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel
Generously coat the ribs, both sides, with chili powder, massaging into the meat
Make sure ribs reach room temperature before proceeding.
In a shallow baking sheet, place 1 cup of water
Place ribs on the baking sheet, bone side down
Tightly cover with foil
Bake for 2 hours
After 90 minutes, preheat grill to 450 degrees
If your sauce is not warmed, do so now over medium low heat
At the 2 hour-in-the-oven mark, check to insure the ribs are fall-off-the-bone-tender by using a fork to slowly but gently pull meat away from the bone (without doing so).
Place ribs, bone side down on oiled grill grate and brush meat side with sauce
Every 3 minutes, turn rack over and baste ribs again. Do so for a total of 15-21 minutes until the ribs achieve a good seared crust. At that point, turn off heat source of grill and allow ribs to rest, bone side down. Brush meaty side one final time with sauce and leave ribs sitting on covered grill for 5 minutes
Remove ribs from grill and bring inside to rest for another 5 minutes, then cut racks into servings and serve with more sauce on the side.

Glazed Holiday Ham

The best and easiest way to insure a quality holiday meal of ham is to order or buy a pre-cooked ham from your favorite store or butcher, like say, Phil from the Longhorn Meat Company in Auburn, California! Spiral hams make life even easier because they are essentially pre-sliced around the bone and serving is a breeze.

Trust me, however, there is an art to pulling this off on meal day. Most people over or under cook their ham and either serve it dry or cold. Additionally, a great glaze is key to flavor. Discard the package that comes with your ham and follow these steps to a crowd pleaser…one note; I’ve never “gotten,” the clover thing with ham so I don’t use them. My biggest piece of advice is not to simmer the glaze for too long, as you will end up with a hard caramel once it begins to cool, and it’s extremely difficult to slather onto the outside of the ham when glazing. You want to bring it to a gentle simmer and take it off the heat quickly.

1 bone-in spiral ham (most are 7 or 9 pounds, adjust accordingly as below)

1 fifteen ounce can chicken broth

¼ cup butter

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup beef broth

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

MAKES 12-18 SERVINGS, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF YOUR HAM

Preheat oven or grill to 300 degrees
Make sure your ham has been brought to room temperature prior to beginning.
Place ham in a roasting pan on a wire rack and pour the chicken broth in to the bottom of the pan
Using a sharp knife score a 1-inch-wide diamond pattern (don’t cut more than 1/4 inch deep) over the entire ham.
Cover the ham loosely with aluminum foil and bake for about 8 minutes per pound, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through. (A 7 pound ham cooks in 56 minutes)
Most “formulas” swear up and down that the ham should cook for about 10 minutes per pound, but I swear I have never seen that work in a variety of ovens. It’s always too much. I recommend 8 minutes per pound, checking your meat regularly and adjusting temperatures and serving times if necessary (8 minutes per pound has NEVER failed me).
While the ham bakes, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and whisk together the syrup, broth, sugar, mustard, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally
Check your ham at the 8 minutes per pound mark. It should be heated through at this point but not dry (if it is dry, by the way, an emergency technique is to double or even triple the amount of glaze and continue).
Remove ham to a work station and increase oven temperature to 425 degrees
Remove and discard the aluminum foil and pour or brush the glaze over as much of the ham as possible. I suggest using tongs to rotate the ham and also peeling back the slices (if spiral) and glazing as many individual pieces as possible.
Return the ham to oven and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes until glaze is caramelized and bubbly. Some of the edges of the ham will be brown and crispy as well.
Mix some of the ham pan juices together with the glaze in the pot which will help keep it runny enough for brushing.
Brush the ham again and cook for a final 5-10 minutes, achieving the desired look/crust you want
Let ham rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Italian Braised Pork

Some people love this on a hoagie roll as a sandwich. Others, like me, eat it as a stew because it’s so good on its’ own. Still others prefer it over pasta or polenta. Either way, it’s damn delicious and easiest made in a slow cooker.

4 ounces pancetta or bacon chopped

3-4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, chopped into 4-6 equal sized chunks

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large white onion, diced

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 cup diced celery

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons freshly chopped sage

2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups red wine

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 bay leaf

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat
Season pork with salt and pepper and brown the meat on all sides (about 8 minutes total).
Remove meat from pan and place in slow cooker (Crock Pot)
To the skillet, add onion, garlic, celery and fennel seeds and sauté while stirring for 2 minutes
Add the tomato paste, sage, basil, oregano, and thyme and stir
Add wine and boil for 3 minutes
Add all of the pan to the slow cooker and add the tomatoes to the slow cooker with the lemon juice and bay leaf
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours
Transfer pork to a cutting board and using two forks pulling away from each other, shred the pork into bite sized pieces. Return the pork to the slow cooker and stir together with the sauce. Cook on low for another 30 minutes and serve

Sausage Smothered Beans

For you "Dawns" of the world, you can always use Chicken Sausage... or I guess, even Soy Sausage to lower the fat… but don't blame me for the crappy taste.

Ingredients
½ pound white navy beans, soaked, drained and rinsed according to package
16 ounces hot/jalapeno polish sausage, chopped
3 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups chopped white onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 bay leaves
4 cups water
parmesan cheese
olive oil

To Make...

1. In a large saucepan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat and sauté the sausage for one minute.

2. Add the ½ the onion and ½ the celery and cook stirring for about 1 minute. Add salt to taste.

3. Add the garlic, beans, bay leaves and water.

4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered, for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the remaining onion and celery and stir until well mixed and heated through, about 10 minutes. You want this batch of onion and celery to remain crunchy.

6. remove Bay leaves.

7. Serve, topping with parmesan cheese

Sauasage With White Beans

This Dish is MADE by the grilling of the sausages. I know it's a pain in the ass, but it vital to the flavor.

For you Dawn's of the world, you can always use Chicken Sausage, or I guess, even Soy Sausage to lower the fat…but don't blame me for the crappy taste.

Ingredients
2 cans white beans, drained
8 ounces hot/jalapeno polish sausage, cut into rounds
4 ounces spicy beef sausage link, cut into rounds
2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 bunch basil sliced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
parmesan cheese
olive oil

To Make...

1. Grill the sausages, either whole or after cutting into rounds. The point is to get the great charred flavor of the grill into the sausages. This should take less than 5 minutes.

2. In a large saute pan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat

3. Add the garlic cook stirring for about 1 minute

4. Add the beans, tomatoes and half the basil. Stir and cook for 1 minute

5. Add the grilled sausage, and Cook 1 minute

6. Add the remaining basil and stir constantly until well mixed and heated through

7. Serve, topping with parmesan cheese

Spicy Sausage & Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 Pound smoked spicy sausage (Hot links) sliced into rounds
2 Tablespoons chopped Garlic
2 Cups yellow onions, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 pounds white potatoes, diced into 1/8ths ( I don't peel mine, your choice)
8 cups Chicken stock/broth
1 Tablespoons fresh, chopped thyme (or 2 tablespoons thyme leaves from jar)
Salt and Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
Cayenne pepper

To Make...

1. In a large soup Pot, cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil and allow to heat briefly. Add the onions. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. (If you are unsure of the spiciness you want, use only 1 teaspoon of cayenne at this point, you can always add more at the end). Sauté the onions, stirring, for about 2 minutes.

2. Add the sausage, stir, cook for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves and thyme.

4. Add the potatoes and broth and bring to a boil.

5. Turn the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Stir often.

6. Check the seasoning. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to suit your taste.

7. Remove the Bay Leaves and serve.

RECOMMENDED SIDE DISHES

The old standards remain true here. Salad and/or bread are great with this.

Because of the heartiness of the sausage and the potato, nothing else is necessary to fill you up.

RECOMMENCED BEVERAGES

Wine: Many will say that you shouldn't drink wine with soup. These people are dumb-asses. Because of the spice of the dish, a crisp white would do very well here. I would recommend a Fume-Blanc (my favorite is made by Ferrari-Carano and costs only $9 per bottle)

If you need more body to your white wine, a Chardonnay with a lot of citrus (Joseph Phelps) would be very good. I would avoid Chardonnays with a lot of butter and or toast flavors (Rombauer, Pride, etc.)

For red wine lovers, you want a full-bodied, spicy wine to stand up to the depth and spice of this soup. You'll need a big merlot (Ferrari Carano, Rombauer) or any good cabernet ready for the challenge. I recently had this soup with a bottle of 1994 Beringer Knights Valley Caberent.

Others: Good ol' beer is also great with this, because it cuts through the spiciness and the beer flavor goes great with the sausage.

Tuscan Pork Roast

Continuing the theme of using the inexpensive pork butt cut of meat, this is the same cooking style as any pulled pork recipe, but it produces a beautiful herb flavoring that highlights the meat perfectly.

1 disposable aluminum baking pan sized and shaped to snugly hold the roast. I suggest finding a roast that perfectly matches a 5 pound loaf pan (11 ¾ x 5 5/8 x 3 3/16)

4 tablespoons dried Thyme leaves
4 tablespoons dried rosemary
4 tablespoons dried oregano
6 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Salt
1 tablespoon Black pepper
2 cups Olive oil

1. Place roast in baking pan and lather 1 cup of olive oil all over the roast, then evenly distribute all of the salt and pepper across entire roast, all sides. Then repeat with 2 tablespoons each of thyme, rosemary, oregano and 3 tablespoons garlic

2. Cover baking pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow roast to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours prior to cooking

3. Preheat grill to 500-525 degrees (all burners at high)

4. Place aluminum baking pan directly in the center of your grill, close the lid and allow to sear for 15 minutes

6. Roast the pork at 275 degrees for an additional 2 hours beyond the 30 minutes that has already occurred.

7. While meat is cooking, mix together remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, remaining herbs and garlic and mustard and whisk together thoroughly

8. Remove roast from grill, leaving grill burning. Remove aluminum foil lid and pour 2 cups of liquid into a liquid measuring dish.

9.Using two dinner forks facing away from one another, pull apart the pork into large chunks in the roasting pan

10. Pour the oil/vinegar/mustard mixture all over the meat

11. Cover pan again tightly with foil and cook for an additional 30 minutes at 275.

12. Meanwhile, use the two cups of reserved drippings to make a gravy; skim 3 tablespoons off of the top of the reserved drippings (the drippings will have separated with the fat rising to the top) and place in a small saucepan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons of flour. Whisk quickly into a blond roux, then add remaining liquid and whisk together. Add salt and/or pepper as desired as gravy thickens. Serve gravy with roasted pork.