Perfect Pulled Pork

The perfect pulled pork is all about the pig.  We are lucky to have a really fantastic local butcher, who kindly cut the pork shoulder I needed for this dish.  I recommend a pork shoulder of about 1.5 kilos with a small bit of bone in it and a good layer of fat on top. 

Dry Rub:

1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix well and store in an air tight container

Brine Solution:

1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 liters cold water
2 bay leaves
3 Tablespoons dry rub mix

Add salt to cold water and stir very well until all the salt is completely dissolved.  Then add the brown sugar, dry rub, and bay leaves and stir well to combine.

Method

Rinse the pork shoulder and place in a large container (a Tupperware box of some variety).  Pour in the brine solution until the shoulder is completely covered.  Put the lid on and put in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. 

Remove the pork shoulder from the brine solution and pat dry with paper towels.  Place in a baking pan that is bigger than the meat by at least 5 centimeters in length and is at least 10 centimeters deep.

Sprinkle dry rub onto the surface of the meat and massage in such that it sticks to the surface.  Coat all sides.  Make sure the fat layer on the shoulder is facing up before cooking.

Place the baking pan uncovered in a 100 C oven on the middle rack.  The meat needs to cook until the center of the shoulder reaches 95 C (use a meat thermometer). It could take anywhere from 12 to 24 hours to cook, depending on your cut of meat and your oven. 

When the meat is done cooking, pull it out of the oven and cover with foil.  When the meat cools down to about 75 C, it can be shredded.  This should be done very easily with two forks.  It's best to remove the fat layer before shredding, if it hasn't already melted. 

To serve, the pork tastes great just shredded in a crusty roll.  You can mix BBQ sauce through it and eat any number of ways...also delicious. 

So...it's Friday night and I've already starting cooking our Sunday night dinner!  The beautiful pork is brining away in our fridge.  For our dinner Sunday night, I will be mixing through some BBQ sauce and then topping with a creamy sweet potato mash to make a southern version of shepherd's pie.  Can't wait!

Moussaka...or "The Full Extent of My Greek Recipes"

So, I love Moussaka.  I have always kind of thought of it (apologies to my Greek friends) as Greek lasagna.  I don't have a good palate for cooking Greek food, but I adore eating it.

This version of Moussaka is inspired by Masterchef.  George's momma came on and made her version of the dish, and it looked scrumptious.  I've altered her recipe with some of my touches, and think this is a pretty good version of the classic.

All that said...making this seemed to use up every dish and pan in my kitchen.  Be prepared.  Also, it took longer than I thought it would...but it was worth the effort.

Moussaka:

Ingredients

3 eggplants, sliced 5mm thick
4 tablespoons salt

drizzle of  olive oil
300g lamb mince
200g pork mince
200g beef mince
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried cinnamon
400g can of crushed tomatoes
700ml bottle of tomato passata

Olive oil & Canaola oil, for frying
3 large potatoes, sliced 5mm thick

Bechamel

100g butter
100g plain flour
600ml full cream milk, warmed
125g keflagraviera cheese, grated
1 egg yolk

Method

Lay eggplant over a shallow tray or dish and sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover with muslin or paper towels and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan or saucepan.  Add onion and saute briefly.  Add the lamb, pork and veal mince and cook until browned and the meat breaks up. 

Add crushed tomatoes, tomato passata, tomato paste and water.  Add garlic, italian seasoning and cinnamon and then bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for ½ hour. Season with salt to taste.

While the tomato sauce is bubbling away, pour a mixture of olive oil and canola oil (to your tastes - but word of advice, don't use extra virgin olive oil) into a frying pan approximately 1cm deep and place over a high heat.  Shallow fry potatoes for 3-4 minutes on each side or until tender. Drain on paper towel.

Pat dry the eggplant and wipe off the salt.  Pan fry the eggplant on each side (in the same oil as the potatoes) until golden yet still firm. Drain on paper towel.  If you don't want to cook the eggplant in oil, it tastes lovely grilled and works just as well.

For the béchamel, melt butter in a heavy based saucepan. Add the flour and stir over a low heat for 2 minutes. Slowly add warm milk, stirring continuously until thick. Mix in keflagraviera cheese and an egg yolk, and then season to taste with salt.  The cheese is already kind of salty, so go easy.

Preheat oven to 180C.

To assemble, oil the casserole dish and layer as follows:  Meat sauce, potato, sauce, potato, sauce, eggplant, sauce, potato, eggplant and remaining sauce. Cover with béchamel.

Bake for 45 minutes until browned and béchamel has set.

Enjoy!