Pig

Ingredients
1 pork loin
3 cloves garlic, cut into  slivers
Salt and ground pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons shallot, minced
¹⁄₂ cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400*F. 

2. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut slits all over the pork loin.  Insert the garlic slivers into the slits then season the meat well with salt and pepper. 

3. Roast until meat reaches 135-140*F, about 55 minutes.  Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest while preparing sauce. 

4. Melt butter in skillet over low heat.  Add shallot and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add broth and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Whisk in mustard and cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  Stir in tarragon and season with salt and pepper. 

5. Slice roast into thin slices and serve with sauce. 

Comments
This recipe is from epicurious.com.  The meat was tender and juicy, the sauce was reminiscent of Béarnaise.  Very tasty and light. 

Shown here with Chard Gratin.

Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons sour cream

Instructions
1. Season pork on all sides with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add pork and cook until meat is well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. 

2. Lower heat to medium low, cover pan, and cook until the temperature of the pork reaches 145*F, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove meat to a plate and cover with foil.  Let meat rest for 10 minutes while preparing the sauce. 

3. Return skillet to burner set to medium and deglaze with 1 tablespoon water, scraping off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Lower heat and add both mustards and sour cream, whisking to combine.  Cook sauce until heated through. 

4. Thinly slice pork and serve with sauce. 

Comments
This recipe is from Kalyn’s Kitchen and I thought it was very tasty.  The sauce was easy and pork tenderloin is super simple to cook in a skillet.  It was tender, moist, and full of great flavor.

Shown here with Zucchini with Basil, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4-5 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5-inch chunks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup beer (I believe any beer will do.)
2 bay leaves
5 cloves garlic, peeled

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Combine salt, chili powder, and cumin in small bowl.  Rub pieces of pork shoulder all over with salt mixture. 

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.  Cook pork shoulder in single layer until well browned then turn to brown on other side. 

3. Once pork is all browned, remove from pot and place on paper towel lined plate to drain.  Add beer to pot, scraping up brown bits with wood spoon.  Return pork to pan and add water until pork is two-thirds submerged.  Add bay leaves and garlic, then increase heat to high and bring to boil. 

4. Transfer pot to oven and cook, uncovered, 3 ¹⁄₂ hours.  Turn pork every hour to ensure even cooking.  Once liquid has mostly evaporated and pork is falling apart, remove pot from oven and carefully remove pork to a plate. 

5. Increase heat to 425*F.  Shred pork into bite-sized pieces, discarding large pieces of fat.  Return pork to Dutch oven and cook in oven, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated completely and the pork is crispy and caramelized, about 20 to 30 more minutes.  Remove bay leaves before serving.

Comments
This recipe is from Tide and Thyme.  You can use the meat in a variety of ways – quesadillas, burritos, tacos, etc.  I used this attempt in simple soft tacos with lettuce, cheese, and avocado.  I did find the meat to be a bit on the salty side, so I’d suggest reducing the salt from 1 tablespoon to 2 teaspoons if you make it – depending on what your salt tastes are like. 

We’ve got quite a few pork shoulders from our recent pig order, so it’s nice to find a new way to use them!

Internet - Tide and Thyme

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (2 ¹⁄₂ - 3 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried rosemary

For the sauce
1 cup balsamic vinegar
³⁄₄ cup ketchup
¹⁄₄ cup packed brown sugar
¹⁄₄ cup sugar or honey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Place onion and bell pepper in slow cooker.  Add meat and sprinkle with thyme and rosemary.  Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 9 hours or until tender and falling apart. 

2. About 30 minutes before shoulder is finished, combine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, white sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt and pepper in medium saucepan.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. 

3. Transfer meat to cutting board and pull meat apart using two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat.  Discard vegetable mixture from slow cooker and rinse or wash it if desired.  Return meat and sauce to slow cooker, stir well, and cook on LOW for 30 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Handle the Heat and it was delicious!  I served it on rolls and I think we had a salad on the side.  The pork was deliciously balsamicy and super enjoyable.  Slow cooking can be so finicky, but pork shoulders are one of the cuts of meat that works very well to the cooking style.

Internet - Handle the Heat

Ingredients
2 (12 ounces each) pork tenderloins (I could only find larger tenderloins, so I sliced mine in half.)
Salt and pepper
6 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
1 ¹⁄₄ cups chicken broth
³⁄₄ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
3 tablespoons fresh chives, minced

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450*F. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Wrap each tenderloin with prosciutto.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook pork until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer meat to wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until meat registers 145*F, 15 to 18 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add flour, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth and lemon juice and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Off heat, add chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice pork and serve with sauce. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cook’s County Annual.  Pork wrapped pork?  What could be better?!  The tenderloin was super tender and moist.  The sauce was light and just the right touch. 

Shown here with Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash.

Cook’s Country 2011

Ingredients
3-4 pound skinless smoked cured ham (or larger, or smaller, whatever you happen to have)
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup brown sugar, packed
¹⁄₄ cup prepared mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I used red apple balsamic vinegar.)

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F. 

2. Place ham on rack set in baking sheet and bake until internal temperature reaches 120*F.  Remove from oven. 

3. Mix together cloves, brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar.  Spread glaze evenly over ham and bake until temperature is 140*F.  Transfer ham to cutting board and let stand 15 minutes before carving. 

No Photo

Comments
This recipe is from Food Network and I used it on two quarter hams that we had gotten from our CSA.  It’s rare for us to get ham, since we’d rather buy the uncooked stuff and smoke it ourselves!  I served this with Pineapple Stuffing and Salad, and completely forgot to take pictures because we had company and I was distracted.  This is a great recipe, just make sure to line the baking sheet with foil because the glaze makes a huge mess.

Internet - Food TV

Ingredients
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon cornstarch
6 teaspoons ginger, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound pork, cut into thin strips (I used the meat from 2 center cut pork chops.)
¹⁄₄ cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1-2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 cups broccoli, cut into florets
Pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions
1. Combine soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, 4 teaspoons ginger and 4 teaspoons garlic in bowl and stir well.  Add pork strips and stir to coat.  Let marinate while preparing other ingredients. 

2. Combine chicken broth, hoisin sauce, and red pepper flakes in small bowl. 

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok or large skillet over high heat.  Add broccoli and stir-fry, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until broccoli begins to become tender.  Remove broccoli to a plate and add more oil to the skillet if necessary. 

4. Add pork and marinating liquid.  Stir-fry pork 3 to 4 minutes, until cooked through and slightly brown.  Add remaining garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant.  Add broccoli and chicken broth mixture.  Continue cooking until sauce has thickened slightly and meat and vegetables are coated.  Serve with rice, if desired.

Comments
This recipe is from Kalyn’s Kitchen and it was fairly tasty.  The broccoli I used wasn’t awesome, sadly, and that affected the entire dish.  Aside from that, the flavors were good and the pork from the pork chops worked very well.

Internet - Kalyn’s Kitchen

Ingredients
For the meatballs
¹⁄₂ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¹⁄₄ cup breadcrumbs
¹⁄₄ cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons ginger, grated or minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground pork
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the noodles
1 pound pasta (Rice noodles are great if you can find them.) 
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 small red or yellow bell peppers, cut into thin strips
2 cups snow peas, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 cup green onion, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Like baking sheet with foil and place in oven.  Heat oven to 450*F. 

2. Combine all meatball ingredients in large bowl, stir until blended.  Cover and chill 30 minutes.  Form golf ball sized balls, remove baking sheet from oven, and place meatballs on baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until done.  (I used my disher for this.)

3. Bring large pot of water to boil.  Cook noodles according to package and drain well. 

4. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add bell peppers, snow peas, salt , red pepper, soy sauce, mirin, and rice wine vinegar.  Stir fry, stirring often, until crisp tender, about 2 to 4 minutes.  Add pasta and green onions to skillet and toss.  Serve pasta topped with meatballs. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual and it was great!  The meatballs were fantastically gingery and full of great flavor.  I modified the recipe for the noodles to include a bit more in the flavor department since they started off a bit bland.  All three of us loved this and there were no leftovers.  None at all.

Cooking Light 2011

Ingredients
1 boneless pork loin
4 slices bacon, cut in half widthwise
¹⁄₂ teaspoon chili powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the glaze
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I used red apple balsamic vinegar.)
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dry mustard

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F. 

2. Cover bottom of roasting pan or baking dish with aluminum foil and place pork loin in prepared dish. 

3. Combine chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, and cinnamon.  Rub spice mixture over pork.  Lay bacon strips over pork loin.  Roast until instant read thermometer reads 125*F.   

4. Meanwhile, combine sugar, flour, vinegar, and mustard in small saucepan.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 minute.  Spoon glaze over pork and return to oven.  Roast until thermometer reads 140*F.  Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. 

5. Pour accumulated juices from dish into gravy boat (or liquid measuring cup), skim fat from top, and pass sauce at table. 

Comments
This recipe is from The Comfort of Cooking and I picked it because I knew Art would love it.  The bacon on top turns into deliciously sweet candied goodness.   My only complaint is that the temperatures in the original recipe are wrong so my pork loin was overcooked.  The recipe as posted here includes the correct temperatures, I should have double checked before cooking.  The glaze worked very well and, while it was sweet, a mouthful of pork makes it perfect. 

Shown here with Pommes Anna.

Internet - The Comfort of Cooking

Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins, 1 ¹⁄₂ to 2 pounds total
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons mustard seeds, cracked
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, cracked
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked
1 teaspoon demerara or turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cornmeal
¹⁄₂ cup cornstarch
2 large egg whites

Instructions
1. Prepare grill.

2. Meanwhile, pat pork dry with paper towels. Combine mustard seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, sugar, salt, and cornmeal on rimmed baking sheet. Place cornstarch in large bowl. Beat egg whites until foamy. One at a time, coat tenderloins lightly with cornstarch, dip in egg whites, and transfer to rimmed baking sheet to coat with spice mixture.

3. Spray tenderloins lightly with cooking spray and grill, covered, over hot side of grill, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes. Slide pork to cooler side of grill and continue to cook, covered, until meat registers 145*F, 6 to 12 minutes longer. Transfer pork to carving board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Slice and serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2010 Cook’s Country Annual.  I “cracked” the spices in the spice rub by combining all the rub ingredients in my mini-processor and giving it a few pulses.  This worked very well and might be easier than cracking the spices using another method. 

I also only had one small pork tenderloin, so I used a pork loin as well.  Obviously it took a bit longer to cook, but it was delicious and the method and spice rub worked just as well on the loin as the tenderloin.  If you plan to use this on loin instead of tenderloin, you should double all amounts in the recipe. 

Shown here with Chantilly Potatoes.

Cook’s Country 2010