|
Meet me in St. Louis for the third annual Schlafly Brew and Q at the Bottleworks on May 22-23, 2009. Enjoy live music, fresh Schlafly beer and some great BBQ of the porcine variety. I'll be one of a team of judges in the amateur competition to see who can make the best center cut pork steak (hence the logo of inverted chops representing North and South America for the World Pork Steak Championship). The winner will receive a grand prize of $500. Other awards.jpg) go to the team with the best grilled or BBQ appetizer paired with Schlafly beer, and the team with the most creative booth design.
Why the hullaballo about competitive BBQ? It's a fun way to bring together friends, cooking, and plenty of time to socialize and enjoy drinking beer. Old-time BBQ competitions still are sponsored in large, by the largest brewers. But a new breed of informal BBQ competition, centered around craft brew or home brew, is drawing attention. Schlafly's event draws sponsorship from the local gourmet grocery chain, Schnucks, which offers in-store samplings to promote the event.
Last year, the Sprecher Brewery sponsored a consumers' grilling with Sprecher beer competition at the Wisconsin State Fair. The finalists all had a chance to see their recipes prepared - and tasted - by a panel of judges. I helped out as a prep cook and the judges included brewmaster Randy Sprecher, a rep from the Wisconsin Beef Council and as well as the creator of the Keg-A-Cue, a portable gas BBQ in the shape of a quarter barrel, which was one of the prizes.
Here's a favorite pulled pork BBQ recipe to get you in the grilling mood, just in time for Memorial Day 'cues. For most toothsome results, make it ahead of time so the pork can soak up the sauce. It was one of the hallmarks of the late and great Native Bay Restaurant's Swill and Swine event.
Bock-Braised Pork Shoulder
Chef Nathan Berg, who grew up in Chippewa Falls, WI, serves this as a base for pulled-pork sandwiches. I adapted his recipe to cook outdoors on the smoker.
1/4 cup each, smoked paprika, sugar, salt and freshly ground black pepper, mixed together
4 to 5 pounds pork shoulder (about 3 inches thick)
4 tablespoons grapeseed (or safflower) oil
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced thick
2 medium carrots, cleaned and chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
1 quart pork or beef stock
3 bottles bock or doppelbock
10 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1. Prepare grill to 300F or medium heat. Rub meat with spice rub mixture of paprika, sugar, salt and pepper. Arrange meat for indirect cooking over drip pan filled with wood chips. Cover grill and smoke meat for 3-4 hours, turning several times to cook evenly.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the onion, carrots and celery in the bottom of a deep casserole or Dutch oven, and place meat on top. Add stock and beer until meat and vegetables are fully submerged and add peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil (to prevent meat from drying out and burning). Cook on the grill at least 3 hours (or use a very large slow cooker set on LOW).
3. Remove pan from grill (or oven) and remove the pan covering, taking care not to let steam hit face or hands. Taste a small piece of pork and check its texture. It should be falling straight off the bone or peel apart easily when pulled. If the meat isn't fully tender, return to pan or slow cooker for another 1 to 2 hours.
4. Remove meat from the liquid, set it on a plate or in a shallow pan and place it in your refrigerator to cool slightly. In the meantime, strain cooking pan juices and place in a saucepan over medium high heat; bring it to a rolling boil on the stovetop. Reduce liquids to about 2 cups, by about 70 percent. When fully reduced, taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and splash of sherry vinegar.
5. When cool enough to handle (wear plastic food-handling gloves to protect hands), pick through the pork to shred it, and remove all bones and as much of the fat as possible. To finish, combine pulled pork and sauce in the large roasting pan and heat until warmed throughout. Stir in one tablespoon of truffle oil just before serving, with roasted potatoes and garlic sauerkraut.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Suggested pairing: Bock or brown ale
Recipe copyright: Nathan Berg
|