Dr. Pepper Pork Steaks

 

 

Pork steaks are kind of a St. Louis thing. I grew up with the aroma of these cooking on neighborhood grills, always wafting through the air. Recently they have expanded throughout the Midwest, so that more people can enjoy this taste sensation. Sometimes it is referred to as a Boston butt steak or pork blade steak being that it is cut from the shoulder of the pig. It is a tough piece of meat, so it requires a decent amount of cooking, but the rewards are great. I recently came across a rib recipe, wherein the ribs were simmered in Dr. Pepper before being grilled, and I wondered how well this would translate to pork steaks. It translated beautifully! This doesn’t mean that I’m not going to throw these on the grill during the summer, but I guarantee I’m going to simmer them in Dr. Pepper before I do.

Dr. Pepper Pork Steaks

2-4 pork steaks

1 2-litre bottle Dr Pepper (NOT DIET!)*

5 cloves garlic, smashed

3 Melissa’s shallots, halved

1 T. liquid smoke

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. Smokehouse Maple Seasoning

Barbecue Sauce**

 Place pork steaks into a large stockpot and pour Dr. Pepper over to cover.

Add garlic, shallots, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and smokehouse maple seasoning. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook until tender. (I put mine in frozen and let them simmer for two hours, and that turned out to be perfect.)

 Using a spatula, lift pork steaks out of the pot and place into a baking pan. Pour barbecue sauce over the pork steaks to thickly cover. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.

 These reheat and freeze beautifully.

 *I cannot emphasize this enough. Diet soda contains chemicals that you do not want concentrated and infused into your food.

 **You can use your favorite barbecue sauce, but I would suggest using one that is more to the vinegary side rather than sweet. The Dr. Pepper is going to impart a bit of a sweetness to the meat. I used my own version of a local favorite from SugarFire Smokehouse, coffee barbecue sauce. The dark specks that you see on the meat are coffee grounds. So good. You can make a copycat here.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Grilled Zucchini

I have gone absolutely wild using my grill this season. I have already used it more this summer than I have in the past three years. I know nothing about grilling, but I am learning fast with various forms of experimentation. Week before last I grilled cauliflower steaks. This week I’m grilling zucchini. There is absolutely nothing to this, and I find that thicker slices keep the zucchini from going limp as it often does on the grill if the slices are too thin. Make dinner easy on yourself by doing as much as you possibly can outdoors. Keep that kitchen cool!

Grilled Zucchini

1 to 2 Melissa’s organic zucchini, sliced diagonally ½” thick
¼ c. your favorite Italian salad dressing
½ t. dried parsley
½ t. dried basil
Few gratings freshly ground black pepper
Garlic salt

Slice zucchini and allow to drain on a paper towel-lined plate for 15 to 30 minutes while you are preparing the grill. In a medium to large bowl, whisk together Italian dressing, parsley, basil, and pepper. Place drained zucchini into the dressing tossing to coat. Place it on the grill at medium/high heat and close the cover. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and sprinkle with garlic salt. Serve immediately.

Mexican Street Corn Skillet

​

One of my favorite seasons is nearly upon us, fresh corn season. When that farm fresh corn hits the markets, I am buying it by the armfuls, using it in as many dishes as possible from an omelet at breakfast, to a salad at lunch, to a quiche or a casserole at dinner. This year, I am also going to be enjoying it and this delicious Mexican street corn skillet. This is a recipe that I found on allrecipes.com and adapted slightly. Ostensibly, I believe it’s supposed to be a dip. As a dip, it’s absolutely wonderful, but it’s also excellent as a side dish with a grilled steak, or a wonderful accompaniment to any Mexican meal. If you have any left, use it the next morning as a filling in an omelet. You would not believe how good that is! No matter how you choose to make it, I guarantee you’re going to enjoy it. 

Mexican Street Corn Skillet

2 T. butter
1 small red onion, chopped
Kosher salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Melissa’s pickled jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 16-oz. bag frozen corn, or 3 cups fresh corn
1 t. ground cumin
Pinch chili powder
2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 10.5-oz. can Cream of Celery soup
Cayenne pepper, to taste

½ c. shredded cheddar
½ c. Cotija cheese
Chopped cilantro, optional

 Melt the butter in a 10” skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook, stirring until just softened, about 2 minutes. Add the corn, cumin, and chili powder, and cook, stirring, until warmed through and tender, about 6 minutes for frozen corn and 3 minutes for fresh corn. Add the lime juice, cream of celery soup, cayenne, and ⅔ cup water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring to combine. Taste and add more salt if desired.

 Turn on a broiler with a rack positioned about 6 inches from the heat. Sprinkle the top of the corn with the cheeses and broil until the top is deeply golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, rotating once a minute to prevent burning. Add more cayenne to the top, if desired, along with a scattering of cilantro, and serve with hot sauce on the side.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Cauliflower Salad

You may recall my mentioning a couple of weeks ago how I tend to over buy on vegetables. Yep, still doing it. I have a particular liking for cruciferous vegetables, and when I see a sale on broccoli or cauliflower, I simply cannot resist. On the plus side, it gives me a chance to revisit some favorites like these Cauliflower Butter Bowls. Other times it gives me the opportunity to try recipes that I’ve never attempted before, like this one.

 I was amazed at how good this is. I did not miss the potatoes at all, and could have eaten this entire bowlful as a meal. (As an aside, I will tell you that I cut this recipe in half so as not to be overwhelmed.) My guess is that you can customize it any way that you like. I generally add celery to potato salad but I didn’t here. I think I may just do that the next time. I may also add a pinch of paprika for color. Try this out and let me know what you think.

Cauliflower Salad

As seen on allrecipes.com

1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets
¾ c. Duke's mayonnaise
1 T. mustard
1 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 onion, chopped
¾ c. frozen green peas, thawed
¼ c. dill pickles, chopped
3 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled

Place cauliflower in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until just fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.

 
In a large bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the cauliflower, eggs, onion, peas, dill pickles, and bacon to the dressing and stir until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. The longer the cauliflower salad chills, the better the flavor.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Broccoli, Corn, and Bacon Salad

For whatever reason, I tend to shop for a family of four. I’m not sure why I do that. The various sales just draw me in, eager to use those sale ingredients in the vast pile of recipes I have stacked up to try. Because of this I tend to over buy on vegetables, and I’m talking BIG time. When you over buy on vegetables, you end up eating a lot of them, often forced to use them in a variety of ways. Hence, the broccoli and corn salad was born. I have to say that this is a delicious combination, so good, in fact, that I ate it as a main dish. Use fresh corn in the summer, grilled if you like, to enjoy it all year round.

Broccoli, Corn, and Bacon Salad

1 lg. head broccoli, chopped

1 lg. carrot, shredded

2 c. frozen corn, thawed

½ c. golden raisins

½ c. pecans, toasted, roughly chopped

1 T. fresh chives, minced

½ c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

¼ t. Frank’s Hot Sauce

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

¼  - ½ c. favorite Ranch Dressing

 Combine all ingredients, toss to coat with dressing, and serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to two days.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Oven-Baked BBQ Pork Steaks

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I like barbecue, in fact, I love it. I also like anything grilled -- fruit, vegetables, even potatoes (parboiled first, of course). But while I like the idea of grilling, I don’t actually like doing it. As a consequence, I miss out on lots of delicious food. (Not that I don’t get, plenty, trust me.) That’s not to say that I haven’t done it, because two of my favorites are barbecued chicken thighs, as well as one of the best hamburgers that I’ve ever eaten. Largely, it just seems like so much trouble to me.

My grill is placed, diagonally, in one of the corners of my deck. It is surrounded -- and I am talking three pots deep -- by herbs, plants, and flowers. The thought of not only moving those out of the way, but trying to find someplace to go with them in the process, means that the only good time for me to grill would be mid-winter, and who wants to do that? That is why this recipe for oven barbecued pork steaks has become one of my instant faves! It is super simple to put together, requires little to no effort, and just lazes away slowly cooking in your oven, while you get on with things, enjoying the smoky aroma. My suspicion is that this would also work on ribs and thick pork chops. I may try an experimental burger over the weekend. If you like barbecue as much as I do, you will love this.

Oven-Baked BBQ Pork Steaks

 4 (1” thick) pork steaks

 DRY RUB

1 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 T. Montreal Pub Burger Seasoning

1 T. Jerk Seasoning

 1 T. onion powder

1 T. garlic powder

1 T. sweet paprika

1 t. espresso powder

¼ c. dark brown sugar

1 c. BBQ Sauce (I use Traeger)

 Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pat pork steaks dry with a paper towel; set aside.

 Mix the dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl.

 Place a long sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil into the bottom of a straight-sided 9” x 13” pan (I like this one.), allowing 6” overhang on either side.

Place pork steaks on top of the foil, and generously slather 1 tablespoon of the dry rub on both sides of the pork, rubbing it into the meat. Wrap pork steaks completely with the foil.

Bake at 350°F for 1-1/2 hours. Reduce heat to 275°F and bake for 1-1/2 additional hours. Remove from oven, open foil, and slather on the barbecue sauce. Return to oven and continue to bake for another 1/2 hour.

 

Mediterranean Pilaf

Despite its well-worn, splattered, and tattered appearance, one of my favorite cookbooks is Marlene Sorosky’s Cookery for Entertaining, first published in 1979, and one that I purchased shortly thereafter. What I didn’t know until I married Jim, in 1995, was that he did the same thing. Both of our copies were equally annotated, and we liked many of the same recipes. One of those recipes is this one for Mediterranean Pilaf, as flavorful as it is versatile. It’s featured in the cookbook with shish kebab, and it goes very well with that, but it is also a tasty and colorful side with ribs, chicken, pork chops, and ham. It takes well to being turned into a salad; chicken and vegetables stirred in turn this into a wonderful main dish meal.

This is a recipe that you are going to want to keep close at hand in your permanent repertoire. I can’t tell you how many times I have turned to this when I was looking for something a little extra special by way of a side dish. I have adapted it slightly from the original, for ease of preparation.

Mediterranean Pilaf
Adapted from Cookery for Entertaining

3 cups chicken broth
1½ cups uncooked basmati rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
 ½ cup seedless golden raisins
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon curry powder
1½ tablespoons soy sauce

Place all ingredients into a 1-quart sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil, cover and cook over low heat 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Makes 8 servings.

PRINT RECIPE

Cilantro Rice is another of my favorites, and equally versatile.

This post contains affiliate links.

Summer Barbecue in a Bowl

For me, Memorial Day always marks the official beginning of grilling season, and local weather looks favorable for doing just that. But with new construction of a covered deck and attached open area for grilling underway, firing up the grill is an impossibility. So, what's a person to do?

I thought about all of the things I love about cookouts - barbecued ribs, grilled sausages, baked beans, and deviled eggs. Then I thought about putting everything together in the crockpot to yield a complete summer barbecue in a bowl, hence the name of this flavorful dish. It's easy and versatile. Use your favorite baked beans (I like KC Masterpiece Seasoned with Smoked Pork Baked Beans
to give me the taste of ribs), your favorite sausage, and your own special recipe for deviled eggs to use as a topper. Delicious, easy, great fun, and the taste of summer in one bowl. The family will love it!

Summer Barbecue in a Bowl

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 24-ounce can KC Masterpiece Seasoned with Smoked Pork 
Baked Beans

1 onion, diced

3/4 cups ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons Sugar Fire Smokehouse Rub

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup molasses

1 14-ounce can chicken broth

6 slices bacon, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces

1 pound Kielbasa or the sausage of your choice, cut into bite-size rounds

Place all of the ingredients EXCEPT the sausage into the slow cooker and stir gently to combine. Scatter slices of sausage on top, cover with lid, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Gently stir in the kielbasa before ladling into bowls for serving. Top with a deviled egg.

PRINT RECIPE

This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Art of Homemaking Monday
 The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

Talk of the Town

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Home and Garden Thursday
Grace at Home

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather
Share Your Style

Simple Saturday Blog Hop

Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party

Sugarfire Smoke House Rub

Last November I shared with you the recipe for a truly delicious coffee barbecue sauce from one of my favorite local barbecue joints, Sugarfire Smoke House. The recipe, that you can find here, contained an ingredient that, unless you live locally, you did not have, namely their special rub (available for sale in their restaurants). I had made the suggestion that, in lieu of the authentic version, you use the seasoning in Emeril's coffee barbecue sauce. Well, I have great news! Thanks to a recent issue of a wonderful, local foodie magazine called Feast, the recipe for this special rub is now available, and you can be 100% authentic and make a sauce that is 100% delicious. Emeril, step aside, this rub beats yours hand down! No wonder this sauce is so good, with 15 ingredients in the rub, it just can't help but have lots of flavor. Obviously this recipe makes a huge amount, so I suggest cutting it way back. When I made it, I used just 1/4 cup of paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, etc. It still makes a lot, but I will be using this stuff on everything.

Sugarfire Smoke House Rub

Recipe by Mike Johnson

Print Recipe

1 cup paprika

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup garlic powder

½ cup onion powder

½ cup chile powder

2 Tbsp. cayenne

1 cup freshly ground black pepper

4 cups sugar

½ cup dry mustard

¼ cup cumin

3 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. coriander

3 Tbsp. oregano

2 Tbsp. allspice

2 Tbsp. ginger

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and use as spice rub for your favorite barbecue or grilling recipes. Yields 10 cups.

This post is linked to:

Bouquet of Talent Party   
Amaze Me Monday

Munching Mondays
Busy Mondays

Metamorphosis Monday 

Cooking & Crafting Monday