Red-Eye Crock Butt?

Don’t throw out that unused coffee in your pot! Ever had a really good pulled pork sandwich? It’s expensive to buy one at a place like Armadillo Willy’s. I love smoking my own pork butt (shoulder roast) but since returning to the U.S. I haven’t replaced my smoker. The other day I had an idea. Want to get that pulled pork butt flavor without going to the trouble of smoking it all day long? Maybe it’s too cold to deal with the outdoors? I have a great recipe from a book called "Smoke and Spice" by Jamison called “Red-Eye Butt”.

The recipe is made for smoking but I discovered that you can take the same recipe using strong coffee, molasses, and cider vinegar and convert it to a very easy crock pot recipe. Put the exact same ingredients inside the crock pot set it for 10 hours before you go to work and come home to a tender pork shoulder roast that will fall off the bone and be ready for shredding with a fork. Just spread the shredded pork out on a cutting board, salt and pepper and serve on buns with barbecue sauce. It’s a super easy meal for about the price of one pulled pork plate at Armadillo Willy's or Dickeys.

That’s Not What Your Cardamom Said Last Night!

Cardamom…the forgotten spice? If you dig far enough into your pantry you’ll probably find an old spice bottle or tin full of cardamom and wonder, “Did I ever use this stuff?” Let me share a few things with you. First, that bottle or tin probably needs to be thrown out. If you open it and smell it and it smells like dust, it’s gone. That whole fresh spice thing is another blog though. Second, it is used frequently in Indian foods. Third, it’s expensive! (about $12 a bottle for ground cardamom) I haven’t done a complete investigation but cardamom rates right up there with Saffron as far as cost. Not to worry. I’m talking about if you walk into Safeway or Lucky’s it’s expensive. If you search a bit for an Indian or Asian market near you, you’ll find it’s much more affordable. If you travel through Dubai by any chance…pick it up there. If at all possible, buy it whole and grind it yourself. I prefer “green cardamom” to the regular brown cardamom. I think it has more aroma and flavor. You can find recipes that include this exotic spice here. It can be used in pod form with cinnamon sticks and saffron for a nice aromatic rice or it can be used in ground form to make a nice, spicy pulao (Indian rice). Whether you’re making fresh bread, curry, lamb or chicken, if you’re tired of the same old-same old try using cardamom in your next meal.  Try grinding it (1T cardamom, 2T cumin, 1/2t cinnamon, 1/2t nutmeg and maybe one star anise) for a good pulao spiced rice.

This just in…cardamom at Whole Foods is $42 per pound.  Don’t worry, you won’t need a pound and that’s a pretty good price.  But, I just found it at Peet’s Coffee (of all places) for $6.95 a bottle.  Also a good price.  And the comparison with saffron?  Whole Foods: Cardamom = $42 lb., Saffron = $15,000 lb.  Yes that's 15 with three zeros.