Pork in Adobo Sauce

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Mexican adobos usually contain vinegar–an ingredient not found in very many chilis. Nevertheless, could a recipe such as this be the ancestral origin of chili?

Ingredients

  • 4 pasilla chiles, seeds and stems removed

  • 4 dried red New Mexican chiles, seeds and stems removed

  • 2 pounds pork from a roast or chops, cut in 1-inch cubes

  • 2 medium onions, chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped

  • Water to cover

  • ½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crushed

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a pot, cover the pasilla and New Mexican chiles with water and simmer for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain.

Cover the pork, half the onions, and half the garlic with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 ½ hours. Remove the pork, strain the stock, and reserve both. Discard the onions and garlic.

Place the chiles, remaining onions and garlic, oregano, cumin, and vinegar in a blender and puree until you have a smooth paste. Add some of the stock if necessary.

In a large saucepan, saute the chile paste in the oil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Thin the mixture with 1 ½ cups of the reserved stock, add the reserved pork, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. The sauce should be very thick.

Hot and Spicy Pickled Eggs

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I was first introduced to pickled eggs in college, where a group of us would hang out in an old wood-paneled bar, drink beer, shoot pool, and eat pickled eggs and pretzel sticks. Even after all these years, I still like pickled eggs and pretzels. When making them, I add a little juice from pickled beets to color them just like the original eggs, but you can color them yellow with ground turmeric or leave them natural. To prevent the dark green line that sometimes forms around the yolk, immediately plunge the egg in cold water to cool them down. The ring forms because of a reaction with the iron in the yolk and the sulfur in the whites. Over the years, I began adding chiles to “jack-up” the heat level. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • 12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

  • 4 jalapeño chiles, cut in half, stem and seeds removed or substitute habanero chiles

  • 1 tablespoon kosher or pickling salt

  • 1½ cups white vinegar

  • ½ cup water

  • 1 tablespoon commercial pickling spice

  • 1 tablespoon pickled beet liquid, optional

  • 1 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed

  • 1 bay leaf

  • ½ teaspoons allspice, crushed

Instructions

Put the eggs and chiles in a clean glass jar.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for mixture for 10 minutes. Let the pickling liquid cool for 15 minutes and then pour over the eggs.

Cover the jar and refrigerate for a week to allow the eggs to absorb the flavors. The eggs will keep for several weeks under refrigeration.

To serve, place an egg on a square of waxed butchers wrapping paper, add some pretzel sticks, and pop the top off a cold one.

Jack Daniel’s Stillhouse BBQ Sauce

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Slather this sauce on during the last five minutes of cooking—just long enough for the sugar to caramelize and brown.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Jack Daniel&rquo;s Tennessee Whiskey

  • 1 cup ketchup

  • 1 cup cider vinegar

  • 1 cup brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire® sauce

  • 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer about 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

 

Pan-Fried Porterhouse Steaks with Lynchburg Pan Sauce

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If the weather is lousy outside, then pan-frying a thick porterhouse steak right in the kitchen is a great way to go. The key to success is a big cast-iron skillet. It’ll cause a good bit of smoke in the kitchen, but it&rquo;s worth it. Let the cooked steaks rest on a board while you make the special Lynchburg pan sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 porterhouse steaks (1 to 1 1/4 pounds each), cut 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 1/4 cup Jack Daniel&rquo;s Tennessee Whiskey

Instructions

Dry the steaks and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for ten minutes. Coat with oil. Place steaks in pan; cook, until seared and brown on one side, about 5 minutes.

Turn and cook 5 minutes on the other side for medium-rare; 6 minutes for medium. Remove from skillet. Melt butter in skillet; stir in Worcestershire sauce and whiskey. Bring to a boil; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Slice steaks, if desired. Pour sauce over steaks and serve.

 

Tabasco Jack Wings

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To bake the wings, place in a roasting pan. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a 450 degrees F oven until lightly browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 3/4 cup flour

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 pounds chicken drummettes

  • Vegetable oil

For the Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

  • 1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey

  • 1/4 cup ketchup

  • 1/3 cup Tabasco® pepper sauce, or to taste

Instructions

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in small bowl. Coat the chicken pieces with flour mixture. Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a fryer or heavy pot to 375 degrees F. Fry the wings, a few at a time, until golden brown on all sides and cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Dip the cooked wings in sauce. Serve with blue cheese dressing, celery and carrot sticks.