At the Capital News, Curt Jensen is the BBQ King.
And, being a generous guy, he was eager to share not only tastes of his favourite pulled pork, but even his recipe for a full-meal-deal pulled pork lunch or dinner.
I’m not a big fan of the overly sweet sauces that sometimes are poured over pulled pork, so I was quite happy with Curt’s. Seems to me if it’s properly cooked, it should remain moist and shouldn’t need a syrupy sauce poured over it.
You need to set aside a full day of loafing around or doing interruptable things in order to barbecue, as in smoking meat, so make sure you’re all prepared before you begin.
There’s some different feelings about what wines pair well with barbecued pulled pork, or if it has to be beer, but I think the Okanagan’s Rigamarole Red, with its robust berry flavours would be a good match with this recipe, since it doesn’t have a sickly sweetness about it. But, you could try a dry riesling as well.
Rigamarole Red is a blend of cab sauvignon, gamay, pinot noir and merlot grapes and it makes a nice sipping combination as well.
For more great recipes, along with wine pairing notes by renowned wine writer John Schreiner, pick up a copy of my book, Jude’s Kitchen wherever books or sold, or at many local wine shops as well.
Incidentally, congratulations to all those who picked up medals at this year’s B.C. Wine Awards. There are some excellent wines among them.
Curt’s Slaw
Crisp and colourful, this is not only eye-candy, but good for you too!
Coleslaw Dressing:
1 c. (250 ml) mayonnaise
1/2 c. (125 ml) liquid from your favorite jar of pickles
pepper, to taste
Use a whisk or hand blender to beat together until smooth.
Coleslaw:
1/2 green cabbage, finely chopped or grated
1/2 red cabbage, finely chopped or grated
4 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
Add what you feel is the right amount of dressing to the chopped raw vegetables and toss it together, adding more dressing until the salad reaches the desired creaminess.
Refrigerate any extra dressing, along with the salad until you’re ready to serve it.
Tente Jo’s Baked Beans
Curt says this recipe is a fourth-generation family favourite.
5 cans beans (2 navy, 1 black, 1 pinto, 1 other)
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 tbsp. (15 ml) chili powder
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1-2 c. (250-500 ml) smokies (or other smoked meat like ham, turkey pepperoni sticks, brisket, bacon
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp. (15-30 ml) maple syrup
Mix it all together in a crock pot or slow cooker.
Simmer on high for a minimum of four to six hours or on low for eight to 10 hours, stirring occasionally. If baking them in the oven, use a large casserole dish or roasting pan.
Curt’s Pulled Pork Brisket
Curt recommends you use hickory wood chips in your smoker for the best results with this recipe.
6 to 9 lb. (3 to 4 kg) pork brisket roast
Rub/Marinade for Meat:
yellow mustard
1 tbsp. (15 ml) Worcestershire Sauce
1 c. (250 ml) paprika
4 tbsp. (60 ml) garlic powder
2 tbsp. (30 ml) onion powder
2 tbsp. (30 ml) crushed chili pepper
2 tbsp. (30 ml) cracked black pepper
2 crushed bay leaves
3 c. (750 ml) light brown sugar
1 c. (250 ml) honey
1 beer for drip pan with water to put inside your smoker
Rub yellow mustard and Worcestershire sauce all over the brisket roast.
Combine remaining ingredients well and put into a very large plastic freezer bag set in a tray, just in case there’s a hole in it.
Add the roast to the marinade in the bag, close it tightly and massage the marinade all over the surface of the roast. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 12 hours.
Remove and let stand at room temperature for about an hour. Meanwhile, prepare your smoker, using hickory for a nice smokey flavour.
Add a can of beer to a few inches of water in a shallow pan and put it under where the roast will sit, as a drip tray.
Cook at a low temperature of about 220 F, low and slow, cooking for at least 14 hours to 16 hours. Flip it over only once but make sure you baste it with the leftover marinade every hour until you run out of it. Use the water/beer mixture in your drip tray to continue basting once you’ve used all the marinade. You don’t want the meat to dry out.
At the end of cooking (at an internal temperature of about 185 F) wrap it in tin foil for one more hour, to keep it juicy while it cools enough to handle it. Then use two forks to shred it.
If you don’t have a smoker, you can get good flavour in a low oven (220 F) in about five or six hours.
Fill a roasting pan with water part-way up the side and add a cup of chicken broth, a beer and 1 tsp. of liquid smoke.
Add the brisket and put tin foil across the top of the roasting pan, then cover with a lid. Check it once and move it around so it cooks evenly, and baste it.
When it’s cooked, continue as in the smoker instructions.
