Slow Cooker Pulled Pork 2.0

Well it's been three months since my last post. What can I say, life as got the best of me once again. But, this time life has got the best of me for an absolutely wonderful thing. As most of you know, my wife and I had our first son. Ironically my last post, January 5th was the day before our son was born! 

So here he is food blog world, Adam Thomas Pepple, born January 6th, 2016 at 11:05 PM, 8 lbs 10.6 oz., 22 inches. Everybody tells you how much you are going to love your child, everybody tells you how much having a child is going to change your life. I totally believed everything I have ever been told about having a child. But, I could have never been told or predicted the sheer gravity of all of those statements. How MUCH love and change has occurred in the past three months is absolutely indescribable. Even when I tell people how much I love this child, I can't even find the words to express it.

At this point he is doing such a great job. He is 15.5 lbs, he's sitting up pretty good, he's smiling a WHOLE bunch, talking a WHOLE bunch, and sometimes we'll get a little giggle out of him as well. I can already tell he's going to be one of those boys that likes to run around butt naked. Because he can be screaming up a storm, but as soon as the diaper comes off he's the happiest baby ever. Another thing he is doing well is he sleeps like an absolute champ. For the past month now he's been pretty much been sleeping all through the night. 

One thing that is absolutely true is that these babies grow up WAY too fast. Time is just absolutely flying right now and the thing about it is, everyday is so exciting to see what else he figures out. But, at the same time, you see this little person changing and growing so quickly...it's sad that these infancy moments are just a blip in the grand scheme of things. Mom and I have definitely been taking every possible moment we can to snuggle him and enjoy these moments as much as we can; we are truly blessed. 

It's still hard to believe, looking at this little guy, knowing where he came from and reading everyday for 9 months about the process that is involved. Knowing that he started out the size of a poppy seed...it's hard to believe that this guy is going to grow up, even more, and do stuff like go to school, graduate from college, be a contributing member of society, get married, have his own children. It's just crazy to look into his eyes and think about all these things, what is he going to do? What is he going to like? Is he going to be outgoing (like me) or more reserved (like my wife). It's exciting, scary, sad, happy, nervous...it's basically every emotion you can possibly think of all at the same time. I love this baby to death and tell him as often as I can. 

Now, food...Yes I have been quiet on the blog, but I have not been quiet in the kitchen. If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I am still making a ton of food (If you don't follow me on Instgram, you should). So to kick things off and get back into the swing of blogging on a regular basis, I am going to start with this delicious Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwich w/ a South Carolina style mustard barbecue sauce. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!

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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork 2.0

Prep time: 30m | Cook time: 6-10hrs | Total time: 6.5-10.5hrs | Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups dark brown sugar
5 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp cayenne
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp ground allspice
2 Tbsp chili flakes
3 Tbsp ancho chili powder
1 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
ground black pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Place the onions and garlic in an even layer in the slow cooker and pour in the stock. Combine the brown sugar, salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, allspice, chili flakes, and ancho chili powder. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the mustard, honey, light brown sugar, and white vinegar. Season with black pepper. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the solids to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside.
4. If the pork has a bone, remove and discard it. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, and then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed.
5. Put the pulled pork on a bun of your choice (or no bun) and drizzle the caroline sauce on top. Enjoy!

Pulled pork should be cooked to an internal temp of 190-195F. For the most accurate readings, get yourself a Thermapen! I use mine pretty much everyday!

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'Murican Silk Pie

Weber Performer Deluxe 

Hello Happy Valley Chow lovers! It's July 2nd and I am super excited for the 4th of July. The weather is looking to be beautiful and I finally convinced my beautiful wife to let me buy my first grill (Thank you honey, I love you!). I can't tell you how excited I am to finally have a grill, I haven't had my own in 4 years so this baby is definitely going to get some usage! Not only am I excited to use it, but I am also excited to share with you guys all the lovely stuff that comes off of it. I am also working on getting some grill related gadgets to demo for you, so be sure to keep a watch out for that!

But, first things first, this beautiful piece of American dream needs to be appropriately broken in. What better way to break it in than on America's day...the day that we received our independence. The day that celebrates our freedom with barbecues, beer, and blowing crap up. The 4th of July. That is correct, this puppy is going to be cranking with all vents open, turning out beautiful pieces of charred meat and more charred meat. 

Something else that just absolutely screams 4th of July is pie...in order to have a legit barbecue, you need to have some pie. While this is your traditional French Silk Pie...I cannot, with my red, white, and blue blood, call it that for 4th of July. So we are going to call this 'Murican Silk Pie. So, after you chow down on your burgers and dogs...cut yourself off a slice of this delicious 'Murican Silk Pie and enjoy the fireworks! Happy 4th of July everybody, be safe!

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'Murican Silk Pie

Prep time: 50 min | Cook time: 2 hr | Total time: 2 hrs 50 min | Yield: Serves 10

Ingredients

1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 pasteurized eggs
1 cup sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate curls, as needed

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oven to 450F. Make pie crust as directed on box for one-crust baked shell, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 min.
2. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat; cool. In small bowl with electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate and vanilla until well blended.
3. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on high speed 2 minutes after each addition; beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

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Coleslaw

With every passing day we are getting closer and closer to warm weather, which only means one thing...barbecue season! One of my favorite sides to have at a barbecue is coleslaw...actually one of my favorite sides in general is coleslaw. Whenever I go to a restaurant and I see coleslaw on the menu, I usually at least ask for a small side of it just to give it a try. All coleslaw is definitely NOT created equal, as I have tasted some pretty nasty coleslaw in my day.

Given my refined taste in the art of coleslaw I feel quite confident in my ability to make it and absolutely LOVE this recipe. It is definitely my go to recipe when making my favorite side. The key to me is a good balance of cream, crunchy,sour, sweat, salty. If you add to much mayo it gets overly creamy and all you taste is mayo. If you let it sit to long the salt and vinegar will break down the veggies leading it to be too mushy. But, if you don't let it sit long enough the flavors don't have enough time to meld together.

This recipe I feel does a great job of balancing the flavors and textures. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Coleslaw

Ingredients

• 1 Large head green cabbage, about 3.5 lbs, finely shredded
• 1 Large red onion, finely sliced
• 1 Large carrot, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup Roughly chopped parsley leaves
• 1 cup White sugar
• 1/2 cup Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp Sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Combine cabbage, onion, carrot, and parsley in a large bowl, leaving plenty of room to toss (you may have to use two large bowls if your bowls are not large enough). Sprinkle with sugar and salt and toss to combine. Let rest five minutes, then transfer to a large colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water.
2. Transfer rinsed mixture to a salad spinner and spin dry. Alternatively, transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet lined with a triple layer of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and blot mixture dry with more paper towels. Return to large bowl and set aside.
3. Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, black pepper, and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until homogeneous.
4. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, sugar, and/or vinegar if desired.

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