Happy Valley Chow

gour-mand (noun): one who is excessively fond of eating and drinking

Filtering by Category: "pork"

72 Hour Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs


I am definitely starting to fall in love with Sous Vide cooking. Not only does it yield amazing results, but the convenience is just so nice. These were honestly one of the best rack of ribs I have ever had and I really don't think anybody would be able to tell a difference between these and a slab of smoked ribs. Then you add in the little amount of work I had to actually do to get these delicious results. I literally had to prepare the dry rub, put it on the ribs, let them marinate over night, vacuum seal them and throw them in the SousVide Supreme for 3 days. Sure they take a long time to cook, but it literally took 10 min of physical prep time and the rest was just a waiting game. For the most part, this recipe is a "set it and forget it" recipe, you'll have to plan the meal a few days in advance, but it's totally worth it! Don't worry, I'll give a recipe for the amazing cornbread as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients 
  • 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
  • 3 baby back ribs (6-8 lbs), halved 
  • Liquid Smoke
  • Your favorite barbecue sauce, in this case Sweet Baby Ray's
Directions

The night before you want to start cooking the ribs, mix all the dry ingredients (first 8 ingredients) in a bowl. Rub the ribs generously with rib rub on both sides, stack ribs in a sealed container, and store in the fridge overnight, letting the meat marinate as the rub liquefies. 

The next day heat the SousVide Supreme  to 144 degrees F. 

Place each rib in their own vacuum seal pouch, add 3-4 drops of liquid smoke and vacuum seal them. Place the vacuum sealed ribs in the water bath, cover and let cook for 72 hours. Be sure to check the water level and the vacuum bag seals every day to make sure the are ok. 

After 72 hours, set your oven to broil and move the rack to the second highest position in the oven. 

Remove ribs from bag, place on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Brush the ribs on both sides with your favorite sauce (warmed) and then broil  to caramelize the sauce on top (you may need to work in batches). Brush with a little more sauce and serve.

**Note: Sous Vide is a cooking technique and of course is not required for this recipe, but I highly recommend it. The rib rub is awesome and would work well with any cooking technique**

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I actually did the mashed potatoes in the  SousVide Supreme  as well, here is how I did them! You will want to put these in the SousVide machine first at 180 degrees F, then lower the temperature to 144 degrees F for the ribs, you can hold the potatoes at this temperature with the ribs. 


Ingredients

  • 12-15 small red skin potatoes, peeled and quartered 
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • salt and pepper to taste 
  • 1/4 cup milk, warmed 
Directions

Heat SousVide Supreme 180 degrees F. 


Put the potatoes and butter into cooking pouch(es), evenly distributed in a single layer without overcrowding. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper and vacuum seal the pouch(es). Submerge the pouch(es) in the water oven and cook for 90 minutes, until quite tender. If you are making the ribs, lower the water oven temperature to 144 degrees F, add in the ribs with the potatoes and cook for 72 hours. 

Open the potato pouch(es) and pour into the work bowl of a food processor, add the milk and puree until smooth. If you don't plan to serve right away, you can put the mashed potatoes into a large zip lock bag. Remove as much air as possible and quick chill in the pouch, submerge in an ice bath for at least 20 minutes. Reheat the mashed potatoes in a pouch to serving temperature. 


Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork


Cold Beer, Pulled Pork Sandwich & Football...sounds like a great time right? I am a huge beer fan and I love cooking with it as well. So when messing around with making pulled pork in the crock pot, I decided that instead of cooking it in water...might as well add some more flavor by cooking it in some Yuengling (Pennsylvania Lager, for those who don't know). This is a very easy, quick and cheap recipe that would be great at your Super Bowl party or to have ready when you come home from a long day at work! Bon Appétit!

Ingredients
  • 4 Lbs. Boneless Pork Roast
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 (12 oz.) Bottle Yuengling (or whatever beer you want)
  • 1 (18 oz) Bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
  • Cole Slaw; optional (Recipe Follows)
Directions

Season the outside of the pork roast with salt and pepper. Place pork in the crock pot bowl with onion, garlic and beer. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove pork from crock pot to a cutting board and shred with a fork. Drain left over liquid in crock pot through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve liquid. Return pork to crock pot, add bbq sauce and a few tablespoons of the liquid (just to help keep the pork moist). 

I LOVE COLE SLAW ON SANDWICHES!! :)

Cole Slaw Ingredients
  • 1 (16 oz) bag cole slaw mix
  • 1 cup mayonnaise 
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
Directions

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix together and serve as a side or on the pulled pork sandwich.

Prices subject to change; cole slaw not included
 
Kitchen Word of the Day

Lager (German: storage) is a type of beer that is fermented and conditioned at low temperatures. Pilsner pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world. Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager. There are also dark lagers, such as Dunkel and Schwarzbier.

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