Sunday, February 12, 2012

Honey Lemon Pulled Pork

After last week's successful attempt at pulled pork, I wanted to try a different sauce on the meat. While grocery shopping, I had seen raw wildflower honey from Don Sausser Apiaries, which located about forty minutes away, in Southampton. I decided to pick up a bottle and test it out. Honey is a versatile product - its great in tea, coffee, plain yogurt, and can be used for washing your face (I kid you not, Google it!) or making a decadent scrub.


When I finished unloading the groceries, I took some of the honey and put some on a spoon. This is some powerful stuff. This stuff is sweet, but full-bodied - nothing too overpowering. Definitely more flavorful than the clover honey, which is what is usually on grocery store shelves. I have a feeling that this bottle will be gone by the end of the month, at the rate I've been using it.


One of my favorite ways to enjoy honey is in hot water, with either fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, especially when I'm not feeling so great. I decided to incorporate lemon juice into this recipe, too.
My flavor combination was a hit, yet again. It pays off to take risks in the kitchen!


Honey Lemon Pulled Pork (serves 8)
2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into six chunks
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder


Honey Barbecue Sauce*
2 cups organic ketchup
2 tablespoons Emeril's Kicked Up Horseradish Mustard
1/4 cup wildflower honey
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon  cinnamon powder
Juice of 1/2 lemon



If you want the sauce to be super sweet, add an extra 1/4 cup of honey and another 1/2 lemon.


Place the pork into a glass dish. Take the paprika, salt, light brown sugar and garlic powder and mix in a dish. Evenly distribute the seasoning on the meat, lightly patting onto the meat. Place in the  fridge for a few hours (it can stay in overnight, if you'd like). The choice is yours.


When you're ready to cook, take the pork out of the glass tray and place into the bottom of the crock pot. Put the dry ingredients in first, followed by the wet ingredients. You can mix everything once its in the crock pot - but make sure the pork is evenly covered with the wet ingredients. Turn on high for 4 - 5 hours or low for 8 - 10 hours. Check back occasionally to move the meat around. If you want, you can even use tongs to gently break the meat apart an hour or two before its ready to come out of the crock pot.




After the meat has finished cooking, use tongs to remove the pork and put into a glass dish (you will use this to serve the meat, so make sure its large enough to hold the pulled pork and the sauce). Shred the meat with two forks. Once the pork is shredded, pour the sauce from the crock pot onto the meat. Use tongs to evenly distribute the sauce on the meat.



To complete the meal, I decided to make quinoa, which is a super healthy grain and a great alternative to rice. You can find quinoa at most grocery stores and health food stores. Just follow the directions on the quinoa package for cooking - its usually 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. If you want to add a bit of flavor to the quinoa, add some salt and pepper, along with a sodium free vegetable bullion cube.



Honey Barbecue Pulled Pork atop seasoned Quinoa


*If you want to use this sauce on ribs, burgers and the like, you need to combine the ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil, then lower immediately. Let simmer for about thirty minutes, stirring often. When the barbecue sauce is done, pour into a glass dish. Once it has cooled, store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Use within three days.



Make sure to refrigerate the leftovers. When you want to serve again, heat up in the oven on 250, in a glass dish covered with aluminum foil. Stir occasionally, until desired temperature is reached.

I hope you enjoy stuffing your face - we definitely did! :)

- Michele




No comments:

Post a Comment