Killed a couple of hogs the other day. One was a musky old boar that wouldn't be fit for eating unless you were starving, but the other was a nice 50 lb young'n that ended up being nice and tender (and tasty).
Thought I would share the "recipe" (I didn't measure nothin', so add ingredients to your own taste here):
Ingredients:
Small hog
Demerara sugar
Coarse sea salt (or Kosher salt)
Butter
2 fresh naval oranges
Seasoned rice wine vinegar
Dried red chilies
1 medium sized sweet yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
Dark rum or bourbon
Black cherries (optional, and can be frozen)
Sriracha chili sauce (optional. Can be found on the Asian/ethnic aisle at most grocery stores)
Butchering:
I kept it simple since it was a small hog. After cleaning and washing the hog, I split it right in two, lengthwise down the spine, with a mallet and hatchet, making two sides of pork.
Brining:
I dried the two sides of pork with a handful of paper towels, and then rubbed them generously with coarse sea salt and Demerara sugar. For those that don't know, Demerara has a great ribbon cane taste to it. Just like chewing on a piece of sugar cane. Let the two sides sit for about two hours to absorb the sugar and salt. This accomplishes the same thing as brining, but without the water and extra mess.
While the pork is "dry brining", make up a generous portion of marinade (save some to use as sauce later):
To make the marinade:
Remove the zest from 2 naval oranges and put aside. Juice the oranges, and also put this aside.
Add about a tablespoon of butter to a large saucepan, and melt it slowly. Don't let it brown yet.
Add about a cup of finely diced yellow onion (I like Vidalia or Texas 1015, but any sweet yellow onion will work) and some dried red chilis (you can usually find these at Indian or Asian groceries). Sautee the onion and chilies over a medium high heat. When the onions start to become light brown, turn the heat down some and add the three cloves of chopped garlic. Keep sauteeing until the onions are well caramelized, and the chilies turn dark, but be careful not to let it get too hot or the garlic will scorch and turn bitter as green persimmons.
Add about two cups of good dark rum (Meyer's Dark Rum works really well) or bourbon. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and add the orange zests. Let this simmer for a while, until all the alcohol is cooked out of the liquid, and the mixture has taken on the taste of the orange zest.
Add the orange juice, cherries, and a cup of Demerara sugar. Also add about a cup of seasoned rice wine vinegar to start, and then taste the sauce. Add more vinegar if it needs it (some oranges are sweeter than others, and will require a different amount of sour to balance it, so you'll have to use your palate here). If you desire the sauce to be spicier, hit it with a little squirt of Sriracha until you get it to the heat you desire.
Let this reduce until it becomes the consistency you desire. Mine was about like a thin glaze, and that's exactly what you will use it for:
Cooking the pork:
Pour some of the sauce into a separate container to avoid contaminating the rest with raw pork. Marinate your two sides of pork with some of this sauce you just separated, and cook in a smoker or over coals, preferably at about 200 degrees or so, until the pork reaches an internal temp of about 160 degrees at the thickest part of the shoulders and hams. Time will vary depending on the stability of your temperature and the size of the hog. Once it is up to temp, hit it with the sauce again, and then let it rest for about ten minutes.
Carve and serve.
Notes:
This recipe works best on a smoker or grill where you can maintain a low, consistent heat. Make sure you have a decent meat thermometer so you don't over/undercook the pork. If this is not available to you, it can be cooked in a large oven, but you will miss out on the smoky flavor. You could add some smoked paprika (available at Italian groceries) to add the smokiness back to it if you use an indoor oven.
Hope you folks will try it and enjoy it. It turned out real well for us.
Jason
Thought I would share the "recipe" (I didn't measure nothin', so add ingredients to your own taste here):
Ingredients:
Small hog
Demerara sugar
Coarse sea salt (or Kosher salt)
Butter
2 fresh naval oranges
Seasoned rice wine vinegar
Dried red chilies
1 medium sized sweet yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
Dark rum or bourbon
Black cherries (optional, and can be frozen)
Sriracha chili sauce (optional. Can be found on the Asian/ethnic aisle at most grocery stores)
Butchering:
I kept it simple since it was a small hog. After cleaning and washing the hog, I split it right in two, lengthwise down the spine, with a mallet and hatchet, making two sides of pork.
Brining:
I dried the two sides of pork with a handful of paper towels, and then rubbed them generously with coarse sea salt and Demerara sugar. For those that don't know, Demerara has a great ribbon cane taste to it. Just like chewing on a piece of sugar cane. Let the two sides sit for about two hours to absorb the sugar and salt. This accomplishes the same thing as brining, but without the water and extra mess.
While the pork is "dry brining", make up a generous portion of marinade (save some to use as sauce later):
To make the marinade:
Remove the zest from 2 naval oranges and put aside. Juice the oranges, and also put this aside.
Add about a tablespoon of butter to a large saucepan, and melt it slowly. Don't let it brown yet.
Add about a cup of finely diced yellow onion (I like Vidalia or Texas 1015, but any sweet yellow onion will work) and some dried red chilis (you can usually find these at Indian or Asian groceries). Sautee the onion and chilies over a medium high heat. When the onions start to become light brown, turn the heat down some and add the three cloves of chopped garlic. Keep sauteeing until the onions are well caramelized, and the chilies turn dark, but be careful not to let it get too hot or the garlic will scorch and turn bitter as green persimmons.
Add about two cups of good dark rum (Meyer's Dark Rum works really well) or bourbon. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and add the orange zests. Let this simmer for a while, until all the alcohol is cooked out of the liquid, and the mixture has taken on the taste of the orange zest.
Add the orange juice, cherries, and a cup of Demerara sugar. Also add about a cup of seasoned rice wine vinegar to start, and then taste the sauce. Add more vinegar if it needs it (some oranges are sweeter than others, and will require a different amount of sour to balance it, so you'll have to use your palate here). If you desire the sauce to be spicier, hit it with a little squirt of Sriracha until you get it to the heat you desire.
Let this reduce until it becomes the consistency you desire. Mine was about like a thin glaze, and that's exactly what you will use it for:
Cooking the pork:
Pour some of the sauce into a separate container to avoid contaminating the rest with raw pork. Marinate your two sides of pork with some of this sauce you just separated, and cook in a smoker or over coals, preferably at about 200 degrees or so, until the pork reaches an internal temp of about 160 degrees at the thickest part of the shoulders and hams. Time will vary depending on the stability of your temperature and the size of the hog. Once it is up to temp, hit it with the sauce again, and then let it rest for about ten minutes.
Carve and serve.
Notes:
This recipe works best on a smoker or grill where you can maintain a low, consistent heat. Make sure you have a decent meat thermometer so you don't over/undercook the pork. If this is not available to you, it can be cooked in a large oven, but you will miss out on the smoky flavor. You could add some smoked paprika (available at Italian groceries) to add the smokiness back to it if you use an indoor oven.
Hope you folks will try it and enjoy it. It turned out real well for us.
Jason
