Nikas Culinaria

I find the whole chauvinistic “My BBQ is better than yours” shtick we are treated to on various food TV shows and writing to be artless and crude. Food SHOULD be inclusive and NOT exclusive. Food is not about testosterone-laden showmanship, nationalism, or any of those misplaced concepts.

Food should not be for a brag match, its not for a throw-down.

Such hubris turns me off and I really don’t care how delicious that BBQ might be.

I prefer to look at each BBQ experience for what it is - a personalized recipe that has its own unique attributes. Each way is good in itself and can be appreciated that way. Its exciting because this means that there are so many BBQs to try in this life!

Food becomes us when we eat it. It should be considered a nurturing experience, not a sport. Food should be made and offered with love. Food should be accepted with an open heart and appreciated for all and only what it is, a communion with our friends, loved ones and ourselves.

This is why I find sport eating, binge eating, throw-downs, cooking matches, etc, to be offensive.

I offer my recipe for slow roasted pork butt to you as a suggestion, only. You may likely have a much better recipe and I wish I could taste it!

Nika’s Pork Butt “Rub’n Soak”

Ingredients:

• 5-7 lb bone in pork butt with a good fat cap on it
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C garlic infused vinegar
• 1/2 C organic tamari (wheat free soy sauce)
• 3 tablespoons roasted sesame oil
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 2 vidalia onions
• 3 large portabello mushroom caps
• 5 large carrots, peeled but whole

Directions:

Take up some of this solution into an injector and inject the pork butt in many places, especially right next to the bone.

Put meat and everything else except for the veggies in a large ziplock baggie, expel all the air, and leave in the fridge overnight.

The next day, turn the oven on to about 225 F.

Cut the onions and mushrooms up into large chunks ad place these and the carrots on the bottom of a roasting tray.

Put the meat on the veggies with the fat cap on the top. Pour the marinade into the pan as well.

Cover with foil and cook for 4 hours.

Turn the heat up to 350 F.

Remove the foil and cook until it gets as dark as you like it. The sugar in the marinade will make it turn dark pretty quickly.

I could of shredded it but I don’t like that texture so I diced it. As you can see below, I served it on whole wheat burger buns and with some delicious organic Sage Chipotle pinto beans (below).

Organic Sage Chipotle Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 lb organic pinto beans
• 2 quarts organic chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch rubbed sage
• 1 cube Knorr® Chipotle MiniCubes (yes, this is definitely NOT organic)
• 1 medium vidalia onion, medium slice

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight after sorting. The next day, rinse the beans carefully and then bring up to a light boil in the chicken stock. Dn not boil the beans really hard, just simmer. Skim off the foam. Continue to de-foam. Once foam stops forming, add the bay leaf, the sage, the Knorr® Chipotle MiniCube, and the onion. Simmer until the beans are tender.

Salt to taste when serving the beans.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: BBQ, sport eating, throw-down, pork butt, tamari, roasted sesame oil, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, portabello, carrots, Sage, pinto beans, organic, bay leaf, rubbed sage, vidalia, Knorr, Chipotle, MiniCube