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BIGGREENCRAIG: An interview with The Grill & Crispy Bourbon Pork Belly

6/27/2016

I’ve teamed up with Porkbeinspired.com and GrillForIt.com to kick off the summer grilling season. They thought it would be fun to Interview a Grill, so here it is! Head over to GrillForIt.com and try out some of their great recipes.

An Interview with The Grill

What’s the craziest pork dish you’ve cooked?

The craziest pork dish I’ve helped cook is Pork Chop and Waffle Sandwiches with Maple Gravy. Is this thing breakfast? Is it lunch? I’m not really sure, but I do know this dish is crazy delicious and can be perfectly adapted for the grill. You should definitely try it!

Is there a cut you have never considered to cook?

Oh, I’ve considered grilling them all. Heck, I’ve even dreamed of grilling them all - all in one dream! It was heavenly; I wish I never woke up. That being said, I’ve yet to grill pork belly this year. It’s on my bucket list, and with the way this summer is going, I bet I Grill For It!

Do you have a favorite cut?

All of them. I’m just joking around. In all seriousness, if I had to choose just one, I’d say all of them. Okay for real this time, the best cut of pork to grill is... all of them. Okay, you want an honest answer; I love to grill back ribs, bacon, blade steaks, chops, country-style ribs, crown roast, ham, ground pork, loin roasts, sausages, pork shoulder, spareribs, including St. Louis-style ribs, and tenderloin. Oh wait; did I just name most of the cuts? Sorry about that! The truth is, when it comes to grilling pork, you can’t go wrong. Every cut is great!

What is your favorite fuel source and why?

I’m old school, so charcoal is what gets me fired up, literally. But I also get down with food cooked on a gas grill. Some of my best friends are gas grills, and we both have our benefits: charcoal adds a nice smoky flavor, and gas is very convenient to use. But the truth is you can’t go wrong if you’re grilling, especially if you’re grilling mouthwatering, tender-licious pork! Like this Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri – your taste buds won’t know what hit ‘em.

Do you ever use multiple temperatures to cook a dish?

Yeah, all the time. For instance, if you’re cooking up a pork chop, you put it over high-heat for a quick sear, which helps keep the juices locked in. Then you can move it over to a lower heat zone to continue cooking the inside of the chop. And remember 145 is where pork thrives! If you’re looking to grill a juicy, tender chop, then you want an internal temperature between 145°F (medium rare) and 160°F (medium). For ground pork, always cook to an internal temperature of 160°F. And although it’s extremely difficult, you really need to fight the urge to stuff pork into your mouth right after it comes off the grill. It should really get a three-minute rest to let all the juices settle.

What is the difference between grilling and smoking pork?

Ah, this is Grillology 101! The differences are a matter of time and temperature. To smoke pork, you’d cook it over a low temperature (indirect heat) for a longer period of time with added wood for fuel and to bring in the smoke. To grill pork, you cook it over a hotter, direct heat for a much shorter period of time. When it comes to techniques, it’s hard to choose - low and slow or hot and fast!

Do you ever wear a rotisserie?

Ooh, what a risqué question... yeah I have been known to wear a rotisserie from time to time, mainly for special occasions. It takes a bit of extra effort to put on and use, but for a juicy marinated pork roast, it’s definitely worth it.

Crispy Bourbon Pork Belly

Pork belly is one of my favorite things to grill, smoke or roast. It's tasty and super easy to cook. Let's get started!

INGREDIENTS

One 3 lb slab of pork belly
1/2 C apple juice
1/2 C bourbon (use whatever you have in your cabinet. I used Four Roses)
3 Tbs kosher salt
1 Tbs white pepper
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs hot sauce

Set your grill up for indirect grilling and preheat your grill to 425F. I used a Rec Tec Pellet Grill for this recipe.

Pat the skin dry with a paper towel. The skin needs to be very dry.

Using a very sharp knife, score the skin in a diamond pattern.

Apply the EVOO to the belly and massage it onto the belly. Ensure that all of the scored diamonds get a good coating. Once thoroughly covered, massage in the salt and pepper. Place the belly into a disposable pan. and head out to the grill.

Place the belly on the grill and smoke for 35-40 minutes.

Because it's grilling season, I like to enjoy an adult beverage
while the grill does it's thing!

Mix the apple juice, bourbon and hot sauce together. Once the skin starts to blister, carefully add the liquid mixture to the pan and reduce the grill temp to 325F. Allow the belly to braise for another 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Porkbeinspired.com and the blog GrillForIt.com both recommend that pork chops, loins and roasts are tasty and safe to eat once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F., and that ground pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
However, pork belly needs more time and a higher temperature in order to render all of the fat. Pull this belly once it reaches a range of 198-203F.

Allow the pork belly to rest for a minimum of 10-15 minutes
before slicing and serving.

Slice.
Serve.
Enjoy!

1 Comment

Big Green Craig: Chicken & Sausage Scarpariello

6/16/2016

4 Comments

With my wife's Italian heritage, Chicken & Sausage Scarperiello is a family favorite. This dish is packed full of flavor and texture and can also be modified to fit any sort of taste bud.

Here's my take on a classic:
hicken & Sausage Scarperiello

INGREDIENTS

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs cubed
5 hot italian sausages quarted (we used a chicken saisage for the dish)
1 small onion roughly diced
1 red pepper roughly diced
1/3 C of capers
1/2 C hot banana peppers rough diced
1-1/2 C artichoke hearts roughly chopped
1 baking potato roughly chopped
1-1/2 C white wine - use whatever you are drinking
1/2 C red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbs unsalted butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1/2 C all purpose flour

Grill Set up:

Set up your grill for direct grilling. Cooking temperature should be approximately 350F. We used a 15" stainless steel paella pan for this dish. Preheat the pan for at least 10 minutes.

This Dish cooks fairly quickly so I like to have all of my mise en place (French for putting in place or staged) ready and on stand by.

Directions:

Dredge the chicken thigh pieces in the flour coating evenly. Pour in 2 table spoons of EVOO to the pan and saute the chicken and sausage pieces until they brown all over.

While the sausage and chicken are sauteeing, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add in a tbs of EVOO and a tbs of butter. Saute the potato cubes until crispy. Set aside to add to the dish.

Stir in the onion, artichoke hearts and peppers and saute them until soft, I drop in 2 tbs of butter at this point to help aid in the caramelization and color. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once the chicken reaches and internal tempoerature of 165, mix in the potatoes and add the wine and vinegar. I use a Thermoworks Thermapen to keep track of my temps.