Peruvian Pulled Pork

This is my version of a dish I first had at Cheeseburger in Paradise, which is sadly no longer on the menu. I combined several recipes I found around the interwebs to come up with something similar. Caution- the tumeric in the marinade will stain cloth, and even some light-colored countertops! Wear an apron, and handle the marinade over the sink, or you may regret it!

I use this deliciously savory pork for sandwiches: spread split crusty rolls with garlic/onion butter and lightly toast, layer with pulled pork, caramelized onions, and sharp cheddar cheese, then toast again to heat through and melt cheese. It's incredible.

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs pork shoulder

1/4 C white vinegar

1/4 C water

1 Tbsp ground turmeric

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt or to taste

1/4 tsp ground black pepper or to taste

Directions

Remove the bone and skin from the pork shoulder and cut the meat into several baseball-sized chunks. Place in slow cooker.

Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over pork in slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours or overnight, or high 4 hours, or until the meat is falling-apart tender. Remove pork from cooking liquid and allow to cool slightly, then shred with 2 forks (or your fingers). Use in sandwiches or burritos.

Chicken Satay

This recipe makes enough of the sauce/marinade for 2 pounds of chicken. My favorite use of this fabulous chicken is to slice or dice it up, warm it briefly, and wrap it in a flatbread (also warm) with fresh baby spinach and cheese. I suspect it would also make kick-booty chicken salad.

Ingredients:

• boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, or breasts cut into strips.
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 C. peanut butter
• 1/2 C. milk (can substitute soy or coconut milk)
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1/4 C. hoisin sauce (Chinese sauce found in jars on Asian/ethnic aisle)
• juice of 1 lime, or 2 Tbsp
• 3/4 tsp ground dried ginger (or 1 Tbsp fresh grated)
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

Whisk together all ingredients except chicken until smooth and combined. Scoop 1/2 C mixture per each pound of chicken into a large zip-top bag (save the rest in the fridge for later). Add the chicken, seal the bag, and skoosh all around to coat the chicken. Refrigerate 3 hours to overnight.

Remove chicken and discard marinade left in bag. Cook the chicken strips by:

• Threading onto skewers and searing on a hot charcoal or gas grill, 2-3 minutes per side
• Searing on a hot griddle, 2-3 minutes per side
• Cooking on a counter-top grill (George Foreman-type), approx. 4 minutes
• Broiling, turning once, 2-5 minutes per side.

Serve immediately with reserved sauce for dipping, or refrigerate for use in other recipes.