Grilled Pork Loin and The Best Potato Salad Challenge

Recently a student and I were discussing her blog (way better than this one btw http://talkotuesday.worpress.com/).  The topic of this blog came up.  I sent her some of the links and she suggested I activate this dormant volcano of deliciousness.  So here we are.  Thanks Becka!

I asked her for a recipe suggestion and she challenged me to make the best potato salad ever.  So I did some research.  I consulted my old Professional Cooking book and the culinary oracle that is Alton Brown, let the two marry each other and create this beautiful baby you have before you today.  I also didn’t want to post just a potato salad recipe, so we added a grilled pork loin to make this a complete down home meal.  Here it goes.

For the potato salad you will need:

-        2 Tablespoons of chopped chives.

-        ¾ cup of ranch dressing (your choice of brand).

-        ¼ cup spicy brown mustard (again your choice of brand).

-        1 cup chopped celery.

-        1 cup chopped bacon.

-        1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

-        2 lbs red potato.

For the dry rub and pork loin you will need:

-        1 cup brown sugar.

-        ¼ cup onion powder.

-        ¼ cup garlic powder.

-        ¼ cup chili powder.

-        ¼ cup salt.

-        ¼ cup black pepper.

-        Yellow mustard (just enough to coat the pork loin).

-        1 fresh pork loin.

Let’s get started.  Begin by cleaning all produce and then quartering your potatoes.  While you are quartering the potatoes bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the potatoes.  While you are cooking the potatoes, prep the other ingredients:

-        Dice the celery and chives.

-        Measure your bacon crumbles, cheese, ranch and spicy mustard.

-        Prepare the dry rub (mix all dry rub ingredients: brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder).

-        

      Coat the pork loin in yellow mustard then rub each side of the loin with your dry rub.  Be very generous in your seasoning.  Now set the loin in the refrigerator.

After the potatoes are fully cooked, strain them and then cool them in an ice water bath for a few minutes then strain again.  Return potatoes to an empty bowl, add the remaining salad ingredients and mix well.  Place potato salad in the refrigerator until after grilling the pork loin.

Now heat your grill on high.  I used charcoal, but use whatever you like.  When the grill is ready sear each side of the pork loin with a nice crust.  Now place the pork loin on a flat baking sheet or foil, reduce grill temperature, cover the grill with the lid and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes.  Remove the pork loin from the grill, and let it rest for a few minutes.  Now slice the pork loin and serve with the potato salad.

This was a fun recipe challenge.  It really is great to get back at this blog.  I hope you all give this one a try and take some time to look at the previous recipes.  I’m sure there’s something there for everyone’s flavor preferences.  Until next time, keep it shakin' bacon.

Campfire Fajitas

Well... we were going to call this Campfire Surf and Turf Tacos, but when we got to the store they didn't have any acceptable shrimp.  Further, it's not really tacos.  It's more fajita than taco.  So, instead of shrimp we got some Real Tree Smoked Sausage.  As I said in the previous post this was the first campfire/completely outdoors recipe we've done.  This was last Friday night at Crooked River State Park.  I was camping out there so I could set up early to smoke some pork shoulders and chicken the next day for my company picnic.  The gates of the state park open at 7am, and that just wasn't early enough to get start smoking so it would be ready by noon.  On to the Friday night dish of Campfire Fajitas.

This is the first collaboration I think of my brother in law and I on the blog.  Here he is, Nicholas Jeremy Brandon, a real American Hero.

So the two of us made our way to the office to get the meat I already had in the office refrigerator and the other essential supplies for the company BBQ.  We got some camping equipment from the garage, cooking materials from the kitchen, fresh herbs from the garden, smoker from the shed, and of course fire wood.  Then we made our way to the grocery store to pick up the meat, red onion, garlic, sausage and coffee singles.

Here's our beautiful camp set up.  It's the best spot in the campground.  Lots of shade, slightly secluded and river front property of course.

Here's our beautiful river sunset.

...told you there'd be broments.
And now, campfire fajitas:

So, when camping and cooking over an open campfire it is very important to get the fire going first.  It's much better to cook over a bed of coals than a roaring fire, but to each their own.

We got the fire going then set up camp.  Then we rubbed the pork shoulders and chicken down for the next day and put them back in the cooler.  Next we got to prepping for the meal.

For this you will need:
1 pack of flour tortillas
5 red potatoes quartered
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
Olive oil for tossing
Salt to taste
5 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced
1 sliced red onion
1 pack of strip steak sliced into fajita size bite pieces
1 pack of your choice of smoked sausage cut into bite size pieces (we used Real Tree).
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme

Get a grill skillet.  You can find them almost anywhere.  Start with the potatoes in the skillet first, as they take the longest to cook.  Toss them with some salt and olive oil before fire roasting.

While the potatoes start you can chop the rest of your ingredients.  Once all the ingredients are prepared toss them all together in a bowl or right there on the cutting board with a few drizzles of olive oil and salt to taste.
Add them to the skillet and mix with the potatoes.  Sizzle, stirring on occasion until onions and peppers are softened to your liking.  Push your coals aside and leave the skillet close enough to keep warm and start serving up in the tortilla shells.

Best campfire meal I've ever had.  Sorry dad, it was better than campfire hamburger helper.

One last picture... Here is the rising Georgia sun over Crooked River.

Up Next Surf and Turf Tacos (over camp fire)

So I've got this company picnic on Saturday.  It's at the local state park which has a nice campground.  I've been commissioned in smoking the BBQ for the picnic Saturday.  It's going to be my biggest smoke ever.  3 Boston Butts, 16 pieces of chicken, and a tiny bit of tofu for the vegans.  The ranger is a friend of mine and I've arranged to be at the picnic shelter far before the sun rises Saturday.  In order to do this I will need to be camping.  Chicken takes no time, but pork butts take at least 8 hours.  But this isn't really about Saturday.  This is about Friday night.  A real bromantic time, with my actual bro, well in law.  Oh the broments we will have making this dish.  I plan to cut some fresh herbs from the garden tomorrow, rosemary, oregano, basil how about thyme too.  It takes a little thyme sometimes friends.  Going to bring out some fresh garlic and just a little bit of salt and olive oil.  That's just the seasoning!  We will also have wild Georgia shrimp, some steak cuts, quartered red potatoes, maybe some onion and jalapeno.  All of this, coming soon over an open camp fire.

Stay hungry my friends.

Here it is, Pork After Dark with Au Gratin Sausage and Potatoes

So this smoked sausage walked into a club and saw this fiiiiiiiine lookin' tenderloin.  He said, "hey girl, let's go to my place and make some delicious love."  Tenderloin was a real lady so she made Smoked Sausage wine and dine her first.  She said, "you better soak me in a nice pineapple juice and herb brine first and get me some nice bacon lingerie."  Smoked Sausage really wanted to seal the deal so he did as he was told.  Well, enough of that.... Here's the details.

You will need:
1 smoked sausage link of your choice
1 pack of bacon
1 regular unseasoned pork tenderloin
24oz of pineapple juice
2 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup fresh chopped thyme
1/4 cup fresh chopped oregano
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
2 cups sliced red potatoes
1/4 cup of salt
About 2 cups of shredded cheese of your choice
1/2 stick of butter
Flour to thicken the butter roux
Milk to thin the roux
Seasoning salt to taste
Bread Crumbs

Brining the Tenderloin:
In a medium size tuperware container combine the chopped herbs and garlic with 1/4 cup salt and 24oz pineapple juice. Mix it all up to dissolve the salt.  Add the tenderloin and let it sit over night in the refrigerator.

Bacon Weave:
Weave bacon like string weave, large enough to cover your tenderloin.  See below.

 Tenderloin:
After 24 hours remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator.  Slice a hole straight through the middle of the length of the tenderloin.  Push the smoked sausage through the tenderloin and cut off the sausage once it's all the way through.  Now cover the exterior in the bacon weave.  Preheat the oven for 350 and cook until internal temp is 140.  Then broil for 5 minutes to crisp the bacon.  Remove and let sit for a few minutes then slice and serve.

Potatoes:

Start a roux for the mornay sauce.  In a small sauce pan melt a half a stick of butter.  Add flour to thicken to a wet sand consistency.  Thin this out with a little bit of milk at a time constantly stirring with a whisk.  Once smooth and creamy add seasoning salt to your taste and the rest of the smoked sausage diced.  Now add your choice of shredded cheese a little bit a time constantly stirring.  In a medium size baking dish make layers of mornay, potatoes, mornay, then shredded cheese.  Repeat until you run out of your mornay.  Then cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  If you put it in the same time as the tenderloin it will be ready at the same time.  After 40 minutes top with a layer of bread crumbs and broil with the tenderloin.  Remove and enjoy.

This was a good one folks.  Even the wife liked it.  Till next time, take care of yourselves, and each other.

Pork After Dark Preview

Up next, we violate a pork loin with a smoked sausage.

Russia again

Well, after some message board/googling I just learned that the Russia hits are likely spam, and the spam is blocked by blogger.  Thanks blogger.

Russia?

So I've been looking at where the hits on this blog come from.  An impressive 10% come from Russia.  So Russian readers, what kind of food do you folks like to eat?  Is there anything special you'd like to see on here?  How are you finding the blog?  How's the weather over there?  Thanks for reading.  Give me an email sometime jeremyscole525@gmail.com