[Sca-cooks] Re: [EKCooksGuild] Playing with my food again...

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> > OK, a couple days ago, I tried Adamantius' Pork Shoulder recipe.
>
> Ur, just to avoid further confusion, I don't think I posted the
> recipe to EK Cooks, just to SCA-Cooks. It was a pretty standard, more
> or less generic, sorta pan-Latino recipe for pernil al horno or
> pernil asado, or slow-roasted pork shoulder picnic. Maybe Phlip can
> forward the post to EK-Cooks, or I'll dig it out later, but I got it
> from a website that appears now to be defunct. I posted it because I
> had mentioned it a couple of times previously, and used the recipe
> enough times in succession to determine that it's pretty much
> foolproof and consistently excellent.

Ok, I'll post it to EK Cooks later ;-)

> > Any of you
> > who like pork, try it- it's absolutely excellent ;-) Only one
> > warning/modification- throughout it, he refers to lifting up the
> > "fat" to
> > get the rub in- I emailed him about it, because our shoulder came
> > with fat
> > and skin- yes, partially remove the fat _AND SKIN_.
>
> All true. I was quoting the original recipe, and while I did do
> things like translating fractions to decimal lest they get eaten in
> transit, I didn't notice that particular source of confusion, or if I
> did, I just assumed it was a cultural thing or a dubious translation.
> But then I've never seen a pork picnic shoulder that came without the
> skin, so I've become quite used to dealing with it without too much
> conscious thought.

Well, neither have I, but there's no telling what they do to meat up here in
Yankee Land ;-) And, generally, recipes that make the skin an important part
of the recipe usually mention it somewhere. With no mention, and with not
being particularly familiar with Latino recipes (something that I've decided
I need to rectify), I thought it best to ask the Expert ;-)

> > The meat was flavorful and tender, the skin was delightfully crisp,
> > and very
> > much a tasty addition to the rest of the shoulder. Rob and Margali
> > apparently didn't like the skin,
>
> Huh -- I'm a bit surprised, they being fans of chicharrones and
> all... is it conceivable all did not go according to plan?

Don't think so. I specificly told Rob when he was carving that everyone
needed to get a couple pieces of skin to go with the meat, and as it sat in
the fridge next couple days, being whittled away, I discovered that the only
one whittling on the skin was me, so I did my duty and made sure it didn't
go to waist... er,  waste.

> > so poor suffering me had to eat it all up-
> > Woe is me, woe to my cholesterol, but DAMN, it was good ;-)
>
> Oh, yes, this something that'll almost surely kill you pretty quickly
> if you ate it every day for a prolonged period. Besides, cholesterol
> is just something made up by Evil Scientists in New York City, isn't
> it? [My niece was taught this about dinosaurs and fossils in a public
> elementary school in Valdosta, Georgia.]

Is as far as I'm concerned, or at least their approach to cholesterol
bearing foods is off the wall. Don't get me started on the benefits of a
healthy, balanced diet, in reasonable quantities, as opposed to these fad
binges people get into.

> > And, those of you who don't think you'll like the skin- don't
> > remove it,
> > other than the loosening you do to get the rub into the meat.
> > Replace it,
> > and salt it, even if you think you won't eat it, because the skin
> > is what
> > keeps all the juices in, and makes the meat so utterly delectible.
>
> Well, I believe the recipe states you can do the roast without the
> skin -- say, if you wanted to use another cut or some such, but that
> the crispy skin is a selling point for most people. I've even used
> the basic process for loin pork chops, and it makes great pork chops;
> the meat acquires a lovely perfume and tenderness. But it's not
> pernil al horno ;-).
>
> Adamantius

Well, my feeling about the skin comes from my experiences with Stefan and
Chicken a la Benson. I have not doubt the meat itself would be equally as
good, if dryer, without it, but I think the skin will help retain the
moistness I like in my meats. If I were to repeat the recipe with another
cut of meat, one that was skinless, I'd likely cover it with foil just to
retain the moisture. I love pork, but I like moist pork even better- likely
my Southern BBQ background.

Oh, and a further note on Aine's Blueberry Bake- I've decided that it would
be better if the volume of the liquid (sugar, water, lemon juice) you soften
the blueberries in were reduced. While it was quite good as is, I think it
was a bit too soupy as I got more into the pan. Not sure by how much I'd
reduce it- hafta try it again (Oh the suffering, Oh the misery ;-) - but I
think by at least 10 per cent, and maybe as much as 25 per cent. I didn't
really notice, as I was indulging in my first spoonfuls, but it bacame much
more obvious later.

I was very pleased overall, however- I think a spoonbread over a pie filling
was an improvement, or at least a pleasant variation, from the more common
cobblers, with the drier toppings. And, corn, particularly masa harina,
definitely goes very well with blueberries ;-) The non-sweet but soft
topping over the sweetened fruits also seemed to help avoid the sickening
sweetness of too many desserts. I think it's easy enough, too, that I might
just try making it at Pennsic over the fire, if I can get a good stash of
berries somewhere.

Saint Phlip,
CoD

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....