Welcome to 2021!

I hope everyone is off to a great new year and hopefully most (obviously not all) the crazy can be put behind us. Here's a toast to a new year and the beginning of some fun ideas we hope to bring with it. What are those ideas you might ask?

First off I am introducing a weekly blog but it's not your traditional food blog. Our blog is looking to feature almost exclusively other people and I’m calling it The Round Table. The idea is to tap into the mind of other people across the internet and globe for their insights on food, trends, and anything else that pertains to the cooking realm. To cap it off, I'll ask them to share one of their favorite recipes. For those of you who don’t like/want to read blogs, we’ll extract those recipes and make them available in goal number two down below.

The second goal for the year is to get a website up and running. We're currently building it but these things take time when you're starting from scratch. I considered using a site builder but ultimately decided that something more custom would be more fitting for what I'd like the end product to be. Many people have asked for recipes that I’ve used and created, and this will be a great place to store them for everyone to use. Additionally I can post up the blogs and future swag as the site grows. The future url will be simple: www.KingsPlateCooking.com

And finally we’re to the next big goal I’ve set for 2021: YouTube. As the recipe collection grows, I’d like to be able to show how things are made and not just tell you how they’re done. Instagram pictures are great for finding a fun looking dish, but YouTube is going to let us craft the dish together. Plus you’ll see me, alongside hopefully many guests, try the food so you can see I actually love what I cook. It’s not all a photo hack for the prettiest picture!

So now that you know what our goal is for the page and for the future, I hope that you all continue to follow along. It’s been a fun 2 years already and I don’t see the end in sight! I promised a recipe with the blogs so down below you can check out one of my Pulled Pork with Slaw recipes. It’s perfect if you love Apples! The sauce is still being hammered out, but I’ll share once I’m satisfied.

Apple Juice Brined Pulled Pork

Apple Juice Brined Pulled Pork

9-12 lb bone-in Pork Butt/Shoulder

1 bottle Pork Rub (I typically use Pit Boss Pulled Pork)

2 cup Ice

Brine:

4 cup Apple Juice

2 cup cold water

1 cup Brown Sugar, packed

1 Lemon, sliced

1 Orange, sliced

2 tbsp Thyme

2 tbsp Rosemary

1 tsp Black Pepper

1) Combine brine ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer. Once salt and sugar have dissolved, remove from heat and add Ice. Let brine cool completely before moving to step 2.

2) Place Pork in a food-safe bucket ( I use a 5 gallon food bucket from Home Depot) and pour over with brine. Make sure to fully submerge the pork in the brine. Cover and refrigerate (12-24 hours).

3) Prep smoker to 225°F. Remove the Pork from the brine. Using a meat injector, inject the pork with some of the brine. I try to do a grid pattern every few inches across the entire roast. Save about 2 cups of the remaining brine for later.

4) Season the entire roast with the rub. You shouldn’t need an entire bottle but don’t skimp. Since the pork is still wet, don’t worry about an additional binder.

5) When fully seasoned, place in the smoker. Fat side up or down is your choice, I typically do fat side up in my vertical smoker. Let it smoke for 3-4 hours, mopping with the reserved brine every hour after the first.

6) After the 3-4 hours, transfer the pork to an aluminum pan and increase the smoker to 250°. A disposable pan works great or you can use restaurant catering pans from stores like Sam’s Club. At this point you can either cover the pan with aluminum foil to trap in more of the juices or leave uncovered for a nicer bark. I recommend the bark route unless it starts to brown too much.

7) Let the roast continue to smoke until the thickest part reads 204° degrees, anywhere from another 6-8 hours typically. Check with a thermometer for tenderness and don’t rely on just time cooked.

8) When the roast is finished cooking, remove from the smoker and let it rest. I try to aim for 2 or so hours. Many people will place the roast in an ice chest (still in the pan and covered with foil) but I prefer to use my oven if it’s available. The goal is to let the meat reabsorb all the juice so a longer rest is the way to go. Just make sure it doesn’t fall into the food danger zone (140°) but shouldn’t be an issue if you’re resting it properly.

9) Once rested, pour the juices from the pan into a gravy separator. Pull/shred the pork by hand (or claws if you prefer) into chunks. I suggest wearing gloves during this process. It’s both messy and typically very hot. Discard any bones and lumps of fat. Once shredded, you can reintroduce some of the juice and add more of the rub to desired taste. If making sandwiches, I recommend using the Slaw down below.

Granny Smith Apple Slaw

2 cup Red Cabbage, shredded

1 cup Lettuce (Green Cabbage also works), shredded

1 Granny Smith Apple

1 cup Carrots, shredded

½ cup Cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp EVOO

2 tbsp Honey (local is better!)

2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tbsp Lime Juice

1) Slice the apple into small, matchstick sized pieces. Discard the core and seed.

2) In a small bowl mix the EVOO, Honey, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Lime Juice until fully incorporated.

3) In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients and toss until everything is well coated.

4) Serve on top of the above pulled pork with a bun!