Rooftop Gourmet

Last sunday I celebrated my 27th birthday on my roofdeck with a bunch of friends watching the Patriots crush the Ravens and eating great food. I love to entertain and have tons of people over to eat all the time and these recipes are a way to serve an army without breaking your budget. I had made the pulled pork tacos before but why stop there? It was my birthday and I wanted to try something new. I bought a 6lb. Pork Butt and a 5lb. Beef Chuck Roast (and only paid about $40 total). Once you get everything prepped and these monsters go on the grill to braise, you can sit back and enjoy the party.

 I made a Southwestern dry rub for the pork with Cumin, Corriander, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Chili Powder, and some smoked Paprika. I seared the butt on high heat on the grill just to form a crust then transferred it back to the big metal tin pan. The heat gets cranked down to low and I pour a few beers over the meat and shut the lid for a few hours. The beef roast is cooked in a similar process but I wanted to incorporate some Asian flavors. I simply seasoned the chuck roast with salt and black pepper but braised it in a mixture of soy sauce, beef broth, fresh orange juice, garlic, Thai chilies, and ginger. When halftime rolled around, it was time to get out the forks and start shredding or pulling the meat apart. The meat should fall apart easily when being “forked” or else keep it on the heat longer. Once everything is pulled apart keep it on the grill for another 20 minutes so the sauce solidifies. I had made vast array of accompianments ahead of time and had them spread out on the deck table, “make your own taco buffet” style. The pulled pork went into a tortilla with some Cilantro Pesto (see Summer Food & Wine Pairings post for recipe), Siracha sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and green onions.

 The beef went into the tortilla with my Asian Shittake-Snap Pea Slaw (See Cost Efficient Seafood Post for recipe), shredded cheese, green onions, chopped peanuts, and a splash of sesame oil. The tacos were a huge hit and it kept people happy and full for hours. Next time you’re entertaining for a huge crowd, utilize a large, inexpensive cut of meat and slow cook it. Not only will the slow-cooked flavors taste amazing, it will give you time to enjoy the party. (Patriots 27 – Ravens 21)

I have come to the conclusion that I dream about food all the time. I wake up with these ideas and try to combine certain flavors in my head, which are eventually expressed in my food. Sometimes flavors that I use in my food come from wine or nuances in certain wines that I like. For example, vanilla is a flavor that is sometimes apparent in oaky Chardonnay or sometimes in rich reds such as Merlot or Cabernet. I don’t know why, but yesterday morning I woke up thinking about vanilla. I couldn’t stop thinking about the flavor and what other ingredients that I would pair with it. You will notice in my food, that I love to throw new, bold flavors into somewhat classic preparations.

I always try to balance my food with sweet, salty, sour, and bitter things, kind of like how a winemaker balances fruit, tannin, acidity, and different grapes. If successful, the final product harmoniously brings your palate to life. After spending two hours in Whole Foods, ideas started popping in my head. I bought some vanilla extract and a couple fresh vanilla beans. I decided to make a vanilla glaze for a grilled bone-in pork chop. The char and smokyness from the grill would be bitter but balanced by the sweet and rich vanilla glaze. I wanted to serve the chop atop a roasted carrot puree’ with some orange zest. Carrots raw are not very sweet, but when carmelized and roasted it brings out such an amazing flavor, balanced with some fresh acidic orange zest. I boiled some baby Yukon Gold potatos and simply tossed them in some butter and sage. I also bought some Creme’ Fraiche and mixed it with some vanilla seeds from the fresh vanilla bean to drizzle atop the chop to add some sour and richness.

I wandered around aimlessley in the supermarket coming up with this menu in my head, people probably thought I looked lost. One thing that I found crucial to cooking the thick cut pork chop correctly was brining it. Luckily I had enough time because I was off yesterday. A brine draws moisture into the meat, tenderizes it, adds flavor, and makes it alot harder to overcook; something that most people do when making pork. When I was growing up, I always used to feel as though I was going to choke when I ate pork because it was so dry.

Perfectley cooked pork should be about Medium in temperature; still slightly pink and moist in the center. I brined my chops in salt, brown sugar, bourbon, water, oranges, sage, thyme, and peppercorns (when making a brine, make sure to use correct proportions of salt to sugar to water). Other than waiting for the pork to soak up the brine, this meal was relatively easy to prepare. The most memorable part of the cooking process was sloshing the glaze on the hot pork chops when they were on the grill because even after I shut the lid, the fresh vanilla bean aromas filled the brisk air. All the flavors married together perfectly and we had an amazing Malbec with it; the 2007 Achaval Ferrer Malbec. The deep purple colored wine was full of rich fruit and the smoky finish was a great compliment to the sweet vanilla. I love Malbec with pork because it has body but won’t blow you away and overpower the pig. This dish reminded me how much I love pig. So much that I just bought a 17lb. pork belly today to make my own Pancetta…stay tuned!!!