Basic Seasoning for Meats

This is one of my favorite meat seasonings. We use it a lot here and it goes with any kind of meat. It's simple to make and very flavorfull. I used it in my past post of pork shoulder, but I figured it would be useful to have it in a separate post. Hope you guys enjoy making recipes with it!

Ingredients for the Adobo:

6 cloves of garlic 

6 black peppercorns (or ¼ tsp. of ground black pepper)

1 tsp. of dry oregano

1 ½ tbsp. of olive oil

1 ½ tbsp. of white vinegar

1 tsp. of salt per pound of meat

Crush the garlic cloves in the mortar.

Add the salt and continue mashing. 

Add the ground black pepper.

Add the dried oregano.

Add the olive oil

Add the white vinegar

 Lastly add the salt and combine everything. 

Pork Shoulder (Pernil al horno)

My husband loves pork shoulder, so every New Year's Eve I make him this traditional Puerto Rican dish. Despite the fact that I eat it every Christmas season, I was a little scared the first time I tried to make it at home, almost five years ago... That said, it really is a fairly easy, straightforward recipe so don't be afraid to try it yourself!

Also one piece of advise, as with pretty much any meat don't be afraid to really use your hands. For some people handling raw meat is a little icky. Well I'm here to tell you that your hands are your most valuable utensil in the kitchen so don't be afraid or grossed out. It's your food!

     

Procedure for the day before baking

Slice and remove the excess fat. 

Weight your remaining meat. Weighing your meat is vital as it determines how much seasoning you'll be employing.

Briefly rinse the meat under running water then immediately pat it dry with a paper towel. (Make sure to dry it well or else the meat won't brown properly.)

Place the meat in the cooking vessel, fat side up.

Score the meat. The cuts should be about an 1/8 of an inch deep and 1 1/2 inches apart.

Lastly rub the adobo all over the meat and then refrigerate overnight. (See the adobo recipe below)

Adobo Recipe

(The amounts used in this recipe produce enough adobo for a 4-5 pound pork shoulder.)

Ingredients for the Adobo:

6 cloves of garlic 

6 black peppercorns (or ¼ tsp. of ground black pepper)

1 tsp. of dry oregano

1 ½ tbsp. of olive oil

1 ½ tbsp. of white vinegar

1 tsp. of salt per pound of meat. (4 tsp. in this case)

Crush the garlic cloves in the mortar.

Add the salt and continue mashing. 

Add the ground black pepper.

Add the dried oregano.

Add the olive oil

Add the white vinegar

 Lastly add the salt and combine everything. 

Really rub the mixture into all of the pork shoulder. Then cover everything with aluminum foil and put it in the fridge.

Procedure for baking day

Remove the baking pan from the fridge and collect any liquid that the meat may have released. Drizzle any liquid over the meat.

Insert your meat thermometer into the meat (not just the fat). Be careful not to hit the bone when you do this.

Bake the pork shoulder for 35 min. per pound of meat or until the meat reaches 185 degrees F.

Enjoy!!

Spicy Crock Pot Pull Pork

Updated photograph of the recipe. 

My husband has been nagging me about making him pulled pork for a while so I decided to finally make it. I decided to take advantage of the fact that it was the holiday. I invited my family over to celebrate New Year's Eve at our house and made this awesome recipe. After waking up at 5:00 am and groggily starting the whole process I realized that I hadn't taken pictures of the process. So I will be posting the recipe, but I'll have to make it again so I can post the photographs of the process. As you can imagine my hubby was "so sad" when he found out he was gonna have to eat pulled pork again... lol. On the photo above I'd made a double recipe for my family. The leftover pork was used to make some amazing sloppy joe's the next day (with a little cheese and bbq sauce!) I promise I will be uploading the photos pretty soon!

This is the original picture of the post. Double recipe.

 Update: I added pictures of the procedure. When I first made the post, it was for a family reunion, so I doubled the recipe. In the procedure photographs you'll see only one pork, except in the last one. That quantity of pulled pork is of two porks. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

Mix of spices:

3 Tablespoons of paprika
2 Tablespoons of salt
2 teaspoons of ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

Paste mixture:

1/2 cup of honey
1/4 cup of white vinegar
3 Tablespoons of olive oil

Additional ingredients:

1 onion, cut in half
3 to 3 1/2 pounds of pork shoulder


Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, add the spices.
2. Add the honey, vinegar and olive oil.
3. Spread the onions along the bottom of the slow cooker.
4. Place the pork on top.
5. Pour the honey paste over the pork.
6. Set the slow cooker on low, and let it cook for 7-8 hours.
7. Enjoy!

Step by Step Photographs:

In a bowl, add the salt.

Add the paprika. (I used in this recipe the sweet paprika.)

Add the ground black pepper.

Add the cayenne pepper.

Add the garlic powder.

Add the dried thyme.

Mix all the spices.

Add the honey.

Add the red wine vinegar.

Add the olive oil.

Mix everything.

Put the onion along the bottom of the slow cooker.

Place the pork on top.

Pour the honey paste over the pork. 

Set the slow cooker on low, and let it cook for 7-8 hours.

After 8 hours is done!

Enjoy!!

Doubled recipe. (Original Post photograph)

Doubled recipe. (Original Post photograph)

Once again, enjoy!!

Pumpkin Soup

I must say I'm totally in love with this soup; it's easy and delicious. This recipe means a lot to me; it was the first soup I made for my husband back during our first Christmas together as a couple. It gives me an amazing sense of warmth and love every time I make it for him. This is gonna sound a little cheesy, but he and my baby boy are the best thing to happen to me. They complete me.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

2 cups of chopped onions

3 cups of chicken stock

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 Cup of half and half

1 1/2 pound of pumpkin

Procedure:

Put the unsalted butter in the saucepan.

Add the olive oil.

Chop the 2 cups of onions.

Cut the pumpkin into cubes.

Set the stove to a medium temperature.

When the olive oil starts to bubble add the chopped onions.

Mix them slowly until it is translucent.

Get the 1 1/2 pounds of chopped pumpkin.

Add the pumpkin to the saucepan.

Add the salt.

Add the ground black pepper.

Add the chicken stock.

Mix everything in the saucepan.

You'll see the soup starting to thicken.

After having it 20 minutes on the stove cooking set it aside.

Use a hand blender to combine everything.

Make sure the soup is uniform and smooth.

Add the half and half.

Then mix it in. 

Pour into a bowl and top with some chopped green onions. Enjoy!