This is kind of what triggered the idea:
PrologueIt started with a nonchalant comment from Jon_Snow. He mentioned poblano rings in passing. It was something new to me, and it never even crossed my mind. I was intrigued, and my brain started down a path from which there was no return. To begin with, while I don't have anything against deep frying, batter and breading were things I've ignored, as they seemed to take away from the flavor of the food being fried. One of my favorite snacks/appetizers are jalapeno poppers, but after I went primal, I started making my own, and they weren't breaded, or even fried. My version of jalapeno poppers (bananas for scale):
The only other food I've fried were chile rellenos, and to make those I just dipped them in egg, and then flour. Batter was one thing I've
never had any experience with. I am familiar with peppers, though, but this idea was damn near completely new ground. So might as well go all in.
Chapter 1 - The IdeaSo of course I decided to go big, and recruited my lovely SO, who takes my ideas, expands them, and sends them back my way, for me to do the same. So we figured Baja would be a nice theme for a meal. When we started this, it wasn't Baja weather. Far from it.
But just because there is a little snow, doesn't mean one can't enjoy a meal inspired by places south of the border. So obviously we were doing poblano rings, but what else? We decided to keep it simple, and based strictly on sale items. Rice and beans (brown and black, respectively) as a side, the rings as an appetizer/side, and a cut of bone-in/skin-on pork shoulder. I was going to modify the batter, starting with my base recipe, and then add stuff for a few different batches.
Chapter 2 - The RecipeThe rice and beans were exactly that, except we added a touch of cilantro as well.
The biggest deal was the batter. No frame of reference for me, and the SO's experience told her that it was primarily for texture, not flavor. So I started by looking at poblano ring recipes, and then at basic onion ring batter. Since I had the goal of starting simple, and increasing the complexity and the flavors as we continued cooking, we chose the following method of making batter:
- 1 cup white flour
- 2 eggs (laid by my chickens)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ~1 teaspoon black pepper
After one batch, I added some chipotle paste to add another dimension of flavor, and then I added some ghost pepper sauce on top of that after another batch. The SO also made a sauce based loosely on some recipes we found. We put a bit of horseradish paste and siracha into some greek yogurt for dipping.
The pork was based on our experiences and a recipe the SO found. We started with a very acidic marinade, described as follows:
- 1 orange worth of juice
- 1/2 lemon worth of juice
- 1/2 lime worth of juice
- ~1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
After pouring the liquid over the top of the shoulder, and letting it sit for a while, we scored the skin in a criss cross pattern, and then sliced pockets for ~3 cloves of garlic (and inserted them) all around the roast. Cutting open chipotles marinated in adobo sauce, we used them to cover the parts of the shoulder not covered in skin. And then it went into the oven at 400°F for the first 30 minutes, 300°F for ~5 hours, and 500°F for the last 30 minutes.
Note: The increased temperatures at the beginning and end are only of use if skin is on the roast, scored, and you want it to be extremely flavorful and crispy. It works best IMHO if you chop it up and add it into the pork after it's pulled.
Chapter 3 - The ProcessFor the poblano rings: whisk, dip, and fry. Simple, and delicious. I cut the poblanos in rings between 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. We used basic vegetable oil for frying. Also, did you know that you can put a wooden spoon handle in the oil to check if it's hot enough? The SO showed me, and the oil is ready when the wooden stick/spoon bubbles.
Time Lapse Creation:
https://youtu.be/2mdRpluy_0IFor the rest of the meal, I just followed the above recipes.
Chapter 4 - The ReviewWhile I will write more about this elsewhere, the preparation of the meal is usually one of my favorite parts. However, this bit is going to be all about the food.
The beans and rice were delicious. A staple the world over, there is a good reason. While it's really easy (especially with a rice cooker and a can of beans) and extremely cheap, the flavor of it is pure staple. The rice has a bit of flavor in and of itself, but really it's there to absorb the flavors of the cilantro and the beans. It's a touch heavy, but not overbearingly so. Just enough to enjoy it as a way to interrupt the bites of delicious pork and poblano rings. Want to make it a touch more interesting? Mix in a touch of the sriracha dipping sauce. The combination of cold and hot, the combination of slightly sweet and savory, create a feeling in your mouth that essentially forces one to take a step back, recognize the different flavors, and slow down enough to enjoy it.
The pork shoulder. A pretty cheap cut of meat, and one that appears to be commonly overlooked. I've eaten this often, as a base for BBQ pulled pork, cubanos, or pork soup. At it's most basic, put some liquid in a roasting pan (or a slow cooker), rub some salt on the meat, and cook it low and slow. Not only can it not help but be tender and juicy, it will always make the house smell wonderful as it cooks. You start wishing it cooked a touch faster around lunch, when the smells permeating the house makes you wish you had it now. In the winter, my SO likes making it to assist with the warming of the house. Essentially worshiping at the altar of the oven, one can't help but start getting excited. That mentality is a part of what makes it so delicious once it's done, but it's also the fact that it's been slowly cooking in it's own juices, ensuring that the flavorful juices that flow out of it are folded back on itself, again and again. Nothing is wasted. Now it's on to the cracklin'! A term the SO and I picked up from Michael Pollan's Cooked, it describes the use and the desire for the skin of a pig, but not on it's own. As part of the whole. Considering that these skinless cuts of meat actually take more work to create (and usually more expensive), and are missing an element we've come to love, makes these cheaper cuts the kind of find one can get excited for. When there is skin, we score it in a hatch pattern, to ensure that the moisture from below escapes. The high heat at both the beginning and end of the cook ensures that it gets crispy, almost burnt. And then as we pull the pork, we use a knife (since it's too tough to pull with a fork) to cut it into small bits, almost crumbs, to mix in with the actual meat.
The first bite of the pork is the realization of the expectations that have been growing all day. The very slight sweetness of the citrus attacks the taste buds, putting them on notice that more is coming. After the initial eyebrow raise, the juice starts to flow, providing a mild but deep flavor to all reaches of the mouth. One can't help but inhale a bit at this point, and know that life is good. But it's about to get better. As I continue to chew, the soft texture of the meat is interrupted by something crunchy: the cracklin'. Even though I knew it was there, the flavors that explode from it and combine with the meat always catches me by surprise. I want to simultaneously smile, and continue chewing. I close my eyes, wanting all of my attention focused on my taste buds, without the overwhelming sensations provided by my eyes. This is good.
And now the poblano rings. Due to some confusion while pulling them out of the small sauce pan we fried them in, I didn't get 3 separate batches with the different additions to the batter. I got a giant crispy pile of rings. Thinking of the photos JS posted, the batter looked light enough to match what I was going for. I didn't realize that the previous discussion would color my experience as much as they did. As I lifted the first perfectly formed ring, I felt the fragile and crispy batter enveloping the ring, protecting it, but making me question how this worked. As I took the first bite, my teeth almost gently broke through the crust. The SO was right, there wasn't much flavor in the batter, but it had a bit more basic flavor, which contrasted nicely as I got into the meat of the pepper. Even though the batter was simple, it acted as a palate cleanser, preparing me for the mix of sweet, savory, and slight spice contained with the poblano. One part that really surprised me was the temperature difference in such a small piece of pepper. Piping hot with a cooler center (although still soft and cooked).
Even though it was snowy outside, the second I took the bite, I smelled the hot sand blowing across the beaches of Baja, and could almost hear the waves crashing on the beach. It transported me. I felt free, what few stresses I had evaporated with every bite. My next ring obviously had the ghost pepper batter, as the palate cleansing nature of the batter had morphed into something else. Something that added yet another layer of tastes. It wasn't overwhelming (since I only put like 4 drops in the batter), but it was there.
So obviously, I hated the damn things
. These things are delicious, simple, and were cheap (I'll do a full cost breakdown in my journal, but that plate of poblanos I pictured earlier was about 1/2lb, and I got the peppers for $.99/lb). Mad props to JS for mentioning them, and apologies for missing them earlier.
Chapter 5 - The MealA picture is worth a thousand words.