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Posted: Tue Nov 22nd, 2011 10:56 pm

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Vargr

Joined:	Tue Jun 7th, 2005
Location:	Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
Posts:	5220
Status:	Offline
Mana:

More "Smoking Experiments" information. Since we didn't have time to marinade the pork roasts in the marinades listed above, we "converted" those recipes to thick mop/sauces and spread them heavily on the meat before adding it to the smoker. We also brushed a wee bit of them onto the sliced pork before re-heating it, to kick up the flavors of the meat.

Both were SOOOOO good! I got to sample them on "flight day" home, before I headed to the airport for my afternoon flight.

The Apricot version is full of strong Southwestern flavor, with a noticeable touch of heat. Not too sweet, but very savory with lots of chili and cumin tones.

The Cherry version is more fruity and sweeter, but still carries some nice savory notes from the onion and thyme, and has a noticeable anise aroma, but not an overpowering anise flavor. The fact that we significantly cut the amount of ground anise in the mix helped with that.

Both mop/sauces still let the pork flavor shine through, along with the delightful smoke aroma and flavor. I would gladly have paid for a plate of either at any restaurant you'd care to name. These were both definitely in the "success" category.

Here's what we did. Dark red text shows changes from the original:

APRICOT Mop/Sauce

6 tablespoons red wine
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup finely minced garlic
1/2 cup finely minced red onion
4 finely minced chipotle chile peppers
2 tablespoons Portuguese Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
2 tablespoons smoked sweet Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon ground New Mexician chile powder
1 tablespoon medium chili powder
1 tablespoon ground chipotle chile powder
2 tablespoons Adobo Sauce
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 Jar Apricot fruit preserves (not jam!)
2 tablespoons Kentucky Bourbon

From a tin of Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, remove 4 of the peppers and mince them finely.

Place all the spices, garlic, red onions and Bourbon in a microwave-proof bowl, or a small sauce pan. Add the soy sauce, wine, and 2 tablespoons of the Adobo sauce from the tin. Mix all together thoroughly.

Heat until well-warmed, but don't scorch it.

Stir, then mix in the full jar of Apricot preserves.

Continue heating until the preserves are fully liquid and fully combined with the rest. The result will still be somewhat chunky.

Spread thickly over pork before roasting/smoking. Spread lightly over the sliced pork before serving.

CHERRY Mop/Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 small onion, peeled and diced
4 sprigs thyme, crushed
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
6 pieces star anise, toasted and ground (reserve 4 pieces for garnish)
3 tablespoons red wine
4 tablespoons port wine
1 jar cheery preserves (not jam!)
2 tablespoons Reese's Maraschino Cherry Syrup
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large, heavy skillet, heat to very hot and toast the star anise until they become fragrant and start to give up their oil. Pour onto a plate to cool. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind into a fine powder.

In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add celery, carrot and onion and saute until soft. Add thyme, pepper, garlic and star anise powder and saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add wine and port and stir well. Add cherries preserves and syrup and heat until preserves melt and combine with the rest.

Using a stick blender (or regular blender), blend mixture until smooth.

Season with salt and pepper.

Spread thickly over pork and roast/smoke. Baste again at least once during smoking/roasting (this is thinner than the apricot and will run off a bit). Spread thinly over sliced pork before serving.

Last edited on Tue Nov 22nd, 2011 10:58 pm by Vargr

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