Cookin' some pork!

[WesternHatWearer]

Here's how we fix pork tenderloin in Indiana....

Colossal! Yes, that is the first word that came into my mind.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Yes Sir. In especially Fairmount,Ind they make them from big..thick..and tender special cuts.
HD

 

[Renault]

HD! I put on 5 lbs just looking at that pic! LOL! That do look good! I gotta lay off this thread!! Afore I die of obesity or something!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Hand breaded deep fried tenderloins are quite common here in midIndiana..although traveling very far out of state they seem quite an unknown commodity. Various restaurants and taverns up here have there own take on the spices or type of breading and thickness of the cut.

[video=youtube;5BFpcaUIbbo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BFpcaUIbbo[/video]

'Pickle..onion..mustard' for me..!!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

[video=youtube;5GLZiQcIorc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GLZiQcIorc[/video]

 

[Renault]

Now quit!!! LOL!!!!!

I hadnt eaten since sometime yesterday!

 

[Big Man]

Another cut of pork has entered the fray, the tenderloin!
Do you have any recipe secrets to share Big Man? I am always looking to learn more and to hear what others like.

I used to do a lot of pig pickin's, especially on July 4th. For 25 years, we had a big party at our house (excess of 200 people). I'd start with a shoat in the early Spring and raise it out. On July 3rd, we'd kill the hog and dress it out, and put it on the grill I built just for that purpose.

For a pig pickin', I like a hog that dresses out in the 180 to 200 pound range. I'd cut the hog down the back, then put the two halves meat-side down on the grill rack. The hardwood fire was built out from the grill, and only the coals were shoveled under the rack. We'd cook the hog like this all night and all the next day. We always ate at 4:00 pm on the 4th. About an hour or so prior to eating, I would turn the halves over to skin-side down.

I always liked to pull out the tenderloin. It was cooked so well it just "slid right out" from the hog. My friends who helped kill, dress, and cook helped me eat the tenderloin, and the remainder of the hog was served to everyone else at the party.

The "secrete" to good hog cooking is cooking it SLOOOOOOOOW. I always liked to cook a hog between 18 and 20 hours.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

Today I have undertaken a new challenge of preparing bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers. I have not had these before, I am sure that is shocking to some. The only thing that I have had that is similar is something breaded, fried and served in places like Chili's or TGI Fridays. The ones I am making are going to be baked. As this is my first attempt I am backing these in an oven, if things go well I will attempt to smoke them. (The poppers are in the oven as I sit typing this post.) I hope these are as good as people have made them out to be.

 

[Renault]

I know some folks stuff cream cheese in The jalepeno before wrapping in bacon. Or take a long half of a pepper, and a dove breast, and wrap em in bacon same way! I love jalepenos but I can't eat em anymore.

 

[DesertDan]

Hmmm, sounds like a tasty use of dove breast!
I usually use it for gravy due to its liver-like taste.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

The bacon wrapped jalapño peppers turned out fairly well. Since the seeds and veins were removed there was no heat to them. The flavors were nicely balanced. I think in the future I may prepare a few with some of the vein left, so I can have a bit of a bite.
I did have the cream cheese in the body of the pepper. I am confident any remaining vein or seed was quickly quenched by the cheese. All in all, I was pleased.

 

[Renault]

You can let your imagination. Run when cooking poppers. Young son had some here last weekend with something different stuffed in them and I cannot remember what it was. Well he will be back this weekend to help me with is mom and grand mom so I will ask him!

For some reason I think the peppers were stuffed with ground breakfast sausage? Then bacon wrapped. I just don't remember.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

Ah! Sounds like a recipe I encountered in my research for how to make the ones I did. I came across a number of recipes that encouraged the use of Chorizo sausage in the cream cheese. I enjoy southwest and flavors found commonly in Mexico, so future recipes may include chorizo.

 

[Renault]

There you go! On a different note have you ever has costillos (sic)?

 

[WesternHatWearer]

I cannot say I am familiar with that term.

 

[Renault]

My favorite are costillos de Rez. They are marinated beef ribs. We call em meat snacks. If you have a Mexican grocer in your area they may have them. They are cut (sawed) perpendicular to the bone, like into 1" wide or so strips about 6" to 8" long! You have a great and very easy way to grill and eat ribs. Very yummy!

They cook fast like a fajita.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

When I have a free moment I will take a look at spanish/mexican grocer in my area and see what I can find. Thank you for sharing. I am excited.

 

[jkingrph]

We are going to meet my son and family over in NE Louisiana over Easter weekend. I just bought a large Boston butt roast and the wife has a large pork loin thawing. In a couple of days I will put them in my Big Green egg for 10-12 hours for the Boston butt, less for the loin as I do not want it to dry out. I will use oak lump charcoal with pecan chunks for more smoke

 

[WesternHatWearer]

Sounds like a nice way to spend some family time. Sounds like a nice tasty meal as well. A few friends and I are meeting up on April 3 to smoke some meat. I believe we are planning to have a Boston butt, whole chickens, a brisket, and some sausage smoking that day. Accompanied with some jalapeno poppers, mac n' cheese, and baked beans. For this event we will be using hickory and oak via the indirect method for cooking.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

I had some time this afternoon and no real plans. Taking advantage of this unplanned leisure time I stepped outside and smoked some bacon and sausage for this weekend. I turned to my trusty oak and hickory for this afternoon event. At the conclusion of cooking, I of course smelled like a bbq pit, and the taste of both the bacon and sausage was delicious.
It is not too early to start firing things up.