Pork Abodo

I may have mentioned that I took a physics class last month. While I really increased my understanding of the laws of kinematics, one of the greatest things to come out of the class ended up being lunchtime. Now, lunch itself wasn't that spectacular (I had a turkey sandwich most every day), but the company was incredible. Not only did several of the teachers take over the conference room, but any professor who happened to be in the department joined us as well. You want to blow your mind, have a discussion about how those guys are trying to get cancer radiation treatments to only burn the bad cells. Wow. Just wow.

We had a two guys from the Philippines, one from Iran and a couple who had lived pretty much everywhere. Food was a pretty common topic. I learned that Iran has "real" olives, most of the world is not freaked out by squid on their plates and balut is a delicacy best tried in the dark (so you don't see what you are eating, seriously, do NOT Google that).

Arthur is from the Philippines and one day, he mentioned what many consider to be the Philippine's national dish:  Pork Abodo. I was one of two people who didn't immediately swoon and discussion ensued as to the proper way to cook this dish. Of course, I was intrigued and so Arthur sent me a website that had what he considered to be a pretty good recipe for Pork Abodo. After getting lost for a couple hours on that site and making a list of all the dishes I want to try, I got around to trying this for our anniversary.

Marinate a 2 pound pork belly in 1 cup of soy sauce and 5 cloves of minced garlic. Now, you probably cannot find pork belly in your grocery store. There is probably some kind of regulation about purchasing that much fat in one checkout line. Arthur insisted that I MUST use pork belly. I'm sorry Arthur, I used pork butt instead.

At the end of marination, brown the pork just a little bit on each side for a few minutes.

Add to a slow cooker along with a cup of water, 5 dried bay leaves and a tablespoon of peppercorns. Cook on low for six hours. The last 15 minutes add in 1/4 cup of vinegar.

This doesn't even need to be sliced. I couldn't get it out of the cooker it was so tender.

Delicious. So, so tender. I was expecting a much stronger flavor than what I got. I am not complaining. The flavor of this was just enough to distinguish it from just plain pork. Perfect.

And did I mention it was tender?

I have been wanting to venture into Asian cooking and this was the perfect way to start. Easy to make and didn't completely take my family by surprise. And I can't wait to make a sandwich out of it for lunch tomorrow.

Click here for Printable Recipe

Pork Adobo
2 Pounds Pork Belly or Pork Butt
2 Cloves Garlic, minced or crushed
5 Dried Bay Leaves
4 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 Cup Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Whole Peppercorn
1 Cup Water
Salt to taste
Combine the pork belly, soy sauce, and garlic and marinade for at least 1 hour. Heat a saucepan and sear the marinated pork belly until browned. Transfer the pork to a large crockpot. Add water, whole pepper corn, and dried bay leaves. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add in the vinegar and simmer for the last 15 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve hot.

Candied Bacon

I've been going through something of a breakfast crisis for quite awhile now. Typically, at this time of day, I can eat the same thing over and over and never get tired of it. 

My big issue during the school year is that breakfast has to last me ALL morning long. Once that first bell rings, I don't have a break until lunch. Somewhere around third hour, my tummy is letting me know that I might want to consider some nourishment. 

So I am trying to find something that is easy, fast and filling. Not too tall of an order, is it?

Well, I haven't found my perfect breakfast yet, but, I have stumbled across something that might just tide me over.

There are dozens of people out there recommending Candied Bacon (or Pig Candy as some like to call it) as an addition to your table. It has taken me forever to try it, but now that I have discovered this monster, there is no turning back.

Coat a slice of bacon with a thin layer of brown sugar. You don't want to over do the sugar layer; the best results seem to occur when you can just see the bacon beneath the sugar.

Place those strips onto a broiler rack. Be sure to put a layer of aluminum foil underneath this or you will never use this pan again.

 Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

This is amazing. For me. The Girl liked it all right for someone who doesn't like bacon in the first place. Jeff said it was okay. Really? I thought he would devour it. Hmm. That was just fine with me as there was more for me to snack on later.

And again later. Seriously, I dreamed about this stuff.

I think I could make this at the beginning of the week and have it for breakfast every day, as long as I didn't eat it all on Monday.

Definitely give this a try, even if you first reaction is questionable.

Click here for Printable Recipe

Candied Bacon
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 pound thinly sliced bacon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil, and position broiler rack on top of pan. Lightly coat the rack with the vegetable oil. Add the brown sugar to a shallow dish. Press 1 side of each slice of bacon firmly into the sugar to coat well. Arrange the slices of bacon on top of the broiler rack in a single layer, sugared-side up. If there is any sugar remaining in the dish, sprinkle it on top of the bacon slices evenly. Bake until the bacon is crisp and the sugar is bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then to a plate or serving dish to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.