Ah, busy busy busy. I’ve been working on the site for my latest travel log, and it’s almost done. I just have two more little bloggie entries to write and I’ll be all finished with it. Even the photo galleries are done!
But, on to the fun stuff. I’ve discovered I rule at marinading meat. I created a marinade on Tuesday for some pork, which we later grilled, and ooooooh. I had the leftovers for dinner tonight and ooooooooh. 🙂 Enough with the sound effects, here’s the recipe:
Warning: I’ve written this recipe late at night – all the ingredients are there, it just might be lacking sanity.
Heather’s Po-Dang Kick-Butt Pork
Not for the faint of tongue
Pork (or the meat of your choice – it works rather well with chicken)
Oodles of Soy Sauce
A glob of Honey
Sprinkles of the following:
Granulated Garlic
Onion Powder
Ground Cumin
Lemon Peel
Orange Peel
Emma Peel (just kidding)
Chili Powder
Paprika
Celantro
Italian Seasoning
1. Get out a tupperware container or glass dish – something big enough to hold the meat and the marinade, preferably something with a lid. Pour in a bunch of Soy Sauce (this varies on how much meat you marinade. About five pork chops took about 4 tablespoons or so.) Just pour in enough so the meat soaks in it about halfway up the side. But, don’t put that meat in yet! (If you already did, that’s okay, I’ll forgive you.)
2. Take out a big tablespoon, dip it in some really good quality, sticky honey, then dump it into the soy sauce. Stir it around until it’s a little less globby and soaks into the soy sauce. Stir that around, then put the meat in it and slosh that around for a while.
3. After the meat is thoroughly sloshed start adding your spices. I don’t like to give exact measurements because that takes all the fun out of cooking. But if you have to be OCD about it, I’ll give a good guess, on the gauge of five pork chops. You figure out the math. Sprinkle the garlic over the meat so it’s pretty nicely covered, but do this to your own taste. I love garlic, so I added lots. I’d say about two teaspoons-ish, maybe.
3a. (The last paragraph got to long, time for a subparagraph!) As for the onion powder, I normally don’t like working with the stuff so I have no number for this one. Just coat the meat to your own preferences. Now into the fun stuff. Only a half a teaspoon of Cumin, cause I can’t ever get a good feel for what exactly it does. When you sprinkle that in, use the bottom of the spoon to grind the spices accrued so far into the meat, so that it looks almost like a paste on the top of the meat. Do not mix it in with the soy sauce, this stuff stays on top.
3b. Now for the peels – this adds a little unexpected twist. Sprinkly lightly, about half a teaspoon to a full teaspoon, to taste. I did a full one, but I’m weird. Now, chili powder. This is when you need to get gutsy. I just took a regular teaspoon and dabbed the end into the chili powder, so I got a pile about the size of a nickel (or a twenty pence piece.) Be very careful to sprinkle that evenly over the meat or you’ll get a bit of a surprise when you bite into certain parts later on. Again, grind the spices into the meat so it gets all nice and pastey.
4. Add a bunch of paprika – you can’t really taste it, but it’s pretty, and everything’s important. As for celantro, this is another unexpected twist. I just sprinkled a little bit, about a teaspoon. Just coat the meat lightly with it and go from there. Do the same with the Italian seasoning, unless you happen to like it. Then have a heyday and dump the whole container! Grind those spices some more and make sure everything smells yummy. If it’s not quite to the perfect degree of yumminess, add some more paprika, or better yet, garlic. (Unless you plan on kissing someone after dinner, then go with the paprika.)
5. Unless you’re thoroughly confused by this point, it’s time for the next step. If you’re confused, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about that. Your pork is doomed. Move on with your life. But, if you’re still with me and you have happy pork, then turn the meat over so the pastey side splashes into your sea of soy sauce. Put a lid on your container – make sure it’s on tight! – then shake it all up. Have some fun with your meaty maracas, then throw it in the fridge. Let it sit for at least a full afternoon, or better yet – or if you’re dealing with chicken instead of pork – let it sit overnight. But only if you’re feeling gutsy.
6. Grill as advised, depending on the size of your meat. (Or, if you went with chicken, you can bake it! Throw the meat and the marinade into a glass dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake as advised depending on whether or not it’s boneless, skinless, whatever.) Then, if you dare, throw some in your mouth when it’s all nice and done, and let your tongue go wild. It’ll be fun, I promise!