What a Crock! for June 7, 2012
New flavors enhance pork recipes
Pork recipes would have to top the chart when people listed their favorite slow-cooker recipes. Specifically, those for pork roasts and pork ribs.
The trick is coming up with new flavors to enhance pork. Flavors need to be bold enough to stand out, yet not overtake the dish. It’s a balancing act that many of us struggle with. It can be especially difficult in slow cooking, but easily managed with a few tricks.
First, cook as normally with all the ingredients called for, but reserve a small amount of sauce. Freshen the dish by spreading the reserved sauce over the meat (or poultry) after the meat is removed from the cooker and is still hot. In some cases, reserved sauce can be added in the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
Pork does benefit from extra enhancement at the end of cooking time. For this Chinese Pork Ribs recipe, reserve some sauce and brush on when the ribs are removed from the cooker.
Julie Kay is a columnist for The Advocate. She can be reached at juliekay1@cox.net.