Fall inspired, beer soaked beauty: The Autumn Maple Pulled Pork Sandwich

This month we've collected recipes for food made with or made to pair with our fall seasonal, Autumn Maple.  Today's comes from one of our regular contributors, The Beerista Blog!  Read below and check out their blog for some incredibly delicious food articles!

When The Bruery first contacted me about cooking up some delicious food with their equally delicious beer, my mind started racing. A complex and flavorful beer like Autumn Maple has so many possibilities to be transformed into a great breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I knew I wanted to try multiple recipes, and before I knew it I had a list 20+ ideas deep on what to make. There was one recipe I was dead-set on making from the start, however: Autumn Maple braised pulled pork. I used the same technique in the past to make a porter braised pulled pork that was a key ingredient in my award winning grilled cheese sandwich “The Beer Baron”. The sweetness of the yam and maple syrup combined with the spicy notes of nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon in the beer sounded like a fantastic braising liquid for pork. That alone would make a great meal and is really easy to make, but I didn’t stop there! I wanted to create a fall inspired sandwich to highlight this fall inspired beer.

My final creation ended up being a grilled sandwich on sourdough with the Autumn Maple braised pulled pork, gruyere cheese, and Autumn Maple cranberry relish. I paired the pork with a Carolina style BBQ sauce (mustard and vinegar as opposed to the more traditional red BBQ sauce) as I am a big fan of the maple syrup/mustard combo. The flavor of the beer came through really well in the pork. The spices complimented the meat and it had just the right amount of sweetness. The beer flavors didn’t come through as strong in the cranberry relish, but it was addicting none the less. I found myself dipping crackers in it as a snack for days after making it.

The pork and cranberry recipes below are fantastic on their own and could be put them to good use in countless ways. But, together the pork/cranberry/cheese combo is fantastic. Once the components are made, these sandwiches come together for a quick and filling meal.  I served them with a roasted fig, red onion and walnut salad and had a table full of satisfied and happy customers.  Now bust out those slow cookers and get to work!

 Autumn Maple Braised Pulled Pork

Ingredients

1.5 pounds pork shoulder or pork butt
Spice rub (pick your favorite kind. I used Rub with Love)
1 750ml bottle of The Bruery’s Autumn Maple
½ bottle mustard based BBQ sauce

What you need to do

This pork is super easy to make. First, coat the pork with a moderate layer of the rub on all sides. Place the pork into a slow cooker and pour about ½ of the bottle of Autumn Maple over the pork. It should be a little more than half submerged in the beer. Cover the slow cooker and let it do its thing on low for 8-10 hours. I like to do this part before I leave for work in the morning, so that I can come home to an amazing smelling house, and a near-ready meal.

Once the pork is finished cooking in the slow cooker, remove it and flake it apart with a fork – it should be tender and fall off easily. Move the pork into a large skillet with high sides. Pour the rest of the beer over the pork and add about ½ the bottle of the BBQ sauce. Mix the pork to combine and turn the heat on high to bring to a boil. When the liquid starts to boil, lower the heat to simmer the pork for about 15 – 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.

When most of the liquid is gone, you are left with super tender and flavorful pulled pork that is ready to eat.

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Autumn Maple Cranberry Relish

Ingredients

1.5 cups of The Bruery’s Autumn Maple
¼ cup sugar
10 oz bag of whole frozen cranberries thawed or fresh cranberries if you can get them (do not use canned)
1 granny smith apple, cored, peeled and cut into pieces

What you need to do

This is also an easy recipe to make and can be used with many dishes (and might even find a home on your Thanksgiving table). I made this the day before I wanted to make my sandwiches as it needs to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours before eating.

To make the relish, heat the Autumn Maple in a sauce pan over medium heat until it begins to boil. I would advise paying close attention to the beer for the first few minutes of the reduction as messy boilovers can happen quickly (not to mention you are wasting beer). If (when) the beer starts to foam up and threatens to boilover, just remove the pan from the stove for a minute and let it settle down. Then put it back and continue.

Once the beer boils, lower the heat to low and simmer until it is reduced to ½ cup. This took about 30 minutes for me, but everyone’s stove is different, so keep an eye on it. It can be hard to tell how much the beer has reduced sometimes, so I am not above periodically pouring the beer into a measuring cup to see where I am at, then adding it back if I need to keep reducing.  Reducing beer concentrates the flavor and is often a key step when cooking with beer.

Once the beer is reduced, turn off the heat and add in the ¼ cup of sugar. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved and set aside to cool.

When the beer reduction has cooled, place the cranberries and apple in a food processor and pulse to coarsely chop. Add the beer reduction to the food processor and pulse a few more times to create a relish-like consistency. Transfer the relish to a bowl, cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.

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Finally, it’s sandwich making time!

Ingredients

Good quality bread
Gruyere cheese
Butter
Autumn Maple pulled pork
Autumn Maple cranberry relish
A big appetite

What you need to do

Lay 2 pieces of whatever type of bread you feel like using on a work surface (I used sourdough – extra points if you make your own bread using White Labs WLP655 sour mix yeast). Butter one side of one of the pieces of bread. On the other, put down a layer of cheese (I like to use grated), a layer of pork, a generous layer of cranberry relish and then a little more cheese. Top with the other piece of bread (butter side up) and get ready to grill.

Heat a pan that is large enough to fit your sandwich over medium heat. Add about ½ tablespoon of butter to the pan and let it melt. Swirl the pan to evenly distribute the melted butter, then slide your sandwich in. The non-buttered side goes down into the pan.

Press the top of the sandwich with a spatula, or use a sandwich press if you have one. Grill for about 3 minutes or until the cheese is melting and the bread is golden brown, then flip. Grill on the other side until the same result is achieved, then transfer to a cutting board. Let the sandwich rest for a minute or two if you can wait, then cut in half. Triangle or rectangles both work great.  Lastly, but most importantly, get to work eating this fall inspired, beer soaked beauty of a sandwich.

For more amazing recipes made with beer, check out

The Beerista Blog!

follow-up to the roasted veggie post: what they went into next

This is a follow-up to yesterday's post about roasted root vegetables. The burning question from friends new and old seems to be "whether you really cook for your family every night?!" What do you think? I mean really folks. If you think I cook from scratch each day, then you overestimate me! But, what I do have is a fabulously stocked pantry/fridge/freezer so I can "make" dinner even on the busiest of days. A while back I mentioned those Maya Kaimal sauces. They came in handy again the other night. I purposefully roasted a ton of root veggies and tucked the remainder in the fridge. The next night, I knew everyone wouldn't want the same dinner, so I simply chopped the remaining pork tenderloin up into bite-size pieces, and tossed that and the root veggies into a pot with a Maya Kaimal curry sauce. Dinner was made in, oh, about 5 minutes. Fabulous.

I had intended to make this curry with just the root vegetables and some tofu I had picked up at the store. But, my meat-lover husband lucked out since we had the second pork tenderloin...and it ended up being a pork curry instead. For for those of you looking for more meatless meal ideas, the combination of roasted veggies + tofu + sauce (or just the hearty veggies alone + sauce!) would be delicious. I served our bowls over brown rice (those genius frozen packets that are ready in 3 minutes) + a dollop of Whole Food's Mango Salsa (found in the produce section). And it was really, really good.

Here are two more ideas of sauces to keep on hand for those who might like a few more ideas of things to keep on hand to make mealtime easy.

Pork Two Simple, Family-Pleasing Ways – Day Two

As mentioned in my last post, my goal last week was to model Health Magazine’s Double Delicious article. In the article, the cooking was primarily done one day, and then meals were enjoyed in two different variations on two different nights. The challenge was to create dinners with half the effort, but that were still varied and delicious…like I pride myself on being about to make from scratch on the busiest of days. This two-night-pork-gig was a winner, one that I'll definitely repeat during a busy week ahead.

I took the remaining pork tenderloin from Day 1, and chopped it up into (about) ½” pieces, then tossed it into a large sauté pan with a little olive oil, some diced onion, a rinsed and drained can of chickpeas (I thought I had black beans in the pantry but didn’t) and Rosa Mexicano’s Granadilla Sauce (which contains: tomato puree, black beans, crushed tomatillos, onion, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, sugar, salt, red wine vinegar, pomegranate juice concentrate, garlic, cilantro, dried guajillo peppers, dried morita peppers, cloves, allspice). I found the sauce at Whole Foods in Westport, where I often find wonderful, slightly unique sauces to keep in my pantry.

Again, it’s all about having a well-stocked pantry if you want to be able to make simple, delicious dinners any night of the week. My rule of thumb is that these short-cuts are totally fine, as long as I recognize all of the ingredients in a product, and those ingredients are something I would cook with too.

I could have followed Health Magazine’s recipe for Pork and Black Bean Tacos…but, aside from the fact that I didn’t have black beans on hand, I was also having too much fun with my kids to slave over the stove. And so, after combining the pre-cooked pork tenderloin, chickpeas and sauce, I simply put a toppings bar together and let each person assemble their own soft tacos. It was delicious, and truly could not have been easier.

Quick note on the tortillas: I found these Sonoma brand Organic Tortillas at Walter Stewart’s in the refrigerated section over by the eggs. They are wonderful. Search them out!

Pork Two Simple, Family-Pleasing Ways – Day One

Before the snow melted into this random patchiness, we were spending our afternoons outside in the yard sledding and scooping snow. This didn’t leave a lot of time to make dinner so I tried out that theory of “cook once for two day’s meals”. One two meal set, involving pork, was fabulous. The one two-night-gig with salmon was excellent the first night, but no matter how you package it, leftover fish is just sort of, um, nasty.

This recipe was inspired by Health Magazine’s January/February 2010 article, Double Delicious. The magazine proposed Horseradish-Crusted Pork Tenderloin on night one, and Pork & Black Bean Tacos on night two. Because I liked the idea, but didn’t have the ingredients for their recipes on hand (nor the time in the case of night one), here is what I whipped up.

Sweet & Spicy Crusted Pork Tenderloin

As I think I have mentioned before, if you keep a packet of Urban Accents Dry Glazes on hand (sold at Walter Stewart's in town as well as many other markets), you will always be able to whip up a gourmet meal in minutes. The one I happened to have in my pantry was “Bombay Blitz” Dryglaze (which contains: granulated honey, sea salt, sugar, cumin, bell pepper, white peppercorn, coriander, onion, turmeric, Cayenne pepper, green peppercorns, black peppercorns, and vanilla bean powder). It’s a shortcut, but I recognize all the ingredients within, so we’re good to go. I simply rubbed a bit of olive oil on the two 1-pound(ish) pork tenderloins, then sprinkled one bag of dryglaze amongst the two tenderloins (each box of dryglaze comes with two bags), and then went out to sled with the kids. When we came back in, I roasted the pork in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Done!

Then alongside the pork tenderloin, I roasted brussel sprouts (drizzled with olive oil and dusted with a little kosher salt and cumin) and red peppers. The veggies were also roasted at 425 degrees, which made the whole thing very easy. For a starch, I always keep a couple of those Seeds of Change Whole Grain Basmati rice packets in the pantry, which rounded out the meal.

The pork was a little too spicy for my children, so I cut the caramelized crust off, and they basically had plain pork tenderloin and roasted veggies. But everyone was happy. As soon as I pop the kiddos into the tub I can quickly type up what we had on night two with the leftover pork tenderloin, as it was equally delicious (and easy)….

Toting lunch into the city

As I mentioned in a post a couple weeks ago, we’ve figured out ways of saving here and there. Both my husband and I feel thankful for what we have and feel like it is only natural to be prudent given the state of economic affairs. That paired with the fact that I tend to cook large quantities of food led him to pack up a lunch each day. Or rather, I place an extra serving into a Tupperware for him to tote into the big, bad city. It wasn’t something we set out to do, it just sort of happened and then he realized the quality was much better than the salad bar joints he was frequenting, and he noticed how much less cash he was blowing through weekly. Well, now the expectation is that lunch will be sitting in the fridge waiting. I am sure he would tell you that some days are better than others. I think he’ll be psyched for tomorrow’s lunch.

Pork Tenderloin with Urban Accents Athenian Herb Dry Glaze + Butternut Squash + Baby Zucchini…roasted everything in a 425 oven. Minimal prep, excellent meal. In lower Fairfield County, I’ve picked up Urban Accents’ Dry Glazes at Walter Stewart’s and Whole Foods/Westport. But I’ve linked them above so you can search them out near you too. They are excellent to keep in your pantry for a night when you’d like a nice meal, but aren’t feeling like spending a lot of time at the stove! This is one of those products I wished I’d thought of!

Dinner Party Idea - An Oktoberfest Feast

Is there anything better than being invited over to friend’s home for a dinner party? It’s such a relaxing way to spend a weekend evening. But, is it as much fun to be the host? So many friends tell me they are hesitant to throw a dinner party because “they can’t cook” or “it’s too much work”. And so, when I can find some blips of free time, I am going to suggest a couple of menus to make entertaining easy…and yes, fun to host.

When planning a dinner party there are two things to keep in mind. First, a dinner party need not be fancy. No need to pull out the china and crystal. What’s important is that you’re gathering with friends over good food whether it be filet or grandma's casserole recipe. And second, it will be much more fun for you, the host, if you do the cooking ahead of time. This way, you get to actually enjoy the company of friends.

One of my go-to dinner parties I love to do in the fall is around the Savory Pumpkin Cannelloni I make each year. One weekend I’ll set aside time to make this rich, comforting dish, and I’ll make enough for a couple of gatherings, popping the dishes in the freezer. Serve it with a green salad and dinner is done…and wow, do the guests swoon. I'll have to post that recipe while we're all still thinking pumkin.

On a recent drizzly weekend, I made an Oktoberfest-themed dinner for a group of friends. I will admit that I spent several hours cooking on Friday, not because the recipes were laborious, but because I was actually reading recipes this go round (instead of cooking based upon what I have on hand, or relying on my own sense of flavors and textures). I had memories of German food from my time in Europe as an AFS exchange student, but I’d never actually prepared these foods. When planning the menu, I knew I would make one of my go-to fall recipes: Balsamic Braised Cabbage as a side, but the rest of these recipes I got by simply doing a google search for Oktoberfest recipes. I’ve linked to all of the recipes I made, in case you want to cook up your own Oktoberfest-themed feast. I considered it another fabulous evening, since everyone could relax over good food, and all of the recipes could be made in advance (including grilling the sausages), and then warmed in a low temp oven, or taken out of the fridge at mealtime.

“Oktoberfest” Dinner Party Menu

Trader Joe’s Cheese Puffs

Brown Sugar Bacon

Bavarian Cheese Spread on thinly sliced dark rye bread*

Trader Joe’s Pumpernickel Pretzels

*I wasn't so sure of this cheese spread when I first made it (shown above, before being "mushed") but it was actually pretty good. It's definitely a strong taste because of the brie, blue cheese, onions and beer but everyone enjoyed it...

Karottesalat (Carrot Salad)

Gurkensalat (Cucumber Salad)

Sausages**

Balsamic Braised Red Cabbage with Apricots (pictured above, before cooking)

Turnip Potato Gratin (pictured above before getting a heavy dose of cream and cheese)

Grainy Mustard

**Bratwurst, Knackwurst, Weisswurst…Walter Stewart’s carries the full line of Schaller and Weber sausages.

Trader Joe’s Apple Strudels (in the frozen dessert section of the market)

Ginger, Cinnamon or Vanilla Ice Cream

And of course, a hearty selection of German beers to go along with the feast. (I found this wide selection at Stew Leonard’s Spirits in Norwalk.)

Stuffed Acorn Squash + Meat Sauce Too

I didn’t rush to post the recipe for Stuffed Acorn Squash, since my one child that didn’t like the acorn squash the first time still didn’t like it this go round. My goal in posting recipes is to pass along ideas of meals or sides you can make that have a high likelihood that both the kids and the parents will enjoy. But, I still think this one is worth sharing. First it’s such a comforting, cozy Fall dinner. And second, the remaining meat mixture you have left after stuffing the acorn squash can be combined with your favorite jarred tomato sauce and voila!: a fabulous meat sauce (which goes over particularly well here when served over Trader Joe’s Alphabet Pasta). So, all is not lost if one of your kids still isn’t digging the squash.

Stuffed Acorn Squash (makes 4)

2 acorn squashes, sliced in half, seeds scooped out
Olive oil
Rimmed baking sheet
1 lb ground beef (preferably lean)
4 Sweet Italian Sausages, casings removed
1 large (or 2 small) onion(s), chopped
2 handfuls of shredded Mozzarella
1 handful of shredded Asiago or Parmesan
(1 extra handful of either cheese to sprinkle on top)
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle some olive oil on the rimmed baking sheet and rub the cut side of the acorn squash in it so it’s lightly covered. Turn it right side up and pinch a little salt and pepper onto the acorn squash (kids can help with this part). Put it back down on the sheet (cut side down so you’ve got these four little mounds looking at you). Bake it for 25 minutes.

In the meantime, in a large fry pan, sauté the beef, sausage and onion until cooked. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cheeses. If you get done with this part before the squash is done cooking, let it sit (off the heat) and pick up a magazine. Once the squash comes out of the oven, turn it cut side (sunny side) up (green side down). If it’s too wobbly on its base, simply cut across the base—just a little—enough to make it level. Then stuff each squash with as much of the meat mixture as you can fit in there. Sprinkle with cheese. Pop back into the oven for another 15 minutes, until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork.

This can be made ahead and reheated in the microwave, so perfect for a bust night in the week ahead. And, as mentioned above, any extra meat mixture can be combined with your favorite jarred sauce for an instant second meal of a fabulous meat sauce to go on pasta!

And a Quick 'Asian' Inspired Dinner Too

I’m all about spring cleaning these days, so I am determined to work through the ingredients I have in my pantry…plus the random assortment I amassed during yesterday’s grocery shopping trip. I don’t have much time to cook dinner during the week. I tend to assemble dinner while I am giving my children a snack, and then pop it in the oven while we play before dinner (or they play and I squeeze in a workout, some emailing, and a phone call if I am lucky). This afternoon, I assembled dinner in less that 30 minutes again and it’s cooling down for the boys. It smells amazing. This time dinner has a little more Asian/SE Asian influence (all ingredients from Trader Joe’s for anyone who would like to try it at home):

Pork tenderloin + TJ’s Peanut Sauce: seared the pork tenderloin in a bit of olive oil, then transferred it to a roasting pan and coated it in peanut sauce; roasted at 375 until it reached an internal temp of 160 degrees. If you wanted to dress it up, you could sprinkle some chopped peanuts and cilantro over the top to make it look pretty...

For one veggie, I tossed a bag of organic baby carrots + a little olive oil (would be great with sesame oil too, but my husband isn’t a fan of sesame) + a drizzle of honey + some grated ginger + kosher salt + pepper and roasted the carrots in the same 375 degree oven until they were crisp tender. If you were using sesame oil, and wanted to be fancy, you could shake some black sesame seeds over the top before roasting them. That would be pretty….

There’s really nothing ‘Asian” about the other veggie side, but everyone likes it and I had all the ingredients on hand: 1 bag organic frozen spinach (thawed) + hearty scoop of organic whipped cream cheese + a splash of half & half + small handful of shredded Parm + lemon zest. Combine all of the above in a saucepan and heat on low until melted/combined.

And pictured above, I combined 1 bag of TJ’s brown rice (from the freezer section, heated according to pkg) + with diced mango + fresh mint + a splash of rice vinegar + kosher salt + pepper.

Have to run because we’re going to sit down to an early dinner. Early dinner + early bath + early bed = relaxing evening for you-know-who.