Cochon de Lait – Pulled Pork Sandwich

In New Orleans, the sandwich is like a brass band, there are plenty.  You have your po’ boys, the roast beef to fried shrimp to oyster.  The muffuletta.  The parade sandwich.  But under each of those, you have a hundred different ways to make them.  Like the brass brands, from 2012 Grammy winners The ReBirth Brass Band to the Young Fellaz Brass Band.  Hot 8 to the Free Agents.  Soul Rebels to the Treme Brass Band.

Even the YakaMein Lady Miss Linda Green has a sandwich.  She’ll be on UNITED TASTES OF AMERICA with Jeffrey Saad at the end of the month, March 20th at 10:00 pm eastern time.  You can get a preview of the episode here.  The show was taped at the Po’ Boy Festival this past November.  Miss Linda said it’s her pork chop sandwich that she makes for the JazzFest on sliced bread, but for this Po’ Boy Festival, she did it on french bread and it has the bone in it.  You can follow Miss Linda on Twitter: @oneofTEAMBREEZY.

The pork chop sounded good.  At the same time Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine had this recipe in the January issue, Cochon de Lait and Cole Slaw.  In the ingredients it lists pork butt and tells you to shred the meat once it’s finished.  Sounds like a pulled pork sandwich but what is Cochon de Lait?  I’ve never heard of it before.

A Cochon de Lait translated from French means, “pig in milk”, or called “suckling pig”. A pig that has only fed on its mothers milk.  It’s a Cajun dish where it’s about the process.  A young pig is slaughtered, usually between the age of two to six weeks old.  Being so young, the meat is tender.  The whole pig is cooked at once, slow roasted.  And yes, there is a festival for this in Louisiana in Mansura who holds the 38-year-old festival the second weekend of May.  For more information on the festival you can visit their website here.

I’m not quite one who would slaughter anything so… you can look into that process if you want.  Plus being in a suburb of Detroit, my neighbors may not appreciate it (that part of the process atleast – the sandwich they’d love). So, I went to Walmart and bought a 5 lbs Pork Butt.  The Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine tells to cook the pork butt in the oven. I decided to cook it in the crock pot so I can go on about my day.  This is pretty much the ingredients from the magazine but cut in half.  They call for a 10 lbs pork butt which serves 15 po’ boy sandwiches.  Even with a 5 lbs pork butt, my wife and I will be having quite a few po’ boys.

COCHON de LAIT

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs pork butt
• 1 tbsp creole seasoning
• 1 liter Barq’s Root Beer
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• cole slaw
• french bread or sub buns
• pickled jalapenos

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.  I cut the pork butt in half then seasoned well with creole seasoning.  You could just use salt if you wanted too.  Sear the pork butt on all sides until it is golden brown.  Remove from heat.

Place chopped onions and garlic in the crock pot.  Place pork butt on top then cover with the Barq’s Root Beer.

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Once finished, using forks, shred the pork.

To serve, place the shredded pork butt on the sandwich bun, top with clow slaw and jalapeno peppers.  Enjoy!

This is a great version of a pulled pork sandwich, it’s only a Cochon de Lait by name, it has nothing on how an original one would taste in the Cajun countryside or now in New Orleans resturants were it is starting to catch on.  I’m sure a meat market, in Detroit there is Eastern Market, could possibily have a “suckling pig” to purchase all ready butchered.  Maybe another time…

The sandwich, or po’ boy, is the meal of the streets.  Food for on the go.  The parades.  The festivals.  The veratility. This sandwich could be made a variety of ways, crock pot or oven, the meat type to the ingredients in it.  A pulled pork sandwich or as the Cochon de Lait.  Just like any other muffuletta or roast beef po’boy.  The style is different but the outcome is always great tasting food.

And just like the brass bands of New Orleans, the staples of the streets, music on the go.  The parades.  The festivals. The basis of all the music in New Orleans.  It’s were a lot of the artist got their starts, playing with friends at Jackson Square.  Secondlines through the Treme.  Now, 2012 Grammy Award winning artists.  Keep the local music alive and support the brass bands when you go to New Orleans while you’re snacking on one of Miss Linda Greens pork chop po’ boys.

 

Red Beans and Rice… crock pot style! And Cajun?

I’m always up for a new Red Beans and Rice recipe to try. This one makes the traditional Monday meal a little easier to do on, well, a Monday.

It’s taken from the Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine December 2011 issue. They have what appears to be two versions – “New Orleans Red Beans” and “Cajun Sausage and Beans”. I’m making the Cajun version that seems to be easier to get together first thing in the mornining. The two recipes look very similiar so… I don’t really get why this is called “Cajun” with the tomatoes in it. The only difference is this version uses canned red beans where the other is dried beans with the steps of washing them etc. You can purchase the magazine or purchase the book “Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook” by Good Books (www.goodbooks.com).

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs Smoked Sausage, cut to 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup diced ham (my addition)
• 1 16-oz can red beans
• 2 10-oz cans crushed tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbs Italian seasoning
• Tabasco sauce to taste

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cover.  Cook on low until creamy, about 8 hours.

As the crock pot is about to finish, cook white rice or Creole White Rice and serve with the crock pot Red Beans.  You may want to go with the white rice, the meal is pretty spicy with the tabasco and green chiles then adding the creole seasoning with the rice – ouch!  We went through quite a few dinner rolls.  But it’s nothing a glass of milk can’t fix.

So enjoy this take on the classic New Orleans Red Beans and Rice dish.  Get ready for the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football and put on some Glen David Andrews in the meantime – “Kimballs Ride” is an excellent song.  Download it on iTunes and you won’t be disappointed.

Cajun Meatballs

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have a great time watching a lot football and eating just as much food!

Everyone has a great way to cook a turkey and there are so many side dishes you couldn’t count them all.  But here is one of mine.  It’s also a Monday-Friday meal with a potatoe and veggie.

Cajun Meatballs

• 1 lbs ground beef (chuck or sirloin is the best)
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs milk
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup beef broth

Combine the top nine ingredients in a large bowl.

Shape the beef in to 1 inch balls.  After roll each meatball in the flour to coat.

In a skillet, heat oil over high heat.  Place the meatballs in the oil.  Brown the meatballs on all sides.  I use two spoons to turn the meatballs.  I seem to not break them apart that way.  Once the meatballs are browned, pour in beef broth along with adding parsley and garlic.

Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cover.  Let it sit for 20 minutes.  After, remove the cover and let it simmer for 20 more minutes turning the meatballs occasionally.

Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables.  You can adjust the cayenne pepper to add more of a kick or add a few dashes of tabasco once you add the broth.  Enjoy!