I saw this on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen blog and I knew I just HAD to make it.
If you like hot stuff, you'll love this recipe! It's very simple to prepare, but of course, I didn't do as I was told. The first thing I did wrong was get a 3.8 lb. pork shoulder instead of 5-7 pounder. Minor infraction. I also used half a large onion instead of a whole one. I did make the same amount of sauce, though, because I didn't want to risk losing any juiciness and I knew I could always remove some sauce before serving. The second flub was using the DIET Dr. Pepper I had at home, rather than going out and grabbing the real thing. The third thing I didn't do was "generously salt and pepper the pork" before cooking. That was just a brain fart, frankly. (Good thing both salt and pepper can be added later!) Oh and one more thing: I didn't use a dutch oven, or an oven at all, as a matter of fact. It worked out best for me to use the slow cooker, so I cooked it on low for 7 hours and didn't turn it at all. Worked out very well because it was the perfect size for my crock pot and for the sauce to cover completely.
Despite all those mistakes/omissions/changes, I still managed to make a pretty good dish, although I couldn't get a very attractive photo. It is a good thing I removed some sauce, because this stuff was HOT. (I about choked the life outta my husband when I gave him first taste.) I actually used it in burritos with the beans I made the other night and cheese, which helped soften of the kick. As I mentioned in my previous post, Miranda ate it with the fried plantains, which I wish I would have done. Oh well--next time!
I wouldn't be me if I didn't mess something up, right? I hope y'all are learning this. Here's what happened:
First of all, my plantains weren't quite ripe enough. They were ripe, but not as sweet as they could and should have been. And I didn't serve them as a side, because they were an afterthought. Our cousin, Miranda, ate them as a side to the Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork I made for dinner, though. She said the sweetness/starchiness balanced out the spiciness of the meat really well, so I was glad that she ate so much later than I did.
You can find the recipe here. So simple. And actually I tweaked it a bit--duh--because I wanted to make it sweet. Taking a cue from the recipe for Plátanos Dulce, I added some rum and brown sugar to the butter for the last minute or two of cooking. ¡Qué bueno!
Second, I didn't take any photos of the Plátanos Dulce because I made them wrong. But it's NOT my fault. The recipe NEVER said to slice the plantain. The first one did say to slice them in 1-inch segments, so I did exactly as I was directed in this recipe, and placed the entire plantain in the baking dish. I was 99.99% positive it was incorrect, but I did what the recipe told me to. Next time, I need to trust Fabio (and my instincts) and use a little common sense. Here's another photo of the Plátanos Maduros, since they're so pretty!
By the way, even though I didn't make the second set of plantains correctly, the flavor was amazing. Can't wait to do them the RIGHT way and serve with vanilla bean ice cream!
Okay, so refried pinto beans aren't necessarily Cuban (although they could be if they were black), which means this doesn't count as this week's official post. But I made refried beans last night for the first time and I wanted to share. And actually, I followed the recipe correctly! The only change I made was doubling it--well, sort of (which was probably a mistake, but I'll get to that).
Here's the recipe I found. When I first saw it, I knew it wasn't like my mother-in-law's, but I considered the source and decided it would probably be a good bet, nonetheless. What I didn't consider was the time I SHOULD have started them. This recipe calls for 12 hours of cook time. First the beans soak for at least 6 hours, then simmer on the stove for 4-6. So since I get home from work around 5pm, you can guess that I was up in the wee hours of the morning stirring and mashing. Not so bright, this one.
As far as the flavor goes, they seem just a tad too salty. And I didn't even double the amount of bouillon. I also didn't double the amount of chili powder because I didn't want too much kick. The main reason I'm going to start making beans is for Logan (our 7-year-old) and he wouldn't like them if they were too "hot". He loves Grandma Lety's beans, and her's aren't spicy at all. Quick aside: Logan stays with Grandma Lety and Grandpa Mark on occasion, and during the most recent visit, he said while eating dinner, "Grandma, my house is lame. There are no beans there." Hence this post. That means this was definitely a gamble, and I probably should have just cooked 1 pound of beans rather than doubling a brand new recipe. But hey, they'll freeze, and I'll eat them eventually, even if no one else will.
While searching for a recipe, I discovered that many label themselves as "authentic". Who knows what that could mean! Next time for any Mexican cuisine, I'm defaulting to my mother-in-law! But I'd like to know: what is your favorite recipe for refried beans? Or if you don't make them who or which restaurant makes the best?
