Pulled Pork with Ginger-Bourbon Sauce

Sounds good doesn't it? I've made various versions of pulled pork, usually in the Summer. In a bid to transition from Winter to Spring meals I thought Pulled Pork with Ginger-Bourbon Sauce, from the March 2011 issue of Chatelaine, would make for a nice Sunday dinner. It's made in a slow cooker and is relatively fuss-free, which is nice when you are juggling a bajillion other things on the weekend. The pork smelled wonderful through the day, simmering on low with only some sliced onions and a can of ginger-ale to keep it company. I really liked this method of cooking pork for pulled pork sandwiches. The meat was falling apart by the time we took it out and combined it with the promised Ginger-Bourbon Sauce.



The Ginger-Bourbon Sauce is a combination of apple jelly, ketchup, bourbon, wooster sauce and Tabasco, among other things (ginger and garlic powder). Also very easy to put together. The hardest part of making this sauce was procuring the bourbon. We aren't a bourbon household, so had to make a special visit to the LCBO to get some. I never remember what bourbon is...apparently it's a special kind of whiskey. I think. Jack Daniels was right there at the checkout in a nice little $10 bottle so that's what I bought. Or attempted to buy. I got carded in the process. It was slightly embarrassing but also a bit flattering. Before flashing my ID (that clearly shows I'm well over 19) I really wanted to ask the cashier how old he thought I was. To be fair, I did get a new haircut last week that is pretty short, the shortest I've ever had, and my one reservation (okay - maybe I had a couple of reservations) about going so short was that it would make me look younger. So. Back to the drawing board with the hair.

David loved these sandwiches. Loved as in he ate three of them. The boys were not impressed with my 'yucky' sandwiches and once again ate a 'deconstructed' version with de-sauced meat. Sigh. I liked the sandwiches but found the sauce over-sweet. On reflection I notice that I forgot to put the wooster sauce in...maybe that would have cut some of the sweetness? I served them with coleslaw on top as suggested which definitely gave a nice crunch as well as a bit of a sour contrast. At least they looked nice:


I served these with some Spicy Oven Fries which are a recipe from the New Abs Diet Cookbook. This cookbook happened to be shelved near a DVD on the Titanic that Daniel wanted to get from the Library on Saturday. I don't aspire to have great abs. I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed. And much like the Titanic, it's hit ice and sunk. I grabbed it because it is featured in Men's Health magazine which David likes to read. And some of the recipes sounded interesting. Spicy Oven Fries start with russet potatoes cut into wedges dipped in egg white then sprinkled with a mixture of spices: chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, thyme and salt. Bake for about 35 minutes and done. I actually liked these a lot. Patrick peeled his and ate the 'mashed' part. Daniel slathered his in ketchup. David ate three sandwiches. I think he liked the fries but I forgot to ask.


Spicy Oven Fries

4 russet potatoes, cut lengthwise into 12 wedges
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

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Preheat the oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Dip the cut potatoes in egg to coat and place in a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the potatoes, toss well to coat. Place the wedges on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp.