MY steamed Pork Buns, another use for my pressure cooker, as a steamer! bamboo baskets fit perfectly and tonight, it's leftover bbq pork steamed buns

Here's the video link to youtube:;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx4UYMvvqZA 

I made some 'chinese' bbq pork the other day and had a little left.  I chopped it into tiny pieces, threw it in a pan with some of the ingredients i used to make the pork, boiled it and set it aside.  i made some dough, pretty easy, and then married them... may i present my cheap eats, leftover bbq pork steamed buns... ala me

   

TRACY'S BAO(ish) bbq pork steamed buns

DOUGH:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
3/4 cup room temperature water

DUMP it all iin a kitchen aid with dough hook, knead till smooth. OR do it by hand if you have that kind of time and energy

LET it rest, covered, till double, about 45 mins.

Divide into 12 

Roll into balls, let rest

WHILE THE DOUGH IS RESTING, make the filling: 

FILLING:
.

You need about 2 cups of chopped (tiny) meat filling (I made charsiu yesterday, recipe coming)
1 TB light soy
1 TB oyster sauce
1 TB hoisin
1 TB sugar
1/2 cup water
1 TB cornstarch

THROW it all in a saucepan, boil till it's thick, put aside.

Roll balls flat, there's a technique, i'll show you in the video tomorrow. put filling in each, seal and put on parchment squares and put in the steamer to rest about 10 mins.

Put steamer over boiling water, steam 15 mins, remove steamer, covered, and let it rest 5 mins.

Open, eat. 

I'm doing the play by plays and editing a video of the method and it'll be up tomorrow, for now here's the recipe 

BY WAY OF A TEASE; here's the pork

  

There are few things so lovely as the smell of a pork roast on a Sunday.  This is how I do mine.  

This is a method rather than a recipe so it goes fast and easy.  It takes longer to type out the method than to actually get this roast set up to work it's magic without you.    

It does take loads of time to cook but it's not time where you have to DO anything so it's the perfect Sunday roast.  It's the perfect any day of the week roast actually but for our purposes, it's for Sunday. 

TRACYS ROAST PORK SHOULDER

I found a pork shoulder, with skin, at HEB for $.99/lb, this is what $7.00 gets you.  FABULOUS

PREHEAT the oven to 425

Place the pork in a cold, dry, pan and season liberally with salt and pepper on the meat side, flip skin side up and slash the skin in 1 inch intervals?

Rub the pork skin with vinegar, generously but you don't want puddles in the pan.

When the oven is hot, bake for 30 minutes then turn the oven down to 275 and walk away.

I cook my pork shoulder roasts, with skin, for about an hour a pound at 275.

 

After the roast time, it looks sad BUT don't fret.  Crank the broiler and drain off all the liquid in the pan, that's going to be you gravy or sauce if you want it. 

Put the roast under the broiler until it's puffy and dark and crisp crisp.  

I pull off the crispy bits and snack on them while I prep the rest of dinner

This meat is happy happy to wait till you make the rest of the meal.  I just let it sit there then I start my veggies and gravy. 

OH, the gravy.  OK, separate the liquid you took from the pan and throw some of the fat in a sauce pan, fry it up with the same amount of flour until it's dark!  Add the rest of the pork juices and enough water/stock to make a gravy the consistency you like.  You do NOT have to add the liquid slowly, geez, people trying to make an easy thing difficult.  When the roux is dark, add loads of liquid at one time and stir or whisk, it'll be fine.  I've never had a lump.  Let it bubble while you cook the veg, adding stock, water, as needed, as well as salt and pepper.  I think gravy is best after it's cooked a while but do your own thing. :)

  
mmmmm  CRISPY blistered crunchy skin!

Make some mashed potatoes, peas, gravy if you want and rip off chunks of this roast.  It's tender and moist and flavorful and tastes like pork!

 

Try the high then low and slow method and let me know what you think.

 

Smoked (BBQ) Pork Ribs in my Masterbuilt Electric Smoker, a few minutes prep and you're golden by dinnertime!

RIBS!  there's not a soul who doesn't love RIBS!!  PORK RIBS!

I prefer St. Louis cut to baby backs, I think they are meatier and tastier.  I got some on sale today so it's smoked/BBQ ribs for dinner!  I'm making my potato salad to go with and a large, icy cold, beer.

TRACY'S SMOKED RIBS (in an electric smoker)

Get your hands on some ribs and yank the membrane off the back, season them up however you like.  Today, I used:

salt

pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

smoked paprika

cumin

coriander

oil

rub it in all in

Throw in on preheated (225) (I have a Masterbuilt) smoker with apple wood chips (soaked) for about 4 hours. 

I keep top vent slightly open so the smoke draws through and I can tell when there's no more smoke.  I refill 2-3 times about every 90 minutes.  I don't like TOO much smoke so I don't smoke the last while. 

EAT

Here's the picture heavy INSTRUCTIONS and chit chat

RIBS! 

As always, I cut the back membrane off the ribs, cut them into hunks with scissors and toss them in an immaculately clean sink.  Why dirty a bowl?  

Sprinkle whatever dry spices you want on them and then drizzle with oil.  Rub it all in, I love that part, I feel chef-y and involved.  Considering there's nothing to DO while these things cook/smoke, I feel as though a good rub in the beginning makes me matter to the whole affair.  Leave them to rest about half an hour, luckily, that's about how long it takes the smoker to be up to temperature, 225. 

 

Throw them in the smoker, on different shelves, with loads of space between (I didn't take pics of that) and smoke them 4+ hours.  I am not going to test them before 3 1/2 hours. 

Go have some wine, make a side dish or get online and cyber chat with people you love and miss who are far away.

I tested and decided I wanted them to go longer so at 4 1/2 hours I pulled them.  We ate them like cavemen, here's some beauty shots.

I pulled from from the smoker and threw them on a sheet pan, I tore one and cut another so you could see the insides and how they were.  They are tender but don't fall off the bone, you have to bite them, you have teeth.  They are soft and unctuous and meaty and tasty and there's some crispy fat on the edges that sort of seeps in, yeah, they're crazy good.  I don't put sauce on my ribs but if you are so inclined, you can have sauce on the side after they are done OR you can thin some BBQ sauce and paint them about 30 mins before you are going to eat to let them glaze.

   



The man liked them, I got a fist bump and a "good ribs".  High praise around here indeed!  o_O

That's how I do ribs, pork ribs.  I am going to try a pork butt later in the week and make some bread for pulled pork.  My plan is to grab a nice fatty brisket next and smoke it about 24 hours then yank off the fat and make some burnt ends, you're going to want to be near me when I do that one! :)

Go smoke something,

/enjoy

Smoked Pork Tenderloin in my Masterbuilt Smoker

Ok, ok, ok.  I had no intention whatsoever of smoking a tenderloin!  A regular pork loin, oh sure, but not a tenderloin.  My husband brought a package (of 2) home, I think he thought it was a loin.  He said I should smoke it, I thought not.

Just as a quick back story, I own the Masterbuilt 30inch Smokehouse, 4 rack, in case anyone is keeping track.  I got it last week, this is my second foray into the world of smoking.  I may be hooked.

He left to go to work and I was searching around the fridge for stuff to smoke and there they were, the little tenderloins staring at me.  I usually brown then, rub with good french mustard then roll in Panko and roast them high.  Crispy and pink, that's how I like my tenderloins.

LOOK at what I did!!  SERIOUSLY?! 

I figured I'd give it a try anyway, i didn't want a neon pink smoke ring, that's not why I'm in this smoking thing, I'm in it for flavor and juicyness and tenderness.  I achieved all three in spades today. You want some crazy tender, juicy and lightly smoked pork tenderloins?  Cook them like this:

TRACY'S SMOKED PORK TENDERLOINS

2 pork tenderloins, dried and silver skin removed
whatever rub you want, mine was a soft but definite sprinkling of:
salt
pepper
smoked paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
ground coriander
ground cumin
a good drizzle of plain oil

QUICKIE INSTRUCTIONS
Rub seasoning on meat, smoke at 225 for 2 hours with applewood smoke and beer in the water bowl.  I checked the temp and it was 140, that's MORE than enough for pork tenderloin.  I took them out, wrapped them in foil and let them sit for about 15 minutes.  Slice. Eat.

INSTRUCTIONS, WITH PICS
Rub the tenderloins with the spices and leave them in the sink to soak them up while the smoker heats to 225, it took about 20.  Oh and the sink? It's where I season all my meats, I can clean it well before and after and there's no dishes!

I took the rack out of the smoker and put the meat on it in here, that way it's faster to just pop it in the slot and not futz with placement, just shove the rack in and close the door.  Less heat loss.
  
I had preheated to 225

See how easy, just slide the meat into the smoker and I poured a beer in the water bowl.  I soaked the applewood chips, filled the hopper and slipped it in the side and dumped it immediately
  
I set the timer for 2 1/2 hours but knew I would check at 2


AFTER 2 hours, I snuck a peek and shoved a thermometer into the meat, it was a little better than 140, my high end temp for tenderloins.  I took them out and wrapped them in foil to rest for about 15 minutes.  The smell is AWESOME.
 
The FIRST person to complain to me that there's no smoke ring is banned for life.  I wasn't looking for dusty, dry, neon pink rimmed, deeply, thickly, smoked pork.  I was looking for delicately smoked piece of meat that still has the flavor of PORK and a light rub and painfully juicy and tender meat.  That is exactly what I got, I'm thrilled. :)

I'd made my scalloped potatoes as a side and it's what Connor and I had for lunch.  I will post the potatoes recipe separately.

Here's the beauty shots. There's absolutely nothing else to say.  Nothing.
    

Smoke some pork tenderloin.  Really.  Wow.

OH and buy one... this is the one:



/enjoy

Meat pie, my jumbo mini version. The perfect food, the perfect container, the perfect mood fixer. My version is a homage to the French Canadian Tourtiere, with it's old fashioned flavors and spice blend. Oh and I cook the filling in the pressure cooker.

I love a good meat pie.  My mom makes the best meat pie.  I make a decent meat pie.  I wanted meat pie tonight but I wanted it with more flair and more spice than our standard family meat pie.  I wanted something that would give me the joy of a meat pie without the mental comparison I do to my own meat pie.  I wanted something that was close but different... what to do, what to do.  

Oh then we had an epiphany:  Why, hello Mr. Tourtiere.  A tourtiere is a wonderful French Canadian invention that incorporates the best of the meat pie and the best of the flavors of the north, cloves, allspice, cinnamon.  It's hearty and had a wonderful depth of flavor.  

It isn't full of vegetables or gravy but rather pork (and in my case, beef too) goodness with a spice background that is bright and earthy and so good it's making me wax poetic like a lovesick foodie.


You wouldn't think the meat and those spices would 'go' but they do and today, for me, they went all the way home to this mini meat pie extravaganza. I cooked the filling in the pressure cooker because I can and I LOVE my Nesco Pressure Cooker and find ways to use it every day.  

I'm teaching Connor (14) how to cook meals and snacks and general food stuffs in it which is another post for another day. 

Today, however, we are in meat pie land.  I hope you make these, I hope you love these like I do. Oh and yes you can make a large one, yes, you can make smaller ones, yes you can make them as turnovers or topless or bottomless  This is merely a moment in time where I am sharing with you how I made mine, tonight.  As we know, tomorrow or next week I will do it completely differently.  This is the version you need to make soon

Tracy's Mini Tourtiere Inspired Meat Pies  

1/2 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
a little bit each of: cloves, allspice, nutmeg, mace, savory, cinnamon
salt and pepper
water
*leftover mashed potatoes optional*

Pastry, either buy some, make some of your own or use my recipe: 

My vodka pastry is super quick and easy: 

2 cups all purpose flour

1 heaped tsp salt

1 heaped tsp sugar

1 cup fat (butter/margarine/shortening/lard combination)

1/4 cup ice cold vodka

enough cold water to make a soft dough

I put all the dry ingredients in a food processor then add the fats and pulse it so that it looks like small peas in there.  

I toss all the vodka down the tube while it's running then enough ice water in a SLOW stream until it comes together as a ball on the blades.  

Stop the machine immediately.  

"THEY" say you're not supposed to wait till the dough rides the blade; I do.  

Don't fret.  

It's much wetter than 'normal' pastry, the vodka evaporates and makes a lovely flaky dough.  trust me.

Remove the ball, divide it into two and wrap and toss in the fridge for about an hour.  Load of people moan at me about my bad method about blending too long or not measuring properly BUT, I make a killer, flaky pie crust so apparently my wrong way works just fine, try it, you'll like it :)

BACK TO THE PIE! 

All right then, back to the pie. 

I cook my filling in the pressure cooker, which is cold.  
Toss in the pork, beef, onion, the spices (I forgot to take a pic of the savory, don't forget to add it) and some water, shush it around to make it look wet and unappetizing and a little like baby food.
      
Nasty looking isn't it?  Fear not.  The water keeps the meat tender, moist and soft.

IF you don't have your pressure cooker YET, wait on buying one, I am going to testing a new one next week and will do a review for you here.  In the mean time, cook this in a wide pan on the stove with a lid and it'll be almost as good :)  Put all the ingredients in a cold sauce pan with a lid and turn it to medium.  When it boils (euwww) reduce the heat to medium low and simmer it about 30 minutes then reduce the liquid, if needed, without a lid.  

Back to those of us with electric pressure cookers:  Lock and Load, 15 minutes

At the end of 15 minutes, release the pressure and you'll be sure you've done it wrong.  It's sort of cooked and there's this beef/pork/spice/fat mixture floating around the meat.  Turn the cooker onto BROWN and cook the liquid down until you can pull a spoon through it and leaves a wet line.  Add any leftover mashed potatoes, I had about a cup or so, and mix it in well.  Dump it into a container and shove it in the fridge to cool down. 
    
Deliciousness; and yes it's SUPPOSED to be that color


While the meat cools, make the pastry, roll it out and line 6 (in my case) JUMBO muffin tins.  I cut 6 inch circles and lined the muffin tins.  

Then I squashed the sides a bit so the pastry would be higher than the side of the muffin in.  To make it easier to seal it.  I cut 3 inch 'lids'.  

Fill the tins with the cooled meat mixture almost to the top then put a lid, that's been slit, on to of each.
It's easier to slit before you put them on, according to my International tester.
   
Place the lid on top and fold the sides up and over the top, pressing slightly.  My dough is pretty soft and super easy to work with so it sticks and squashes together beautifully.  Don't fret, do the best you can.  This is one time where practice really does make perfect.
   
Badly folded first one:     Beautifully folded sixth one:
 
Shove them in the fridge until you're ready to cook them.

Egg wash the tops when you're ready and bake them on the BOTTOM RACK of a preheated 425 oven.
Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 and bake for another 20+, until they're absolutely gorgeous.  Pop them out of the tins quickly so they don't steam and go soggy.  There are few things worse than a soggy bottomed jumbo mini meat pie.
   
Nothing but beauty shots now:
     
Add some veggies and make a light beef gravy from the jar of beef fat you have in the freezer and hello, welcome to full on pie and 3 veg dinner on a Friday night
     
 
 

So, it appears you need to get your hands on a jumbo muffin tin, some pork and/or beef, an onion and some flour for pastry and you'll get this amazing pie on the table. 

I hope you like it, let me know! 

/enjoy