Our tent outside the Taste of Ohio

Some people ask us at the fair how we make our pork loin taste so absolutely delectable!  Trust me when I say we do nothing special with it.  We do use one of these:

Our Smokers

They are our smokers.  They give the pork a slight pinkish tint, which is good.  Most people want their steaks with a little pink in the center and pork is no different.  This is easily achievable on your grill at home.  Just grill a pork loin until it gets to around 145-150 degrees and take it off the grill.  Don’t worry about getting to that 165 degrees, the pork will continue to cook after you take it off.  Let it sit for about 10 minutes so that your pork is really juicy and cut and serve!  It’s all in the cooking temperature to get something that looks like this.

Trust me when I say we are doing nothing special. Okay except for maybe this picture!

You can find these shirts on Facebook under Ohio Hog Farmers!

What can I say… you got to have a little bit of fun!

-B

Every once in a while, cooking feels exactly like this: we don’t feel like we know what we’re doing; get frustrated with the options and choices; throw a bunch of things together and end up cooking an iPad instead! Okay, well maybe not the iPad, but the same feelings exist.

I have to say that Jake did do something right- slightly shocking, I know- by wrapping that iPad in bacon.  It seems today that if you want to add a little bit of flavor and culinary finesse to any recipe, it’s as simple as wrapping it in bacon.  Wrap a little bacon around a pork tenderloin, a pork chop, or even a jalapeno if you dare, and you have dressed up the main course for any situation.  All of these recipes are porktastically simple and versatile.  Go ahead and use them for your next family meal, party, or dinner for two!

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Medallions

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin, 1 to 1 1/4 pound
4 slices bacon, hickory-smoked
Wooden picks
Salt and pepper

Cut tenderloin in 8 slices (medallions) approximately 1 to 1 1/4-inch wide. Place two slices (medallions) together and wrap bacon slice around both pieces to hold together to make pork “mignons.” Secure with wooden pick. Repeat with remaining pork medallions and bacon. Season both sides with salt and pepper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Broil or grill per directions below.

*Remove wooden pick and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Directions for Broiling: Pre-heat broiler to 500º. Broil pork mignons about 4-inches from heat source for 7 to 8 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 160º F.

Direction for Pan-broiling: Heat skillet or grill pan over high heat; add pork mignons. Lower heat to medium-high; cook (uncovered) for 6 minutes or until nicely browned. Turn; cook an additional 6 minutes or until internal temperature reached 160º F.

Directions for Grilling: Pre-heat grill to 400º. Place pork mignons directly over high heat. Close grill lid; grill for 6 to 7 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 160º F.

Do you want to be the king of the kitchen, the maestro of the meat, or the sultan of the stove?  Especially with Memorial Day right around the corner, this little baby is definitely a necessity!  The meat thermometer is the number one tool when it comes to making a knock out dinner.  On second thought… maybe the pork is number one and the source of heat is number two…  Details, if you are really cooking to impress you can’t go wrong with this tool!

I have prepared a simple step by step instruction of how to properly use a meat thermometer.  Here we go:

1. Stick the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat without touching the bone.
2. Read the meat thermometer
3. Make an important decision based on the temperature: to cook more or not to cook more

That’s it!  It’s amazing how cooking your pork to the recommended 160 degrees will give it that juiciness and flavor!

After you have cooked your pork delicacy to the appropriate temperature feel free to serve it to whomever you may have around the supper table.  Your family, friends, and that pesky neighbor kid that just won’t go home will love your food so much that they will shower on you their endless devotion and will be so overcome with gratitude that they volunteer to do the dishes!  Now you won’t have to worry about the neighbor kid, he’s hard at work!

The weather is starting to get nice and my patio/porch/deck is getting more and more appealing. Does anyone know the difference between them because I always confuse them?

My grill has been neglected since fall and is hiding in the corner of my garage behind the snow shovel.  It is time to start getting it ready for a new season of pork chops, ribs, and roasts and put that snow shovel away for good.  (At least for the next 7-8 months… hopefully.)

You can check out how to grill fantastic pork chops on a previous post.  You may be asking yourself what is the difference between grilling and barbecuing.  This can get as confusing as the patio/deck scenario.  Well here’s the low down and you will never use them interchangeably again.

Grilling- High heat, direct method cooking meat over live flames.  Which is why you are able to get those pork chops done so quickly.

Flames= High temperature= grilling

Barbecuing- Long, low heat, smoke-cooking method using coals, smoldering logs or chunks or wood.

Your meat will cook fast with grilling so go ahead and use that for your chops and kabobs.  Patience is a virtue when it comes to barbecuing.  The cooking times can extend to 10 hours with temperatures as low as 225 degrees F.  This is great for ribs and pork shoulder.

How about we discuss barbecuing later, because I feel it deserves it’s own post.