Wanna have Garlic Pork to eat in the morning but can’t because you decided too late to set it? Or have you stopped making/eating Garlic Pork, because though you love it, you can’t tolerate the bracing acidity associated with the picked meat? Either way, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. You can make and have a creation I call Garlicky Pork in time for the Christmas table tomorrow. It has the major flavour of the traditional dish – thyme and garlic – and none of the tartness.
The key to this recipe is to let the meat marinate for at least 8 hours. And at the time of reading this column, which I am hoping is during the day, you have more than enough time to shop, prep and marinate the meat in preparation for cooking in the morning. The thing that we all love about Garlic Pork is its deep rich flavour, therefore, do not skimp on the marinating time for this twist on a favourite.
The meat for this recipe, like the original, can be either boneless pork shoulder or pork belly (also called pork flap). This dish benefits from cuts that have some fat and tissue as they can stand up to the marination as well as the two-step cooking process. What’s more, once cooked the meat is succulent and not dry.
Before I get to the recipe, let me say that you can serve this Garlicky Pork as cutters; they make for perfect bite-size snacking. If (and I mean if) you have leftovers, you can toss them into a food processor with some mayonnaise, mustard and pepper sauce and turn it into a spread to slather onto sliced bread or bread rolls for a fine sandwich. Or you can chop up the leftovers and make fried rice. Or fry the bits crisp and pound with some fried green plantains to make Mofongo (Puerto Rico’s twice fried mashed green plantains).
Garlicky Pork
INGREDIENTS
● 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder OR pork
belly/flap cut into 2-inch pieces
● ½ cup chopped onions
● 4 packed tablespoons Guyanese fresh thyme
● 4 tablespoons chopped garlic
● Hot pepper to taste
● 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or 3 tablespoons
fresh lemon juice
● Salt to taste
● 4 cups tap water
● Vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse and pat meat dry and set aside.
2. Grind the following ingredients to a paste – onions, thyme, garlic and pepper. Add to the pork along with the lime/lemon juice and salt to taste. Mix well and transfer to a zip bag or container with an airtight cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight (can be longer if you set it in the afternoon).
3. Remove meat from the fridge and bring to room temperature before cooking.
4. Empty the bag with the seasoned meat and its juices into a pot along with 4 cups of water, cover tightly and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook until meat is fork tender but not falling apart. Remove the lid, raise heat to high and cook until all the liquid dries out.
5. Transfer the cooked meat to a sheet pan or large platter, placing the meat a couple of inches apart, to cool and air dry (this step is important for the meat to form a crisp crust when pan-seared).
6. Drizzle oil to coat the bottom of a heavy bottomed skillet such as a cast iron (a karahi or non-stick pan can work too) and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot and shimmers, working in batches, fry the meat until the outside is brown and crusty. Turn the meat to brown on both sides.
7. Repeat until all the meat is browned or has some colour. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot or at room temperature.
NOTES
● A pressure cooker makes easy work of cooking
the meat at direction # 4. You will need only 1 ½
cups of water. When the pot comes up to pres
sure, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 – 20
minutes only. Then continue on with directions
in # 4 – release pressure, remove lid, and cook
until liquid dries out.
● At direction # 6, if you like, you can add several
whole unpeeled smashed cloves of garlic as well
as several sprigs of fresh thyme to the pan just as
you add the meat and fry up together. This adds
a nice fresh flavour to the oil that browns the
meat.
To scale up the recipe, simply double the ingredients.
Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!
Cynthia
