Tag Archive for: Sean Brock

Cook It Raw!

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cook it rawThis past Saturday, I got to go to an amazing event called Cook It Raw.  Here is the description from the website. “Cook It Raw BBQ Perspectives will feature more than 40 local and internationally acclaimed chefs preparing their interpretation of Lowcountry BBQ. This event will be a celebration of all things BBQ with a focus on the regional ingredients native to Charleston, rice, fish, game meats, as well as the bounty of the local harvest. Our chefs will place a focus on healthy and whole foods with a focus on vegetables and grains.”  It was held out at Bowen’s Island, which is a very special place on the way to Folly Beach.  The whole thing could not have been better planned, and the day could not have been more beautiful.  Tables upon tables of oysters, different types of fish, and BBQ of every kind, from goat to tongue to pig’s head, and on and on.  Even with over 500 people at the event, there were no long lines at the tables, and it all ran flawlessly.  Everything was served and cooked in beautiful Le Creuset Flame cookware, and there were several wineries and breweries on site offering delicious beverages.  And the chefs, ohhh the chefs- they ranged from Sean Brock and Mike Lata out of Charleston to Albert Adria from Barcelona and April Bloomfield from NYC to pit master Rodney Scott from Hemingway, SC.  Chefs from Sidney, London, Mexico City, California, and Canada were all on site to provide the most exquisite food.  My favorites, shockingly, were the goat (it was phenomenal) and the pork taco, followed closely by Rodney’s full pig BBQ, which is what the picture is of.  What a special day!

Charleston- Best City in the World!

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Conde Nast Traveler just named Charleston, SC the best city in the world (http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/top-cities-in-the-world-charleston-cape-town-bangkok-vancouver-photos#slide=1). Pretty impressive, and I completely agree, and I am not surprised.  Where else could my sweet Walker play on Civil War cannons looking out over the harbor- this city is amazing.  It is actually surprising how long it has taken for people to acknowledge this fact, a fact we in Charleston have known for quite a while.  And Between Mike Lata of FIG, Sean Brock of Husk, Ken Vedrinski of Lucca, Craig Deihl of Cypress and on and on, Charleston is also in my opinion the best food city in the world.  While the amazing food aspect of Charleston is relatively new- like in the last 15 years, the best parts of Charleston, the charm, the quaintness, and the history have always been here.  If you haven’t been to Charleston, you should.  Here is a very old school Charleston Shrimp and Grits recipe that would win Charleston awards even if it was a hole in the ground!  Very proud of my city.

Old Charleston Style Shrimp & Grits

Ingredients:

1 cup coarsely ground grits
3 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups half-and-half
 2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 lemon, juiced
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
5 slices bacon
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Bring water, grits, and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan with a lid. Stir in half-and-half and simmer until grits are thickened and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Sprinkle shrimp with salt and cayenne pepper; drizzle with lemon juice. Set aside in a bowl.
Place andouille sausage slices in a large skillet over medium heat; fry sausage until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Retain bacon drippings in skillet. Transfer bacon slices to paper towels, let cool, and crumble.
Cook and stir green, red, and yellow bell peppers, onion, and garlic in the bacon drippings until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.
Stir shrimp and cooked vegetables into the andouille sausage and mix to combine.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour to make a smooth paste. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is medium brown in color, 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully, mixture burns easily.
Pour the butter-flour mixture into the skillet with andouille sausage, shrimp, and vegetables. Place the skillet over medium heat and pour in chicken broth, bacon and Worcestershire sauce, cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens and the shrimp become opaque and bright pink, about 8 minutes.
Just before serving, mix sharp Cheddar cheese into grits until melted and grits are creamy and light yellow. Serve shrimp mixture over cheese grits.

Sean Brock’s Backyard Pulled Pork

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There are so many reason why Sean Brock won the James Beard Award in 2010- McCrady’s and Husk are amazing restaurants, but we tried his backyard pulled pork recipe this weekend for a football watch party we were throwing, and I now think Sean Brock is a god.  I am maybe slightly biased because Corby worked very hard on this, but it really was the best pulled pork EVER! (and here is a picture of the party which was so much fun!)

 

Here is what you need:

  • 1 cup Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • One 12- to 14-pound bone-in pork shoulder, with skin (we used pork butt- either works fine)
  • About 50 hardwood charcoal briquettes
  • 8 cups small hardwood smoking chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained

Here is what you do:

  • Preheat the oven to 275°. In a medium bowl, whisk the mustard with the brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder. Set the pork shoulder, fat side up, in doubled 14-by-18-inch disposable aluminum roasting pans. Brush the pork with the mustard mixture. Roast, uncovered, for 12 hours, until the meat is very tender and is pulling away from the shoulder bone.
  • Tilt the pan and pour the roasting juices into a medium bowl; you should have about 1 1/4 cups. Refrigerate the juices for 30 minutes. Skim off the fat before using.
  • Meanwhile, light 10 of the charcoal briquettes. When the coals are hot, cover them with the remaining 40 briquettes. When all the coals are hot, arrange 6 cups of the soaked wood chips around the coals. Set the roasting pan on the grill grate over the coals and wood chips. Cover the grill, partially open the air vents and smoke the pork shoulder for 30 minutes.
  • Carefully remove the pork and the grill grate and stir the coals a few times. Scatter the remaining 2 cups of soaked wood chips over the coals. Replace the grill grate and return the pork to the grill. Cover and smoke for 30 minutes longer.
  • Transfer the pork to a work surface and let rest for 30 minutes. Pull the meat off of the bones; discard the bones, gristle, skin and fat. Using tongs and a fork, or your fingers, finely shred the meat and transfer it to a large bowl.

Growing up in South Carolina, I am completely biased towards the mustard based sauce, but any sauce would work on this magnificent dish.  Here is the sauce we used:

Mustard Sauce:
  • 1 1/2 cups prepared yellow mustard
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar vinegar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to blend the flavors