Tag: homemade

  • A Journey in home-made barbecue

    A Journey in home-made barbecue

    Posted by Steve Ward

    My contract finishes this week and I found myself at the end of the year with some vacation time left, so this week I’m off all week, trying to get some rest.

    …only it hasn’t been very restful so far, as I tend to keep myself pretty busy. Feels like I’ve been running all over town running errands. Anyway, lately, especially with the weather warming up, I’ve been a little homesick for Kansas City (well, to be honest, I’ve been homesick for about the past 6 months to 1 year…), so I thought I’d have a taste of home by using some of my massive stock of BBQ sauce and rubs to make some barbecue.

    At first, remembering a classic episode of Good Eats, I looked into building a cardboard box smoker (despite what he says in the video, you can totally smoke meat with the cardboard smoker, but you have to add something to catch the drippings so there’s no flare-ups, which would be very bad inside a cardboard box).

    As I made my plans, I realized it might take a while to assemble the proper materials (I’ve since found out that wood chips can be bought at Hannam market), so I decided to make that a long-term project and, in the mean time, to keep it simple and slow cook a pork shoulder (Costco, ~25,000 won for ~1.2 kgs). I’ve done improvised slow-cooker bbq many times before, but this was my first time to do pork and to try and follow some sort of thought-out process rather than just making it up as I went along.

    porkNow here’s a confession: I cheat. I cheat big time. I’ve got a store of rubs and sauces from my three favorite KC barbecue joints and I’m not ashamed to use them because a big part of if, for me, is getting a taste of home. I took the pork shoulder and covered it liberally with the Jack Stack rub. That being said, it doesn’t seem too difficult to make your own brine or rub, or even barbecue sauce. One of these days I might try it myself, but it would be purely an experiment, as I don’t really see how I could improve on the best of the best of Kansas City barbecue sauces (the rub I could understand though, as any pre-ground spices won’t be as fresh after sitting on a shelf for a while).

    Based on some recipes I saw online, I put a bed of sliced onions in the base of the slow cooker before I added the shoulder, and then I added a can of beer (Max, specifically). It’s important to note that the meat does not need to be submerged in liquid, nor should it be, because the juices from the meat will come out during cooking. In fact, next time I do this I’ll skip the beer altogether, as it adds significant flavor, to the point of masking some of the flavor of the rub I think.

    After ten hours of cooking on low, I woke up at 6am to take the shoulder out, drain the slow cooker, pull apart the pork with two forks, add about a cup of Jack Stack original sauce, then put it all back in the slow cooker for another hour. I intended to go back to sleep, but the hunger pains wouldn’t let me 😉

    bbq bfastI used a single slice of whole wheat bread to make an open-faced sandwich and put a little sauce on top (being conservative with it as there was quite a bit of flavor added through the whole process). I didn’t have anything to garnish it with, but I might look into some cole slaw or beans for next tie.

    The finished product was pretty darn good if I don’t say so myself. Using beer in the process tasted good, but I think it’s a trade-off and may be masking some of the rub’s flavors, not to mention the natural flavors of the meat. Still, most people probably wouldn’t notice. I’m looking forward to having plenty of meat left over for sandwiches through the weekend!

    I’ll definitely be making this again.

    Steve Ward has been living in Seoul for nearly five years now and has dabbled in many different hobbies and types of work in that time. SteveWard.TV is the homepage of his official online presence.

  • Korean Kitchen Hacking: Thermos Yogurt

    This was an article I wrote that appeared in The Korea Herald on July 9th. When I told my dad about it, he made some comment about it being disgusting. Yeah, it does sound so. This was one of my household experiments that actually worked, unlike my homemade cornmeal experiment and stovetop roasted chicken (never posted those).

    The reason for this one was that it’s close to impossible to find yogurt in Korea that isn’t sweetened. Sometimes you just need straight plain yogurt for cooking or just enjoying on its own.

    Here it is:

    Yogurt is popular in Korea. It’s everywhere. It fights for store space, slowly dominating the milk. Ladies in mustard colored uniforms sell it to children on the street. Overseas, Korean frozen yogurt has become a new food craze. Innovative yogurts come out frequently, touting new flavors, added magical nutrients or higher general quality.

    Yet one innovation has not entered the Korean yogurt market, unsweetened yogurt. Most everywhere else in the world has unsweetened yogurt. It’s called “plain” yogurt, or just “yogurt.” You know it. It’s the most basic of basic yogurt. Plain yogurt in Korea is not plain. It’s sweetened. That’s fine if you like sweet yogurt. It’s not so great if you want to cook with it. What can you do?

    The solution is so easy you’ll laugh. You just need milk, a food safe thermometer, a thermos and a little bit of store bought yogurt. The premium Korean brands work well. Thoroughly wash the thermos first. Put boiling water in it for a while just to be safe. Have around a shot or two of yogurt sitting out, coming up to room temperature. In a pot slowly enough milk to fit in the thermos. Let the milk reach between 82 and 85 degrees Celsius. Don’t go over. Turn off the heat and let the milk cool between 41 and 46 degrees. Add the yogurt, close the thermos and let it sit for four to eight hours. When it sets, store it in the refrigerator.

    Now you have a batch of unsweetened yogurt. You can make more yogurt from this batch, but the active bacteria will weaken after a while. Just replenish with more store bought yogurt. You can eat it as is. What I like to do is put it in cheesecloth or coffee filters sitting on an open jar. This strains the liquid whey, making the yogurt thick and creamy, like a cheese.

    With this strained yogurt, you can make the classic Greek sauce tzatziki.Combine the yogurt with finely chopped cucumber, a little chopped garlic, and some salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.Add some mint, dill or parsley if you wish.You can top a classic gyro with it or use the sauce with any meat or vegetable.

    Another basic yogurt sauce is the Indian raita. Some of the ingredients may require a trip to an international market. Combine a cup of yogurt with a cup of finely chopped cucumber. Add three tablespoons of chopped green onions, three table spoons of chopped fresh cilantro, half a teaspoon of ground cumin and half a teaspoon of ground coriander.

    It’s also a good marinade for chicken.Combine a cup of yogurt with a half cup of chopped fresh parsley, four chopped cloves of garlic, two teaspoons of Korean red chile powder (gochugaru), two teaspoons of salt, a quarter cup of fresh lemon juice and a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil.Cover chicken parts with this yogurt mixture and marinate in the refrigerator for one hour.Take the chicken out of the yogurt marinade and grill, pan fry or bake it.

    Laze around a steamy summer afternoon with a cool mint lassi. Don’t have any mint? Korean flower shops tend to sell pots of mint for around 2,000 won each. Pick off a few leaves and rinse them. Combine them in a blender with a half cup of yogurt, a cup of ice cold water and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Add a touch of cumin if desired. Garnish with more mint leaves and relax. Your work is done.