I'm going to keep this brief, mostly because I'm smack in the middle of midterms for grad school, and also mostly because I wrote up this post around 9:00 this morning and it somehow deleted itself...

Anyway, let us rejoice, because it is Thursday, and Thursday is a good friend of Friday.  And let us rejoice by checking out an awesome recipe for Spanish Manchego Stuffed Pork Burgers, which I made for my Dinner Party last weekend and which were requested to appear on the blog in recipe form!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. smoked paprika 
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 1/4 lb. coarsely ground pork
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 lb. manchego cheese, shredded on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor
4 large soft hamburger rolls, split

This recipe makes 4 burgers.  It comes from an old issue of Food Network Magazine. Which reminds me of another tip for entertaining; having guests over is not the time to experiment with weird foods, techniques, ingredients, etc.  Stick to what you know!  Your friends and family wouldn't judge you if you messed up dinner, but why even risk it when you can make something you already know will turn out wonderfully?  This doesn't mean, be boring.  It just means to calculate your cooking risks!

Step 1:
Combine the vegetable oil, garlic, olives, and all the spices (not including salt and pepper) in a food processor or mini food processor and process until smooth.  Scrape into a large bowl and stir in 2 tbsp. of the mayonnaise.

Step 2:
Add the pork to the mixture along with salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp. of each) and use your hands to gently combine.  You want to make sure everything is evenly distributed, but try your best not to compact the meat or overwork it.

Step 3:
Now you have to make the patties and stuff them with the cheese.  This is the best way I've found to do it.  Divide the pork evenly into 4 sections.  Then take one section and divide that in half.  Shape one half into a burger patty, about 1/4 inch thick, then sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on top, pressing it into the meat ever so slightly.  Then, take the other half of the pork, form a similarly sized patty, and sandwich it on top of the cheese-topped patty, pinching and folding the edges shut as you go.  None of the cheese escaped and burned when I used this method!

Step 4:
This recipe called for grilling the burgers, but that's not my M.O. so I seared them on the stove, which, to be honest, is the way I prefer my burgers.  But if you want to grill these bad boys, feel free!
After you have formed your 4 patties using the method in step 3, preheat a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for a couple minutes.  Place the burgers in and cook for 5-6 minutes.  Don't press on them or do anything to them! Just let them brown.  Then flip and cook for another 5 minutes and remove to a plate.  If you are not using a nonstick pan, brush each side of the burgers with a little vegetable oil to prevent sticking.  I have also used my retro flat-top electric griddle to grill multiple burgers at once, and this works beautifully.

Step 5:
Almost there! Crank the heat to high on the pan and brush the remaining tbsp. mayo on the inside of the buns and place them in the pan, mayo side down, for just about a minute, so they get slightly browned and toasty.  Top with the burgers and add whatever condiments you want though I promise you, these delicious things need no embellishment.

Like I said in my post, since the forming and stuffing of the burgers can be finicky, I did that an hour in advance of my friends coming over, put them on a sheet tray covered with plastic wrap and left them in the fridge till I needed them.  Easy!
 
Disclaimer, burgers are literally my favorite food in the world, and I can be picky about them.  I actually don't like fancy burgers; the simpler, the better, but these are the one exception to the rule.  I can't get enough of that robust spice blend, the moist meat, and the amazing manchego inside, which just happens to be one of the best cheeses ever.  The next time you are reaching for the ground 80/20 for burger night, consider giving these a try!

~Lauren

In the early years of my culinary life, I wasn't really one for slow-cookers, and in the early years of my whole life, the same could be said of pork.  Pork is dry, pork is flavorless, and pork chops are a poor man's steak.  Right?

Wrong!

Believe it or not, pork is a unique meat that needs to be treated and cooked very differently than chicken or beef.  And when you get it right, oh how the magic does happen.  Magic like my slow cooker pork au jus.  Here's what you need.

Ingredients:
3-4 lb boneless pork shoulder/butt (yes, in the pig world, shoulders and butts are interchangeable)
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine, something dry, and something that tastes good on its own (I used a California Sauvignon Blanc)
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1.5 tbsp. vegetable oil

Spice Rub:
1 tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tbsp. onion powder
1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 tbsp. black pepper

I got the idea for this spice rub from a magazine article and I was completely intrigued with the concept of using Old Bay on pork. Who ever heard of such a thing??  And after playing around with ratios, I think I found an amazing rub.  Even better, the ratios stay the same, so if you want to use it to smother, say, a bone-in rib chop, just halve the amounts and go right ahead!

Step 1:
Trim the pork roast of excess fat.  By excess, I mean any fat that exceeds 1/4 inch thickness or is tough/sinewy.  In this application though, fat is GOOD. Fat = flavor, and fat protects the meat during those long hours in the cooker, so don't go overboard.

Beautiful.

Step 2:
Apply the spice rub liberally to all surfaces of the meat, massaging it in as you go.

Step 3:
I know this step is going to be controversial for a slow cooker recipe, but you'll just have to hear me out and trust me; and, trust the science!

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high-high heat, until it's shimmering and very hot.  Then brown the pork roast on both sides, for a total of 4-5 minutes, and transfer it to your slow cooker.

I know what you are thinking:  I thought this was a slow cooker recipe? Set it and forget it and whatnot!  Well, it is, and after this step, this becomes a hands-off recipe. But the thing is, there are certain flavor compounds in spices that are only unlocked by fat, in this case oil, and that oil needs to be HOT in order to 'bloom' those spices.  It is worth this extra 5 minute step and a dirty pan to get that extra flavor out of your rub!  Just look at the amazing crust you will develop on your pork.

Like fat, that dark color = flavor!

Step 4:
That pork left behind some yummy brown bits, or fond, in the bottom of the pan, and you will want them for the au jus! So at this point, deglaze that sucker with the wine and 1/4 cup of the chicken stock, scraping up the crust on the bottom as you go.  Bring to a gentle simmer and add the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken stock, the garlic, and the thyme.  Then dump the whole mixture into the slow cooker with the pork, and that's it!

Cook the pork on low for 8-9 hours.  You will know when it's ready; when you poke it with a fork or tongs, it will literally be falling apart.  At this point transfer the roast to a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes, then break up the meat into large shreds with 2 forks.  It is so juicy and tender at this point, it's unreal.

Fish the thyme sprigs out of the cooker and toss them, and mash up the garlic cloves into the liquid.  If you want to try to skim the fat off of the jus right away you can, but it's easiest once the jus has cooled down, so I just waited until the next day to do that.  And speaking of the jus, you should have around 2 cups of this insanely flavorful liquid, just waiting for a pork sandwich to be dunked into it.

I used a 3.75 lb roast and it made enough pork for 10-12 sandwiches on small hamburger buns, which was all we had, though this really is preferable on a large Kaiser roll or a long roll, like French dip sandwiches get served in.  On larger buns you will probably get around 8 sandwiches!

If you're like me and you've had a strong aversion to pork, I hope you will give the other white meat a chance!

Happy cooking,
Lauren