Pork in Ireland and Jerk Pork Chops

Is it just me or was it a little weird having the 4th of July land on a Tuesday this year? Because I didn’t have Monday off, it wasn’t a long weekend and the 4th itself was both a Holiday and a school/work night. I think the combination of these factors threw me off a bit, not that I’m complaining.  It’s always nice to have a day off.  Especially a beautiful summer day. We took the kids to a parade and then our plan was to go out to lunch but since everything was closed we just came home and fired up the grill.  I had a pork chop marinating that I needed to cook anyway.

We put our patio umbrella over the kiddie pool so we ate lunch in the shade of the garage. Happy to report that Emmett eschewed his ham sandwich for the jerk pork. Fly the W! Home Cooking 1: Toddler Diet 0.  

While millions, probably over a billion people in the world do not eat pork for religious and other reasons, our family eats a lot of it.  We eat pork for the same reasons a lot of Americans eat it: because it’s relatively inexpensive, widely available and a good source of lean protein - plus, it’s delicious. Of course, we also eat more Irish bacon, sausages, and black and white pudding than the average American household does, for obvious reasons.  

Pork has been part of the Irish diet for thousands of years.  Researchers have discovered evidence of wild boar consumption dating as early as 9000 BP, and excavations at Newgrange in County Meath show that pigs and cattle were the primary sources of animal food as far back at 4000 BP. In the 19th century, Ireland was a major importer of pork to other countries. During this time period, Ireland embraced advancements in processing and breeding.  Pig farming developed alongside dairy farming and butter production, also mainstays of the Irish diet and agricultural industry, as by-products of dairy farming, such as whey and buttermilk, could be used to feed pigs.

Today, the pork industry is the third most significant source of Gross Agricultural Output or GAO in Ireland, after dairy and cattle production. And, as you might guess, in terms of consumption in Ireland, pork still tops the list followed by poultry, beef and lamb, respectively.  I recently learned that the Food Safety Authority of Ireland recommends that pork be cooked to a minimum temperature of 75C or 167F.  This is fine for sausages but for pork chops? NO WAY!  Not unless you want tough, chewy meat that is completely lacking in juices. Fortunately, in 2011, the USDA revised its recommended cooking temperature downwards from 160F to 145F after research finding that, in terms of food safety, 145F is equivalent to 160F.  So, if you care about this sort of thing, I think you can feel fine about 145F.  Personally, intrepid pork-eater than I am, I take mine off the grill when it hits about 135F.

Here’s a pork chop recipe that Paul has requested be placed in heavy dinner-rotation.  The kids love it too.

Jerk Pork Chops

For the Marinade:

• 2-4 thick cut pork chops, I like to use bone-in
• 3 tbs jerk spice mix*
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• ⅓ cup mirin** (or water) 
• 1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup dark or light brown sugar

*I get mine from the Spice House, or sometimes I use a paste that a friend brings me from Jamaica.

**Japanese sweet rice wine.  I use this because I always  have it but water would work just fine.

1. Place all ingredients in a zip top bag and shake the bag or knead it with your hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
2. Place pork chops in the bag and make sure each one is coated on all sides.
3. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 6-24 hours.  

For the glaze:

• 1 tbs jerk spice mix
• ¼ cup mirin or water
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tbs honey
• 1 tbs lime juice

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer until sauce is reduced and thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  It will thicken further as it cools. Allow to cool to room temperature and refrigerate until you are ready to cook the pork.

To Cook:

Heat your grill.  If using charcoal, push charcoal to one side, so that one side is cool and one side is hot. If using gas, light only the burners on one side.  On my gas grill I light the left two burners and leave the right one unlit.

1. Place your marinated pork chops on the cool side of the grill.
2. Cook for about 7 minutes and then flip the chops, leaving them on the cool side.  
3. Cook for about 7 minutes more or until the internal temperature hits about 110F.
4. Move chops to the hot side of the grill.  
5. Cook for a couple of minutes, then brush with glaze.  
6. Flip chops and cook for another 2-4 minutes, brushing with more glaze.
7. Remove once the chops reach your desired internal temperature.
8. Allow chops to rest for 5-10 minutes.
9. Serve with remaining glaze and lime wedges. 

We usually end up eating this with rice and whatever vegetables we have around but it would be great with grilled plantains; rice and beans; jicama, avocado and orange salad with cilantro-garlic dressing; and grilled pineapple over vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Remind me to do that. Summer dinner party!

What I Would Do With a Day in Long Grove and the Best BBQ Chicken

The other night we were out to dinner with some friends and they mentioned wanting to come to Long Grove sometime to check out the town. Paul and I are always thinking and talking about Long Grove and the stores.  It’s so much a part of just being in this family that I don’t always experience Long Grove the way I should when I’m there.

We fall so easily into our routine of stopping by Paddy’s and the Boutique with the kids then heading straight to Grandpa’s.  I have to remind myself to take some time and hang out in Long Grove. A couple of weeks ago we were leaving Chocolate Fest and, in our attempt to avoid traffic, ended up driving around the residential areas of Long Grove. I never realized how beautiful it is.  I never took the time to really look. 

Next time I’m in Long Grove I plan on leaving myself a few hours to shop and just be a tourist. Here’s my short list of places that I want to check out.

The Olive Tap

The Olive Tap, which is right next to Paddy’s, is a place I’ve been shopping for years. They always have ten things I need and I love tasting all of the different oils and vinegars.

Broken Earth Winery

Long Grove has a winery.  I cannot believe I haven’t been there yet. Located in the Mill Pond Shops, they have wine, craft beer, cheese and charcuterie, live music and host special events. They have a shop, a tasting room, private event space and a really cute patio. Sounds like the perfect place to refuel after a morning of hitting the shops. 

Galena Canning Company

Ok. I just checked their website and it says that they have been open since 2014. See what I mean? I’ve looked in the windows of this store so many times but I’ve never been inside. It’s a treasure trove of sauces, dips, spreadables, seasonings and rubs, sauces and toppings. Just the place to stock my pantry.

Scout and Forge

Scout and Forge is a vintage store, full of beautifully restored pieces from jars and signs to lights and furniture. I love it! Have you ever watched the show “American Pickers”? Walking into Scout and Forge is like seeing the goods the guys on that show find, all shined up and restored.  Matt and Meg  breath new life into discarded American artifacts with a sound cleaning and conditioning, or by completely re-purposing something into a “new” unique, one-of-a-kind, quality piece. They get their hands dirty so you don’t have to.  Paul bought me a lantern from here for Christmas and it makes me so happy.

Besides planning my Long Grove itinerary, I’ve been cooking a bit, outdoors. The other night I made Kevin Gillespie's BBQ chicken, a family favorite.  I have never seen my kids eat so much protein in my life. You can find the recipe here. It’s so good.

5 Things About Saint Patrick’s Day

So as it turns out, there are a lot of things that I didn’t know about St. Patrick’s day.  Here are five facts about the Holiday that you might not know. 

#1 St. Paddy’s v.s. St. Patty’s

In Ireland, Patty is short for Patricia and Paddy is short for Patrick, technically short for Pádraig, a variant of Patrick.  I did know that Paddy is short for Patrick as this is my father-in-law’s name, but I didn’t think about it in relation to St. Patrick’s Day - which I’m sure I have referred to as St. Patty’s a millions times - probably right here on this site. Apparently, a few years back,  the Dublin Airport even issued a statement regarding this in an attempt to banish the term St. Patty’s as a reference to March 17th festivities.  I will try to remember this one and call it St. Paddy’s Day from here on out.

Clapping to the rhythm during an Irish dance performance. 

#2 St. Patrick

Do we even know what we are celebrating on St. Patrick’s Day? Green beer? I learned a little bit about St. Patrick just the other day from a friend.  St. Patrick’s Day is cultural and religious holiday that takes place on the traditional death date of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick was thought to have used the three-leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans. St Patrick's Day parades began in North America in the 18th century and did not spread to Ireland until the 20th century.   St. Patrick’s Day has been recognized as a national holiday in Ireland since 1903.  Today, St. Patrick’s Day parades are held across the world. Paul and I even went to one in Japan when were were there in 2012.

#3 Leprechauns

So far as I can tell, these little fairies, who, as a part of Irish folklore, are usually found mending shoes and searching for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, have nothing to do with St. Patrick’s Day, except of course that they are Irish.

#4 Corned Beef

So this one I knew. Corned beef is an Irish-American thing. Corned beef and cabbage is the Irish-American variant of the original Irish dish of bacon and cabbage. Some say that, in America, Irish immigrants weren’t able to obtain the cut of bacon used for boiling bacon which led to using cured brisket as a stand in. In New England, the proximity of Irish and Jewish communities may have led Irish immigrants to start using brisket, introduced to them by their Jewish neighbors, for this dish as it most closely approximated the taste and texture of Irish bacon.

#5 What do you do when March 17th falls on a Friday?

According to the archdiocese of Chicago, Chicago’s Irish-Catholics MAY eat corned beef today, as long as you substitute another form of penance. Whew. Just kidding. I made this corned beef on Wednesday so we could eat it before St. Patrick’s Day and again after since it’s even better a day or two later. It was my first time EVER making corned beef. And well, I didn’t really make it. I was planning on getting all of the ingredients to cure my own a couple of weeks ago but when I ran into our local market for a gallon of milk, the pre-cured ones were right there in front of me and I couldn’t help myself. Maybe next year I will cure my own, but this first time all I did was buy it, rinse it off and throw it in the slow cooker.  It was GREAT.

Here’s how I made it.

Open the package of corned beef.

Rinse off the meat under cold running water. 

Throw it in the slow cooker with enough water to go ½ to ⅔ the way up the sides of the meat.

Turn slow cooker on low for 7 hours.

At the 5 hour mark, turn the meat over and throw some cabbage, carrots and potatoes in with the brisket.

Once the timer goes off, remove and slice your corned beef.

Remove the vegetables from the pot leaving the cooking liquid.

Place your vegetables on a large serving platter and lay slices of corned beef on top.

Add 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard to the cooking liquid and boil the liquid for about 10 minutes until it is reduced slightly - tasting to make sure it’s not reducing too much (i.e. getting too salty).

Pour the cooking liquid over your meat and vegetables and serve.

Happy St. PADDY’s Day!!!