Foods for the Fourth

Post by **Butterbean** » Wed Jul 03, 2013 17:13

We are having a gathering on the fourth and my plans are relax with a drink in hand and let my water wings do all the work. To achieve this state of bliss I decided to prepare most of the meats before hand in hopes my wife can warm things up while I aimlessly stumble around the lake drowning worms and just doing nothing.

I smoked a city ham, two slabs of ribs and a porchetta.

City ham was slathered with a mix of mustard, applesauce and cinnamon which gave it a nice apple pie taste and a good bark.

Sliced for sandwiches

Odd cuts of ham not suitable for sandwiches were mixed with ingredients to follow Troskies ham spread

After a good chop its ready for sandwiches or crackers.

Of course, July 4th wouldn't be the fourth without pulled pork. Two butts were rubbed with a spice blend then slathered with the mustard, applesauce cinnamon mop.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Wed Jul 03, 2013 17:25

I am going to have to send regrets. I am too far away to get there before it is all gone. It won't last long.

IdaKraut · Post by **IdaKraut** » Wed Jul 03, 2013 18:55

BB,

Holy cow, does your stuff ever look wonderful. I am especially intrigued with your porchetta. Have you got a recipe you could share? Thanks!!

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Wed Jul 03, 2013 19:36

Amazing! Outstanding! And happy Fourth Of July!

Post by **Butterbean** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 00:28

IdaKraut wrote:BB,

Holy cow, does your stuff ever look wonderful. I am especially intrigued with your porchetta. Have you got a recipe you could share? Thanks!!

I'd be glad to share it with you but I don't have one. Porchetta is something I just throw together using what I have on hand and the ingredients are only bounded by imagination. In this case I used a mysterious rub that was heavy with pepper and garlic I had on the shelf. I also used some fresh salsa and tomatoes I had on hand and just rubbed it down with the spice mix then rolled and tied it. As an afterthought I mopped it good with apple sauce, mustard and cinnamon. The apple pie Mexican salsa flavor is quite interesting.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 02:34

B'Bean I make quite a bit of apple jelly and the by product of that effort is a considerable amount of apple sauce. Yours is the first reference I have seen to using that in meat seasoning. I usually cook the apple pulp down to make apple butter. I will bet that we could season that apple butter to make BBQ mopping sauce. It doesn't have to be cinnamon and sugar it could be salt and red peppers and black pepper and other herbs and spice.

Post by **Butterbean** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 02:53

Apple butter would be great. I make BBQ two ways. One way is a strict adherence to certain rules that result in a predictable product but there is also the free-for-all where I just use what I think might work. At times this leads to a disaster but only rarely but it doesn't matter cause its fun.

Tonight after eating the ribs and porchetta I am in heaven. There are about 20 people sitting here with several bottles of blueberry wine and mash whiskey and four acoustic guitars playing. It can't get much better than this.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 03:26

Died and gone to heaven.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 05:28

Hey BeanO,
How did your "Deviled Ham" fare? Did folks put it on crackers? The pulled pork looked good enough to steal and run away with!

Post by **Butterbean** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 10:43

Ritz crackers and also tortilla chips. If there is any left I plan on making sandwiches for lunch. That recipe is really good. I think next time I may try and add some celery to it right at the end of the grind. Not much, just enough to give it a little crunch but its good as it is.

Big Guy · Post by **Big Guy** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 13:37

Dang if I weren't so far away I'd come over to help with drowning some worms, a few libations and great food. I'll see you on my way south in November and I won't come empty handed, peameal bacon, pepperettes, oktober fest sausage, salsa, wine and a few other things.

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 17:50

Great way to celebrate the holiday BB, you put together a real feast! RAY

Post by **Butterbean** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 22:26

Big Guy wrote:Dang if I weren't so far away I'd come over to help with drowning some worms, a few libations and great food. I'll see you on my way south in November and I won't come empty handed, peameal bacon, pepperettes, oktober fest sausage, salsa, wine and a few other things.

As it happens your peameal bacon was served for breakfast and I can't recall anyone complaining. Good stuff it was!