Steve Cutchen
TVWBB Super Fan
When I did Pork Butts for the first time on my new WSM, I couldn't bear to toss the remains after pulling. Just looking at all of that flavor and those bones... Dang, there has to be something useful to do with this stuff rather than just toss it. So I made a Pork Butt Stock, using the same methods one would use to make Turkey Stock with a turkey carcass. Carcass stock, not raw meat stock.
Then the question was what to do with it. Well, I was inspired by the wonderful Homesick Texan blog, where Lisa Fein had posted a recipe for Red Posole for New Years. Posole is Spanish for Hominy, and it is a traditional New Year's dish.
That's what I decided to do. But for my spin, I'd start with WSM smoked pork butt! From the freezer came Pulled Pork, sans BBQ sauce and Pork Butt Stock, from Lisa came the general concepts for Red Posole, and thus my Posole recipe was born.
Woah baby! It was way beyond how I thought it would turn out. The soup retains the smokiness of the pork and the spices of the rub. Bits of bark dissolve and add even more intensity. Then the brightness of the lime and cilantro are added along with the chewy goodness of the hominy. Dang! I want to do another butt on the WSM just to make more Stock!
And because it was made with precooked pork and stock, it was literally just an assembly operation. Posole normally takes hours because the pork shoulder has to cook. This took 30 minutes. Rachael Ray, eat your heart out!
Here's the recipe:
Pork Butt Posole
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Recipe By: Steve Cutchen
Serving Size: 6
Summary:
Posole is a Mexican stew or soup normally made from pork shoulder, ancho peppers, spices and hominy. It is the traditional Mexican New Year's dish, much like black-eyed peas are in the South. Posole is typically a long cook dish, starting with raw pork. I decided to try using cooked pulled pork from smoked pork butts. Water is normally used as a cooking liquid and with the spices added, a wonderful pork broth is formed as the meat cooks. I used a broth made from what was left over after pulling the pork butts. So I'm using broth I made and then froze when I smoked my butts and pork that was pulled and frozen for later use; this is basically a simple to make assemble and heat soup.
Think of a rich, smokey pork soup with onion and garlic and then add the earthy, spicy flavor of a paste made of poblano chiles. Cut the richness with a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro. Then throw in the chewy goodness of hominy. Top with a bevy of wonderful typically Mexican accompaniments and a dollop of Crema Mexicana. This is a satisfying soup.
Ingredients:
3 15 1/2 ounce cans hominy
1 pound pulled pork butt, no BBQ sauce
olive oil
1 onion, medium, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups pork butt stock, recipe follows
2 teaspoons ground oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 poblano chiles
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
For serving:
1 avocado, diced
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
Crema Mexicana
flour tortillas
tortilla chips
Pork Butt Stock:
2 bone-in pork butts, the remains after smoking and pulling, no BBQ sauce
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, medium, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.
Rub poblanos with olive oil and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until charred, turning to cook evenly. Seal chiles in a bowl with plastic wrap and let them steam for 10 minutes to loosen the skins. Peel, seed, and rough chop the poblanos. Place the chiles in a blender. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend on high until a smooth puree has formed. Add additional water if necessary.
In a large cold pot, add a couple of turns of olive oil and sweat the onion for 10 minutes until tender. Throw in the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the pork and poblano puree and bring to temperature. ??Pour the stock into the pot and add the oregano, cumin and ground cloves. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.??Add the hominy to the pot along with the juice of one lime and the chopped cilantro. At this point, adjust your spices and salt. Return to simmer for another 15 minutes
Pour into bowls and serve with diced onions, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, avocado slices, crema Mexicana and tortillas or tortilla chips.
Pork Butt Stock:
Heat a large pot and add a turn of olive oil. Saute the carrots and celery for about 5 minutes. Add the onions and continue to saute for another 5 minutes. Add the pork butt remains. Cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered for 2 hours. Add water if needed. Remove from the heat and use a slotted spoon to remove most of the solids. Strain, eventually through cheesecloth, to remove remaining bits. Defat.
Then the question was what to do with it. Well, I was inspired by the wonderful Homesick Texan blog, where Lisa Fein had posted a recipe for Red Posole for New Years. Posole is Spanish for Hominy, and it is a traditional New Year's dish.
That's what I decided to do. But for my spin, I'd start with WSM smoked pork butt! From the freezer came Pulled Pork, sans BBQ sauce and Pork Butt Stock, from Lisa came the general concepts for Red Posole, and thus my Posole recipe was born.
Woah baby! It was way beyond how I thought it would turn out. The soup retains the smokiness of the pork and the spices of the rub. Bits of bark dissolve and add even more intensity. Then the brightness of the lime and cilantro are added along with the chewy goodness of the hominy. Dang! I want to do another butt on the WSM just to make more Stock!
And because it was made with precooked pork and stock, it was literally just an assembly operation. Posole normally takes hours because the pork shoulder has to cook. This took 30 minutes. Rachael Ray, eat your heart out!
Here's the recipe:
Pork Butt Posole
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recipe By: Steve Cutchen
Serving Size: 6
Summary:
Posole is a Mexican stew or soup normally made from pork shoulder, ancho peppers, spices and hominy. It is the traditional Mexican New Year's dish, much like black-eyed peas are in the South. Posole is typically a long cook dish, starting with raw pork. I decided to try using cooked pulled pork from smoked pork butts. Water is normally used as a cooking liquid and with the spices added, a wonderful pork broth is formed as the meat cooks. I used a broth made from what was left over after pulling the pork butts. So I'm using broth I made and then froze when I smoked my butts and pork that was pulled and frozen for later use; this is basically a simple to make assemble and heat soup.
Think of a rich, smokey pork soup with onion and garlic and then add the earthy, spicy flavor of a paste made of poblano chiles. Cut the richness with a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro. Then throw in the chewy goodness of hominy. Top with a bevy of wonderful typically Mexican accompaniments and a dollop of Crema Mexicana. This is a satisfying soup.
Ingredients:
3 15 1/2 ounce cans hominy
1 pound pulled pork butt, no BBQ sauce
olive oil
1 onion, medium, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups pork butt stock, recipe follows
2 teaspoons ground oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 poblano chiles
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
For serving:
1 avocado, diced
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
Crema Mexicana
flour tortillas
tortilla chips
Pork Butt Stock:
2 bone-in pork butts, the remains after smoking and pulling, no BBQ sauce
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, medium, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.
Rub poblanos with olive oil and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until charred, turning to cook evenly. Seal chiles in a bowl with plastic wrap and let them steam for 10 minutes to loosen the skins. Peel, seed, and rough chop the poblanos. Place the chiles in a blender. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend on high until a smooth puree has formed. Add additional water if necessary.
In a large cold pot, add a couple of turns of olive oil and sweat the onion for 10 minutes until tender. Throw in the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the pork and poblano puree and bring to temperature. ??Pour the stock into the pot and add the oregano, cumin and ground cloves. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.??Add the hominy to the pot along with the juice of one lime and the chopped cilantro. At this point, adjust your spices and salt. Return to simmer for another 15 minutes
Pour into bowls and serve with diced onions, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, avocado slices, crema Mexicana and tortillas or tortilla chips.
Pork Butt Stock:
Heat a large pot and add a turn of olive oil. Saute the carrots and celery for about 5 minutes. Add the onions and continue to saute for another 5 minutes. Add the pork butt remains. Cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered for 2 hours. Add water if needed. Remove from the heat and use a slotted spoon to remove most of the solids. Strain, eventually through cheesecloth, to remove remaining bits. Defat.
