pork Archives - Sweet Potato Bites

As a food writer I get the opportunity to taste a lot of amazing dishes. But over the past few months, I haven’t really been “wowed” by food. I loved our wedding dinner from Grappolo and enjoyed the steak at Vitaly, but aside from that, everything else was just ok. Then I traveled to Maui and had my first bite of kalua pork and it was a game changer. I hadn’t eaten anything quite that good in quite some time. My taste buds were so excited in fact, that I immediately had to make slow cooker kalua pork upon returning home from the islands.

One of the great things about that pork was it not only made for two fabulous meals, but it also rekindled my love for cooking and recipe development. I felt inspired after biting into that perfectly salted and tender meat, and suddenly I wanted to cook all of the things again. And I know it may sound weird to wax poetic about pork, but eating that kalua pork reminded me why I write about food all the time.

When I decided to make the slow cooker kalua pork I wanted to prepare it the same way the Hawaiians do – just seasoned with red Hawaiian sea salt. I even bought a new slow cooker from unclutterer for this recipe.

No sauces, marinades, spices. Just Hawaiian sea salt. I wanted to respect the simplicity of the dish and really let the pork shine, rather than cover it in condiments.

This is the world’s easiest recipe and yields a bunch of delicious, tasty pork. I made this for a World Cup party and sent all of our guests home with leftovers.

If you are looking for a last-minute 4th of July recipe, I highly recommend this Slow Cooker Kalua Pork!

Slow Cooker Kalua Pork

Ingredients:

1 5lb pork butt

1- 1 1/2 tbsp Hawaiian Sea Salt

Directions:

If you are planning to enjoy your pork the same day you prepare it, set your slow cooker setting to HIGH for 7 hrs. Place pork and sea salt in the slow cooker and let it cook until the meat is juicy and tender.

This dish can also be prepared the night before, just switch your slow cooker setting to LOW and set for 12-13 hours.

Remove your pork from the slow cooker and then shred your meat. The meat should fall apart easily from the bone and be nice and tender.

We’ve used this pork in a variety of meals including a savory pie and a stir fry dish – both yielding wonderful results. Since there are no additional spices or sauces added to the meat it can be used in a wide variety of dishes which is awesome. It also freezes very well.

Thank you Hawaii for reigniting my passion in the kitchen! I can’t wait to develop more delicious dishes.

Sunday is always food prep day in my house. The Englishman and I plan out our dinners for the week, and we are both in and out of the kitchen getting as much prepped in advance as possible. One of our favorite things to make in advance is meatballs – they are perfect to add to a quick meal on the fly, and you can make a bunch and then freeze them and use as you go. Lately we have been making pork and turkey meatballs.

Usually when we make pork and turkey meatballs we add some ground flax and bacon for extra flavor and texture. The meatballs are baked in the oven, and we don’t add any fillers like breadcrumbs. I’ve never been a fan of adding bread into meatballs because then I feel the meatball tastes more like a bread ball with herbs in it.

Lately we’ve been enjoying the pork and turkey meatballs with a variety of different dishes, like cauliflower mashed potatoes.

Or we have them with pasta, spaghetti squash, or just some veggies. Like I said, these meatballs are very versatile and a great way to sneak in some extra protein without cooking an entire steak (even though I do love me some steak).

We tend to make our meatballs on the bigger side but if you make smaller meatballs you’ll definitely have plenty to freeze and enjoy as leftovers! It’s the perfect thing to have on those evenings where you can’t think of anything else to eat.

Pork and Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 package ground pork

1 package ground turkey

2 tbsp ground flax

1 egg

2 Shallots, diced

3 strips bacon (optional)

Salt, pepper and seasonings to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Place a baking sheet or cast iron skillet into the oven to warm up.

Remove your ground pork and ground turkey from their packaging and place in a stand mixer (you can mix by hand as well). Gently mix the meat while adding your egg, flax, shallots and chopped bacon. Continue to mix until well blended.

Roll your meat into small to medium shaped balls. Pull your warmed skillet/baking sheet out of the oven and place meatballs on it. Put back in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

Once again, pull your meatballs out and flip them over and place back in the oven for an additional 10-12 minutes to ensure the meatballs are cooked all the way through. Since the Englishman and I tend to cook bigger meatballs, we usually give each side 12 minutes.

Remove meatballs from the oven and let them rest. Eat your meatballs with whatever your heart desires!