Classic Food Jammers Recipes

Food Jammers isn’t the kind of cooking show that features minimalist square plates and stainless steel refrigerators. Forget Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson — it’s just simple, everyday food made (creatively) with locally sourced ingredients, using what the average joe is likely to have lying around. Nobu Adilman (whose celebration of condiments you’ll find in this month’s magazine) and his mates Micah Donovan and Christopher Martin are currently pitching publishers on a Food Jammers cookbook with recipes that as fun to read as they are to make. And now, for your jamming pleasure, here are a couple of their favourite Food Jammers recipes. Enjoy!

BY MICAH DONOVAN, NOBU ADILMAN AND CHRISTOPHER MARTIN
RECIPES COMPILED BY MICAH DONOVAN

Smoked Pork Shoulder Sandwich

Corduroy to Sunset BBQ Sauce

1 large can organic tomatoes
2 Tbsp tamarind paste
3 dried smoked chipotle peppers, reconstituted with their water
1 Tsp black pepper
2 Tsp salt
1 Tbsp dry mustard
15 cloves
18 dried apricots
1-1/2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup raw cider vinegar
2 Tsp dried oregano
1/2 Tsp allspice
3 Tbsp molasses
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce

Pinstripe Dry Rub

2 Tsp smoked paprika
1 Tsp regular paprika
1 Tsp dry thyme
1/2 Tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 Tsp black pepper
5 cloves
1-1/2 Tsp salt
4 Tsp brown sugar
1/2 Tsp allspice
1/3 Tsp green fennel seeds

Tender, juicy, soft and smoky pulled pork on a bun. Primal and addictive, this meal has spawned national competitions, forced chefs to stay awake for days on end, inspired custom smoking devices and has caused intense secrecy and protection amongst the recipe creators. But the one thing that any of these BBQ endeavors have in common is the slow cooking time. You cannot rush a BBQ pulled pork sandwich. The slow and low temperature is responsible for the delectable result.

Pork shoulder is a perfect cut of meat to use for slow cooking because of the high fat content. When cooked at lower temperatures (180’-260’F) the connective tissues and fibers in the meat break apart, loose their strength and become supple. The fat mobilizes the dry marinade and tenderizes an otherwise tough piece of meat. 

Apparatus: 

If you do not have a smoker at home, use a steel or stainless steel can, with a place to put a rack inside. This can needs holes in the bottom, and a lid. You could use a giant enameled pot, holes punched into the bottom. Use whatever you have kicking around the house, but once used for smoking, it will be hard to return it to a canning pot.  Avoid the galvanized, coated or painted metal tins, as they lend an unfavorable flavor to the meat.

The whole assembly gets places onto a controllable heat source: charcoal, gas BBQ, wood fire or electric heating element. You also need a dish, or small cast iron pan to place on the heat source, to smolder the wood chips. To create the most flavorful smoke, use fruit or hard wood, and pre-soak them for a day in a liquid that adds to the flavor of the smoke: Port, Whisky, Tequila diluted with water. BBQs work fine as smokers, but they can’t get too hot, it’s a slow cooking process, and the wood chip pan should go directly on the flame. A thermometer is crucial to determining the correct air temperature of the cooking chamber about 160’- 200 F. Also a meat thermometer is essential to when the meat is finished, 180’ –260’ F. 

Method: 

The basic procedure is to generously rub the shoulder the night before with the dry marinade, and refrigerate. The next day, place the shoulder on a rack in the smoker pot. The pork should be a good distance away from the heat source; it’s the hot air that cooks the meat, not the flame. Cover and smoke, which is simply smoldering some wood chips, and making sure that the smoke surrounds the pork. Place the wood chips on top of the heat source, otherwise they might not create enough smoke. After an hour, take away the scorched wood chips, don’t over smoke, the meat flavor becomes too intense. Continue to cook the meat for about 4 hours or so, covered at 180’F- 200’F. After it’s cooked, (test with the thermometer:180’F- 260’F) you should be able to easily pull the meat apart. Marinade with the wet BBQ sauce just before eating. Always have some BBQ sauce on the table for renewed application to the meat. Serving the pulled pork on white flour, spongy, puffy bun is necessary and essential.

Charshu aka Slow Cooked Pork Tenderloin 

If you’re ambitious enough to have the real ramen experience at home, you’ll have your hands full making the noodles and a broth that takes twenty-four hours to mature. If you don’t throw in the towel, you’ll need some Charshu. And for that you need a marinade. Here’s ours.

454 grams pork shoulder

Marinade

2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 a star of anise, crushed
1 Tbsp of minced ginger
1 Tsp minced garlic
75 ml Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Pinch of white pepper
125 ml of cooking wine (Mirin)

Sear the piece of pork on high heat in a cast iron frying pan, high heat to seal in the juices. Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl minus the cinnamon sticks. Marinate the pork, and tie the cinnamon sticks on the top with twine. Cook for 5hrs at 180’F in a covered pot. Thinly slice before serving.

Quick Catsup

1/2 small can (75ml) organic tomato paste
21⁄2 tsp raw Cider vinegar
4 to 6 cloves, ground to dust
1/2 garlic clove
3 tsp sugar or maple syrup
pinch of salt
juice of squeezed lemon wedge (1tsp)
3 tsp water

Combine liquids. Dissolve the sugar and spices in the liquid, then add paste.