Unless this your first time reading my blog, you know how important our friends are to Suzy and I. Right at the top of the list is the newly wedded Finkes. Erin and Darick have become a staple in our lives and being a part of their wedding was an honor. The day was absolutely beautiful!
The best part of the event was seeing how happy they were. I know from many late night conversations on the way home from Bonefish, that Erin wanted this more than anything. It took Darick more than a NY minute to pull the trigger, but I had no doubt his gun was "cocked and loaded"! When you know what true love feels like, you also know what it looks like. And they are a perfect example of such.
The festivities started a few weeks back in separate Atlantic City weekends. Erin's bachelorette party was the weekend before Darick's bachelor party. When Suzy left to be with Erin for the weekend, I was a little down. I knew they were having a great time in honor of Erin's upcoming nuptials so I was able to overcome my blah mood by cooking some authentic North Carolina BBQ. If you have never had it, get in your car and hit what ever highway leads you to the Tar Heel state. Gas prices are down and it is sooooooo worth it.
If you don't have time for a mini vacation, there are plenty of recipes on the world wide web. The basic ingredients for the sauce are vinegar (white and cider), hot sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. You can get a little bold with the flavor and add garlic and or dry mustard. The best idea is to combine the ingredients in a air tight container and let it sit for at least 3 hours before using the sauce.
The most important part of the BBQ is obviously the pork. Boston Butt or Picnic Shoulder are the best cuts of pork for slow roasting. The method I used was a 36 hour process. 12 hours of brining the pork. 12 hours of slow roasting at 175 degrees in the oven. And finally the last 12 hours were in the crock pot on warm with the BBQ sauce added. UMM UMM GOOD!!!!
That didn't last long enough for Suzy to get her fill so I agreed to make some more the next weekend to take along for the guys weekend. I left some for her, but not much! LOL This time I decided to stay with the theme and make a Jack Daniels BBQ sauce for the pulled pork. And the pork was also slow roasted in a bourbon brine. The alcohol cooked off but the sweet and oaky aroma was intoxicating none the less. The 8 lbs of pork was gone in minutes!
The pork wasn't the only hit, Tom brought Korean BBQ and some marinated chicken. We made steaks on the grill, and Shane hooked up Sunday breakfast with some tasty home fries, eggs, and bacon. We ate very well all weekend and the best part about it... it was home cooked!! None of that spending money on restaurant food, it cuts into your gambling funds.
Fast forward a few weeks and here we are. Erin and Darick are married and leaving for a fabulous honeymoon in Jamaica. When they get back, they will be super busy finishing up the final details on the house they are buying and the moving that comes along with it. Hopefully they will find time to come by have dinner when they get back. I promised them Penne Rustica when they got engaged and I plan to deliver.
