Quick Ketchup

Mmm, Boar Burgers!

I guess "quick" is a misnomer since the recipe calls for smoked tomatoes and they take a couple of hours too cook. I don't have a recipe for smoked tomatoes. I throw tomatoes on the grill whenever I smoke meat and keep them around for extra added awesomeness. I use them in omelets, meat toppings (great on burgers!) or in sauces. If you don't have a smoker, you can use a regular grill and wood chips. You want indirect heat and the grill temp to be 200-250 degrees. You can do it in an oven too, but I'm not sure about the wood chips so add smoked paprika or ground chipotle to give it the smoky flavor.

1 cup smoked tomatoes

Bison burger with a side of raw pickles and sauerkraut.

1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground yellow mustard
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 cayenne,
1/8 tsp ground cloves
4 Tbsp vinegar (apple cider or balsamic or           whatever, doesn't matter)
Salt to taste (1/8-1/2 tsp or optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender. I used the mini blender attachment to my immersion blender.

Roo-gan Josh

Rogan Josh is an Indian Dish traditionally served with lamb. I just happened to have a small stockpile of kangaroo rumps that I ordered from Marx Foods. They only ship in bulk. I have a big freezer because I have the dream that one day I will actually go hunting for deer or javelina and I'll need some place to put it. But in the meantime, it's easier to sit at my computer and order exotic meats in bulk and have them shipped overnight.

Kangaroo is extremely lean so you're going to need to add some fat. I used lamb tallow, but coconut oil would also work.

3-4 lbs of kangaroo rump, cut into cubes
4Tbsp Penzey's Rogan Josh seasoning or make your own
1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp fat, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Brown the kangaroo in a cast iron skillet using 1 Tbsp of fat. I did it in 3 batches (1 tsp of fat at a time) because it was alot of freaking meat. Put meat in crock pot with all the other ingredients, except the shredded, dessicated, unsweetened coconut. Cook on low for 6 hours and add the coconut if you need to thicken up the stew.

Pastrami

Pastrami is like beef bacon, cured in brine for a week and then smoked to tasty perfection and sliced thin. Use it to top a boar burger or fry it up with some eggs. It goes nicely with sauerkraut and pickles.

1-2 lbs Brisket
4 cups water
3 tbsp kosher salt

Pickling Spice:
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp black peppercorn
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground clove
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground allspice

Bring water to a boil and add salt until dissolved. Remove from heat and pickling spice ingredients. Let steep for 1 hour. Put meat in a glass baking dish and cover with brine (pickling spice and water mixture). cover and leave in fridge for at least a week, turning half way through the brining process.

Smoke at 200-250 for 2 hours, turning once. Use a mild wood, such as maple. Once done let cool. Freeze pastrami to make slicing easier. I use an electric meat slicer.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Nikos has been talking about carnitas for 2 weeks. I ordered a pork shoulder from US Wellness Meats to appease him. Pork shoulder is also called Boston Butt. Whoever named it that must have had his head up his ass. It's supposed to be a really fatty dish and I was afraid that the pork wasn't going to be fatty enough on its own and I didn't have lard, so I added 12 oz of bacon. When in doubt, add bacon.

1 Pork shoulder or Boston Butt 3-4 lbs (hehe, I said butt)
10 cloves garlic, pressed
1 orange, zested and juiced
12 oz bacon, diced
1/2 cup broth
1 4 oz can of chiles (I used hatch) or 1/2 cup roasted chilies, diced
2 tsp Mexican oregano
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Zest and juice orange. Add to the slow cooker with everything else. Cook on low for 6 hours. Once cooked, shred pork with 2 forks. Awesome with eggs or on tomato tortillas.