Cubano Cookout Part 1

Hey guys! It's 5pm Saturday July 6, 2013. As I mentioned briefly in an earlier post, my roommate Kyle, The Butcher, and I will be hosting a cookout this evening. The star of the evening will be a slow smoked cuban style pork shoulder, that has been marinating for a few days in citrus juice and garlic. Kyle began prepping the smoker with charcoal and wood chips around 12pm today. Before putting the pork in the smoker, he slathered it with mustard for an extra kick.

Kyle Prepping the Smoker

While Kyle has picked a few sides, including corn and I believe mushrooms, I too have picked a few sides to share. Since I am Gluten Free, and will not be able to enjoy pulled pork on a bun, I have decided to make a side dish of rice, amped up with some garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and lime. I have not yet begun to prepare that dish. However, there will be pictures to come. I have also picked a Cilantro Lime Slaw to make for the dinner (can you see a theme of cilantro and lime?). I haven't dressed the slaw yet, as I want it to stay somewhat crispy and vibrant, but I have prepared the dressing.

Here's how:
-2 Garlic Cloves
-3 Tbs Honey
-The Juice of 2 Limes
-1 Whole Jalapeno
-1 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
-1 C. Cilantro-S & P
-Oil

This dressing was super simple. I added everything straight to my blender, with the exception of the oil. I began blending the ingredients, and as they became finer, I slowly added my oil through the hole in the top of my blender lid. If I had to guess how much oil I used, I would say about 1 cup. (Note: the dressing did not emulsify a ton). Once the mixture was well blended, I removed it from the blender to be refrigerated. With about a half hour before we eat, I will combine 1 to 2 packaged of pre-made coleslaw mix with half a red onion thinly sliced, and my dressing. This should give the slaw a little bit of time to wilt, while still remaining vibrant!

Cilantro Lime Dressing (Sorry the bright green color is hard to see)

Next, I have picked a tomato Salsa to serve over the rice and pork if anyone is interested. My salsa recipe is way super simple and very tasty! While it always slightly varies in flavor, it is always very flavorful. My salsa is a canned tomato based salsa, featuring... you guessed it: Cilantro and Lime! You know, I was never a huge fan of cilantro as a kid, but today I'm obsessed!

For My Salsa:

-1 Can Crushed or Diced Tomatoes (I prefer red gold usually)

-3 Cloves of Garlic

-3 Tbs Diced Red Onion

-1 Roma Tomato Diced

-1 Giant Bunch of Cilantro

-1 Whole Jalapeno

-Pink Salt

-Red Pepper Flakes

-Crushed Black Pepper

-Juice of 1 Lime

-Oil (just about 1 or 2 tbs)

(Not pictured: roma, garlic, jalapeno, oil.. I know, I fail)

This salsa is so super easy to make. Again, it starts with my blender. I add all of the ingredients straight to the blender, with the exception of the roma tomato, the red onion, and the can of tomatoes. Then I begin to blend the ingredients into a fine paste. The oil and the lime juice help the ingredients blend easily. Once I have the cilantro, garlic and jalapeno mixture where I want it (super fine), I then add my tomatoes and blend briefly! I don't want the tomatoes to turn completely to sauce. After I am done blending, I move the ingredients to a bowl and add the roma tomato and the diced red onion. These two ingredients give the salsa a nice texture that you otherwise wouldn't have if all the ingredients were just blended. This salsa is snappy and super vibrant. I URGE you to give this one a try! It's totally a favorite of mine. (Can't wait to try it with the rice and pork!)

My Favorite Salsa