Pulled Pork into amazingly incredible Nachos!

Okay, so I went to the store a while back and found that they had meat on sale, they were restocking the store and so things were pretty cheap... now Nic and I don't usually eat pork, just because its not as healthy for ya as chicken or fish is... but really...who can resist  the possibility of pulled pork?

The main three spices used are: Oregano, Chili Powder, and Cumin

The Pork shoulder I used was already partially smoked, and it gave it a nice smoky flavor....

Pour main spices, (about a Tablespoon each) into large mixing bowl.

add 1/2 cup of brown sugar, Salt & pepper  1 Tablespoon each or less depending on your preference.

The other great ingredients are Extra Virgin olive oil, White wine vinegar, 1 whole onion, 

One-two Tablespoons of Molasses (for some reason it didn't make it into the picture)

 and either 1 whole clove of garlic or garlic powder.
 I used the powder cause that is what I had on hand.

 

For the onion you are going to want to puree it in a food processor or one of those amazing Magic bullets. Make it really really creamy...

See, its so creamy it looks like mashed potatoes... thats just how you want it :)

Add its entirety to the mixture of spices. Scrape that baby clean :)

Now mix it together and add 1/2 cup of dried parsley. It makes it look pretty :) and adds a slight flavor..

Now add your molasses... look at it! it smells so amazing! 

also add your vinegar (bout 1 teaspoon) 

and your olive oil (bout 1 tablespoon) 

mix it well

Now its time to rub your pork with your spice mixture.. Make sure you rub every nook and cranny good! You will want it to be good and flavorful!

Now add 2 cups of water around the pork in your pot

Cover with foil or lid 

and place it in a 350 degree oven for about 6-7 hours or until fork tender, turning over every hour... 

the turning helps it to cook evenly and just makes sure it wont dry out... 

our oven is old and so it took double the cooking time... 

It should be fork tender like this: 

let it cool and rest for about 20 minutes... 

this preserves the juices and keeps you from burning your fingers...

Tear apart the pork and put it right back into the liquid.

Trust me you will wish you had if you don't! 

Now remember it was partially smoked so its okay that it is still pink, as long as it reaches at least 165 degrees internally *thats the safe temperature for pork, i let mine reach even higher than that...

You can serve it on top of a piece of bread, like an open faced sandwich with a side of white bean chili, 

or you can make these amazing nachos!!!!

just chips, the pulled pork, and cheese dip! And oh my goodness taste of heaven! 

By far the best way to serve this!!!

Fish and Chips

Okay, so we were craving a little more of a fast food-ish type of a meal and the things we had on hand were Idaho potatoes and frozen tilapia...(tilapia is an amazing tasting fish!) 

For the chips :

-Take a heavy duty largish sauce/soup pan and melt some crisco in it, or you can just use canola oil...
P.S. If you use crisco, be sure to keep it on med heat until it melts and to keep a close eye on it, it will catch on fire otherwise :p

-Slice the potatoes relatively thin, like almost paper thin but not quite...

-Once the oil/crisco is up to heat (it should sizzle and bubble once you drop a potato in)... drop em in! :)

The potatoes will start to curl up and flip over... just keep an eye on em until they are crispy chip like... you will be able to see the difference in the way they look... (if you can't tell whether they are done or not, its okay, just take one out and LET IT COOL and pop it in your mouth... you will know :)

 In the meantime, take the tilapia and season it however you like your fish...

I seasoned it with Old Bay seasoning for seafood, parsley (For color), Tony Chachere's, and sea salt & pepper to taste...

-Put a little olive oil in a pan, turn the heat on med-high heat and cook it :)

-It doesn't take that long for fish to cook, I just cook it until the meat is white and the outside is a little browned... :) its yummy

Look at that beauty!
P.S. for an amazing additional sauce, just mix ketchup, mustard, and mayo together to form a nice orangy-pinkish color :) *My inlaws taught me that secret :)

When the chips are done, just scoop 'em out and place on a kitchen towel to cool and release the grease :) (haha that rhymed)

Salt & Pepper to taste :)

and look how delish!!!