A nice person called and donated a whole hog to the soup kitchen. Since I cook every third Saturday of the month for the kitchen, they called and asked if I could make the hog into a meal for Saturday. So the rig is fired up and cooking the thing. I am doing a Cuban style hog for the homeless tomorrow.
Beans are soaking and the pasole is ready.
Almost 7 AM firebox still glowing. Rig holding at 210 F, adding another 20 pounds of royal oak and three hickory splits from the rick.
Boy I sure hope the kitchen still have a case or two of the collard greens.
Five years ago when I started cooking for them I had all the "Weird Stuff" I could ever want to cook with for the clients. Since that time I have been writing up recipes to utilize the "Weird Stuff" (as the other volunteers would call it) and now there is not a lot of "Weird Stuff" around because the other volunteers know how to cook the "Weird Stuff" so it gets used up fast.
Other Weird Stuff when I first started volunteering: Pasole was stacked to the roof. Okra was stacked half way to the roof, blackeyed peas were stored everywhere. Lots of Elk in the freezer, deer in the freezer and lots of rabbits and pheasants.
Most of the regular volunteers are now comfortable with the methods to use these items to put out a balanced meal now.
Thought I would do a few smokeimgages.
They ate it all, along with 40 pounds of beans, 30 pounds of southwest pasole, 40 pounds of collard greens with roast garlic mustard sauce.
The hog when it went into the cooker. The butcher actually cut it into three pieces instead of leaving it halved. Oh well it will still taste good.
Nighttime now.... glad I added the permanent propane lanterns for light with no freaking generator sounds.
Little bit of time in the cooker is starting to show on the hog.
I made up my southwest pasole, a decent collard green side with a roasted garlic mustard sauce and ranch beans. Forgot a photo of the beans.
By the time it was lunch hour things looked really really nice. The old hickory works well with hog.
As I was cutting I realized I had not a picture of the final product being cut. So the fresh ham was the last thing I was cutting for lunch. Stopped and took a pic for you to view.
They loved it, I can tell you no matter how tough their situation the client of the Catholic Outreach Soup Kitchen know when someone put the effort into the lunch they are eating. Many many thank yous and can you cook again next week? statements. And that is all I need to do it all again next month.
__________________
Caterers are nuts, who else would want to cook where no one else does?
The Cowboy and The Rose Catering
Beans are soaking and the pasole is ready.
Almost 7 AM firebox still glowing. Rig holding at 210 F, adding another 20 pounds of royal oak and three hickory splits from the rick.
Boy I sure hope the kitchen still have a case or two of the collard greens.
Five years ago when I started cooking for them I had all the "Weird Stuff" I could ever want to cook with for the clients. Since that time I have been writing up recipes to utilize the "Weird Stuff" (as the other volunteers would call it) and now there is not a lot of "Weird Stuff" around because the other volunteers know how to cook the "Weird Stuff" so it gets used up fast.
Other Weird Stuff when I first started volunteering: Pasole was stacked to the roof. Okra was stacked half way to the roof, blackeyed peas were stored everywhere. Lots of Elk in the freezer, deer in the freezer and lots of rabbits and pheasants.
Most of the regular volunteers are now comfortable with the methods to use these items to put out a balanced meal now.
Thought I would do a few smokeimgages.
They ate it all, along with 40 pounds of beans, 30 pounds of southwest pasole, 40 pounds of collard greens with roast garlic mustard sauce.
The hog when it went into the cooker. The butcher actually cut it into three pieces instead of leaving it halved. Oh well it will still taste good.
Nighttime now.... glad I added the permanent propane lanterns for light with no freaking generator sounds.
Little bit of time in the cooker is starting to show on the hog.
I made up my southwest pasole, a decent collard green side with a roasted garlic mustard sauce and ranch beans. Forgot a photo of the beans.
By the time it was lunch hour things looked really really nice. The old hickory works well with hog.
As I was cutting I realized I had not a picture of the final product being cut. So the fresh ham was the last thing I was cutting for lunch. Stopped and took a pic for you to view.
They loved it, I can tell you no matter how tough their situation the client of the Catholic Outreach Soup Kitchen know when someone put the effort into the lunch they are eating. Many many thank yous and can you cook again next week? statements. And that is all I need to do it all again next month.
__________________
Caterers are nuts, who else would want to cook where no one else does?
The Cowboy and The Rose Catering
