Southern Comfort (28 page)

To marinate the flank steak, place the steak in 2-inch-deep glass dish. Combine the bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and garlic and distribute over the steak. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and red wine. Pour the marinade over the flank steak to coat and turn the steak to coat the other side as well. Let the steak marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 4 hours.

Before cooking, be sure the grill is clean and nicely oiled. Preheat the grill until you can barely hold your hand over it.

Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade through a fine sieve into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by two-thirds, about 5 minutes. Reserve.

Season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper and place it on the grill. Grill on one side for 3½ minutes, then turn and grill the other side for 3½ minutes, until it’s medium-rare. Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for at least 8 minutes.

While the steak is resting, finish the sauce by whisking in the butter until the sauce is rich and glossy, then keep it warm until you are ready to serve the steak.

To serve the steak, slice it thinly against the grain on the diagonal in ¼-inch slices. Arrange the slices on a platter and pour the sauce evenly over the steak.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Trim off and discard three of the bones from each rack. Season the racks with salt and pepper.

Place 1 cup hickory wood chips in the smoke box of a stovetop smoker (see
Sources
). Place the racks on top of the screen and the chips. Bring the smoker to a full smoke, then shut it off and let lamb steep in smoke for 10 minutes. Transfer the racks to a platter.

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat until smoking. Decrease the heat to medium-high and add the olive oil. Carefully place the racks in the pan, fat side down. Sear the lamb on all sides until golden brown. Place the sauté pan in the oven and cook until it registers 130°F (medium-rare) on an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the middle of each rack, about 12 minutes. Transfer the racks to a cutting board and let rest for 8 minutes.

To serve, slice each lamb rack into four equal chops. Serve with the jam.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Keep a large bowl of ice water nearby.

With a small paring knife, core the tomatoes and cut an X in the middle of the bottom of each. Once the water reaches a boil, blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for 1 minute. Drop the tomatoes in the ice water to stop the cooking. Peel the skins off the tomatoes and discard. Cut each tomato into eight wedges.

In a saucepan, combine the tomatoes, chile, 1 cup of the sugar, lemon juice, and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, and let the jam boil for about 2 minutes. Mix together the remaining 1 cup of sugar and powdered pectin. Stir the sugar-pectin mixture into the jam and return to a boil. Cook for 1 more minute, remove it from the heat, and stir in the vinegar. Let the jam cool to set up.

It will keep in the refrigerator for 1 month.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. To make the rub, mix together the salt, paprika, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Evenly rub half of the spice mixture all over the pork shoulder. Place the pork in a roasting pan. Scatter the poblanos, jalapeño, satsumas, leeks, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and the remaining spice rub around the meat. Add the stock, cover with waxed paper, and then tightly with aluminum foil. Roast in the oven for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, remove the pan from the oven and uncover. Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the pork to a platter. Puree all of the remaining ingredients in a food processor to make the sauce. Pick the shoulder meat into large chunks and coat with the sauce.

Serve with warm corn tortillas and fresh cilantro leaves.

To make the brine, pour the hot coffee into a large bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar and salt until dissolved. Whisk in the wine, water, garlic, thyme, and pepper and let the brine cool. Once the brine is cool to the touch, put the pork loin in the brine. Let the meat sit in the brine, covered, in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

The next day, remove the pork loin from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a rectangular dish, mix the bread crumbs, ground coffee, and pepper for the crust.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until smoking. Sear the pork loin on all sides until a nice brown crust is formed, about 1 minute on each side. Remove the pork from the pan and let it cool on a plate until it is easily handled. Rub the exterior of the pork evenly with the mustard. Place the pork loin in the crust mixture and coat evenly on all sides.

Place the pork loin in a roasting pan fitted with a wire rack. Roast the pork until the internal temperature registers 145°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Be sure to reserve the pan juices and pour them over the sliced pork.