Whoo! Its been busy. I totally skipped a weekend because my relatives from DC came to town and we headed to the Cape. Came back for a memorial day and made a simple but phenomenal looking brunch. The worst part? I was in such a whirlwind I didn't take a single pic of the food! It was a great success though and everybody had fun laughing, talking, drinking and eating. Then this weekend rolled around and I knew I had to buck up and make some time even though there wasn't much. To save time and meet the beer challenge I turned to my trusty crock pot and did my own little east meets west spin on beer braised pork shoulder by flavoring the brew with some lam yue. If you've never had it, its kind of an odd looking block of fermented bean curd floating in a raspberry colored liquid. Doesn't sound appealing? Give it a chance. Its full of umami flavors and when used as a seasoning in either braises or stir frys, it will lift even the simplest concoctions to lofty heights of deliciousness.
East Meets West Beer Braised Pork Shoulder
1.5 lbs pork shoulder
3 squares lam yue
2 bay leaves
10 pepper corns (note that I am THE spicy wimp)
1 bottle Heineken beer (or similar)
Real simple. Throw it all in the crock and set it on high for 6 hours or until shoulder is tender and fall apart. Come back ever 2 hours or so to flip the shoulder and ensure that it all gets time soaking in the liquid. When done shred with a little bit of the broth. I served mine over buttered noodles and it was amazing!
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