Beer Pork

The other day, I made this pork dish. It was going great until I overcooked the pork. That's what I get for playing basketball while waiting for it to cook I guess. Overall however, the sauce was sweet and had a tangy taste to it, while the cole slaw was crunchy and refreshing. Although I can never get over the fact that cole slaw actually looks like this and not the liquified salad served at KFC. My vegetables were a little big, but the taste was the same. Plus, this dish is pretty healthy, disregarding the title. The beer was only used to marinate the pork and was in the sauce, so it could barely be tasted. To conclude, this dish was great. Not the best pork that I have ever tasted, but considering that the "secret ingredient" was beer, I think that this dish deserves a round of applause. Stay tuned for next week; either creme burlee or flan!

Black-And-Tan Pork With Spicy Ale Slaw

Total: 1 hr 30 min    Serves 6 to 8

For the Pork:

• 1 12-ounce bottle pale ale (preferably Bass)
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 pounds pork tenderloin

For the Glaze:

• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 12-ounce bottle stout beer (preferably Guinness)
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

For the Slaw:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
• 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
• 2 medium bell peppers (red, orange and/or yellow), thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks or shredded
• 1 large sweet onion, quartered and thinly sliced

Directions

Prepare the pork: Combine the ale, five-spice powder, cayenne and salt and black pepper to taste in a large resealable plastic bag. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade for the slaw. Add the pork to the bag and mix well. Refrigerate 2 to 6 hours.

Make the glaze: Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon each stout and brown sugar and cook 4 minutes. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining stout, the honey, the remaining 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons brown sugar and the ginger. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, then lower the heat to medium and simmer until reduced by half, 15 to 20 minutes. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons stout and the cornstarch in a bowl; slowly stir into the glaze and boil 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the pork from the marinade and transfer to a baking dish. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 160 degrees F, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the slaw: Whisk the soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in a large bowl. Whisk in the reserved 1/4 cup marinade. Add the cabbage, bell peppers, carrots and onion and toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 30 minutes.

Slice the pork and serve with the slaw. Drizzle both the pork and slaw with the glaze.