99 Cent Pomegrante Braised Pork

Occasionally, watching the morning news can be inspiring, but sometimes you have to get through the politics and the crime and sometimes even the weather to find a nugget of goodness. As the current events were wrapped up and some of the feel-good segments began, my ear picked up on the word “recipe”. That word was quickly followed by “brisket” and I moved in front of the television. This is how my Pomegranate Pulled Pork recipe was conceived.

pomegranate pulled pork … not brisket

Ninety-nine cents per pound.

I walked into the grocery store with the intent of buying beef brisket for the recipe that was on the news. The special of the day at the meat counter was bone-in pork butt roast for 99 cents a pound and the brisket was $5.99 a pound.

Gee, let me think …

I headed home with 8 pounds of pork butt and the ingredients for stone-ground mustard coleslaw and cheesy jalapeño corn. Eating this meal while watching our beloved Cyclones earn their way into the Sweet 16 was pure bliss!

pomegranate juice + beer + spice blend

Do not let the fruit and fruit juice in this recipe throw you off. My husband does not like fruit flavors on meat, but this one is so balanced with the beer and spices that he was truly impressed.

This recipe was written for a 3-5 pound roast so if you want to use a bigger roast, just increase the spice rub and braising liquid ingredients proportionally. Also, be prepared for it to take longer to braise. It is not a fussy recipe and does not have to be exact.

the best is yet to come …

The potential for the leftovers from this enormous pile of tender meat is unlimited. My oldest son made a burrito out of it with some of the leftover coleslaw and some bottled Szechuan stir-fry sauce. It was amazing! I plan to try some of it with fresh cilantro and fresh cabbage in a taco. My younger son took a bunch back to college with him. I’m guessing part of it will get eaten straight out of the container, and some of it will end up with eggs for breakfast.

poutine

There’s leftovers … and then there’s LEFTOVERS! It’s called poutine and it’s glammed up meat and potatoes. This bowl starts with a layer of my Parmesan Potato Rounds , followed by a generous portion of Pomegranate Pulled Pork, a sprinkling of cheese curds, a hefty drizzle of hot gravy and a few green onions … you know, as a veggie.

The extra sauce from the pork can be used as the gravy or you can make Food For My Family’s Guinness Gravy which is excellent!

Wouldn’t the news be so much more enjoyable if it started with a good recipe?

Food for thought.