flaming coals
The end of August normally marks the last days of an English summer, celebrated annually with a Bank Holiday. This year the Sunday coincided with a friend’s birthday so five of us got together for a barbecue.
adobo skewers
I previously posted a slow cooked pork shoulder adobo back in May – here I cut a 5lb shoulder into chunks and marinated it for 48 hours in the Adobo – do this in the fridge and agitate or stir twice a day to see that all the pork gets attention.
Carne de Cerdo en Adobo recipe:
1 boned pork shoulder (butt) about 5lbs (cubed)
3 Ancho chillis
3 Chipotle chillis
6 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
12 black peppercorns
4 cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 heaped teaspoon sea salt
1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups cider (or other fruit) vinegar
1/4 cup of chilli soaking water
the juice of half a lime
Follow my instructions in the previous post, for warming and soaking the chillis before making the adobo in a blender. The recipe makes 4 portions of marinade, which can be frozen individually for future use. In the UK pork shoulder comes with the skin on – this should be removed before marination. I saved my skin to make crackling in the oven (the next day), though now I wish I’d cooked it on the barbecue when I had the chance.
pork adobo
Soak the skewers for 30 minutes in water before use – this stops them burning. Cook the pork until nicely browned – squeeze lime juice onto it just before removing from the fire. I believe the adobo skewers tasted even better than the original slow cooked shoulder. The pork had a fabulous smokey apple, chilli, lime flavour.
potato patch
Spider dug up some new potatoes,
potato salad
which I boiled lightly and mixed with mayonnaise. There were no chives, so I added a couple of teaspoons of capers instead.
rump steak
We enjoyed some beautifully tender rump steak from Theobalds,
merguez sausages
followed by spicy merguez, chicken drumsticks
leek and herb sausages
and leek with herb sausages.
I noticed large quantities of beer being drunk, though I stuck to my bottle of Carta Roja Gran Reserva and a celebratory glass of brandy. A good time was had by all!
And no wonder! Traditional end of summer here too, but September is still hot here. Lovely mellow days in England now as I recall a long ago beautiful September there.
Hi Judith – it’s still warm but grey here. We had an exceptionally hot week in the middle of August, followed by rain and thunder, which has taken all the humidity away. Regardless, it’s still good for cooking outdoors!
This Barbecue looks so yummy. Thanks for all of your advice and instructions.
Thanks Olivia – if you like pork I urge you to try the adobo – it’s fantastic!
Your pork ‘shish kebab’ look delicious ! Since mine are usually lamb or, these days, kangaroo . . . or beef with a marinade not half as interesting, this lesson also will most assuredly, end up in the kitchen. The chillies used may be different . . all the rest will be exactly copied. I am actually not a big barbecue person but have a very good coil structure inside my stove’s grill drawer and a grill pan atop the stove will work fine also . . . Our spring has sprung with its usual enthusiasm, it being 29 C here yesterday . . . 🙂 !
Thanks Eha – that sounds like perfect barbecue weather! I would definitely use this marinade on lamb and kangaroo would be excellent. I tested the pork on an electric plancha so a grill pan would be equally good.
It certainly sounds like your party to celebrate the end of summer was certainly a tasty one.
Thanks Karen – the pork was the star.
My kind of birthday celebration Mad Dog. Everything you guys cooked would have made a trip to my stomach. You’ve mentioned Gran Reserva Monastrell in more than one of your post and I’d love to enjoy a bottle. Alas, I can’t get it here. I’ve tried to order via our government Boz monopoly but so far no luck. I guess I’ll just have to wait until we can make our bucket list trip to Spain.
Thanks Ron – the wine is very good for the price here. It’s a Jumilla from Murcia and made with the Monastrell grape, as opposed to the usual Spanish Tempranillo. I know that wine is expensive in Sweden and more so even than the UK. You will really appreciate it in Spain, where the cost will astonish you. In the past, I’ve bought wines for a restaurant in Cataluña – the prices get silly then and on top of that, they give you a free bottle with every case! This applies to spirits too – buy six and you get an additional one thrown in.
Glad to see you’re still having the BEST parties!
Thanks Michelle – I hope all is well in Gourmandistan.