The BEST Pulled Pork Sandwich

My mom used to make this amazing pulled pork. Turns out I can make something that tastes just as good using a crock pot and a whole lotta liquid smoke (which is not some nasty chemical -- it's the collected, distilled water they get from burning a bunch of hickory chips. So it's like charcoal-y water).

I gave some to an Army Sergeant from Arkansas. He loved it and said it reminded him of pulled pork you could get at a shack these black folks had run for generations way out in the middle of nowhere in Arkansas. Never have I recieved such a compliment! And a friend asked me for the recipe after trying it, so I'll share this with you too. Please, by all means, experiment with it and let me know what you come up with!

Heather's Not-So-Famous-But-Maybe-Should-Be Pulled Pork.
Ingredients:
1 nice Pork Shoulder (3-4 pound size)
1/2 bottle (5 ounce size) Hickory Liquid Smoke1
1/2 cup ketchup, divided
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
1 cup brown sugar
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon each: salt and pepper
Reserved broth
2 packages hamburger buns
Your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Jack Daniels original)
Couple dashes Worchestershire Sauce
Coleslaw to serve on the side
Mayo for buns

Directions:Place pork shoulder in a crockpot (fat side up) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add liquid smoke, 1/2 cup ketchup, spices, and mustard. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. Do NOT open the lid at all during the cooking process.

At 8-10 hours, check meat w/ meat thermometer and make sure it's done. Set aside to cool. Save juices from pot and separate broth from fat.
Mix in the reserved broth, 1 cup ketchup and brown sugar in medium bowl.
Pull the meat into shreds for the BBQ, using a fork if the meat's too hot. Place in pot on stove and pour the broth mixture over meat. Put in several generous squirts of BBQ sauce and a couple dashes of Worchestershire sauce. Stir it up till it's nice and warm. Serve on steamed (NOT toasted) buns, lightly coated with mayo on one side. Side of coleslaw is recommended.

Serve with love! (Love is the secret ingredient.)

Letter About Dreams, Horseback Riding on Mount Ranier

Hi you.

Things have been crazy. Bona fide certifiable.

I hope you're well. Miss hearing from you. I had a dream you were working with me at this coop which was under construction. We were involved in some big media start-up venture. It was all very exciting. But the place was haunted by this ghost that you and I both saw.

Did you know that when you dream about houses or buildings, apparently the building represents your mind? So if you dream of construction, it means there's new growth and new ideas forming in your head. But apparently I have a ghost in my mind. Also, I've heard that everyone you dream represents a different facet of your own personality, so if you ask your dream friend a question, you're asking it of yourself. I personally think that sounds a bit egotistical. What do you think?

I miss LA really bad. I was listening to America on the radio and that "Horse with no name" song reminds me of running out in that arroyo in S. Pasedena where that horse ranch is. Did you know the rangers in the parks there ride horses? It's so cool.

Yesterday I went horseback riding way up in the mountains on these trails. It was terribly cold and rainy. I was wearing an Underarmor long-sleeve shirt, a fleece sweatshirt, a waterproof jacket and a down vest, a hat, jeans, waterproof pants, wool socks, hiking boots, and roping gloves made out of kangaroo skins (yeah... not so animal friendly I guess) and I still was cold. But the scenery was beautiful. It was way up by Mount Ranier and the fall leaves were all orangey and red and the drops of water looked like crystal on everything. My horse was named Desperado. There was this point at which we were coming down this steep precipice and the trail was very muddy and slippery, and Desperado nearly fell down and he sat on the ground, and somehow I stayed in the saddle. I felt like such a horsegirl.

Please tell me about you. Something besides work and relationships and such.

For some reason I really love this email. I'm reposting it as a blog.

Miss you,

Heather

City of God and Other Brilliant Movies

City of God (2002) Portugese with English subtitles.

I had heard about this movie, but only here and there. No one looked me in the eye and said, "See this movie. See it or I can't be your friend anymore." And I don't really understand that. It's about a boy named Rocket growing up in the gangs of Cidade de Deus (City of God), and one of the other kids from the city Lil Dice, who later becomes Lil Ze -- the worst bad guy in the City of God, and possibly in movie history. He is a very, very bad guy. A gang war starts, Rocket gets a camera, and the movie captures it all so poetically. It's tragic and brilliant and the cinematography is breathtaking. MUST SEE. A+

Full Metal Jacket (1987)
WORSE STILL is that I only saw this movie for the first time a couple of months ago. How did that happen? I really don't understand how I missed seeing it. This is now my favorite Stanley Kubrick movie besides The Shining, and it's stunning to me how the same director could do arguably the best horror movie and also arguably the best war movie. How did he do it? I don't know.

Full Metal Jacket is a two-part affair, from the point of view of a Marine cadet named Joker (Matthew Modine). First we see the dehumanizing effects of training on the soldiers, specifically the tragic consequences for poor Gomer Pyle (Vincent D'Onofrio). It's tragic, but it's also extremely funny. The drill sergeant is outrageous. The second half of the film takes place during the Tet offensive in Vietnam. For those of you who have seen this movie, I haven't really got any great pearls of wisdom about it. This review is just saying to my readers, please, please, don't be like me. Don't wait years and years to see this movie. Watch it now. Brilliant. MUST SEE. A+

We Were Soldiers (2002)
A good war flick, starring Mel Gibson. The scene where the soldiers' wives have to give the bad news letters to the other wives made me weepy. It's sentimental and misty-eyed, the opposite of Full Metal Jacket, and most would say not as good. But still an enjoyable and emminently watchable movie and I recommend it. I give it an A- because I like war movies and am a sentimentalist.

The Last King of Scotland (2006)
I saw this movie at the wrong time. I saw it after it won numerous awards and all my friends really talked it up. I had very high expectations, and it was a little disappointing to me, though I would say on the whole it's a great movie. I also have to disclaim that mutilation scenes really, really bother me, so the part with the hacked up body was not ok. Also, I found it really annoying that Mr. Scrawny Scottish Hotpants (James McAvoy) sort of barged into a very stupid situation, got in way over his head, and then expected everyone to bail him out. But I guess he didn't exactly get off scotsfree, so to speak. Haha. Anyway, yeah, it's a good movie and you should probably see it if you haven't, but don't be like me and expect it to be as good as Full Metal Jacket or City of God, because it isn't even close. B+

And hopefully that's enough movies to keep you out of trouble for awhile!

INCREDIBLY Delicious: Cherry Tamarind Pork Tenderloin

As you probably know, pork tenderloin is the filet mignon of pork. But even a filet mignon can use a twist now and then. If you want a reasonably easy dinner that tastes remarkably high end, try my recipe that I invented last night.

I started with a 1.5 pound tenderloin, which is a little larger than the 100% perfect tenderloin should be, but ensures some delicious leftovers. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Next, take Tom Douglass's "Pork Rub" and rub the pork generously. Place pork in a square, glass baking dish. Next, take two cans of Oregon brand tart cherries. (NOT pie filling -- the cherries). Drain one can and set aside the juice. Use the cans of cherries to make a fabulous pie according to the recipe on the inside of the can, if you like. Take the drained juice from one can, and put in a sautee pan, along with one tbsp cornstarch, and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Tamco tamarind sauce, according to taste. Stir constantly over medium heat until sauce thickens, about 4 minutes. Once the sauce is thick, pour it over the tenderloin, making sure to cover the exposed skin. This keeps your tenderloin juicy. (Since it's incredibly lowfat, it has a tendency to dry out. This is also why to cook it at a higher temp for a shorter time rather than slowroasting it).

Pop the pork in the oven for about 30 to 40 min. Remove from oven when meat thermometer inserted into thickest part reads 145 degrees.

Enjoy your pork. My side dish was a green salad and Zataran's long grain wild rice. Start it right after you put in the pork and the timing should be about perfect. Surprisingly delicious. And with the pie... what an incredible dinner!

Happy cooking!

Point Defiance: BEST Park in the Northwest

I love walking down at Point Defiance. The garden area with the roses and hydrangeas and duck pond and pagoda are beautiful, but better still is the long, long waterfront walk. I went there the other day with Alex and we saw seals diving and playing in the water. A baby seal popped its head up above the surface and stared at me for a long time. Its dark eyes were like a playful, shy child's. I returned its gaze and looked forward to the next time I can dive and be under the water like him.

That same night, we saw two beautiful egrets at the water's edge. One flew away upon seeing us. The other just shifted down the beach a bit. It seemed to meditate as it was standing there, though I imagine the main thought in its mind was, "Fish?" I envy that kind of focus and clear sense of purpose. An egret's purpose: fishing. A seal's purpose: fishing, and playing. A Heather's purpose: that's a bit hazy. Bringing delight and innovation to people everywhere? Um, sure.

Alex saw a fox at Point Defiance. I wish I had seen the fox too. I'd love to see a fox in the wild.

Tacoma is so much nicer than I thought it would be from my limited previous experiences of just passing it by on I-5. I just wish my friends were here. I am starting to meet people but it doesn't replace the 12 years of making friends in Seattle. I miss everyone today.