Recipes from Our Volunteers

Pulled Pork with Corn Pancakes and Pepper Jelly Glaze

Chef Frank Brigsten, Brigtsen's Restaurant, New Orleans, La.

Pulled Pork

Through Share Our Strength, I have discovered the power of food to change people’s lives, to make a difference. I am deeply grateful for the organization’s commitment.
—Chef Frank Brigsten, Brigtsen’s Restaurant, New Orleans, La.

Yield: 10 servings as an appetizer

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 to 4-1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder
  • Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dry mustard powder
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce

PEPPER JELLY GLAZE:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3/4 cup finely diced yellow onions
  • 1/2 cup finely diced bell peppers (red & green)
  • 1/4 cup finely diced carrots
  • 1 cup canned lower sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup jalapeno pepper jelly
  • 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch ground cumin
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold chicken broth or water

NAPA CABBAGE SLAW:

  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage (or green cabbage)
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 1/2 cup 1-inch julienne red onion
  • 1/2 cup 1-inch julienne red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot

CORN PANCAKES:

  • 3/4 cup yellow corn flour
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose white flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh jalapeño pepper
  • 1 cup cooked corn kernels
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 cup clarified unsalted butter or canola oil

Pulled Pork

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season pork with salt and black pepper. Place the pork in a deep roasting pan or Dutch oven. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, add the vinegar, brown sugar, mustard powder, garlic, and Tabasco. Whisk until well blended.
  3. Pour the vinegar mixture over the top of the pork. Tightly cover the pan and bake for 4 hours.
  4. Remove cover and bake the pork uncovered for 1 more hour or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
  5. Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Using two forks shred or “pull” the pork. Stir the pulled pork until it is well blended with the cooking liquid.

PEPPER JELLY GLAZE:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to brown.
  2. Add the broth, pepper jelly, vinegar, salt, and cumin. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the dissolved cornstarch and whisk until well blended. Gently cook and stir for 2 minutes.

NAPA CABBAGE SLAW

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add the vinegar, honey, salt, and. Mix until well blended. Slowly add the olive oil and sesame oil, whisking constantly, until well blended.
  2. Just before serving, add the cabbages, red onion, bell pepper, and carrot. Mix until well blended. Refrigerate for up to 1 hour before serving.

CORN PANCAKES

  1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the corn flour, white flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a separate medium mixing bowl, add the egg and whisk until frothy. Add the 3/4 cup milk, green onions, melted butter, and jalapeño pepper. Whisk until fully blended.
  3. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the egg/milk mixture and stir until fully blended.
  4. Place the cooked corn kernels in a food processor and “pulse” the machine until the corn is coarsely ground, but not puréed. Add the ground corn to the pancake batter, mix well, and refrigerate the batter until ready to serve.
  5. To cook pancakes, preheat griddle (or non-stick skillet). If necessary, stir in the 3 to 4 tablespoons milk to make batter spreadable. Drizzle a bit of clarified butter onto the griddle or large skillet.
  6. For each pancake, place a scant 1/4 cup of batter onto the buttered griddle. Spread to about 3 inches. Cook the pancakes over medium-high heat for 1 1/2 minutes on the first side and about 45 seconds on the second side or until nicely golden on both sides.

TO PLATE:

  1. On each serving plate, place one Corn Pancake and 1/2 cup of Pulled Pork. Top with about 3 tablespoons of Napa Cabbage Slaw. Drizzle each serving with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the Pepper Jelly Glaze. Serve immediately.

Chef Frank Brigsten, Brigtsen's Restaurant, New Orleans, La.CHEF FRANK BRIGSTEN is at the forefront of a new generation of New Orleans chefs who are revitalizing Creole-Acadian cooking. Chef Brigtsen and his wife Maria opened Brigtsen’s Restaurant in 1986 with the help of mentor Chef Paul Prudhomme. In 2008, Chef Brigtsen celebrated 20 years of working with Share Our Strength by serving as a regional spokesperson for the 20th Anniversary of Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation®.

If you liked this, please help us spread the word by sharing it with others.