Stir Crazy: ’Tis the season to feed a crowd pulled pork and slab pie
Readers are thinking ahead now. I’ve had emails and calls about plans for Mother’s Day and Memorial Day already. Everybody wants to have a party outdoors and banish the very last vestiges of cabin fever.
The topics are typical: something to feed a crowd, and a dessert big enough to satisfy everybody. Make it simple, please.
I came up with three recipes I think would be great. The first is a slab pie, which is baked in a jelly-roll pan and cut in squares. I guess you could call it a pie bar. One batch makes two dozen slices.
Being a big fan of rhubarb (and pie), I have to admit that I never thought of combining it with raspberries to make this slab pie from Taste of Home. Still, I think it’s worth a try, as long as there’s enough sugar to balance the tartness of these two fruits.
I picked two ways to make delicious pulled pork in the slow cooker. They are from Tablespoon.com. One needs only three ingredients and the other just five. I’d make both batches in separate slow cookers because one is mild and the other one spicy.
Using a slow cooker to hold and serve pulled meat on a buffet table is an excellent way to feed a crowd.
Contact me at sboyle@bnd.com, 618-239-2664 and follow me on Twitter @BoyleSuzanne. Write to 120 S. Illinois St., P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427.
Raspberry-Rhubarb Slab Pie
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons low-fat milk
1 egg yolk
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
5 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and drained
3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained
VANILLA ICING:
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 to 6 teaspoons low-fat milk
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Whisk 3/4 cup milk and egg yolk; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.
Divide dough in two portions so that one is slightly larger than the other; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour, or until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out larger portion of dough between two large sheets of lightly floured waxed paper into an 18-by13-inch rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased 15-by-10-by-1-inch baking pan. Press onto the bottom and up sides of pan; trim pastry to edges of pan.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add raspberries and rhubarb; toss to coat. Spoon into pastry.
Roll out remaining dough; place over filling. Fold bottom pastry over edge of top pastry; seal with a fork. Prick top with a fork.
Bake 45-55 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
For icing, combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve a drizzling consistency; drizzle over pie. Cut pie into squares.
Yield: 2 dozen, each slice with 247 calories, 8 grams fat, 29 mg cholesterol, 159 mg sodium, 42 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 3 grams protein.
Editor’s note: If using frozen rhubarb, measure rhubarb while still frozen, then thaw completely. Drain in a colander, but do not press liquid out.
5-Ingredient Spicy Pulled Pork
1 (2 pound) pork roast, cubed
1 (355 ml) bottle cola
1 packet hot & spicy taco seasoning mix
1 cup honey barbecue sauce
3 tablespoons sriracha
Place pork cubes in a slow cooker with the cola. Cover and cook 6-8 hours on low.
Transfer pork from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon. Use a fork to shred the pork.
Immediately stir in taco seasoning, barbecue sauce and sriracha.
Spoon pork mixture on top of buns. Makes 8 sandwiches.
3-Ingredient Pulled Pork
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin (pork shoulder or butt can also be used)
1 (12-ounce) can of root beer
1 (18-ounce) bottle of barbecue sauce
Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker and pour the can of root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until pork shreds easily with a fork.
After pork has cooked, drain and discard the root beer. Shred the pork and place it back in the slow cooker. Pour the barbecue sauce over the pork and stir to combine. Serve immediately or keep warm in slow cooker until ready to serve. Serve on hamburger buns. Makes 8 sandwiches.
This story was originally published April 4, 2016 at 8:27 AM.