Pulled pork is one of my favorite meats. In the summer, I do my pulled pork in my Bradley smoker. But living in the north much of the year smoking outside is just not a realistic option. That is when I turn to my slow cooker.
The inspiration for this recipe comes in part from Ree Drummond’s Spicy Pop Pulled Pork. I went in my own direction for the recipe from the get go, but her recipe sounds really good as well.
It is a bit of work, but I really like the result. Having pulled pork in the middle of winter is definitely a great way to remember the days of summer.
Cornbread is one of those dishes that varies greatly from region to region of the United States. Canada tends to go along with the northern versions, as of course they are our neighbours.
In the south, cornbread tends to be more cornmeal and less flour, for a dryer texture and more corn flavoured taste.
In the north, cornbread tends to be less cornmeal and more flour, for a cakier texture and less pronounced corn taste.
In my kitchen, I have found that I like a balance of the two. I developed a cornbread recipe, and have been using it for a few years now. One morning I had some buttermilk left over, and an overabundance of cornmeal. I decided that I wanted to see how well the cornbread muffin mixture would convert over to pancake recipe. After a couple of adjustments, I have a recipe that I am quite happy with. It is a bit more northern, but still has a good cornbread taste and texture. I did sweeten it up, but used brown sugar and honey so that there was not just sweetness from the ingredients, but a flavour as well.
There is a fair amount of butter in this recipe, but it contributes to the tenderness of the pancake. It also makes butter at the table unnecessary, and when leftovers are toasted they can easily be eaten out of hand with no added butter.
These are a nice brunch pancake, and if you have some pulled pork kicking around, serve them in a stack with pulled pork in between and Jack Daniels/Maple syrup poured over the top for a super nice sweet and savoury breakfast. They also pair very well with my Maple Butter, or so says my chief taste tester.
Aniko Birtch was a very special lady in my life. Aniko was my best friend, my partner and my love. She was also an amazing mother, and an awesome cook.
Aniko and I enjoyed cooking together, and this was a recipe that we came up with one afternoon collaborating in the kitchen. It was something we created for her Grandmother, something easy to portion out and freeze for her have on hand.
Almost as quickly as Aniko came into my life, she was gone. She was diagnosed with cancer, and after 11 short months of cramming as much life into every day that we could, she slipped away from us.
I cherish my memories of this very special lady, and this dish will always take me back to my time with her.
Aniko and Grandma K out for dinner with the clanAniko and RyanAniko and RyanAniko
I grew up in a wonderful home, one where my father did a great deal the cooking. My Pop was an amazing cook, and one of my father’s most loved dishes was his pancakes. I grew up on these golden disks, with their light fluffy texture and rich taste was our breakfast on many, many a weekend. Whether served with bacon, sausages or pan fried kokanee (the fish, not the beer) they were always amazing. And they were always made using good ingredients, patience, love and a talented hand. And never with a recipe or measuring cup. It was always “bunch of this, some of that and a pinch (or two) of something else” – Pop was amazing in the kitchen, and to this day he continues to be my hero and inspiration.
Sadly, my father left us all too soon, his ‘recipes’ lost with him. In his final couple of years, as the cancer ate away at him, he lost his taste for food and at the end his strength to cook. I cooked for him whenever I could, but increasingly he was unable to enjoy eating. Because his ‘recipes’ were all based on taste and feeling, we were never able to get them down on paper. I miss so much about my Pop, and who he was in my life. Much of my love of cooking is a direct homage to him.
Back to the pancakes… Over the dozen or so years since he left us, I have tried to come up with a reasonable replication of his amazing creation. I made them so many times with him, but on my own I was completely unable to hit that magic combination of ingredients that filled the kitchen with that taste and smell of my childhood. I would work a recipe over and over, changing a bit of this and a bit of that. However while I got into the ballpark on an occasion or two, it just was never close enough. I would eventually toss the recipe, and after a bit of time away from the project, start over again.
Sometime in 2013 I found myself at that point of starting over again. A clean slate, a reliable ingredients list and a renewed sense of patience. I brought together the ingredients, and into the pan I ladled the batter. The result was the closest I had ever gotten to the magical combination. We were on the path! A couple of more adjustments over the weeks that followed, and I hit the jackpot. I can’t deny that there was a tear or two shed at the kitchen table that morning, it was such a powerful reminder of the man who was my father, my hero and my inspiration. What was so much a part of my Pop’s reputation as a cook, would live on to be enjoyed again. Oh yeah, and I wrote it down…
These are pancakes for those that truly love pan cakes. They are tall, light and fluffy. There are so many versions of pancakes, each with its own strength and enjoyment. From crepes to flapjacks, Dutch Babies to buckwheat, all have a place at the table. But for me, these are the pinnacle of what a pancake should be – they are of my childhood memories.
I offer you this recipe with the sincerest wish that your family will enjoy them as much as my family has for so many years. From my country kitchen to yours….
Pop making dinner Christmas Eve 2002. He was cooking out on the grill, hence the outfit!Pop relaxing while I was making dinner.
Ok- ok, yeah I know… Boiling ribs is largely frowned upon by rib purists. However, for those of us who live in 4 season country, low and slow just isn’t going to happen about half the year. I would rather do them in my Bradley smoker, but at -10 degrees – bugger it, I am staying inside!
These ribs are also my camping go to. I do them up to the point of being ready for the grill, and then I bag them up and stick them in the cooler. I found the addition of the horseradish imparted a great flavour, but didn’t carry any heat into the finished product.
The amount of time in the water can be adjusted to get the texture that you prefer in the ribs.
