This weekend marks the unofficial start to summer, which means the start of grilling season. Of course, many of you have been grilling since the temps first got above freezing (a few probably didn’t even let the cold keep you inside), but for the rest of us, Memorial Day weekend is the first good chance to fire up the grill and devote some serious time to cooking. And while we will never say no to burgers and brats, we wanted to elevate our options for this weekend’s festivities. To get some guidance, we recruited our friend Chef Jose Guerrero from Jolane’s Cafe.
Chef Jose has been a part of the Jolane’s family since they opened in the Abt Design Center over a decade ago. He started as a barista, but exposure to a working restaurant kitchen inspired him to become a chef. After completing his culinary education at Kendall College, the opportunity to become a chef at Jolane’s presented itself, and Jose gladly accepted. Today, as executive chef, he is responsible for choosing menu items and creating the always-evolving weekly specials. Chef Jose crafted us a Memorial Day menu that features flavorful dishes filled with fresh ingredients. Each item can stand on its own, or you can make them all for a complete picnic spread that is sure to impress your guests.
We're starting off with the perennial favorites, BBQ pulled pork sliders. The custom marinade and extended cook time might feel like a bit of work upfront, but you'll be rewarded with some of the most tender, succulent pork ever tasted. Toss it in the BBQ sauce mixture as the recipe suggests, or keep that off to the side so your guests can decide. Another suggestion: if your picnic is planned for earlier in the day, you're best off letting the pork cook overnight, giving you much less to worry about on the day of the event.
Thinly slice green and red cabbage in a 50/50 mixture.
Add julienne carrots to the cabbage so the final mixture is about 75% red/green cabbage and 25% carrot.
Mix all ingredients for the aioli dressing in a medium bowl.
Add cabbage/carrot mixture to dressing to your desired consistency.
Mix all liquid ingredients in an 8x10 pan (we recommend a 6-inch deep pan if possible).
Rub pork shoulder with seasoning and place it inside the pan with all liquid ingredients. The liquid should cover 75% of the pork.
Cover with plastic wrap 3 times, then with one layer of foil.
Bake the pork in your oven at 200° for 8 hours—you can do this at night and wake up to delicious and tender pork ready for your Memorial Day BBQ.
Pull the pork out of the oven, remove it from the liquid and let it cool on a sheet tray. Save 1/2 cup of the liquid, you will need it after pulling the pork.
Once the pork is cooled, use a fork to pull it to shreds. Mix the liquid you saved with your favorite BBQ sauce and mix it into the pulled pork. Make sure the pork is not too wet.
Put pulled pork back into pan, cover it twice with plastic wrap and once with foil, and place it back into the oven at 200° for 35 minutes.
When you're ready to serve, assemble your pulled pork sandwiches and serve on a tray, or let your guests build them to their own tastes.
Ingredients
Directions
Thinly slice green and red cabbage in a 50/50 mixture.
Add julienne carrots to the cabbage so the final mixture is about 75% red/green cabbage and 25% carrot.
Mix all ingredients for the aioli dressing in a medium bowl.
Add cabbage/carrot mixture to dressing to your desired consistency.
Mix all liquid ingredients in an 8x10 pan (we recommend a 6-inch deep pan if possible).
Rub pork shoulder with seasoning and place it inside the pan with all liquid ingredients. The liquid should cover 75% of the pork.
Cover with plastic wrap 3 times, then with one layer of foil.
Bake the pork in your oven at 200° for 8 hours—you can do this at night and wake up to delicious and tender pork ready for your Memorial Day BBQ.
Pull the pork out of the oven, remove it from the liquid and let it cool on a sheet tray. Save 1/2 cup of the liquid, you will need it after pulling the pork.
Once the pork is cooled, use a fork to pull it to shreds. Mix the liquid you saved with your favorite BBQ sauce and mix it into the pulled pork. Make sure the pork is not too wet.
Put pulled pork back into pan, cover it twice with plastic wrap and once with foil, and place it back into the oven at 200° for 35 minutes.
When you're ready to serve, assemble your pulled pork sandwiches and serve on a tray, or let your guests build them to their own tastes.
Next up: tequila lime shrimp pops with homemade guacamole.
Prepping and cooking shrimp might sound intimidating, but it's no more difficult than throwing a burger or some chicken on the grill. Follow Jose's simple recipe, and these easy-to-make, easy-to-eat shrimp pops will probably find a regular place in your grilling repertoire. Pro tip: err on the soft side when picking out your avocados. If the fruit is too firm, your guacamole will be missing that buttery smoothness—and it probably won't taste too great.
Crush avocados and mix them until they are mostly smooth with some small chunks still remaining.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients. If you're sensitive to the jalapeño, add it last so you can use as little as you like.
Season the guacamole with a little salt, to your desired taste. Chef Jose recommends pink Himalayan salt.
Create your marinade by mixing spices, oil and lime juice in a large bowl.
Toss shrimp in marinade until all pieces are completely covered. Once tossed, remove the shrimp from the marinade. Because of shrimp's delicate flesh, the citric acid in the marinade can actually begin the cooking process, so you don't want them to soak in the marinade for too long.
Stick each shrimp onto a wooden skewer.
Grill over direct, medium heat, for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove when the shrimp has turned a bright pink color.
Ingredients
Directions
Crush avocados and mix them until they are mostly smooth with some small chunks still remaining.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients. If you're sensitive to the jalapeño, add it last so you can use as little as you like.
Season the guacamole with a little salt, to your desired taste. Chef Jose recommends pink Himalayan salt.
Create your marinade by mixing spices, oil and lime juice in a large bowl.
Toss shrimp in marinade until all pieces are completely covered. Once tossed, remove the shrimp from the marinade. Because of shrimp's delicate flesh, the citric acid in the marinade can actually begin the cooking process, so you don't want them to soak in the marinade for too long.
Stick each shrimp onto a wooden skewer.
Grill over direct, medium heat, for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove when the shrimp has turned a bright pink color.
We’ll be finishing with a unique version of grilled corn on the cob.
Inspired by the Mexican street food elotes, Chef Jose's recipe takes the familiar summer staple and kicks it up a notch with a spicy, ethnic twist.
Cut each ear of corn into pieces about 3 inches tall. Stick each piece onto a wooden skewer.
Place corn on the edge of the grill, over indirect heat. This will keep both the corn and the skewers from burning.
Grill for about 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Grill the corn until kernels are slightly charred and tender when pierced.
Squeeze lime juice onto the hot corn, then spread slather mayo all over the surface.
Sprinkle a generous amount of your choice of cheese, and finish each corn bit with a touch of paprika.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut each ear of corn into pieces about 3 inches tall. Stick each piece onto a wooden skewer.
Place corn on the edge of the grill, over indirect heat. This will keep both the corn and the skewers from burning.
Grill for about 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Grill the corn until kernels are slightly charred and tender when pierced.
Squeeze lime juice onto the hot corn, then spread slather mayo all over the surface.
Sprinkle a generous amount of your choice of cheese, and finish each corn bit with a touch of paprika.
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