Since June we have hosted a “True Blood Sunday” dinner at our house, where fans of the HBO series can gather, eat, talk and then watch the weekly episode.
Tomorrow’s dinner will include a charcoal-grilled pork loin, fresh made boule, grilled asparagus and potatoes, and a seven-layer cookie and dark chocolate cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting.
We are going all out because @afloridapeach, who has been interning at the newspaper this summer, is leaving on Wednesday and this will, alas, be her final TBS dinner. We will miss her very much.
Today I made a dry rub for the pork loin, which includes:
- Smoked paprika
- Cumin
- Applewood smoked salt
- Smoked pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- Mustard powder
Now you may be asking, why are there no quantities posted here? What kind of recipe writer are you? Good questions. A little snarky, but fair.
I used equal parts, about three teaspoons, each of everything except the salt, which I used an extra teaspoon, to coat the 5 pound loin pictured here. And that combo worked out to be the right amount for me.
You may ask, well why didn’t you write that orginially, you home cookin’ blogger bish? Why are you wasting my valuable time? Again, a good question, even if you are a wee bit testy today. Relax, have a glass of wine and let me ‘splain.
I come from the Julia Child school of individuality in flavor. To quote the fabulous Julia: “I like it the way I like it, you like it the way you like it.”
I like my meat strong on the smoky flavor, lighter on the heat. If you like less smoke and more kick, put in less cumin, use plain paprika, and ratchet up the red pepper flakes. Add more pepper, more mustard. Do what smells and tastes good to you. I
Also, you may need more or less rub depending on the size of your meat. Unlike sex, size does really matter in cooking.
But talent counts for the most in both.
The most important thing to remember is to RUB YOUR MEAT. Your hand should look all sticky and grainy, much like this shaky photo, when you are done coating this huge hunk of piggy. This noble animal should not have given his life in vain. You want to season this meat to deeply enhance the flavors.
Tomorrow, the loin will cook low and slow on a charcoal grill and we will add a mopping liquid to keep it marinated and moist while it roasts.
More details tomorrow.
And in the meantime, chill out a little. Food is like sex, it should be fun and you know you are really having fun when it gets messy.
