Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes

Hubby had a difficult time finding something Cinnamon-ey to make for our monthly cooking club that wasn’t a dessert. He’s definitely the cooker in our house and I’m the baker. He made this pork and it smelled delicious while it was cooking.

As recommended, we served this over rice. The pork was extremely tender and had subtle tastes of cinnamon. This mean is even better the next day. We ate it for a couple days since it made a decent amount of food and neither of us got sick of it!

Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes – from The Splendid Table – makes 6-8 servings
2 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and gristle
2-1/2 teaspoons olive or canola oil

Seasonings:
6 whole scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1-1/2-inch lengths, and smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife
6 cloves garlic, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife, peeled, and sliced thin
6 slices fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife
1 teaspoon hot chile paste – we used Garlic Chili Pepper sauce from the Thai section at the store
2 to 3 sticks cinnamon
1 whole star anise, smashed, or 1 teaspoon aniseeds – we used Fennel seeds

Braising Mixture:
4 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine or sake
2 tablespoons sugar
4 sweet potatoes or yams (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons minced scallion greens for garnish

Cut the pork into 1-1/2-inch cubes

Heat the oil until very hot in a 4-quart casserole or a Dutch oven with a lid. Add half the pork pieces. Sear the outside of half the pork over high heat until brown, turning once. Remove and sear the remaining meat. Set aside.

Reheat the pan and oil, add the Seasonings. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds, then add the Braising Mixture. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the pork, bring the liquid to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, stir, cover, and continue cooking for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Serve the pork and potatoes atop a bed of blanched or steamed greens, with some of the braising mixture spooned on top and accompanied by steamed rice.

Main Meal

3 comments »

19 Responses to “Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting”

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Megan — January 13, 2011 at 5:06 pm

I’ll take any leftovers! They sound amazing. I keep saying dessert recipes with bacon and bookmarking them, but I haven’t tried any yet. Adding this one to the list now too. 🙂
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ann — January 13, 2011 at 5:07 pm

These look so terrific. I love the flavor combinations!
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Blog is the New Black — January 13, 2011 at 5:08 pm

I’m intrigued!
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KV — January 13, 2011 at 5:46 pm

interesting! I have a recipe for chocolate bacon fudge or maybe pb bacon fudge but I’m afraid to try it
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Rachel @ Baked by Rachel — January 13, 2011 at 6:01 pm

The frosting sounds amazing. I honestly still can’t bring myself to get behind bacon in desserts. Maybe someday I’ll try a bacon cupcake if I’m given one though. 🙂 I can only resist so long.
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Jennifer — January 13, 2011 at 6:08 pm

YUM! These look so good! I haven’t tried the bacon / sweet combo yet, but I’m sure I would love it!
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Fun and Fearless in Beantown — January 13, 2011 at 6:13 pm

This looks delicious but I’ve got to ask….what is a pirate party?
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Jen — January 13, 2011 at 6:21 pm

Fun and Fearless – It’s exactly like it sounds… Everyone dresses up as a pirate (or something related – Hubby and I went as Treasure maps last year). They even hire this guy who looks like Captain Jack Sparrow to come and there’s a prize for best costume. One of the best parties of the year!
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Cupcake Activist — January 13, 2011 at 8:48 pm

Sounds great! The problem I’ve seen with bacon is that sometimes it is chewy in cupcakes. That’s not good. I like that this recipe says to cook until crispy. Extra crispy for me!
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Laura and Alex — January 13, 2011 at 9:11 pm

My favorite candy bar is bacon chocolate!!! I can’t wait to try this 🙂
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Carrie — January 13, 2011 at 9:13 pm

Wow, those look and sound amazing!
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Shannon — January 13, 2011 at 9:42 pm

oh yum. after putting bacon in last years cookies this might need to be next 🙂
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Corrine — January 13, 2011 at 9:56 pm

I’m so curious to try bacon in baked goods, but do you think turkey bacon would work?
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Jen — January 13, 2011 at 10:08 pm

Corrine – I’m sure turkey bacon would work if you could get it nice and crispy. I’ve heard that if the bacon isn’t super crispy, it has a really weird chewy texture in baked goods.
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Corrine — January 14, 2011 at 2:11 am

Thanks Jen! I’m going to give it a try!
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Evan Thomas — January 14, 2011 at 2:28 pm

This has just about everything that I would want to go together. Awesome recipe!
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Medifast Coupons — January 14, 2011 at 4:10 pm

This is certianly a unqiue mixture of tastes and textures, but it comes together nicely. Definatly a must try!
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darcyeats — January 14, 2011 at 6:22 pm

Chocolate..caramel…bacon…PERFECTION.
I am infatuated with the perfect smoky/salty addition of bacon into sweet baked goods. So delicious. Of course, I’m kind of a fan of adding bacon into just about anything.
Great pics, def wanna try these out!
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kitchenmisfit — January 16, 2011 at 1:01 am

Sorry the cupcakes didn’t turn out like you wanted. Have you ever tried the bacon/chocolate cupcake at Cherry Bomb Bakery in Brighton? They are fantastic!