The other white meat

Isn't that what they call pork? Well I'm a big fan of pork loins cooked on the grille. For many reasons but one it's easy, and two it's fast.

When at the market try to get a plain old pork loin, not one that been injected with flovoring. Don't want a butcher dictating what is in my meat.

I marinated this particular piece in mojo , which is a bottled Cuban sauce. Of course how and what you cook your pork loin does influence how you prepare your leftovers.  Watch the temperature (approx 140-145*) and remember this still cooks once removed from the grille.  Place on a platter tented with foil while you finish roasting some fresh veggies, your choice.  For this I did fresh yellow and red bell peppers and some cute tiny yukon gold potatoes.  This meat is so tender you can cut it with a fork.

Carrot cake ala Outdoor dutch oven

Carrot cake ala Dutch oven a photo by mooncrazy on Flickr.

Love to cook outside in the cast iron and I'm getting ready for our annual teardrop camp out so thought I try my new carrot cake recipe. Worked wonderful. Just as tender and fluffy as one baked in my indoor oven and now I can't wait to make it at the potluck.

Here is the link to Mrs. Garrett's Carrot Cake.

If you are interested in more recipes for outdoor cooking visit the Cast Iron link.

What no roast chicken

So I stopped by the big box store on the way home for a roast chicken, actually I was going to get two so I could make a tasty chicken salad for lunch over the weekend, much to my dismay they were sold out.  WHAT the heck!!  Run to the back, pick up a roastable chicken and while waiting in line thinking hope it's not too hot to turn on the oven.

On the way home I remembered  a roast chicken I made  with some lemons stuffed inside.  Gotta go find that recipe.  FOUR YEARS AGO!!!  holy cow time flies.  It's nice to revisit some of our olders posts and this one especially I really like.  Before it gets too hot to turn on your oven make this chicken.  I know it's so easy to buy the roasted one at the market but trust me you'll be glad you did.

April 12, 2007 is the original post.
This has to be my favorite way to roast a chicken. It is a recipe adapted from a recipe from Giada DeLaurentis. This is a very rich tasting chicken that I served with roasted red potatoes and carrots.
I did place cleaned carrots on the bottom using them as a rack for the chicken and it's the lemons, garlic and oranges that you place in the cavity so don't skimp on that.

Garlic and Citrus Chicken
1(5 to 6-pound) whole roasting chicken, neck and giblets discarded I don't discard these little gems I cook them in some broth and use them at a later time
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered I used two lemons they were kind of small
1 head garlic, halved crosswise, plus 3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed  I used fresh juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves I used thyme
Kitchen string or butcher twine didn't have any

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, and garlic halves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string to help hold its shape. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. I rubbed a bit of butter and olive oil on the bird.Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding some chicken broth to the pan, if necessary, to prevent the pan drippings from burning. Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano, and chopped garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Brush some of the juice mixture over the chicken, after it has baked 1 hour. Continue roasting the chicken until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, basting occasionally with the juice mixture and adding broth to the pan, about 45 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan).
Place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce.
Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.