March | 2011 | Afterlife Cafe

“West Indies” Spice Rub – original source: Joy of Cooking

In a dry skillet combine

1/8 cup cumin seeds
1/8 cup coriander seeds

Toast over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Pour out of the skillet onto a piece of paper towel and allow to cool while you gather & measure the other ingredients. In a bowl combine

1/8 cup sweet curry powder
1/8 cup ground black pepper *
1/8 cup ground ginger
1/8 cup kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ground allspice
1 Tablespoon chili powder *

* The original recipe called for white pepper, not black pepper, and ground red pepper where I used chili powder. We don’t keep in the white pepper in the pantry and ground red pepper is so vague in our house it is meaningless. The chili pepper was at eye level so I grabbed it.

When the toasted seeds are cool to the touch place them in a grinder and pulse until fine. Add them to the bowl of spices and mix well to combine.

Braised country style pork – source: the mind of Bob
I coated the pork with about 1/2 the mixture pressing it in as I went, flipping it over to make sure all 4 sides were covered. I then covered the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerated it for about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Carefully remove the foil and pour 2-3 cups of flavorful liquid, such as chicken broth, around the edges of the pan. You want it to come somewhere around 1/2 way up the meat. Pouring around the edges prevents the spice rub from being washed off the meat.

Put the foil back on the pan and slip it into the oven. Cook it for ~3 hours, flipping the meat every hour of so.