SEATTLE — It's not too soon to start planning for summer fun! Tickets for Tulalip Resort Casino's Rock the Block summer bash go on sale this Friday, April 19, at 10 am PST. Executive Chef Perry Mascitti gives New Day a glimpse of what they'll be dishing up, including a Smoked Pulled Pork with Chili-flavored Pop Rocks, and Cherry Wood Smoked Beef Brisket Taco.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 27, when Tulalip's nine chefs fire up the grills and become Rock the Block pitmasters for the day. In addition to incredible barbecued bites, several top Washington State wineries, distilleries, and breweries will serve up locally made drinks, while live music rocks the Tulalip Amphitheatre stage.
To purchase tickets, head to Ticketmaster.com or service charge free at the Tulalip Box Office. Tickets start at $75, with VIP tickets at $95 each. All attendees must be 21 and over. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the local nonprofit Cocoon House, which provides short- and long-term housing for homeless and at-risk young people, including their children.
Check out the recipe Chef Mascitti made today on the show!
Smoked Pulled Pork with Chili-Flavored Pop Rocks, Fried Leeks & Unbaked Beans
Day One: Prepping the smoked pulled pork the day before:
Preparing the pork
- Have the butcher trim most of the fat away along with some of the silver skin because this will expose the meat and let the seasoning and smoke penetrate.
- Once home, cut the pork into chunks, strips or pieces that are about 2 inches thick. This will give more surface area for the seasoning and smoke to cover which will mean more flavor in the end.
- Season the pork with the rub the night before. Making sure to coat the pork liberally.
Making the smoked pork rub:
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 3 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons onion, granulated or powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic, granulated or powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons mesquite
Mix the ingredients all together and store in an airtight container for later. To save time, you can purchase a favorite BBQ rub.
Day Two: Cooking the smoked pulled pork and accompaniments:
- Soak applewood chips for smoking two hours prior.
- There are several methods for preparing smoked foods and many types of smokers to choose from. Make sure to follow the recommended directions for your smoker.
- After smoking the pork, complete the cooking process by braising it in the oven**.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- To braise the pork, place the smoked pork in a deep roasting pan and add about 3/4 of an inch of water to the pan. I wrap it very tightly with foil, which is the key to keep the moisture/steam inside. If it evaporates, there is a risk of burning the pork. Also, save the brazing liquid to use for reheating any leftover pork and beans or other similar dishes. Place the pork in the preheated oven and braise it until the pork becomes tender enough to shred with a pair of forks. This should take about 1½ to 2 hours.
- Using an internal thermometer with a lead line so it can display the pork’s temp outside of the oven works best. There’s no need to keep opening and unwrapping the oven to check.
- A standard thermometer also works, just make sure to wrap it up tightly before placing it back in the oven.
- Once finished braising, let it rest covered for 10 to 15 minutes. Use two forks to shred the pork. If you wrapped your pan well, there should be liquid and fat in the pan to use later.
- Taste it and add a little salt if it’s needed to boost the flavor.
Making the unbaked beans:
- 1 cup pinto beans, cooked
- 1 cup black beans, cooked
- 1 cup red kidney beans, cooked
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped
Mix all of the ingredients together. When the meat is ready to be served, heat a 1/3 cup of the pork brazing liquid in a pan. Add the beans and let simmer until hot.
Making the BBQ Sauce for the beans:
Any good Kansas City style BBQ sauce will work well by itself, but I like to add a few more ingredients to a purchased sauce.
- 1 1/2 cups Kansas City style BBQ sauce
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
In a medium-sized saucepan, add all the ingredients together and simmer for about 5 minutes. Constantly stirring so the sugar and molasses don’t burn. Reserve at room temp or keep warm for serving. Refrigerate any leftover BBQ sauce to use at a later date.
Making the fried leeks:
- 1 large leak
- Potato flour or corn starch, enough to lightly coat the leeks
- All-purpose flour, enough to lightly coat the leeks
Season the flour with table salt Grapeseed oil or any high-temp oil Paper towel to drain the fried leeks. Cut off the leak roots and then slice it into about 1½-inch length pieces. Slice the leeks in half and julienne them, so they look like match sticks, about a 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Soak the leeks in water for a minute or so and drain them well, but don’t dry them. Mix together the potato and all-purpose flour with salt. Toss the drained leeks in the flour mixture and roll them around until coated. Shake them to rid any excess flour. Heat a large tall pot (so the oil does not splash out) that will be able to hold the leeks and enough oil, so the leeks are just covered. Once the oil is hot enough, test it with a few leek pieces, making sure the leeks sizzle as soon as they are placed in the hot oil. Add the remaining leeks to the hot oil and stir them around, so they evenly fry. When the leeks start to turn brown, remove them and drain on the paper towel. Be careful because the leeks can go from nice and brown to quickly burnt.
Making the chili-flavored pop rocks:
Order unflavored culinary crystals, aka pop rocks, on Amazon or at the Modernist Pantry. I am sure that there are other places as well, but I use these. When ordering the needed culinary crystal flavor base, this would also be an excellent time to order some of the fried chili paste. This stuff is spicy, so only purchase a small amount for the pop rocks. It could also be sourced at a local Asian market, which could cost less. This paste works well for the pop rocks because it has very little moisture or water in it. Too much water and the pop rocks will dissolve or worse…pop.
- 4 ounces or a 1/2 bag unflavored culinary crystals
- 2 teaspoons culinary crystal flavor base
- 1 teaspoon chili oil
- 11/2 teaspoons fried chili paste
- 2 mason jars, 1 pint each
- Baking sheet, lined with parchment paper
- Space in the fridge or freezer for the baking sheet
Warm a large sauté pan to melt the flavor base. Add the flavor base. Once the base has melted, stir in the chili paste and chili oil. Open the mason jars and make sure the inside of the jars and lids are thoroughly dry. Pour 2 ounces (half of the bag) of the crystals into one jar and tightly seal with the lid. Moisture and humidity will melt the pop rocks. There is a moisture absorber in the pop-rock bag, put it in the jar that won’t be used for flavoring. Pour the remaining 2 ounces of the pop rocks into the flavored chili paste and mix them around gently with a rubber spatula until they are coated with the base. Pour the coated pop rocks onto the baking sheet and spread them out.
Place in the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes, which is long enough to solidify the cocoa butter. Place the pop rocks in the clean and dry mason jar and seal the lid. Store in a cool, dark place to keep the cocoa butter from softening or melting.
Putting it all together:
In a large pot, heat the beans with enough pork brazing liquid to moisten the beans and not burn them. Don’t make it soupy. Once warm, place on the bottom of the bowl plate. Finish by drizzling the BBQ sauce over the beans, and now the unbaked baked beans are ready. In a sauté pan, heat the portioned pulled pork with enough brazing liquid to add some moisture. Making sure it doesn’t become soupy. Place the warm pork on top of the beans. • Garnish the top of pork with fried leeks. Add a tablespoon or more of the chili popping rocks. And, it might be fun not to tell people what they are going to eat so you can see their faces! Enjoy!
This segment is sponsored by Tulalip Resort Casino. Watch New Day Northwest 11:00 weekdays on KING-TV Ch.5 or streaming live on KING5.com. Connect with New Day via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.