Cast Iron Cover-Up (The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries Book 3) (17 page)

Recipes

Annie’s Cast Iron Pork Roast

We discovered this meal when pork roast was on sale at our local grocery store. For half off the regular price, this frugal shopper wasn’t about to pass up a deal like that! After returning home, I glanced through half a dozen recipes, but I wasn’t satisfied with the standard rosemary and/or basil combos I found. I cooked my roast in my Dutch oven, even given that it was a very different cut of meat altogether, but I thought, why not? This recipe evolved from that first happy experiment, and I hope you like it. There are many variations to my basic recipe, so don’t be afraid to use your imagination.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, center-cut pork roast
  
• 8–10 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  
• 1 large onion, cut radially to produce rings
  
• 6 red new potatoes or 1 large baking potato
  
• 1 bottle barbeque sauce (18 ounces), divided into quarters
  
• 1 can beef broth, 14.5 ounces (apple cider or wine can be substituted if you’d like, but I always use broth. I like the flavor and moisture beef broth gives, but I suppose you could use chicken or vegetable broth if you’d like.)
  

Directions

Four to twenty-four hours ahead of time, score the top of the pork roast (where the fat is located) diagonally, approximately two inches apart and two inches deep, intersecting the lines. Take half of the barbeque sauce (approximately nine ounces or two quarters) and rub it into the top, making sure to get sauce down into the scored openings. Seal the pork in a large gallon-sized baggie, or put it into a large mixing bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it marinate at least four hours in the refrigerator.

Thirty to forty minutes before you’re ready to put it in the oven, take it out of the refrigerator and let the roast warm up a bit before cooking.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. While you’re waiting for it to come to temperature, cut the vegetables as directed into large chunks and spread them out on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add the broth now so you don’t splash off any of the sauce still remaining from the marinade. The onions should be ringed (cut in full or partial rings), while the carrots and potato should be cut into 2 – or 3-inch chunks. Lay the pork roast over the vegetables and apply one quarter of the sauce over the top. As always, the purpose of the vegetables is twofold: to keep the meat from burning on the bottom and to add a delicious side to the meal.

Put the lid on the Dutch oven and cook for approximately two hours, or until a meat thermometer in the center of the meat reads 160 to 165 degrees F. While it’s true that in many cases, 145 degrees F is now the approved minimum internal temperature for pork, I like mine without pink throughout.

Your results may vary, and the author wishes you the best, while taking no responsibility, implied or otherwise, for your health.

After two to two and a half hours, check the temperature and adjust your time accordingly. Once the roast is to your preferred level of doneness (see disclaimer above), pull everything out of the Dutch oven and place it on a serving plate, cover with foil, and let rest for fifteen to twenty minutes. Serve while hot, and enjoy.

Yields a meal for four people

Pa
t’s Sausage Mash-Up

Yes, it’s true. Pat can cook with cast iron, too! This is a favorite around my house and simple to make as well. You could use one cast iron skillet if you’d like, browning the meat first, setting it aside, and then sautéing the vegetables and mushrooms, but it’s twice as fast if you use two skillets! This is a hearty meal and goes particularly well with artisan bread or as a stuffing for omelets.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork farmhouse-style sausage (Italian can be substituted if preferred)
  
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped (white, yellow, or Vidalia)
  
• 8 ounces baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1/4 stick butter, melted
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  

• 12 ounces Monterey jack/Colby cheese blend, shredded (feel free to substitute any cheese you prefer)
  

Directions

In one pan, brown the sausage, and in another, melt the butter and heat the oil together. This combination gives great flavor and a higher smoking point than butter alone. Add the diced onion and green pepper, as well as the sliced mushrooms. While the sausage is browning, sauté the vegetables and mushrooms until they are softened. Add the medley to the sausage and then top with cheese. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes.

Serve these while hot, and enjoy.

Yields a meal for three to four people

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Other Books by Jessica Beck

The Donut Mysteries

Glazed Murder

Fatally Frosted

Sinister Sprinkles

Evil Éclairs

Tragic Toppings

Killer Crullers

Drop Dead Chocolate

Powdered Peril

Illegally Iced

Deadly Donuts

Assault and Batter

Sweet Suspects

Deep Fried Homicide

Custard Crime

Lemon Larceny

Bad Bites

Old Fashioned Crooks

Dangerous Dough

Troubled Treats

Sugar Coated Sins

Criminal Crumbs

The Classic Diner Mysteries

A Chili Death

A Deadly Beef

A Killer Cake

A Baked Ham

A Bad Egg

A Real Pickle

A Burned Biscuit

The Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries

Ghost Cat: Midnight Paws

Ghost Cat 2: Bid for Midnight

The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries

Cast Iron Will

Cast Iron Conviction

Cast Iron Cover-Up