For those of you who know me (or even those who don’t and read in my little space), these little Iron Chef get-togethers have been one of my favorite ways to spend time with friends over the past couple of years. For one, I get to cook, and that’s an easy way to make me happy.
But for two, I get to see some of my favorite people, all in one room. We get a few short hours to chat, to drink decent wine, and to talk about food. If being with them wasn’t great enough as is, adding those elements only exponentially makes it better.
I started Iron Chef as an excuse to hang out with friends and do all of those things I mentioned above. I didn’t realize it would last for two years, and I didn’t realize we’d pick up so many competitors, er, friends, along the way. This little group of people, they mean a lot to me, every last one of them who’ve ever participated, and it is hard to say goodbye to an event I’ve looked forward to so much.
And while I don’t generally believe that all good things must come to an end, this time I get it. While I hope to one day start up an IC-SF, my Iron Chef Chicago days have come to an end. And while my IC Chicago days have come to an end, I do hope someone decides to continue it, and I’ll continue to keep my fingers crossed that it lives on, and that good food, good wine, and good friends continue to hang out together.
For my last competition, it was Battle Plantains. Now, I can’t say I really cook with plantains all that much. Heck, I think the only time I’ve ever cooked plantains is at a dinner event I helped my friend Caroline with (another Chicago event I will surely miss..), and we made some killer tostones. And so, rather than focusing on the plantains, I focused on finding something I’ve been wanting to make that could go with them.
I made pulled pork. Again.
Yes, you’ve seen these shenanigans around these parts once or twice. What can I say – I’m Southern at heart, and pulled pork is in my genes, I suppose. Plus, I had an idea for a twist and found a good recipe for a mango BBQ variation that was sure to impress. The only problem? No plantains involved. I decided that was a minor detail and made it anyway.
The Top Three:
Heather’s Plantain & Mango Pulled Pork ‘Sandwiches’
Michael & Kenna’s Plantain Cuban Sandwiches
Jennifer’s Plantain Bread with Hazelnut Cream Cheese
As it turns out, it was a minor detail. Either the competition was rigged in favor of it being my final battle, or the plantain chips sandwiching the pork were enough to bring it all together. Either way, I’m heading to the West with a win in my back pocket, hoping in two months I’ll get to pick one last ingredient for my Midwestern friends.
also lovely as a tostada
instructions
Rub
combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl, then rub it onto the pork until well coated. Set aside while you make BBQ sauce. You could do this a day ahead and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
BBQ sauce
In a large saucepan (preferably a Dutch oven) warm the oil over low heat until hot. Add the cumin, cinnamon, and ginger; let simmer, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the onions and serrano and a little salt, to taste. Saute until they soften but don’t let them get any color. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Simmer about 5 minutes. Taste and season.
Add the pork shoulder to the saucepan, coating it with the sauce. Cover, and gently simmer until the pork falls apart easily, stirring and turning often, about 3 hours.
Remove the pork from the saucepan and shred it using 2 forks. Return it to the sauce and stir to coat with the sauce. Serve however you plan to. (I sandwiched a large tablespoon of pulled pork between two elongated plantain chips, sprinkling a little cilantro on top of the pork.)
Plantain Chips
ingredients
canola oil
2 ripe plantains
kosher salt
instructions
in a medium saute pan, fill with oil up to ~1 inch. let oil get hot (but not smokey). meanwhile, peel plantains and cut into three chunks, lengthwise. using a sharp knife (or a mandoline if you’re fancy; I wasn’t), cut into 1/4″ strips.
once oil is hot, fry off strips about 5 at a time, flipping over after 1-2 minutes on each side. drain on paper towels and serve.
(if you’re making these for the pulled pork, they can sit out for a bit to cool before being sandwiched in between the pork and a little cilantro.)
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Tags: Aarti Sequeira, barbeque, mango, plantain, pork, pork shoulder, pulled pork
,%20these%20little%20Iron%20Chef%20get-togethers%20have%20been%20one%20of%20my%20favorite%20ways%20to%20spend%20time%20with%20friends%20over%20the%20past%20couple%20of%20years.%20For%20one,%20I%20get%20to%20cook,%20and%20that%E2%80%99s%20an%20easy%20way%20to%20make%20me%20happy.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBut%20for%20two,%20I%20get%20to%20see%20some%20of%20my%20favorite%20people,%20all%20in%20one%20room.%20We%20get%20a%20few%20short%20hours%20to%20chat,%20to%20drink%20decent%20wine,%20and%20to%20talk%20about%20food.%20If%20being%20with%20them%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20great%20enough%20as%20is,%20adding%20those%20elements%20only%20exponentially%20makes%20it%20better.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20started%20Iron%20Chef%20as%20an%20excuse%20to%20hang%20out%20with%20friends%20and%20do%20all%20of%20those%20things%20I%20mentioned%20above.%20I%20didn%E2%80%99t%20realize%20it%20would%20last%20for%20two%20years,%20and%20I%20didn%E2%80%99t%20realize%20we%E2%80%99d%20pick%20up%20so%20many%20competitors,%20er,%20friends,%20along%20the%20way.%20This%20little%20group%20of%20people,%20they%20mean%20a%20lot%20to%20me,%20every%20last%20one%20of%20them%20who%E2%80%99ve%20ever%20participated,%20and%20it%20is%20hard%20to%20say%20goodbye%20to%20an%20event%20I%E2%80%99ve%20looked%20forward%20to%20so%20much.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAnd%20while%20I%20don%E2%80%99t%20generally%20believe%20that%20all%20good%20things%20must%20come%20to%20an%20end,%20this%20time%20I%20get%20it.%20While%20I%20hope%20to%20one%20day%20start%20up%20an%20IC-SF,%20my%20Iron%20Chef%20Chicago%20days%20have%20come%20to%20an%20end.%20And%20while%20my%20IC%20Chicago%20days%20have%20come%20to%20an%20end,%20I%20do%20hope%20someone%20decides%20to%20continue%20it,%20and%20I%E2%80%99ll%20continue%20to%20keep%20my%20fingers%20crossed%20that%20it%20lives%20on,%20and%20that%20good%20food,%20good%20wine,%20and%20good%20friends%20continue%20to%20hang%20out%20together.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EFor%20my%20last%20competition,%20it%20was%20Battle%20Plantains.%20Now,%20I%20can%E2%80%99t%20say%20I%20really%20cook%20with%20plantains%20all%20that%20much.%20Heck,%20I%20think%20the%20only%20time%20I%E2%80%99ve%20ever%20cooked%20plantains%20is%20at%20a%20dinner%20event%20I%20helped%20my%20friend%20Caroline%20with%20(another%20Chicago%20event%20I%20will%20surely%20miss..),%20and%20we%20made%20some%20killer%20tostones.%20And%20so,%20rather%20than%20focusing%20on%20the%20plantains,%20I%20focused%20on%20finding%20something%20I%E2%80%99ve%20been%20wanting%20to%20make%20that%20could%20go%20with%20them.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20made%20pulled%20pork.%20Again.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EYes,%20you%E2%80%99ve%20seen%20these%20shenanigans%20around%20these%20parts%20once%20or%20twice.%20What%20can%20I%20say%20%E2%80%93%20I%E2%80%99m%20Southern%20at%20heart,%20and%20pulled%20pork%20is%20in%20my%20genes,%20I%20suppose.%20Plus,%20I%20had%20an%20idea%20for%20a%20twist%20and%20found%20a%20good%20recipe%20for%20a%20mango%20BBQ%20variation%20that%20was%20sure%20to%20impress.%20The%20only%20problem?%20No%20plantains%20involved.%20I%20decided%20that%20was%20a%20minor%20detail%20and%20made%20it%20anyway.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20Top%20Three:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHeather%E2%80%99s%20Plantain%20&%20Mango%20Pulled%20Pork%20%E2%80%98Sandwiches%E2%80%99%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMichael%20&%20Kenna%E2%80%99s%20Plantain%20Cuban%20Sandwiches%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EJennifer%E2%80%99s%20Plantain%20Bread%20with%20Hazelnut%20Cream%20Cheese%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAs%20it%20turns%20out,%20it%20was%20a%20minor%20detail.%20Either%20the%20competition%20was%20rigged%20in%20favor%20of%20it%20being%20my%20final%20battle,%20or%20the%20plantain%20chips%20sandwiching%20the%20pork%20were%20enough%20to%20bring%20it%20all%20together.%20Either%20way,%20I%E2%80%99m%20heading%20to%20the%20West%20with%20a%20win%20in%20my%20back%20pocket,%20hoping%20in%20two%20months%20I%E2%80%99ll%20get%20to%20pick%20one%20last%20ingredient%20for%20my%20Midwestern%20friends.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Ealso%20lovely%20as%20a%20tostada%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Einstructions%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ERub%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Ecombine%20the%20rub%20ingredients%20in%20a%20small%20bowl,%20then%20rub%20it%20onto%20the%20pork%20until%20well%20coated.%20Set%20aside%20while%20you%20make%20BBQ%20sauce.%20You%20could%20do%20this%20a%20day%20ahead%20and%20keep%20refrigerated%20until%20ready%20to%20use.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBBQ%20sauce%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIn%20a%20large%20saucepan%20(preferably%20a%20Dutch%20oven)%20warm%20the%20oil%20over%20low%20heat%20until%20hot.%20Add%20the%20cumin,%20cinnamon,%20and%20ginger;%20let%20simmer,%20stirring%20constantly,%20for%201%20minute.%20Add%20the%20onions%20and%20serrano%20and%20a%20little%20salt,%20to%20taste.%20Saute%20until%20they%20soften%20but%20don%E2%80%99t%20let%20them%20get%20any%20color.%20Add%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20sauce%20ingredients.%20Simmer%20about%205%20minutes.%20Taste%20and%20season.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAdd%20the%20pork%20shoulder%20to%20the%20saucepan,%20coating%20it%20with%20the%20sauce.%20Cover,%20and%20gently%20simmer%20until%20the%20pork%20falls%20apart%20easily,%20stirrin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