Well, summer is officially over, with Labor Day come and gone. I have to admit, though, that it doesn’t feel like it yet (and I’m still hoping to get one or two more beach days in, having been forced to cram all of my summery activities into the last few weeks). And grilling season, well that’s certainly not over. In fact, you could argue that we’re getting into one of the best times for grilling – it’s a little bit cooler and pleasant to spend time outside, there’s an incredible abundance of produce available that benefits from a slight charring (think peppers, corn, peaches, eggplant…), and when does a nice piece of steak or rack of ribs not sound appealing?

For the last installment of my summer Pork and Pinot collaboration with La Crema Wines, we headed out to the grill, for what is arguably America’s favorite form of pork – barbecue. One of Trevor’s favorite things to cook is big cuts of pork (ribs, Boston butt, etc.) long and slow over a smoky charcoal grill. And it just so happens, having spent my college years in North Carolina, a great pulled pork sandwich is one of my favorite things to eat. We’re a good match, no?

This particular version of the pulled pork uses a variation on our standard rub, which includes sweet and smoked paprika, brown sugar, salt, and a touch of cayenne. We grill it for about 3-4 hours in aluminum pans, and then serve it smothered with sauce on soft rolls. I made a homemade BBQ sauce too, with blackberries, Pinot Noir, and chipotle as the dominant flavors, to play up the smokiness in the pork and to make it pair even better with La Crema Pinot Noir.

My mom and Robbie joined us for the somewhat impromptu cook-out. They’ve just come home after spending all summer in Maine (something I’m going to do again one of these years) and it’s nice to have them back within “you wanna have dinner?” distance, especially since it’s Robbie’s last year at home before heading off to college. The pork was the star of the meal, but we also had grilled corn, chicken wings, cole slaw, plenty of La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir, and burgundy pie with the last of the goat cheese and blackberry ice cream. It was a good meal – and it turned out to be the first of several over the course of the long weekend, including an extravagant dinner out in Newburyport and steak tips and peach sangria at my cousin’s BBQ on Monday. But what’s Labor Day for if not for a final hurrah of summer eating and drinking?

P.S. Several of these Pork and Pinot recipes I’ve been developing for La Crema were recently featured on Food and Wine (as was this Oyster Shooter picture I took for one of my restaurant clients earlier this year). Go check it out!

For full instructions and the recipe for Pulled Pork with Blackberry Pinot BBQ Sauce, head over to the La Crema Blog!

More Pork and Pinot posts…

• Prosciutto, Mozzarella, and Sage Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
• Red Wine Caramelized Pork Belly
• Pork Belly Banh Mi Sandwiches
• The Perfect Charcuterie Board

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Crema. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post La Crema Pork and Pinot #5: Pulled Pork with Blackberry Pinot BBQ Sauce appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Some of the best dinners we have really barely qualify as dinners. A baguette and a wheel of brie. Ice cream eaten out of the carton. Cold beer and chips and salsa. I think the very fact that you don’t have to put any effort into it is part of what makes it so rewarding to enjoy. Charcuterie definitely makes the list of our favorite low-effort, high-reward meals – a link of good artisan salami, a few slices of prosciutto, and some sharp mustard is really all you need. And with the increasing availability and variety of high-quality artisan charctuerie, putting out a nice charcuterie board as part of a dinner party or event is fast becoming the most popular way to kick off an epic meal.

As part of their Pork and Pinot series, I’ve teamed up with La Crema Wine to share how I put together a nice charcuterie board to pair with a bottle (or two! invite friends!) of Pinot Noir. Whether it’s the opener to a dinner party or Trevor and I are sharing in front of the TV, a well-balanced plate of salty, rich pork and a glass of Pinot Noir is an addictive match.

Head over to the La Crema Blog for tips on what to include on your next charcuterie board!

More Pork and Pinot posts…

• Prosciutto, Mozzarella, and Sage Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
• Red Wine Caramelized Pork Belly
• Pork Belly Banh Mi Sandwiches

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Katie at the Kitchen Door on Feedly or Bloglovin‘, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Google+. Thanks for reading!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Crema. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post La Crema Pork and Pinot #4: The Perfect Charcuterie Board appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

It’s time for more pork and Pinot! If you remember, this summer I’m teaming up with La Crema wine to bring you a series of recipes pairing pork with their Pinot Noir. The first pairing was this Italian-inspired stuffed pork tenderloin – filled with mozzarella, prosciutto, and sage pesto. This time, we’re making a deliciously fatty, savory pork belly – the cut of meat used to make bacon. Pork belly is incredibly tasty (in small doses, only, please) and a bit of a food darling in a lot of major restaurants right now, especially given its importance in Asian and Latin cuisines. It takes a bit of time both to source and to cook at home, but the end result is completely worth it.

Sourcing pork belly can be a bit of a challenge, depending on where you live. I’m lucky to live in a part of the country where I can get almost anything within a half mile’s walk. Pig trotters? Around the corner. ‘Nduja? At the wine store across the street. Fresh morels? At the closest Wholefoods, if you’re willing to pay an arm and a leg for them. Dried chiles, palm sugar, and pretty much any spice you’ve ever heard of? All available at Christina’s. So for me, finding fresh, uncured pork belly was a matter of walking 45 steps around the corner to Savenor’s and handing over $12 for a gorgeous, 2 lb. slab of heritage pig. But I know it’s not that easy for everyone. Your local butcher or Wholefoods is a good place to start – if they don’t carry pork belly regularly, they may be able to special order some for you. You can also order it online and have it shipped to you, but it’s a bit pricier.

There are a lot of different ways to prepare pork belly, taking anywhere from 30 minutes to 5 days. There are also a lot of different ways it can turn out: roasted whole until it’s falling apart, sandwich-sized slabs with shatteringly crispy skin, small caramelized pieces with a candy-like coating… or as bacon, of course. I decided to take the longer route this time – although not the 5 day version, I’ll admit. To prepare the belly, I put together a rub of brown sugar, paprika, cayenne, and salt and let it marinate in the fridge overnight. Then, in the morning, I threw it in the oven for a few hours until the meat was completely tender and a lot of the fat had rendered out. After roasting, the belly sits in the fridge until firm again, and then gets used in the recipe of your choice. Although it requires advance planning for the chilling and roasting times, this method is not particularly labor intensive – I probably spent longer removing the skin from the belly than I did with all the other steps.

Post chilling, I divided my belly into two big pieces. Half was eventually destined for Banh Mi sandwiches, but for now, let’s talk about what I did with the other half – Red Wine Caramelized Pork Belly slices. I’ve had candied pork belly at bars before – the fatty, salty, sweet slices are highly craveable with just about anything you might want to drink. Since I was making these to pair with Pinot Noir, I decided to play up the pairing and candy the pork belly in a red wine caramel sauce. I served the sticky, delicious slices alone, as a simple and indulgent appetizer with a glass of La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir. All the flavors of the Pinot Noir are echoed in the pork belly, and amplified by the rich, umami flavors of the belly itself.

For full instructions and the recipe for Red Wine Caramelized Pork Belly, head over to the La Crema Blog!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Crema. The opinions and text are all mine.

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Katie at the Kitchen Door on Feedly or Bloglovin‘, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Google+. Thanks for reading!

The post La Crema Pork and Pinot #2: Caramelized Pork Belly appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.