Recipes Dream

Barbecue Pork Belly Sandwich with Quick Dill Pickles and Red Onions
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 six-inch white sandwich rolls, split in half
1/2 small red onion, cut into batons
For the pork belly:
3 lbs. pork belly, trimmed into a 5" x 2.5" rectangle
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped1 bay leaf
3–4 sprigs of fresh thyme
6 cups chicken stock or fresh water
For the pickles:
4 medium cucumbers, sliced
1 cup kosher salt
2 big pinches pickling spices (coriander seeds, bay leaf, peppercorns, dry mustard seeds, fennel and cumin seeds, cloves)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
5– 6 sprigs of fresh dill
2 cups water
2 cups white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
For the BBQ sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. mesquite liquid smoke
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Heat a heavy-bottomed, medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Season the pork belly with salt and pepper. Add oil to the pot and sear the pork on each side to a deep golden brown. Transfer pork to a plate and set aside.
3. Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot. Add the chopped carrots, onions, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and 2 cups of chicken stock or water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and reduce liquid by about half.
4. Place the pork back in the pot. Add the rest of the chicken stock or water. Bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid, place in the oven on the center rack, and let cook undisturbed for about 3 hours.
5. While the pork belly cooks, make the quick pickles: Cover cucumber slices with the kosher salt, making sure the slices are covered on both sides. Let sit for 30 minutes, then wash the salt off and place cucumber slices in a glass or stainless-steel bowl along with the pickling spices, smashed garlic, and fresh dill sprigs. Combine the water, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Remove the pickles from the bowl and lightly rinse them in water to remove the brine. Put the pickles in the refrigerator.
6. Now it's time for the BBQ sauce: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
7. In a nonstick pan, melt a little butter, then add the sandwich rolls. Toast both rolls to a golden brown crust. Set aside.
8. When the pork belly is fork tender, remove it from the oven. With a slotted spatula, carefully remove the pork belly from the pot. In a bowl, combine the pork belly with the BBQ sauce, making sure to cover every inch of the meat. Slather a small amount of sauce on both the tops and bottoms of the sandwich rolls, then place the sauced pork belly on the bottom halves. Add pickles and red onions to each sandwich and cover with the top half of the bun.

Follow RecipesDream: Follow @us

I want to thank everyone who has made this month and this site a success. I hope that you have enjoyed the first 1/3 of the month and are looking forward to the next 20 days. We have some really fun recipes and cookbooks for you so don't forget to check each day.

Sorry I am so late today. I started researching today's subject this last night and found it so interesting. There is so much on the web about this, I'm actually lucky to have pulled myself away this early.

Two things before we get to the recipes ----

First off, I have gotten several emails from webmasters asking if the recipes on Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes can be used on their site or if they can link into us. The answer is a big ---

YES!

Of course. Everything here is for you to use and enjoy. Please feel free to use the recipes on your site. I just ask that you include a link to Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog so that your readers can come here and get more good eats.

The second thing is that I forgot to mention yesterday that over at Everyday Lists this week we have a Novel and Author Record Keeping "System" Book for you (how's that for a stupid title?) Actually the title may be long and stupid but the book is really cool. If you are a reader or know someone who is, you should check this out. It will save you time and money but, even better, you will enjoy your hobby more.

http://myeverydaylife.net/lists

-------------------------------------------------

Let's have a little fun today. This is the first of a two, possibly three -- possibly more part series, of sandwiches. In particular, hamburgers. Almost every restaurant serves a signature burger and the "trick" that makes them unique is different with each. With some it's the cooking method, some its the sauce and with some it's the topping.

Let's start off with the most famous of all -- McDonald's Big Mac.

With the Big Mac it's the special sauce that sets it apart. Without the sauce it's just a double decker burger. Get the sauce right and any burger will taste like a Big Mac.

There has been much discussion on the web and many, many recipes attempts for the secret sauce. Many people claim it is just Thousand Island. While in the broad sense of the term this is true (The definition of 1000 Island is - in a few words - tartar sauce with tomato sauce) there is no store bought 1000 Island that tastes quite right. There is something else there.

That something else is what has been debated so heatedly on the web. And to tell the truth I hope that this post generates some discussion. Below is the recipe that I feel comes closest to the taste of McDonald's Secret Sauce.

BIG MAC SECRET SAUCE

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons French dressing (this is the key -- tomato based but not ketchup)
4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon finely minced white onion
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

McDONALD'S BIG MAC

Ingredients

1 regular sized sesame seed bun
1 regular sized plain bun
2 previously frozen regular beef patties
2 tablespoons Big Mac sauce
2−teaspoons reconstituted onions
1 slice real American cheese
2 hamburger pickle slices
1/4 Cup −shredded iceberg lettuce

Directions

1. Discard the crown half of the regular bun, retaining the heel.
2. Toast all the buns
3. Cook the two−all−beef−patties just like the regular burgers.
4. After the bun parts are toasted, put 1 tablespoon of "Mac sauce" on each of the
heels (toasted side.)
5. Add 1/8 cup shredded lettuce to each.
6. On the true bottom bun, place one thin slice of American cheese on top of the lettuce.
7. On the extra "heel", the middle bun, place two pickle slices on top of the
lettuce.
8. Place the patties one at a time on both prepared buns. Stack the middle bun on top of the bottom bun, and put the crown on top.

------------------------------------------------

Unlike the Big Mac where the sauce is the key with WHITE CASTLE SLIDERS the key is the cooking method.

The company itself describes the cooking as "steaming" rather than frying. The patties have 5 holes in each of them (have you ever noticed?) to allow the steam to rise through to the buns and allow the patties to cook without flipping. They also coat the grill with water (along with the onions) before putting the meat on to create more steam.

All this makes it very easy for them to produce the 100's and 100's of burgers a day that they sell but very difficult for us to reproduce at home.

But let's try anyway, shall we?

WHITE CASTLE HAMBURGERS

Ingredients

1 pound of 85% lean ground Beef
16 small Buns (Dinner Rolls work quite nicely or you can cut hot dog buns in half)
1 cup dehydrated Onion - rehydrated
Sliced Dill Pickles

Directions

1. Divide the beef into 16 equal sized pieces.
2. Form each into a 2−1/2 inch square, very thin patties. Do this on waxed paper.
3. Then "cookie−cut" five holes in each pattie. The pattern should resemble 5 on a dice. A CLEAN pen cap or small bottle cap works nicely.
4. Freeze these 16 patties.
5. On a pre−heated 375 degree electric griddle, lay about 1−1/2 Tablespoons
of onion for each patty you want to cook along with a little of the water from the onion. The onions should be spread into a single layer.
6. Immediately place frozen patty directly on top of onions and press down.
7. Cook for about 4 minutes right on top of the onions. The holes in the beef will allow the steam to cook the top side. (You don't flip)
8. Place the buns on the patties at about the halfway mark. If you want to do it like they do at White Castle:

Place the top bun face-down on the pattie
Place the bottom bun face-down on the top bun
When the meat is done, using a spatula, remove the three layers and grab the
bottom bun.
Flip it over and place it under the spatula.
Slide the burger off of the spatula.
If you have done it correctly, it should be perfectly completed.

9. Add a dill pickle slice and you are done.

I will have a couple more favorites tomorrow.

-------------------------------------------------

Today's cookbook is Delicious Sandwich Recipes

Not a lot of hamburgers in here but there are 400+ pages of decadant choices such as:

Cherry Chicken Salad
Jalapeno Grilled Chicken
Muffuletta Sandwiches
Chutney-Turkey Salad on Focaccia
Baked Pizza Sandwich
BBQ Slaw Burgers (Hey, a burger!)
California Club
Chicago Hot Dog
...and many, MANY more.

-------------------------------------------------

If you have downloaded any of the previous Cookbooks and bookmarked the member's page, just go to that page and Classic Desserts is waiting for you.

If you have not yet downloaded a cookbook---

Just enter your name and email below. Then you will need to confirm your intentions by replying to an email we send you. You will only need to do this one time.

This serves three important purposes --

1. We know that you want to download something from us and someone is not spamming you.

2. We know that you are a person and someone is not spamming us.

3. Most importantly, it allows us to get to know you and keep up with you. The internet is a big place. You might forget us. We don't want that to happen.

After you enter your email follow the directions to your download.

Important Note: If you do not see the confirmation Email in your inbox -- Check your spam folder. We cannot control the settings of your email and it may have gone there.

Do not worry. We will NEVER spam you or sell your address. We hate spam as much (or more!) than you do.

If you have ANY problems or questions, leave a comment or contact us at:

Our email address is --

myeverdaylife.net (at) gmail (dot) com.

Replace the (at) with @ and the (dot) with . (That's to foil the spam-bots)

Follow RecipesDream: Follow @us

McDonald's McRib

Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality

Hamburgers & Sandwich Recipes Cookbook