For His Master's Veneration: Franklin Homestead Near Que

My grandfathers ancestors moved from Kentucky into southern Indiana in the year 1800. They settled in Franklin County. While many of their great recipes have been lost, a few remain and have been dug up by yours truly. This one has been modified for a modern kitchen but retains the original favors that sustained these pioneers. Hope you enjoy!

Relatively thin pork, grilled with a vinegar - brown butter sauce (no tomato) is a great substitute for traditional BBQ. Let this sunshine meal light up what ever season you find yourself in.

Ingredients:

2 tbs kosher salt

2 tbs pepper

1 tbs smoked paprika

¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 tbs cornstarch

2 – 3 lbs bone-in pork, ½ inch thick, trimmed

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup distilled apple cider vinegar

Note:

Thin pork tends to buckle during cooking. To prevent this, we snip the fat surrounding the meat portion. Back on the homestead, these chops are eaten with your fingers. The most popular cut of meat is thin sliced pork shoulder( sometimes sold as pork steaks). Paired with a special pasta in corn sauce and a green vegetable, this makes a hearty meal. The kind that powered the pioneers to build a country.

Directions:

Combine salt, pepper, paprika, brown sugar, and cayenne/pepper flakes in bowl.

Transfer 2 tablespoons of this mixture to separate bowl and stir in cornstarch.

(Reserve remaining spice mixture for sauce.)

Using a sharp knife, cut any interior portions of fat surrounding muscle of each piece in 2 places, about 2 inches apart. Season the meat all over with cornstarch mixture. Let sit.

Go ahead and make the pasta before starting the meat.

Pasta in a corn sauce

Ingredients:

3 – 4 roma tomatoes

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

3 - 4 ears corn, husked

3 slices of bacon

12 ounces campanelle or other short pasta

The Easiest Way To Shuck Corn

Store in refrigerator - do not wash until ready to cook.

Bump each ear in microwave for about 1:30 sec. (If you want fully cooked corn on the cob – cook for 3 – 4 mins on high)

Using an oven mitt, take each ear out and cut off the stem end.

Shake the ear out of the husk. Most of the silk will come with it. Any left can be brushed off with a clean pain brush or soft vegetable brush, even a damp paper towel will wipe the last threads off.

Directions

In a bowl, cut up the tomatoes and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt; cover and set aside.

In a large pot, bring 2½ quarts water to a boil. Add 1Tbs salt.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon and remove to a paper towel lined plate. Cut into small pieces, reserve the bacon grease in skillet.

Set a box grater in a large bowl or pie plate. Using the grater's large holes, grate the corn down to the cobs. Cover with plastic and put the cobs into the boiling water. Reduce to medium and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard the cobs, then remove the pot from the heat, dip out 2 cups of the cooking water. Leave the rest in the pot.

Return the skillet with grease to medium, Add the grated corn and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1½ cups of the cooking water. Cook over medium-low, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened

(a spatula should leave a brief trail when drawn through the mixture), 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, return the remaining corn-infused water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet and cook over medium, stirring constantly, until the pasta is coated and the sauce is creamy, about 2 minutes; if needed, add the reserved cooking water 2 tablespoons at a time to reach proper consistency.

Off heat, add the tomatoes with their juices and the pieces of bacon. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Now back to the meat:

Heat butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter turns dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 4 to 5 minutes. Add reserved spice mixture and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Take off the heat and carefully add vinegar (mixture will bubble up), bring to quick simmer, then remove from heat. Let cool completely, but do not let butter solidify.

Line and spray a broiler pan.

Set the oven to broil, cook about 6 minutes. Turn them over and cooked 3 - 5 additional minutes. The internal temp was between 145-155 degrees.

Check with thermometer! (times are only for guessing)

Place in a baking pan and pour the sauce over the meat. Loosely cover with foil and let sit for about 5 minutes, uncover, flip the meat and re-cover for same amount of time.

This 10 minute resting period give time for the meat to absorb the tangy flavors and you get a chance to fix the side vegetables!