Porky Porter Cups

Sometimes I get a little touchy about a subject and I let it come through in my writing. This is one of those times. I write a column for DrinkingCraft.com which is much less punchy than what you read here. This week’s may have had a tiny bit of punch to it.

I created a recipe that is “manly” by most definitions. It’s made with beer, primarily consists of pork and is covered in cheese that has strong smoky flavors. But I gave the photoshoot strong “feminine” props and turned it into a “girly” recipe to let you all know (in my touchy sort of way) that girls eat meat and girls can hang in the beer community.

Please feel free to view the full recipe of my delicious little feminist dig over at DrinkingCraft.com.

Editor’s Note: Below is the recipe as it appeared on DrinkingCraft.com on April 16, 2014.

Porter is a girl’s best friend

Porky Porter Cups
1 box phyllo dough
¼ cup melted butter
1 ½ cups smoked gouda, shredded
slow cooker pulled pork (recipe below)
porter bbq sauce (recipe below)
porter reduction (recipe below)
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Setup your cup making station. Melt butter. Mix together 1 ½ cups pulled pork and bbq sauce in a bowl. Place phyllo dough on a plate and cover with a piece of parchment paper and a damp towel. Set out bowls of pork, reduction, gouda and a mini muffin pan or individual tart pan. Spray pan with cooking spray.

Remove a few sheets of phyllo dough and cut into 2-inch squares. Place back under the towel for safe keeping. Grab 4 or 5 squares and push into a spot in your pan. Fill with a couple tablespoons of pulled pork (or whatever will fit and come almost to the top) and then top with a sprinkle of gouda and a drizzle of porter reduction. Brush the outside of the phyllo dough with melted butter. Continue on with this process until you’ve filled 2 pans.

Bake for 20 minutes. Phyllo dough will be crispy and golden, cheese will be slightly melty.

Serve warm.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
3-5 lb pork shoulder
several cans of root beer, full sugar (I prefer Hansen’s)

Trim excess fat from pork. Place in a slow cooker. Cover completely with root beer. Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Remove from slow cooker and discard root beer. Pull apart with forks.

Porter BBQ Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1 cup porter
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

In a saucepan, whisk together ingredients. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove to a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Porter Reduction
2 bottles porter
¼ cup brown sugar

In a small saucepan, whisk together porter and brown sugar. Simmer for around 15 minutes or until reduced by half. Remove from heat.