Super Bowl Sunday

Ok, so it’s Game Day and I'm a Dolphins fan. The last time my team made it to the Super Bowl, I wasn't even thought of yet! Hell, my mom was just a little girl herself back in the 70’s. But that doesn’t stop us from enjoying the game like our team DID make it! My husband doesn’t even watch football, except for when I have the game on (which is not very often because I’m in Steelers country). He even enjoys watching the big game. But his favorite part of the game are the goodies. Same as mine.

We like to go all out and smoke cheeses & meats in our smoker. It smells incredible and everyone on the block can smell when we’ve got the smoker going. We do this by getting pellets and adding them to the smoker. Light it on fire and once it is out and smoking, the smoker is ready to go. This is called Cold Smoking. Cheddar, mozzarella, jalapeno habanero, Cooper and Pepper Jack all pair great with Meat Sticks, crackers & wine. Once the cheese goes on the rack, we let it go for 60-90 minutes and then flip it over, making sure the smoke doesn’t go out. Then after another 60-90 minutes, we will take them inside. The meat that we make with it will go on next. Pepperoni, Jalapeno & cheddar kielbasa & original kielbasa will go in the smoker for about an hour.

It’s all about the snacks. Sometimes as a main course we will order pizza but that is way too common and instead of doing pizza and wings like the rest of the world, we will buy some clams and steam them. Or this year we tried something different. I got an instant pot for Christmas and that thing is a game changer, no pun intended. Here is a good recipe for a crowd of people for little to next to nothing. Two pork butts or shoulders feed about 12-14 people generously. Here is a good recipe for the big game or any time you want to host a party:

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sliders

Mini rolls (I like the Hawaiian Rolls)

2 pork butts (or shoulders)

2 liter of root beer or 3 cans

Mustard

Seasoning (I like Texas Roadhouse’s rib rub)

Barbeque Sauce (optional)

Defrost your pork. Cut it into quarters. Roll each piece in mustard then sprinkle with seasoning.

Add the pork pieces to your instant pot (instapot) on Sauté mode for about 3 minutes each side, or until slightly browned.

Scrape bottom of pot. Slowly add the root beer to cover all of the pork. Pressure cook for one hour. Let the pin drop. Check the meat. If it’s easy to pull apart, it’s done. If not, cook for an additional 20 minutes. You can always grind the meat, but I like to use two forks and pull each chunk off. Once you finish pulling the pork you can add BBQ sauce but it’s tasty without it! I keep it without (for my picky husband) and add sauce as I go. My favorite is Kansas City style barbeque sauce, coincidently enough. Add some pork to your slider and grab some smoked meat and cheese along the way.

Sit back with your meat, cheese, sliders and wine. Put the game on and enjoy spending time with your family and friends. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses in the end, it’s all about how you spend your time and who you spend it with. Make every moment count!

Food: bringing people together since the beginning of time.