Pig out on BBQ pork this Canada Day

The first of July in Canada means it’s time to take out the red, white, and … ‘cue.’ Canada Day is the perfect day for a family barbecue and an economical way to feed the crowd is with locally produced pork.

Economical and nutritious, pork is a delicious and versatile option for the grill, lending itself to flavour profiles that can be sweet and spicy or savoury and slightly salty. And Manitobans love pork. Statistics Canada says we consume roughly 16.5 to 16.7 kilograms (36 to 37 pounds) of pork per person, or about 51 million pounds of pork, across the province each year.

Joey Dearborn, communications and website co-ordinator at Manitoba Pork, shared information from their online resource, which covers everything from industry support to recipes and nutrition and sources for educators.

Manitoba is big on pork, with 175 registered producers in Manitoba in an industry that provides 22,000 jobs and contributes $2.3 billion to Manitoba’s GDP.

Protein is an essential part of the diet, and pork is a good provider. Twenty-four grams of protein is a typical serving. To compare, you can get that from 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) of cooked lentils at 308 calories or from 100 g (3 1/2 oz.) of pork tenderloin at 113 calories, which is substantially less than half. Production methods have been developed to make pork a much leaner meat.

A good resource for cooks is the Manitoba Pork website, which features dozens of free recipes for a variety of cuts. Go to manitobapork.com and click on Community or go directly to: manitobapork.com/recipes. You can browse all of the recipes or the search engine will let you narrow your filter.

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TWO RECIPES FROM MANITOBA PORK

These grilled pork burgers lend themselves beautifully to a nice hit of the tropics with a topping of grilled pineapple. Peel and slice a fresh pineapple into three-quarter-inch slices, brush with melted butter and brown sugar and grill for three to five minutes per side.

Polynesian pork burgers

Prep time 20 minutes. Cook time 20 minutes. Serves six.

Ingredients

0.5 kg (1 lb.) lean ground pork

125 ml (1/2 cup) chopped white mushrooms

1 egg, slightly beaten

80 ml (1/3 cup) canned water chestnuts, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

15 ml (1 tbsp.) grated ginger root

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 ml (one-half tsp.) ground black pepper

15 ml (1 tbsp.) cornstarch

30 ml (2 tbsp.) chicken broth

6 hamburger buns, sliced

Topping suggestions: grilled pineapple, bell pepper and/or onion slices and plum sauce

Directions

1. In a large bowl, gently combine ground pork with mushrooms, egg, water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, green onion and pepper; do not overmix.

2. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with chicken broth. Add to pork mixture and gently combine.

3. Form mixture into six patties.

4. Preheat barbecue on high; reduce heat to medium. Grill patties six to eight minutes per side or until instant-read thermometer registers 71 C (160 F).

5. Serve patties in buns with your favourite toppings and condiments.

Pro Tip:

For better burgers, use gentle hands to mix and form patties that are consistent in size so that they all cook at about the same rate. Make a thumbprint indent in the centre of each patty to help prevent ‘patty puffing’ while grilling.

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Beer-brined side ribs with honey-beer baste

Prep time 15 minutes. Cook time 30 minutes. Serves 4.

Ingredients

2 kg (4 lb.) pork side ribs

Brine:

3 cans or bottles beer — set aside 125 ml (1/2 cup) for honey-beer baste (recipe below)

45 ml (3 tbsp.) coarse salt

45 ml (3 tbsp.) packed brown sugar

15 ml (1 tbsp.) celery seed

5 ml (1 tsp.) cayenne pepper

2 ml (1/2 tsp.) ground black pepper

Honey-beer baste:

125 ml (1/2 cup) of reserved beer

15 ml (1 tbsp.) canola oil

50 ml (1/4 cup) chopped yellow onion

1 clove garlic, minced

175 ml (3/4 cup) chili sauce

50 ml (1/4 cup) honey

30 ml (2 tbsp.) Worcestershire sauce

15 ml (1 tbsp.) prepared yellow mustard

Directions

For the baste:

1. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until onion is tender, about five minutes.

2. Add remaining ingredients and reserved 125 ml (1/2 cup) beer.

3. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes or until sauce has thickened.

For the ribs:

1. Lift and peel the membrane from the back of each rack of ribs. Cut ribs into serving-size portions of three to four bones each. Set aside.

2. Reserve 125 ml (1/2 cup) beer for Honey-beer baste. In a large bowl, combine remaining brine ingredients. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved.

3. Place ribs in an extra-large resealable bag. Pour brine over ribs; seal bag. Refrigerate six to eight hours, turning occasionally.

4. Remove ribs from brine; discard brine. Pat ribs dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.