Friday, ladies and gentleman. Welcome to my two new readers, who I hope didn’t just subscribe because they felt familial guilt. Unfortunately for you, who are “free-gans,” most of what I write about in this newsletter is made with several pounds of meat, copious amounts of cheese, and I’ve been known to throw an egg on top, just for fun. Sorry. Today’s musing, at least, only requires meat.
Thinking a little about the “styles” of meals I often make, I’ve come to realize that, more often than not, I fall back on about three styles — Southern inspired, Italian inspired, and Asian inspired. A close fourth is probably Mexican/Latin inspired. But, lately, the South is getting it’s fair share. We had smoked brisket last weekend (a delightful way to spend 10 hours — even when it’s raining), braised collard greens, cornbread. Biscuits are made in our household at least once a month. You can look at the data and say that this diet is slowly killing me — but at least I’ll die satiated.
Last night, we made a boatload of hot honey pulled chicken, ladled onto toasted buns, and topped with coleslaw. Don’t worry — we also roasted some zucchini on the side… nutrients are important!
The recipe couldn’t be easier. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you could do the same thing in a Dutch oven at 300(F) or so for the same amount of time (I think, at least).
Season 3-4 pounds of chicken thighs with a heavy dusting of paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and/or any BBQ seasoning you enjoy. Add a slug of olive oil and toss the load of it into a slow cooker. Let this melt for four to six hours on low while you go about your day.
Shortly before dinner, in a small bowl, mix some honey, red pepper flakes, and a dash of apple cider vinegar. Throw some buns in the toaster. Shred the chicken using two forks (it should be awfully tender at this point), and when the buns are ready, dollop the chicken onto the buns and douse with the hot honey mixture. If you have some cabbage, you could shred that, mix it with some mayo and lemon juice, and throw that on top as well. Eat sloppily, ideally outside.
And there you have it. About as easy a recipe as you could ask, assuming you have the foresight to put some stuff in a slow cooker around lunch time. This would obviously also work with a pork shoulder and probably even a chuck roast, so get creative. Megan and Eddie, I unfortunately don’t have any vegan substitutions for you, other than making different lifestyle choices. C’est la vie.
Read some stuff and have a great weekend.
Getting pitted in Minnesota [Adventure Journal]
What’s a garage really for? [Outside]
The Doomsday scammer [The Intercept]
Reading fiction makes you nicer [Lit Hub]
Third-Gen 4Runners are the best [Inside Hook]