Recipe #28: Caribbean Jerk Chicken with Fruit Salsa

This recipe came from DH's Grilling Collection Cookbook. It was fantastic! This is in our queue again to make very soon. I do have a picture of this one, but am having issues loading it right now. I will add it, once I can get my computer to cooperate!!

Ingredients:
*1 cup plus 2 tblsp of Lawry's Caribbean Jerk Marinade with Papaya juice, divided
*1 can tropical fruit salad (or your favorite fruits), drained
*4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb)

In a small bowl, combine the fruit and 2 tblsp of marinade. Mix well and refrigerate. In a large sealable plastic bag, combine chicken and 1 cup of marinade. Seal bag. Refrigerate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. When you're ready to cook the chicken, discard the marinade. Grill or broil chicken 10 to 15 minutes (turning halfway through), or until the chicken is no longer pink. Top chicken with fruit salsa.

In addition, I made some rice and served the chicken and fruit salsa over the rice. It was a nice way to round out the meal!

TTFN!

Recipe #27: Crock Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches

These sandwiches are so easy and so delicious. If we ever need a simple but yummy meal, especially on the weekends, these are a great choice! We've also made them for football tailgates.

Original recipe is here.

Ingredients:
*1 pork tenderloin (2 lbs)
*12 oz of root beer
*your favorite BBQ sauce
*hamburger buns

For the pork tenderloin, I usually just buy the little tube of pork. I think it might be Hormel brand? I can't recall for sure. Once that is thawed, place it in the crock pot. Pour root beer over the pork. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. In my experiences, 6 to 6.5 hours usually does the trick. Once the pork is cooked, remove it from the crock pot and shred. Mix with your favorite BBQ sauce; spread pork on buns and dinner is served! Our favorite buns are the King's Hawaiian buns (very lightly toasted). I love the sweetness of them, and it's a great blend with the pork.

When I first read this recipe, I thought it was crazy for putting the root beer in. I don't like root beer, and I didn't want my pulled pork sandwich tasting like root beer. Believe me - it doesn't! It keeps the meat pretty moist and the pork retains its flavor very well, with no hint of root beer (in my opinion!). Also, I do not use as much BBQ sauce as the original recipe calls for. I use less to our taste, as I don't like for the sandwiches to be dripping with sauce.

Whenever I made this for tailgating, I made the pork a day in advance, and then put it in a large foil pan. At the tailgate, we just put the foil pan over the grill to heat, and then served. It still tasted fresh and had great flavor!

Sorry - I don't have a good picture of this one. But believe me, it's worth it! Good luck!!

TTFN!