Smoked Jerk Pulled Pork and Johnny Cakes
15 Jun 2020
Disclosure: This is a sponsored campaign with Grace Foods Canada. All opinions are my own.
Lauren and Rachel really enjoy cooking. There are some days where they will cook every meal. Rachel makes great over-easy eggs, homemade bread and buns. Lauren has perfected grilled cheese and several varieties of homemade cookies. She also loves to make soups and different types of salads.
They are getting very adventurous with things they are making, and the ingredients they are using. Rachel made beef patties the other day with an amazing ground beef, marinara sauce, grilled onions, and cheese filling. They are both starting to expand their recipes to include more international dishes.
Grace Foods makes a great line of products that can help to introduce kids to a world of new flavours. After our trip to Jamaica a few years ago, it’s nice that we can relive some of the amazing tastes that we remember from our trip.
We wanted to prepare a meal that the girls could not only get involved with, but almost completely take over. That would mean that we would not only have to watch and guide them through the preparation process, but also give them the freedom to experiment should the recipe call for some “teenfluence”.
We decided on Jerk pulled pork, but not just any pulled pork – smoked Jerk pulled pork shoulder – seasoned, smoked, and pulled to perfection.
Smoked Jerk Pulled Pork
First, we needed to find the right cut of pork for our meal. We went with a nice 4.4lb pork shoulder.
Marinade
• 1 cup Grace Foods Jerk Marinade
Rub
• ⅛ cup Paprika
• 1 ½ tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon of white sugar
• 2 tablespoons of salt
Drip tray
• 2 cups apple juice
• ¼ cup Grace Foods Jerk Marinade
Grace Jerk Marinade was the perfect pair for a pork shoulder roast. After marinating it in the Jerk Marinade, and applying the girls’ own homemade rub, we covered it in saran wrap and set it in the refrigerator overnight. Early the next morning, we took it out of the refrigerator, took off the saran wrap, and placed the pork shoulder in the smoker, where it cooked at 250°F, low and slow, for 13 hours.
Smoker instructions: smoke for 60 to 90 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 195°F-205°F.
At that time, we placed a drip tray under the pork roast with the marinade and apple juice mix. We opened the door of the smoker only to baste the pork roast with the juices from the drip tray every couple of hours.
Around 10 hours in, the temperature hit the expected stall. At that time, we wrapped the pork shoulder tightly in aluminum foil with some of the juices from the drip tray. Once wrapped, the roast returned the smoker until it hit an internal temperature of 195°F.
The amazing smells that filled our backyard as the pork roast was smoking must have made all of our neighbours pretty hungry. Waiting 13 hours for a pork roast to cook is so worth the wait!
After the pork was finished cooking, it was time to pull it apart. After letting it rest, Wendy easily pulled apart the pork with two forks, and we mixed it in with the juices from the drip tray.
Johnny Cakes
While the roast was smoking, Rachel made Johnny Cakes. Grace makes it so easy – use their mix and some water, knead the dough, form the cakes, fry them, and just like that, they’re done. It was so hard to wait to eat them. They looked and smelled delicious.
To complete our Smoked Jerk Pulled Pork and Johnny Cakes meal, we had Jamaican Rice and Peas and a roti wrap on the side. It was a wholesome and hearty meal that made us miss Montego Bay.
The girls really enjoyed making this meal and were super happy with the results. We will definitely be doing this combination of recipes again.
Win Cooking With Kids Survival Kits!
Enter for a chance to Win Cooking With Kids Survival Kits, from May 25th, 2020 to June 30th, 2020.
All you have to do to enter is:
1. Follow @Gracefoodsca on Instagram and/or Facebook
2. Post a photo of yourself cooking with your family & using Grace products. Tag @Gracefoodsca in your post and use the hashtag #CookingWithGraceCa
3. Tag three friends in the contest post on the official @GraceFoodsca Instagram and/or Facebook page
The winner will be announced on July 8, 2020.
Visit gracefoods.ca/cooking-with-kids for more details.
Cheers,
Big Daddy
If you would like me to review your product, service, restaurant, or travel destination, please send me an email at craig@bigdaddykreativ.ca or tweet me at @BigDaddyKreativ
Craig Silva
Craig is a husband, a father, team leader, travel and food writer, senior youth group coordinator, designer, brander, community builder, volunteer, and social media strategist. Craig likes to travel, go camping, go on road trips, watch movies, build stuff, operate the grill, and sing with his band. Craig is a member of the Travel Media Association of Canada. In June 2017, PR firm Cision identified Craig as one of Canada’s top 10 most popular male bloggers in the parents and family space.
Recommended Posts
Exploring the Iconic Landscapes and Lighthouses in Southwest Nova Scotia
17 Mar 2023 - Canada, Food & Drink, North America, Nova Scotia, Travel
