How to Cook : Kahlua Pork (+ bonus)

The bonus dish, not the kahula pork. Read on.

I wasn't going to post this recipe.

Monday I was lacking inspiration, flipping through my recipe collection, and came across this recipe for kahlua pork. I'd made it before, quite a while ago, and I didn't remember it being anything special. But on an uninspired Monday it looked...easy. Not tasty. Not delicious. Just something I could do quick and be done with my cooking duties for the day. Like I said, I wasn't going to post it. So I didn't take any pictures.

Come suppertime I served the uninspired kahlua pork. I took a bite. My eyebrows raised, and I glanced around the table looking for a reaction from the fam. "Wow," came the mumbled verdict through a mouth full of pork. "This is good." Applause erupted.

No, really. My husband and kids actually applaud when I cook something they like. Nice, huh?

I still wasn't going to post the recipe. Equal parts lack-of-pictures and laziness prompted me to blog about weather and cows instead.

We ate on the pork for a couple of days and today I decided it was time to transform the leftover leftovers into something else, sort of a grand finale for this particular pork roast. I was ready for its demise, ready to move on to something not pork. But what to make for this pork's last supper, so to speak? Matt suggested lo mein.

Sounded as good as any option to me. Yet again it sounded...easy. Not tasty. Not delicious. Just something I could do quick and be done with my cooking duties for the day. Yet again I tentatively took a first bite and glanced around the table for reactions. Yet again applause erupted.

No, really. Well, Rafe doesn't actually clap. He pounds his fist on the table like some sort of barbarian. But I'll take it.

This time I was going to have a picture, by golly! I grabbed the serving bowl and the camera, snapped one quick picture, and went back to shoveling savory noodles and bits of crispy browned pork into my piehole.

I used a 4.5 pound pork roast in this recipe. If you're using a smaller roast just cut the marinade accordingly.

Kahula Pork
4.5# pork roast
1 T. liquid smoke
3 T. garlic powder
6 T. soy sauce
1 T. kosher salt

Mix marinade ingredients together and rub over all sides of the pork roast. Place pork in crockpot, cover and cook on low 8 hours.

That's it. No, really. I serve it with rice. You can take the juices from the crockpot and use them to flavor the rice, if you like. Another option is to chop up some cabbage and stir fry it in a tablespoon of oil and 1/2 cup liquid from the crockpot. It makes a tasty accompaniment to the pork.

Bonus Recipe: Pork Lo Mein
leftover Kahula Pork, cut into bits
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 T. oyster sauce
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. sugar
oil for stir frying
1 pound spaghetti, cooked

Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Set aside. Stir fry onion and garlic in oil. Remove from wok. Add more oil and stir fry pork. Add onions, garlic and cooked spaghetti back to wok. Add marinade and toss/stir fry everything until heated through.

Now there's enough leftover lo mein for Matt and I to eat on the next couple of days for lunch. And I'll be sorry when it's gone.