Pork

crowdsource Community Insights

Most people who made this found the same two things made the biggest difference. Start by cooking the onions, carrot and celery before you add the mince, people who browned the meat first often ended up with undercooked veg or a tough texture. Then plan to cook the ragù low and slow, about 3–6 hours if you can; the flavor and texture really come together. Also, season as it cooks instead of salting only at the end, so you don't get unpleasant surprises with salt at the table.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

We couldn't confidently pull the full ingredient list and instructions from this video yet — watch it above for the complete recipe.

grocery Ingredients

• Guanciale, skin and cracked-pepper rind removed, cut into cubes
• 1 spoon guanciale fat, rendered
• 2 egg yolk
• 1/2 egg white
• Pecorino romano, very finely grated
• Pecorino moliterno, very finely grated
• Mixed peppercorns, whole, toasted and coarsely ground (or black pepper (Sarawak))
• Spaghettoni, thick spaghetti
• Pasta cooking water, reserved, starchy

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Remove the black-pepper crust and the skin from the guanciale, then cut the guanciale into cubes sized to be crunchy outside and soft inside.
2. Heat an iron pan or a regular pan over very high heat until hot.
3. Put all the guanciale cubes into the hot pan, then immediately lower the heat to medium.
4. Do not add extra virgin olive oil or butter; cook the guanciale in its own fat and avoid overcrowding. Cook until the pieces turn dark and are crispy but not burnt, then remove them to a bowl and reserve the rendered fat.
5. In a separate pan, toast the mixed peppercorns over heat until the peppercorns start to jump, then remove and grind them coarsely (do not grind too fine).
6. In a bowl (do not use a pan on direct heat), combine the egg yolks (2 for two people) and the half egg white, add finely grated pecorino romano and pecorino moliterno, the ground pepper, and one spoon of the reserved guanciale fat (one spoon per person).
7. Add a little bit of boiling pasta water from the pot to the bowl and mix to melt the cheese and incorporate the fat.
8. Leave the bowl over hot water so the steam gently warms the sauce and helps make it creamy without coagulating the eggs.
9. Cook the spaghettoni in boiling water until al dente, reserving some pasta water.
10. Add the cooked pasta to the bowl with the sauce and toss; add the guanciale pieces (avoid adding more fat).
11. Emulsify the sauce by tossing the pasta and sauce together, adding small amounts of reserved starchy pasta water if needed, until the sauce is smooth and creamy but not watery.
12. Plate the pasta by twirling with a spoon (and tongs if used), top with additional guanciale, and finish with the mixed ground pepper.

crowdsource Community Insights

This one can go sideways if you don't watch the heat: people who poured the egg mixture into a sizzling, too-hot pan ended up with scrambled eggs, so let the pan cool a touch or pull it off the heat before you add the eggs. Also, lots of cooks felt it needed more cheese, adding extra grated cheese after mixing makes the sauce richer. And people who used guanciale instead of bacon tended to like the result better; bacon works, but guanciale gives a deeper savory flavor.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Guanciale, skinned, chopped into 0.5 cm chunks (or smoked bacon, pancetta)
• 20g pecorino romano (or parmesan)
• 1 egg, free-range, organic
• Spaghetti
• Black pepper, coarsely cracked
• Salt, to taste
• Garlic, cracked

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Twist the spaghetti with both hands as you put it into the water to keep the strands from sticking together.
2. Put a tiny amount of salt into the pasta water.
3. Cook the spaghetti for eight minutes.
4. Remove the skin from the guanciale, slice a roughly 1 centimeter piece, then roughly chop to about 0.5 centimeter chunks.
5. Place the cold pan on medium-high heat so the guanciale will render its fat as it heats, then add the guanciale to the cold pan and let it heat until golden and the fat renders.
6. Crack the garlic and add it to the pan with the guanciale to perfume the fat, then remove the garlic from the pan once perfumed.
7. Put peppercorns in a pestle and mortar and crack them; use a small sieve to separate and collect the inner cracked cores (the hotter part) for the dish.
8. Crack one egg into a bowl and add about 20 grams of pecorino romano, then whisk the mixture until combined.
9. Turn the heat off under the pan and add the cooked spaghetti along with some of the pasta cooking water to the pan to stop the frying.
10. Add the egg and pecorino mixture to the pasta off the heat and toss continuously, adding more pasta water as needed to emulsify the guanciale fat and water into a creamy sauce.
11. Finish the carbonara with more cracked black pepper and a little extra pecorino romano.

grocery Ingredients

• 8-10 lb (3629-4536g) pork shoulder, bone-in
• 3 tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil)
• 2 cup water
• Barbecue sauce, Texas-style, wet and spicy
• Buns

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Combine 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons coarse salt, 2 teaspoons sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon cumin; stir to combine.
2. Wear rubber gloves and rub the spice mixture all over the pork shoulder.
3. Wrap the coated pork shoulder tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
4. Before searing, pat the pork as dry as possible with paper towels.
5. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and move all racks so they are two inches from the bottom to leave room for the pot.
6. Heat about 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pan and sear the pork on all sides until nicely caramelized.
7. Position the pork in the pot with the fatty side up so that the fat will baste the meat while it braises.
8. Add 2 cups of water to the pot.
9. Cover the pot and braise in the preheated 325-degree oven for 5 to 6 hours, basting the meat every hour.
10. Remove the pork and shred it using two forks.
11. Serve the shredded pork on buns with Texas-style barbecue sauce, adding additional sauce as desired.

crowdsource Community Insights

People who made this found the biggest win is the order: start by cooking the sofrito and vegetables in the fat, then add the ground beef. Those who added uncooked vegetables to already-browned meat often said the veg didn't cook through or the texture was off. Also, finishing by stirring in milk at the end caused problems for a lot of cooks, many suggest skipping milk, especially if you're lactose-intolerant, or at least not adding much of it. Doing the veg first and skipping milk tends to help the final result.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

Bolognese

• Pancetta, diced (or prosciutto, bacon)
• Olive oil
• Onion, diced
• Celery, diced
• Carrot, peeled and diced
• Ground beef
• Ground pork
• Garlic, roughly chopped
• Salt, to taste
• Fresh cracked pepper, freshly cracked
• 1 cup wine
• Canned tomatoes
• Beef stock, liquid (or chicken stock)
• Milk
• Bouquet-garni, tied bundle
• Parmesan cheese

Pasta

• Flour
• 2 whole eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• Pappardelle, freshly rolled (or dry pasta)

book_ribbon Instructions

Bolognese

1. Preheat the oven (no temperature specified).
2. Slice the pancetta in half, cut into even sticks, then slice into even cubes.
3. Heat a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over the burner, add a splash of olive oil, then add the pancetta and cook until crispy and golden brown, allowing fat to render and stick to the bottom of the pot.
4. Remove the crispy pancetta to a bowl, leaving as much fat in the pot as possible.
5. Add ground beef to the hot pancetta fat, then add ground pork; increase heat to medium-high and break the meat apart while scraping the bottom of the pot to lift the browned bits.
6. When the meat is cooked through or nearly so, add the garlic and the diced carrots, diced celery, and diced onions.
7. Season the vegetables and meat with a generous pinch of salt and some fresh cracked pepper.
8. Keep over medium to medium-high heat and sweat the vegetables until the onions become a little translucent.
9. Prepare a bouquet garni (a tied bundle of herbs) and set it aside.
10. Measure out 1 cup of wine and pour it into the pot, scraping the bottom to deglaze and sweep up the browned bits; continue cooking until you can drag a spoon through the pot without liquid immediately closing the gap.
11. Open the can of tomatoes and add the tomatoes to the pot (stand back when adding).
12. Pour beef stock into the emptied tomato can to wash out remaining tomato, add that to the pot, and then add the rest of the beef stock.
13. Add the milk to the pot.
14. Return the reserved crispy pancetta to the pot.
15. Add the bouquet garni on top of the sauce.
16. Bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer, place the lid on with a small crack open, then transfer the pot to the oven and braise for 3-4 hours.
17. Check the sauce about once an hour while in the oven and give it a quick stir.

Fresh pasta and assembly

1. Make a well of flour on a cutting board large enough to hold the eggs.
2. Crack 2 whole eggs into the well, then add 4 egg yolks.
3. Whisk the yolks inside the well without breaking the flour barrier, then gradually pull in flour from the outside to incorporate until the mixture thickens.
4. Use a bench scraper to bring the dough together, then begin kneading using the heel of your hand to push down and folding the dough back over itself; continue kneading for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a plastic bag and let it rest for 30-60 minutes.
6. Lightly flour the rested dough, cut it in half, and roll each half out with a bottle or similar until thin enough to pass through a pasta machine.
7. Feed the pasta sheets through the pasta machine, tightening and rolling progressively thinner until reaching setting Number 6.
8. Dust the sheets with flour, then cut the pasta by hand into pappardelle-width strips; lay pieces out floured to rest briefly.
9. Bring a pot of well-salted hot pasta water to a boil and add the fresh pasta; cook briefly until nearly done.
10. In a separate pan over medium heat, add some Bolognese and enough liquid so the pasta can finish cooking in the sauce.
11. Transfer the nearly cooked pasta to the pan with the Bolognese and toss to finish cooking and allow the pasta to absorb sauce flavor.
12. Serve the pasta with the meat and vegetables from the sauce and finish with a shower of parmesan cheese.

crowdsource Community Insights

This sauce comes together well if you handle the start right. People who browned the vegetables before adding the meat avoided a dry finish, while the ones who added meat too early often said the sauce came out drier than they'd hoped. People who let the olive oil smoke ran into trouble, so watch the heat at the pan edge rather than letting it go up in smoke. And a heads-up about bacon: people who added it generally felt it didn’t belong with this version, so treat bacon as a change, not a harmless extra.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 2 sprig rosemary, chopped
• 100g smoked bacon, sliced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1kg minced beef (or lentils)
• 1kg minced pork (or lentils)
• 2 onion, cut to same size as mince
• 4 carrot, cut to same size as mince (or squash, zucchini, courgette)
• 4 stick celery
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 4 tin plum tomatoes

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Strip the leaves from 2 sprigs rosemary and chop them.
2. Slice 100 grams smoked bacon.
3. Heat a pan over very high heat, add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, then add the chopped rosemary and sliced smoked bacon.
4. Add 1 kilogram minced beef and 1 kilogram minced pork to the pan, break the meat up and stir.
5. Keep stirring the meat for about 10 minutes until liquid from the meat evaporates and the mince becomes lightly golden and starts to fry; watch so it does not burn.
6. Prepare vegetables: cut 4 carrots and 2 onions to the same size as the mince; have 4 sticks of celery ready.
7. Stir the carrots, onions, and celery into the browned mince.
8. Continue stirring the mixture every minute for the next 10 minutes.
9. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato puree.
10. Add 4 tins of plum tomatoes and then fill those empty tins with water and add that water to the pan; stir to combine.
11. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about one and a half hours/two hours until the sauce has reduced and the plum tomatoes have broken up.
12. Let the ragu cool to room temperature, portion into freezer bags, squeeze the air out, label, and place bags on the freezer shelf until solid.
13. To reheat from frozen: run the bag under the tap to free the contents, then plop the ragu into a pan and heat until hot.

grocery Ingredients

• Black peppercorns, toasted then crushed
• Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• Pecorino cheese, finely grated
• 3 egg, room temperature, whole
• 2 egg yolk, room temperature, separated
• Guanciale, cut into thick matchsticks / large chunks (or pancetta, bacon)
• Olive oil
• Spaghetti, dry
• Salt, to taste

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Toast the black peppercorns in a dry pan over medium-low heat, moving them so they toast evenly; remove when you smell them and hear the first little pops.
2. Spread the toasted peppercorns on a tray to cool.
3. Crush the cooled toasted peppercorns by pressing and rolling with the pan and body weight until fragrant and textured; do not grind them super fine.
4. Grate the Parmesan and Pecorino finely using a microplane so the cheese is very fine.
5. Set whole eggs out on the counter for about a half hour to come to room temperature.
6. Separate eggs: crack each egg in half and pass the yolk between the shells until the white runs away; reserve 3 whole eggs and 2 additional yolks as stated.
7. Whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks together with the grated cheeses in a mixing bowl until smooth, thick, and homogeneous.
8. Add a little of the crushed toasted black pepper to the eggs-and-cheese mixture, including some fine ground and some larger chunks; set this mixture aside.
9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt so the water is essentially sea-salty.
10. Cook the dry spaghetti in the boiling salted water about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until al dente (a little bite); test a strand to confirm doneness.
11. While the pasta cooks, heat a pan, add a little olive oil, then add the cut guanciale and cook until light golden brown and sizzling but not crisp, leaving the fat rendered in the pan.
12. When the pasta is done, drain it but retain a little of the starchy pasta cooking water.
13. Place the hot drained pasta into the bowl with the egg-and-cheese mixture, add a little reserved pasta water to start cooking the eggs, then add the guanciale and all its rendered fat.
14. Using tongs, mix vigorously in the bowl to emulsify the fat, cheese, eggs, and pasta until the sauce is creamy and coats the spaghetti, taking care to avoid scrambling the eggs.
15. Taste and finish with additional grated Pecorino and Parmesan and more toasted black peppercorns as desired; serve immediately while hot.

crowdsource Community Insights

People who made this found two things matter most. First, check your cooking temperature, several cooks accidentally ran it at 170°F for about 4 hours 53 minutes and that threw things off, so double-check your cooker and timing before you start. Second, a number of people did theirs in a smoker, so expect that version to feel a bit different and adjust smoke/time the way you like. Also, tying your hair back came up as small but important housekeeping, people who skipped it usually wished they hadn’t while handling and shredding the meat.

grocery Ingredients

• Pork shoulder
• Onion, halved, roots left on
• Garlic, crushed into a paste
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp brown sugar, large
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper
• Olive oil
• Thyme, stalks
• Mayonnaise, shop-bought
• Honey, to taste
• Smoked chipotle paste
• Mustard

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Halve the onions and leave the roots on; place the halved onions under the pork so they sit underneath the shoulder.
2. Peel the garlic and crush it into a paste.
3. In a bowl, mix 3 tablespoons smoked paprika, 2 large tablespoons brown sugar, the crushed garlic, salt and black pepper with olive oil and some thyme to form a fragrant paste.
4. Pour the paste all over the pork shoulder and rub it in thoroughly; drizzle a little olive oil on top.
5. Note: the pork can be marinated days in advance (for example, start marinating Thursday/Friday for Sunday).
6. Roast the pork shoulder in the oven for five and a half to six hours in the oven at 140.
7. While the pork roasts, make the chipotle mayonnaise: mix shop-bought mayonnaise with salt, black pepper, a little touch of honey, smoked chipotle paste and a spoon of mustard to taste.
8. Store the mayonnaise in the fridge if not using immediately; it can sit in the fridge.
9. When the pork is done, shred it with a fork and serve with the chipotle mayonnaise.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Easy To Customize: Home cooks often adapt it to what they have without issue.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 4 slice bread (or bread crumbs)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or chicken stock, buttermilk and chicken stock combined)
• 2 tbsp powdered gelatin
• 10g salt
• Black pepper, to taste
• Onion, chopped
• Carrot, chopped
• Celery, chopped
• Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 lb (454g) ground beef, 80% lean, 20% fat (or ground turkey)
• 1 lb (454g) ground pork
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (or anchovies, Marmite, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce)
• Worcestershire sauce
• 4 oz (113g) grated cheese, pre-grated
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Cider vinegar

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Make the panade: tear or roughly break the 4 slices of bread into a bowl, add the buttermilk (about 1/2–3/4 cup), sprinkle in the powdered gelatin (about 2 tablespoons), season with salt and black pepper, and mix with your hands until a paste forms; let it sit so the gelatin blooms while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Heat a skillet over moderate heat, add a couple tablespoons of butter and the chopped onion, carrot, and celery, and sweat without browning until softened; add the minced garlic near the end and cook briefly; remove from heat and cool.
4. In a large bowl combine the ground beef (1 pound) and ground pork (1 pound); add about 1 tablespoon soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce (amount not specified), the cooled sautéed vegetables, the panade, and the grated cheese (about 4 ounces/120 g) if using.
5. Season the mixture with about 10–12 g salt and black pepper; knead gently with wet hands until homogeneous but stop as soon as large swaths are gone (do not overwork).
6. Form the mixture with wet hands into a free-form loaf on a parchment-lined pan, keeping the ends relatively even.
7. Optional: test seasoning by cooking a small piece in the microwave for about 10 seconds (or pan-sear a small patty) and adjust seasoning if needed.
8. Bake the loaf at 350°F until the interior reaches about 140°F (this will take roughly 40 minutes; the cook set a timer for 35 minutes to start checking).
9. Make the glaze while the loaf bakes: combine equal parts ketchup and brown sugar (he used about 1/2 cup ketchup normally would use up to 3/4 cup), add a splash of cider vinegar and a dash of soy sauce, bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves; cool the glaze.
10. When the loaf reaches ~140°F, brush a layer of glaze over it, increase the oven temperature to the oven's highest setting (about 500°F stated), return the loaf to the oven for about 3 minutes to set the glaze, and repeat glazing and 3-minute high-heat lacquer in three applications (the cook used three coats).
11. After the final glaze application and brief high-heat blast, let the meatloaf come to its equilibrium temperature (the presenter aimed for about 150°F), then transfer to a cutting board, slice, and serve.

grocery Ingredients

• Buttermilk
• Shallots
• Garlic, minced
• Onion
• Chicken, drum, breast, and thigh pieces
• Flour
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Smoked paprika
• Oil
• Yam
• Butter
• Red pepper
• Green pepper
• Bacon
• Collard greens, blanched and sliced
• Apple cider vinegar
• Scallions, freshly sliced
• Pink peppercorns, whole
• Black peppercorns, whole
• Honey
• Rosemary, tied into a small bunch

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Combine buttermilk, shallots, garlic, and onion in a bowl to make the marinade.
2. Place the chicken pieces fully into the marinade so they are submerged; marinate overnight if possible, or for at least five minutes if you cannot do overnight.
3. Remove chicken from the buttermilk and shake off excess buttermilk.
4. Mix the flour with salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika to make a seasoned flour.
5. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess.
6. Return the floured chicken to the buttermilk, then dredge again in the seasoned flour so each piece is fully coated; shake off excess flour.
7. Heat oil for frying and start the oil at 325.
8. Carefully lower pieces of coated chicken into the oil, leaving a five-second pause between pieces so the breading sets and pieces do not stick together.
9. After adding the chicken, turn up the temperature for three minutes to compensate for the cold chicken lowering the oil temperature.
10. Gently move the pan to prevent sticking and remove any floating particles from the oil so they do not burn.
11. Lift the fried chicken out of the oil and drain.
12. Season the fried chicken lightly, then finish the chicken in the oven for another six to seven minutes.
13. For the yam hash: heat a pan until smoking, add a touch of oil, then add the yams and onions and season with salt and black pepper.
14. Once the yams begin to color, add the minced garlic generously and a little butter.
15. Add the red peppers and green peppers, add a touch more butter to the center, turn down the heat, and let the mixture sit to roast.
16. Every five or six minutes, scrape/clean underneath the pan and push the hash left and right so the browned flavor reincorporates into the hash; continue on low heat until the bottom is sticky and caramelized.
17. When the hash is sticky at the bottom, sprinkle the freshly sliced scallions over the top and fold them in.
18. For the collard greens: start by rendering the bacon in a pan to extract the fat.
19. Keep seasoning minimal because the bacon is naturally salty; add the onions and cook them down until caramelized, adding a tiny drizzle of oil before a touch of butter to prevent the butter from burning.
20. When the bacon is colored and onions are caramelized, add garlic and then add the blanched, sliced collard greens (they were blanched very quickly for 30 seconds in boiling water), chop them in, lightly season, and toss.
21. Glaze the pan with apple cider vinegar to add tartness to the collard greens and let the vinegar evaporate.
22. To finish the chicken: lightly grind the pink peppercorns and black peppercorns together in a pestle and mortar.
23. Drizzle honey into the ground peppercorns to make a fragrant peppered honey.
24. Use the tied rosemary bunch sliced through as a brush, dip it into the peppered honey, and brush the honey over the drum, breast, and thigh pieces straight from the oven.
25. Arrange the chicken to serve: place a drum first, then a thigh, then a breast in the middle; put the stickiest portion of the yam hash at the bottom of the plate, and dab additional honey around the plate as desired.