By Henry Gould – Feb 1st, 2019

It’s Friday! It’s February 1st! Sober January is over! It’s Super Bowl weekend! I’m not sure what to do with my hands!

Regardless of which team you support, the 53rd Annual NFL Championship Game is more or less beloved around the world. You can drink beer during the day (did we need an excuse?), eat junk food (ditto?) all while armchair GM-ing each play of the game and judging the commercials for being horrible.

Food is synonymous with the Super Bowl, if not one of the biggest draws of the game. If you’re hosting a party or bringing something to someone else’s, below are a bunch of ideas. Some are previous recipes from this blog with links provided. Others are new. All are great!

Load that cooler with ice, slip into your Rams / Patriots jersey and root, root, root for a cringe-worthy Maroon 5 halftime show that we can all laugh at in the 3rd quarter.

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Pulled pork sliders (or lettuce wraps) with Carolina Mustard Sauce

• Pork shoulder roast, 4 – 10lb (*1/2 – 1lb per person, precooked weight, is a good guideline for portion sizing)
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Brown sugar
• 1 cup Yellow Mustard
• Hot Sauce
• 1 knob of butter
• 2-3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• Worcestershire Sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• Buns, or iceberg lettuce
• Dill pickles, pickled jalapenos, or kimchi to garnish

This recipe is best started a day before you eat, so buy the pork and season it on Saturday, then start cooking Sunday morning before the game.

Take equal parts salt, pepper and brown sugar and mix together in a bowl. Use your judgement. If you have a 10lb roast, you probably need 1 cup of each. If you have a 5lb roast, 1/3 cup of each is probably sufficient.

Rub the pork shoulder very generously with the salt, sugar and pepper mixture, then wrap in plastic wrap and stick in the bridge overnight. With a huge piece of meat like this, you need to season ahead of time so the salt, sugar and pepper can cure and dry brine the meat. Well worth the time.

Early Sunday morning, set your oven to 300F. Take your roast out of the fridge, put onto a roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil, then stick in the oven. Cook for 4 hours covered in foil, then remove the foil and continue cooking for another hour.

After 5 hours, take the roast out and have a look. Use a pair of tongs to pinch a piece off. Does it “pull” away easily? Perfect! If not, keep cooking in the oven for another 30-45 minutes.

Allow the meat to rest for at least 30 minutes. Once it has cooled slightly, put the whole roast into a bowl or large tray and shred with 2 forks or a pair of tongs. Mix all the meat together so that outside “bark” gets mingled with the less seasoned interior. Cover and set aside.

To make the mustard sauce, add the mustard to a pot, along with the butter, a few shakes of hot sauce, the vinegar, some Worcestershire sauce and the honey / maple syrup. Bring up to a gentle boil, and stir to mix everything together. Have a taste. If it’s too vinegary, add more honey or maple syrup. Too sweet? Add more vinegar. Not spicy enough? More hot sauce! Once it tastes how you like it, allow to cool before serving.

Serve the pulled pork on buns with your choice of pickled garnish. If you want to keep it guilt free, serve as a lettuce wrap.

Hummus 4 Ways

Killer recipe from Natalie Cumberbirch! Vegan and gluten-free friendly.

Serve with chips, fresh pita, sourdough, or sliced vegetables. If using store bought pitas, a good tip is to get your broiler on high, dip each pit in water and then stick under the hot broiler on a pan. The intense heat will cause the water to turn to steam, thus revitalizing the pitas like they’re fresh out of the oven.

Meatball Subs

Who doesn’t want a hot meatball sub right at halftime?? The recipe for the meatballs is here, but below is the best way to serve them.

• Get some nice crusty bread from your favorite bakery. Batard Bakery on Fraser St has amazing baguette that would work great. Otherwise a nice bun from Cobs or Terra Breads would be awesome.
• Grab some provolone, friulano or fontina cheese and cut thin or grate finely
• Slice your bread or bun halfway through and open it up like a clam. Throw as many meatballs as you like, top with cheese, then put the whole thing under a hot broiler to melt the cheese.
• If you’re serving a big group, put all your cooked meatballs in a roasting pan with some of the tomato sauce, put the cheese on top, then put under the broiler. Once the cheese is melted, serve on your bun of choice.