1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (106 page)

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1 can (14½ ounces, or 410 g) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 chipotle chiles canned in adobo (or less or more, to taste)

¾ cup (180 ml) chicken broth

In a big mixing bowl, combine the two meats. Add the zucchini, the onion, and the eggs to the meat. Measure in the seasonings. Using clean hands, smoosh everything together until it’s all very well combined—in particular, you shouldn’t be able to tell where one meat ends and the other begins. Form into meatballs a little smaller than a walnut in its shell. Put on a plate and set in the fridge.

Put the tomatoes in a blender—don’t drain them first. Add the chipotles and then blend the whole thing until smooth. Dump this combination into a big, heavy skillet and put it over medium-high heat. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat down and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and bring the sauce back to a

Add the meatballs and bring to a simmer a third time. Cover the skillet, let the whole thing simmer for 45 to 50 minutes, and then serve.

Yield:
8 servings

Each with 22 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include Cauliflower Rice.

These brown and tender cubes of pork are a Mexican classic. Serve them over a salad or make a simple soft taco by piling your carnitas on a low-carb tortilla.

3 pounds (1.4 kg) pork shoulder, skin and bone removed

Water

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice

2 teaspoons salt

Cut the pork into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes and put them in a big, heavy skillet. Add just enough water to barely cover the cubes. Add the lime juice, sprinkle with salt, and bring to a boil. Do not cover the pan.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the meat continue to boil until all the water has evaporated.

Turn the heat down even lower and let the meat continue to cook, stirring often, until the meat cubes are browned all over, which may take as long as an hour.

Yield:
6 servings

Each with 29 g protein; 0 g carbohydrate; 0 g dietary fiber; 0 g usable carb. Analysis does not include low-carb tortilla.

In much of the country, spareribs are the favorite part of the pig to barbecue. But in the Carolinas, barbecue means pork shoulder (or sometimes even the whole hog!) smoked for ages until it’s tender and juicy. Then the meat is cut or pulled off the bone and combined with one of a few different kinds of sauces, depending on the region. The whole process takes a lot of time (though not a tremendous amount of work), but the results are nothing short of spectacular!

1 pork picnic shoulder, about 4 pounds (1.8 kg)

Oil

Salt and pepper

Barbecue rub of choice (optional)

Wood chips or chunks, soaked for at least 30 minutes

This is way too simple. Set up a grill for indirect smoking (pile all the coals on one side or turn on only half the burners on a gas grill) and add the wood chips or chunks. Then rub the pork shoulder all over with a little oil, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and sprinkle it liberally with barbecue rub if desired. It’s a good idea to insert a meat thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the meat, taking care not to let it touch the

Then put that hunk of pork on the grill, fatty side up, and smoke it for a long, long time— 6 to 7 hours. (Don’t try simmering this like you might a rack of ribs you wanted to speed up. If you don’t have the time, make something else.) Make sure you replace the wood chips or chunks when necessary so that you get plenty of good smoky flavor and take care to keep the temperature between 200°F and 225°F (95°C and 110°C). (Lower isn’t disastrous, but it can stretch out your cooking time even further. Higher and your meat will grill, not smoke.) When the internal temperature is between 170°F and 180°F (80°C and 85°C), your pork is done. Take it off the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting it up.

Okay, 10 minutes are up! Cut or pull the pork off the bone; you can discard the bone. Pull or cut off the outside fat. Then, either chop up the meat or pull it apart with two forks until it’s in shreds. Now mix it with about
²
/3 cup (160 ml) Piedmont Mustard Sauce (page 469), Eastern Carolina Vinegar Sauce (page 469), or Lexington-Style Barbecue Sauce (page 470).

How to serve your pulled pork? After all, it’s usually served on a bun, and we’re sure not going to eat it that way. Well, you can just eat it with a fork by itself, of course, and it will be extremely nice. However, since Carolina barbecue sandwiches are usually topped with coleslaw, why not serve yourself a big pile of coleslaw, top it with pulled pork, and eat the two together as a main-dish salad?

Yield:
A 4-pound (1.8-kg) shoulder will yield about 6 servings

The carb count will depend on which sauce you choose; the meat itself is pretty much carb-free; 39 grams of protein.

This dish is hot! It’s not for the timid, but the taste is complex and delicious.

4 pounds (1.8 kg) country-style pork ribs

1 batch Cajun Rub (page 490)

1 batch Cajun Rib Mop (page 490)

cup (160 ml) Cajun Sauce (page 474)

Wood chips or chunks, soaked for at least 30 minutes

Set up a grill for indirect smoking (pile all the coals on one side or turn on only half the burners on a gas grill) and add the wood chips or chunks. Rub the country-style ribs all over with the Cajun Rub and place them on the grill. Smoke them for 30 to 45 minutes and then start to baste them with the Cajun Rib Mop, using a clean utensil each time, every time you open the grill to add more chips or chunks as the smoke dies down. Smoke for 3 to 4 hours, at least, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F (80°C). Serve with the Cajun Sauce.

Yield:
6 servings

Each serving will have 7 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fiber, for a usable carb count of 6 grams; 36 grams protein.

Pork is the most popular meat in China, and this is a de-carbed version of a classic Chinese seasoning. Feel free to do this with spareribs instead.

3 pounds (1.4 kg) country-style pork ribs

½ cup (120 ml) soy sauce

¼ cup (60 ml) sherry

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda

1 tablespoon (6 g) grated ginger

¼ cup (60 ml) oil

Mix together everything from the soy sauce through the ginger. Put the ribs in a shallow, nonreactive pan or a resealable plastic bag. Reserve some marinade for basting and pour the rest over them. If you’re using a bag, press out the air and seal it. Either way, turn the ribs to coat. Stick the ribs in the fridge and let them marinate for at least a few hours.

Okay, marinating time’s up. Pour off half the marinade. Put the ribs with the remaining marinade in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and just barely cover with water. Bring to a simmer and simmer the ribs for 45 minutes. When they’re getting on toward the end of simmering time, start the grill. Mix the oil with the reserved marinade.

Put the ribs over a medium-low charcoal fire or gas grill and grill slowly over direct heat. Baste often with the marinade-oil mixture, using a clean utensil each time, until quite tender—about another 45 minutes.

Yield:
6 servings

If you consumed all of the marinade, each serving would have 4 grams of carbohydrate, and a trace of fiber. Since you don’t, figure closer to 3 grams per serving; 28 grams of protein.

This is what most of us think of when we think “barbecued ribs,” and a beautiful thing it is, too.

1 slab pork spare ribs, about 7 pounds (3.2 kg)

½ cup (60 g) Classic Barbecue Rub (page 486), divided

½ cup (120 ml) oil

½ cup (120 ml) water

1 cup (240 grams) Kansas City Barbecue Sauce (page 467)

Wood chips or chunks, soaked for at least 30 minutes

First, fire up that grill! Set it up for indirect smoking (pile all the coals on one side or turn on only half the burners on a gas grill) and add the wood chips or chunks.

Sprinkle the ribs heavily on both sides with the Classic Barbecue Rub. Then, when your grill is hot or your charcoal is well covered with ash, throw the ribs on the grill on the side away from the fire. Smoke them for a good 6 hours at 225°F (110°C), adding wood chips whenever the smoke dies down.

Okay, the ribs are in the hot smoke. Put the oil and water in a small pan or bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons (15 g) of the Classic Barbecue Rub. After the ribs have smoked for about 30 to 45 minutes, use this simple mop to baste them every time you add fresh chips or chunks to the fire. Make sure to use a clean utensil each time you baste. Turn the ribs over every 60 to 90 minutes.

Come the last 20 minutes of your cooking time, baste your ribs well with the Kansas City Barbecue Sauce and put them directly over the fire for 10 minutes per side to crisp them a little. Serve with cold light beer, slaw, extra sauce, and a big roll of paper towels!

Feel free to use this same basic method with any rub and any sauce!

Yield:
About 8 to 9 servings

Assuming 8, each will have 10 grams of carbohydrate with 2 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 8 grams; 49 grams of protein.

Why is this recipe for a half-slab of ribs? Because there are only two of us in my household, that’s why! Feel free to double the marinade and use a whole slab if you like—but you’ll want to cut the slab into two pieces so it’ll fit into a resealable plastic bag. What with the marinade/mop, these have plenty of flavor without a finishing sauce, but feel free to use one if you really want to.

3 pounds (1.4 kg) pork spareribs—about half a slab

½ cup (120 ml) cider vinegar

1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda

1 tablespoon (15 ml) spicy mustard

½ teaspoon grated ginger

½ cup (120 ml) olive oil

Wood chips or chunks, soaked for at least 30 minutes

Combine everything but the ribs and the oil. Put the ribs in a large resealable plastic bag. Reserve some of the vinegar mixture for basting, pour the rest over it, and seal the bag, pressing out the air as you go. Turn the bag a couple of times to make sure the whole surface of the meat comes in contact with the marinade. Throw the ribs in the fridge and let them marinate all day or even overnight, turning now and then when you open the fridge anyway and think of it.

Six hours before dinner, get a fire going for indirect smoking (pile all the coals on one side or turn on only half the burners on a gas grill) and add the wood chips or chunks. When the fire is ready, mix the reserved marinade and the oil—this is your mopping sauce. Drain and throw the ribs on the grill and smoke them for 5 to 6 hours or until quite tender, basting every 30 to 45 minutes (or when you add more chips or chunks to the fire, as the smoke dies down) with the mop sauce. Use a clean utensil each time you baste.

Yield:
4 servings

Each serving will have 2 grams of carbohydrate and a trace of fiber if you finish the marinade, which you won’t—I’d count 1 gram, myself; 36 grams of protein.