Herb Rubbed Pork Roast

So, my mother in law introduced me to this amazing recipe.  We have had it at her home several times and we've made it at our house many, many, many times.  The original recipe came from Mary over at BarefeetIntheKitchen.  She uses the rub on a pork sirloin tip roast, which is amazing!  I have round that it is also wonderful on chicken, steak, beef roasts, shrimp, potatoes, and pretty much anything you would grill, or cook in your oven.  It's definitely a keeper! Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Herb Rubbed Pork Roast

1.5 - 2 lb sirloin tip pork roast
1 1/4 tablespoons smoked paprika1/2  teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt  (Less if you want it less Salty)
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

I like to brown my roasts before applying the rub.  Heat a large skillet with a small amount of olive oil on high heat, when pan is hot add roast and rotate roast until you get a nice browned crust evenly over entire roast.  Then remove from pan and allow to rest/cool slightly. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Add the olive oil and whisk or stir well to combine. Allow this mixture to rest for 15 minutes. It will become a bit thicker and turn into a paste-like consistency. (you can also do a dry rub and without adding the oil)

Line a small baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack over it.  Rub the spice mixture all over the roast, completely covering all sides with spices.

Roast 1 - 1.5 hours in the preheated oven in a roasting pan, or a large baking pan covered with tin foil. Remove from the oven when the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Let the roast rest 15 minutes before slicing. 

Be careful not to overcook the meat as it will become dry and less juicy. 

Grilled Chicken with Lemon & Oregano

This was a refreshing and light dish. If you like citrus give it a go. I may use half lemon and half orange juice next time to mix it up a bit. I found the recipe over at Recipe Girl.

1 Tbs grated lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh oregano (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
2 Tbs olive oil, plus more for grates
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 boneless skinless breasts (about 6 ounces each)
4 medium lemons, halved crosswise
oregano sprigs for garnish (optional)

1. Prepare marinade: In a small bowl, whisk lemon zest and juice, oregano, oil, 2 tsp. coarse salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Divide marinade between 2 large re-sealable plastic bags. Place 2 chicken halves in each bag; shake to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning bags occasionally.

2. Preheat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Remove chicken from marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken on grill. Cover and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer should read 175° when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken). If chicken is browning too quickly, move to cooler parts of grill or turn grill to low heat.
3. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Tent with foil; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place lemon halves on the grill, cut side down; cook until slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve chicken breasts with grilled lemon halves. Garnish with fresh oregano sprigs, if desired.

Fajita Marinade

I tried my neighbors fajita marinade a couple weeks ago and it was so yummy! Thanks for sharing Leslie.

For Meat:
1/4 c. lime juice
1/3 c. water
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp. vinegar
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tap. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
dash of onion powder

For Vegies:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 T. water
1/2 tsp lime juice
dash of salt and pepper

In a gallon bag add all ingredients for the Meat marinade. Place chicken, steak or shrimp into the bag and marinade for a couple hours. Cook meat on a hot grill. Cook sliced peppers and onions in a pan with the veggie marinaade until carmalized then mix with meats. Serve with tortillas, cheese and sourcream.

Turkey Marinade

For anyone who has ever lived in Sanpete County in Utah, you are familiar with their famous marinated Turkey, well, here is the recipe. This makes ALOT of marinade, it's meant to be used when they would have their large gatherings and marinade and then grill mass amounts of meat, but you could try to down size the recipe a little. I hope you enjoy it!

1 quart 7-up or ginger ale
1 pint oil
1 pint soy sauce
1 Tbsp horseradish
1 tsp garlic powder
Marinate for 24 hours then grill up some goodness.

Meat Marinade

This is the best Marinade for meat, I use it on chicken, beef whatever kind of meat I need to marinade. We use it to marinade meat for BBQ'ing and grilling shish-kabobs or for meat fondues. It is very yummy and the credit goes to my mom who passed it on to me.

1/2 C. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Vinegar
1 clove Garlic minced or 1/8 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Mix together in a ziplock bag and marinate meat for 1-24 hours in the refrigerator prior to cooking meat.