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CRISPY PORK BITS WITH JERK SEASONINGS

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 2 HOURS, LARGELY UNATTENDED

YOU’LL FIND STRONGLY seasoned, crunchy pork everywhere in Latin America, and it’s always irresistible.

1½ pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into large chunks

5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 dried chipotle or other chile

1 cinnamon stick

Several gratings of nutmeg

Salt

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 limes, cut into wedges

1. Put the pork in a deep skillet or wide saucepan; wrap the garlic, coriander, chile, and cinnamon in a piece of cheesecloth and add to the pan, along with the nutmeg and salt to taste. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the pork is very tender, about 1¼ hours, adding water as necessary.

2. When the pork is soft, remove the cheesecloth sack and discard. Raise the heat to medium-high and boil off all the liquid.

3. If you choose not to grill, you can now brown the pork in its own remaining fat. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges. Or thread the pork onto 8 skewers and, when you’re ready to eat, grill them lightly on all sides to brown before garnishing and serving.

VARIATION

Roast Pork with Jam or Marmalade

This is the original version, which some will prefer: Substitute 1 cup apricot jam or orange marmalade for the applesauce; warm it over low heat, stirring in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to thin it slightly. Proceed as directed.

THE MINIMALIST’S CHOUCROUTE

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

TIME: ABOUT 2 HOURS, LARGELY UNATTENDED

IN ITS HOMELAND of Alsace, choucroute garnie is no more special than a frank and sauerkraut, with which it has much in common. But while the French treat this archetypally hearty combination of sauerkraut, spices, wine, and smoked meats as common fare, here it has become the province of restaurants. In any case, choucroute is a flexible combination of wintertime staples, the perfect cold-weather dish, featuring sauerkraut cooked in a little goose fat (or duck fat or lard) and wine, then “garnished”—this is some garnish—with a variety of candidly heavy meats, some smoked, some fresh or salted. Note that good sauerkraut does not come in cans but is sold fresh from barrels or in plastic. It should contain no more than cabbage and salt—beyond that, the less the better.

3 pounds sauerkraut

1 large onion, chopped

10 juniper berries

2 cups dry white wine, preferably Alsatian Riesling

1 pound slab bacon in 1 piece

1 pound kielbasa or similar dark sausage

3 bratwursts or similar “white” sausage

3 smoked pork loin chops

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hot mustard for serving

1. Rinse the sauerkraut and drain it well. Combine it with the onion, juniper berries, and wine in a large skillet or broad pot and add enough water to come about two-thirds of the way up the side of the sauerkraut (in some pots, the wine may provide enough liquid). Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.

2. Turn down the heat and nestle the bacon in the sauerkraut. Cover and cook for 1 hour, then add the sausages and pork chops. Re-cover and cook for another 30 minutes. The sauerkraut should be tender but retain some crunch; cook for another 15 minutes if necessary, then taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. To serve, cut the meat into pieces and serve it on a platter with the sauerkraut along with hot mustard.

VARIATIONS

• Add several tablespoons of duck fat or lard to the simmering sauerkraut (a traditional addition).

• Use any sausages you like, including those made from chicken, veal, turkey, or seafood.

• Add 12 small potatoes to the pot when about 45 minutes of cooking time remain.

• Add 2 to 3 peeled, cored, and grated apples to the sauerkraut when about 15 minutes of cooking remain.

• Stir 2 tablespoons kirsch into the sauerkraut about 5 minutes before serving.

SLOW-GRILLED RIBS

MAKES 4 TO 8 SERVINGS

TIME: AT LEAST