My Dad’s (Pork) Butt
One of my favorite things to do when I’m missing my dad is to cook something that he used to make. He had a handful of signature dishes. Some of them he never shared the recipes for, and occasionally I’ll spend an afternoon trying to figure out what the heck was in that one specific dish. He used to make this ground beef thing over rice that I loved when I was really little. I have no idea what it had in it. There were no veggies, no tomato sauce, no real sauce at all, actually. It was just ground beef browned with onions and something else that I can’t figure out, and then he served it over rice. It was really good, and it reminds me of my dad. Anyone know about that? It was probably a very Southern dish.
Anyway, one of my favorites he made that he DID share the recipe for was a shredded Mexican pork dish in the crock pot. He actually used a pressure cooker, but those scare me so I use a crock pot instead. It is super easy, and makes two or three big meals, so you can stretch it pretty good.
Start with a big hunk of pork butt roast. Make sure it has some good fat swirling in it.
Then, coat the mean in a packet of fajita seasoning. I’m sure you can make your own, but I don’t have time for that so I just use the packets. (I know, I know… The sodium! The preservatives! The chemicals! Save it. I ain’t got time.) Make sure you coat is really well in all the cracks and crevices.
Also, be sure to take your rings off before doing this. It gets right messy.
Now, throw that pork butt in the crock pot and toss a can of diced tomatoes and a can of Rotel tomatoes on top of it. (I’ve also added a can of drained black beans before, and that was pretty good…)
And then set your timer for 6-8 hours, and let that roast just simmer, simmer, simmer.
When you’re ready to eat, shred it up in the crock pot and let it sit in the juice until you plate it up. I didn’t take any pictures of the finished meals because they disappear so quickly at my house that there isn’t time to grab my camera! (Just kidding. I forgot to take the pictures.)
We eat this two ways. One is the classic way my Dad used to serve it. You put rice in a bowl or on a plate and then spoon the shredded pork and lots of juice over the rice. You don’t want it soupy, but you want a good amount of that yummy juice. Usually, we eat it that way on the first night.
The second night, I drain all the juice and put the meat in a bowl. Then, we eat it on in tortillas as burrito or taco stuffing. It is delicious! It makes your tacos or burritos a little juicier, but it is worth it! My kids love it this way. I fix their tacos, and then wrap them in aluminum foil so they can hold them better. It’s everyone’s favorite dinner at my house.
There are lots of ways to remember people we love, but I think remembering them in my kitchen is one of my favorites. I think about Dad as I cook, and then we talk about him while we eat. A full belly and a full heart. Can’t ask for more.
13 Comments
Ivette
The Southern rice dish could be what we call in Louisiana “dirty rice.” It is ground beef mixed in with the rice
Kathleen
My mom’s midwestern, but she used to make something that was browned ground beef with onions, worchestershire sauce and rice. She cook the beef with chopped onions until the onions were soft. Then, she’d hit it with a few dashes of worchestershire. Last, she’d mix in cooked rice. That was it. A bit salty, but comfort food nonetheless.
Christy
Have you ever tried the Mojo Roast Pork at Pollo Tropical? Delicious. Also, Publix has amazing shredded pork premade in the deli section. And now I want some.
My dad always used to make corned beef hash , AKA “hash”, when my sister and I were little. He would cook for us on the evenings when my mom worked. We hated it! We used to tease him about how gross it was but I would probably like it now!
Rebecca @ The Reluctant Housewife
totally doing this and your comment about fajita seasoning packets pretty much sums up exactly why I read your blog. Thanks for being down to earth.
Jess
Mmm! That looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Emily
Is it kind of brown gravy-ish? If so just brown your meat, sprinkle flour over the top of, stir it around and let it brown a little, then add some beef broth (just a little…not enough to make gravy but enough to make it soak in) We had that over rice all the time and it was one of our favorites!
Heather M
So this is also really good with chicken – which I shred too. I also add in sweetcorn and black beans and kidney beans — I call it my chicken one-pot. It goes great on its own with some shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Yum! I’ve never tried it with pork – but I will now 🙂
JenniferLO
Girl, you crack me up! “I ain’t got time for that!” I agree with cooking dishes that remind you of someone. I really despise baking, but whenever I start to think about how much I miss spending an afternoon with my great grandma, I mix up a batch of cookies. She ALWAYS had cookies around and they were always so SOFT. Sadly, my cookies are always burnt but it still makes me think of her!
mae
Yummy…I will have to make this dish! I love recipes that can stretch and repurposed for a second meal! Thanks for sharing your dad’s dish!
Halley
Hey Katie! Making your dad’s Mexican pork dish for dinner tonight! Thinking of you and him today…and the deliciousness in my kitchen : )
Michelle H
I can totally relate to you on the lost recipes. My dad passed away when I was 16. He was absolutely known for his home-made barbecue sauce, to the point that 7 years later, it’s still talked about among family and friends. Heck, I can practically taste it just thinking about it! He showed me the recipe when I was little, but being around 8 or 9 at the time, I was more interested in playing outside :/ Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to make my own secret recipe that my future kids will forever ponder over, haha.
Megan
Making your dads dish for dinner tonight! Its cooking right now and smells so good!!! Thinking of your dad and you!
Becca
Made your Dad’s pork butt yesterday and had over rice, tonight in tortillas. My three kids LOVED this and want me to make again soon. Thank you for sharing!