All of the bread throughout the meal was pretty much my standard bread recipe (see other posts on this site) with a mixture of bread, unbleached white, and semolina flours. I also used about a tablespoon of barley malt as a sweetener with more depth than sugar.

Crostini

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine. Let rest for a few hours then spread on lightly toasted bread.

Spinach salad with Maytag blue cheese

This is a basic salad of fresh spinach leaves, Maytag blue cheese, candied pecans, bacon, homemade croutons and a lemon vinaigrette.

Braised pork loin with honey lemon glazed carrots and garlic mashed potatoes

Set the oven to 250° F. Add the oil to a heavy dutch oven (with a tight fitting lid) and brown the pork medallions on all sides. Remove the pork and sweat the onion and garlic. After 3-5 minutes add the tomatoes being sure to scrape up all of the fond that developed during the pork/onion cooking. Add the thyme, bay leaf, and wine then bring to a simmer. Return the pork to the pan, cover, and place in the oven for 90 minutes.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Simmer garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes, discard garlic. Boil potatoes and mash with cream and oil.

Honey Lemon Glazed Carrots

Boil carrots for 15 minutes. Combine honey, sugar, butter, water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir carrots into glaze and simmer for 3 minutes. Add cornstarch slurry to thicken. Place in a covered baking dish and bake at 200° F for 45 minutes.

Cheese Course

Maytag blue, 12 month aged Manchego, a triple creme brie. I forgot to write down the name of the brie -- although I think Steve did, can you help me out Steve?

Lemon Crème Brûlée

Combine cream and lemon zest and bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Slowly add the cream to the egg mixture whisking constantly. Strain the custard through cheese cloth to remove the lemon zest and stir in the vanilla and lemon juice. Pour into 6 custard cups and bake in a water bath (roasting pan filled with hot water half way up the sides of the ramekins) at 300° for 30-40 minutes until the custard is the consistency of soft set eggs. Chill uncovered for 4 hours. Sprinkle with additional sugar and melt using a blow torch (you could also use the broiler, but the torch is more fun).

For midnight we had a sparkling wine from Jepson in the Mendocino Valley that came very highly recommended, and I couldn't argue with the $12 price tag.

The smoking took about 13 hours in the Weber kettle. I didn't get it started early enough so it was a late night on Tuesday. It's worth it for the BBQ. Read on for recipes and techniques.

This recipe includes four stages: the brine, the rub, the smoke, the sandwich.

The only ingredient not listed below is the pork shoulder. I used an eight pound piece of meat. It should be noted that this entire process takes about 18 hours of prep time and 12-15 hours of cooking time depending on the size of your shoulder. I didn't start quite early enough and it was 3 am before it was all done.

The Brine
I'm a big fan of brining meats before cooking, especially with pork given that it can be very dry. Dryness is not much of a problem with a shoulder (it has some fat in it), but a brine also provides a lot of flavor.

Combine all of the ingredients and bring to a boil, either on the stove or in a microwave safe container. Either chill the brine in the fridge or add ice for a rapid chill as seen below.

When the brine is chilled place the shoulder into a container that can be covered, will fit in your fridge, and will hold the brine. We used a stock pot as it was the only thing large enough in our kitchen.

Pour the brine over the pork and refrigerate for 12 hours.

The Rub
There are two keys to good barbecue. One is the rub, the other is this smoke. My rub is a mix of herbs/spices that is equally good on ribs as it is on the shoulder. Without sauce you end up with a Memphis style dry bbq.

I'm not including amounts for the rub ingredients, partially because you'll want to adjust it to your own tastes, but also because it's the secret of the bbq.

Toast the cumin and fennel seed in a dry pan and then grind with the chiles and black peppercorn in a spice grinder. Mix well with the remaining ingredients and put into a container for storage. I made enough for several uses.

The Smoke
I like to smoke with hickory. I think it provides good flavor and isn't as overpowering as mesquite can be at times. The wood will smoke better if it is soaked in water prior to the smoking. I don't have a smoker so I have to make due with the Weber kettle grill. It worked out pretty well both with the pork chops last week and the shoulder last night. I place all of the coals in a tray to one side of the grill and the meat on the other side above a 9x13 pan full of water. The lid vents go above the meat and have a probe thermometer dangled through the opening to measure the temperature near the meat.

Get 16 pieces of charcoal blazing hot (I use a blow dryer once it's lit -- do so at your own risk). Add 6 pieces of unlit charcoal and 2-3 pieces of soaked hickory. Cover the grill and let it come to temperature. I try to keep it steady at about 220 before I open it and put in the meat. Once the meat is in place you shouldn't fully open the grill for 10 hours. You can add additional charcoal and hickory by sliding the lid to expose the coal tray (my grill grate has easy access flaps) leaving the meat covered to retain heat. This method allows me to add fuel and not dramatically alter the temperature around the meat (about 10° change). You'll need to monitor the temperature and adjust accordingly, but I was able to keep a steady temperature with 3 pieces of unlit charcoal and 1 piece of hickory every 30-45 minutes. A second probe thermometer would make knowing when the meat was done fairly easy, I had to open the grill and use an instant read thermometer to check it. It will also fall apart fairly easily.

When the meat is fully cooked (at least 160° -- although the FDA says 180°) remove it from the grill, cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Pull with a fork or chop depending on your preference. The meat can now be refrigerated or served. Ours will warm in a crock pot prior to the party.

The Sandwich
Serve the pork as a sandwich with cole slaw and beans. Sauce is your own choice. We really like Blues Hog. If you like a Carolina style vinegar sauce the rub can be used quite well.

Carolina Style Vinegar Sauce
Combine the following, bring to a boil, cool, and serve.