Christmas pork and wings

For Christmas Day last week my plan was to make a pork loin rib roast for lunch and then a batch of wings for supper and snacking. This was my first loin rib roast and it weighed about 3-1/3 pounds.


I prepped it Christmas Eve with a paste of olive oil, grated fresh garlic, and various dried herbs (oregano, thyme, basil, etc.).


Eventually after presents and breakfast Christmas morning I got around to taking the roast out of the fridge and setting up the rotisserie.


It cooked over briquettes and a little bit of apple wood until the internal temp reached 140-145 in places.


For the most part it was plenty moist but there were a few pieces in the very middle of the end pieces that were a touch dry. No problem, just cut them up and mix them with the juicier pieces. Essentially I wound up with a plate of pork chops that had a nice flavor, and the leftovers reheated well a couple of days later.


The day before I had also prepped the chicken wings by salting them thoroughly, adding some fresh pepper and grated garlic, and putting them in a plastic bag with a couple of bottles of dark beer to create a brine.


Well, as it turned out nobody was hungry for supper so the wings sat in the brine until the next evening and picked up a little bit of color from the beer.


I meant to cook them at about 350 over direct heat but I underestimated the amount of charcoal I'd need, so for the first 30 minutes the temperature never reached 300. At that point I lifted the grate off the kettle and set it aside to add some additional charcoal, and the higher temperature helped them finish faster and with a decently crisp skin.


I've heard that if a dish is cooked with wine that same wine should be served with it, so I figured the same applies for beer. The wings had a mildly sweet beer essence and some good but not overpowering garlic flavor.

Looking good, Brad!

And yes - I've read in several articles over the past few years that it's a good idea to serve the food with the same beer you cooked it in.

In practice, it depends on the beer. I've cooked some foods in some pretty strong beers that my guests didn't mind in the marinade but didn't want to drink, either.