This is “faux” barbecue pulled pork at its finest. There’s no need to barbecue pork outside for hours, just do it right in your oven! Liquid smoke in brine and spice rub lend those smoky flavors in the meat. Serve it in a tortilla for carnitas, between two slices of baguette bánh mì-style, or with grains (it goes great with rice and scrambled eggs) and you’re good to go. For me, I like it Filipino-style, in soft, sweet pan de sal buns!

I love barbecue pork, pulled pork, bánh mì Vietnamese sandwiches, and the only sandwiches I truly, absolutely enjoy are those with warm meat in between toasted soft buns. I will eat cold cuts sandwiches, but I won’t crave for it. Now the pulled, barbecued kind? I dream of it.

Simply delicious. That's all I can say.

As soon as I saw this recipe on my Cook’s Illustrated magazine (one of the very few magazines with recipes I can rely on), I knew instantly that I have to make it. Dan made it first and said, “Oh god.” I didn’t need an explanation after that, because no sooner was I saying the same thing, perhaps with a little profanity peppered in. Holy ****.

If the looks alone won't hook you, the first bite will. It is just a piece of heaven in sweet pan de sal. We get ours from Aling Mary's.

This will be on the menu again in the near future and the recipe will be doubled, so I can freeze half to enjoy whenever I crave for it.

I just don’t have anything else to say other than: Make it. It’s good for you.

   Get the recipe for Indoor Pulled Pork here (PDF download included)

So what do you do after the holidays and you’re left with more ham than you can stomach eating for dinner?

Don’t throw it. Think of the hungry children of Somalia! At least that’s what my parents used to say. But really, it’s good food and yes, the taste could get a bit tiring, right?

In the Philippines, I just love having Pineapple Ham for Christmas or New Year. The one that I got from the store here was Brown Sugar Glazed. I find it too salty and made me miss what I grew up with. I was going to prepare the whole thing with pineapple for New Year but I just didn’t have time. To make up for it, I did that to the leftovers instead. I used crushed pineapple for the hint of pineapple without the big chunks of flavor from the usual sliced pineapple, ala Hawaiian style, although you can certainly use whatever pineapple you prefer or have available.

I just put olive oil and 1/4 cup of pineapple in the pan in medium heat:

Added 1 tablespoon of brown sugar:

Heat for a couple of minutes until the sugar starts to dissolve:

Then add ham slices either one big slice at a time:

Or if you have the ‘scraps’ of ham near the bone, you can put them all in the pan….nothing glamorous about it:

And enjoy your juicy, tasty, “revived” ham:

It’s special the second time around. :) It’s so yummy eating with plain or fried rice!

Here are other things you can do with leftover ham:

• cut/diced to flavor chow mein
• fried to flavor veggies such as green beans
• diced to flavor soups
• cut in strips to wrap cubes of cheese for appetizer
• sandwiches, of course
• shredded to use as a topping for congee

What else can you suggest?

What do you do with your leftover meats from the holidays?

Back to reality for most of us this week…I hope 2009 is going great so far for all of you!