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Hickory Smoked Pork Shoulder with Carolina Barbecue Sauce, Crackling Cream Biscuits, and Spicy Yellow Corn

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INGREDIENTS: 

Crackling Cream Biscuits Yields 24 1-inch biscuits

  • 2 1/2 cups White Lily self-rising flour
  • 2 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 4 Tbs. Carolina Ham Cracklings, divided (recipe follows)
  • 2 Tbs. coarse sea salt
  • 3 Tbs. melted butter

Spicy Yellow Corn

  • 1 Tbs. light olive oil
  • 2 cups fresh corn kernels
  • 2 Tbs. Carolina Ham Cracklings (recipe follows)
  • Dry Rub, to taste (see pork shoulder recipe)

Carolina Ham Cracklings Yields 1 cup

  • 1/2 lb. Carolina Ham Trimmings (pre-packaged, found in the pork section of most Southern grocery stores)
  • 3 Tbs. light olive oil
DIRECTIONS: 

Crackling Cream Biscuits Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Add 1 1/2-cups of the cream to the flour until it starts to form a wet, sticky dough. Add two tablespoons of the cracklings and work together for one minute. Place on a lightly floured surface and press or roll the dough out to less than 1/2-inch thick. Brush the top of the biscuit dough with the remaining cream (this will help hold the cracklings and salt onto the biscuits after baking). Sprinkle the remaining two tablespoons of cracklings and the sea salt on the top of the dough and gently press into the dough. Cut the biscuits with a one-inch biscuit cutter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake eight to10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven, brush with the melted butter, and serve immediately. Spicy Yellow Corn Heat the oil in a pan and add the corn kernels. Allow the kernels to caramelize over medium heat. Add the ham cracklings and season to taste with the Dry Rub. Warm the pork in a small amount of the sauce to moisten and season it. Divide between the plates and place three of the biscuits around it. Drizzle with more of the sauce and then sprinkle with the corn. Serve immediately. Carolina Ham Cracklings Chop the ham trimmings finely by hand or pulse them in batches in a food processor into small pieces. This is best done while the ham is frozen (because of the curing process, the ham never freezes rock hard). Place the ham and the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and bring the heat gradually up to medium, cooking the trimmings slowly to render the ham of most of its fat. Cook the trimmings for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the ham begins to become somewhat caramelized and crispy. When you hear it sizzle and crackle, remove the pan from the heat and, using a slotted spoon, spoon the cracklings onto paper towels to drain. Spread them out to cool. Use immediately or cool to room temperature, place in a storage container, cover, and refrigerate.