Severin Rosen was a German immigrant who is known as one of the major mid-nineteenth century American still life painters. Rosen’s work featured very similar subject matter, typically fruits, sometimes flowers, arranged on a tabletop with a dark background. Some paintings were so similar that they were almost duplicates with only a few elements of the composition altered. The strawberries on a footed platter is a common motif found on several canvases. His controlled brushstrokes created a smooth finish which along with the balance of light and dark, hearkened back to 17th-century Dutch still life paintings (1).
Barbecue sauce has two different theories as to its origin. Some people say that it dates back to the 15th century when Christopher Columbus brought a sauce back from the New World and other say it originated during the American colonialist era (2). Louis Mall Co produced the very first commercial version in St. Louis that was made unusual through the addition of anchovies (3). Regional variations include the East Carolina Sauce, Lexington Dip, South Carolina Mustard Sauce with a slew of variations in between. In my recipe I nodded to Australia with my inclusion of worcestershire sauce.
Strawberry BBQ Pulled Pork
adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
1 medium boneless pork shoulder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 TB vegetable oil
4 cups strawberries, quartered
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
8 buns
Trim the pork and remove fat (if left on the sauce will be very greasy). Season the pork with salt and pepper and place in a large cast iron pot that has been heated with oil. Brown the pork on all of the sides.
Add half of the strawberries, the ketchup, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover with lid and let cook for 2 hours until the pork is tender.
Remove the pork and skim the fat from the sauce and add remaining chopped strawberries. Cover pork with tin foil while you bring the sauce to a boil and reduce to two cups. Shred the pork with two forks and add half of the sauce.
Serve pork on the bun topped with some of the reserved strawberry BBQ sauce.
14 comments
Forager says:
Jul 15, 2009
Strawberry flavoured BBQ pulled pork? Intriguing combination of flavours! I’ve never had a palette lag before but the thought of eating a heavy winter roast in summer isn’t appealing :( Hope it adjusts soon!
dessert girl says:
Jul 15, 2009
Ha. I’ve never heard of palette-lag before. That’s funny!
Y says:
Jul 15, 2009
Sounds like the perfect way to get over palette lag! I’ve never paired strawberries with pork before, but somehow it doesn’t sound strange to me at all!
Siri says:
Jul 15, 2009
Not only did Columbus quot;discoverquot; the americas, he quot;discoveredquot; BBQ sauce too???br /br /Palette-lag is something I#39;d never experienced nor even thought about before. Sounds like it#39;s confusing to both the mind and the stomach.br /br /The recipe sounds great. So how sweet does the sauce turn out to be?
zested says:
Jul 15, 2009
I adore pulled pork and this sounds incredible. I also happened to arrive in Australia on Thanksgiving last year, and cooking a traditional spread for the locals brought up some funny questions. (My favorite: quot;If pumpkin pie is so good, why do you guys only eat it once a year?quot; Which is really a fair point when you think about it!)
petoskeygirl says:
Jul 15, 2009
The sandwich looks delicious. Uncle did some pork in the pizza oven and made sandwiches from it. Will have to tell him about the strawberry bbq sauce.
Megan@Feasting on Art says:
Jul 16, 2009
@forager, the roast was not appealing but i could not stop craving it. It was the strangest thing!
@siri, the only sweetness in the sauce is from the fresh strawberries added at the end. Otherwise it is a very savory BBQ sauce.
@zested, that is a fair point with the pumpkin pie (although it is my very favorite type of pie). I made one and my partner’s family poked at it suspiciously.
Thank you for the comments everyone. I really appreciate them!!
Grandma, the pork in the pizza oven sounds delish! I am so jealous of Uncle’s new outdoor wood oven.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says:
Jul 16, 2009
I’m so fascinated by the sound of this! I saw a strawberry sauce on another blog a while back and it peaked my interest and this has now cemented it!
Belle@Ooh, Look says:
Jul 16, 2009
The strawberry bbq sauce reminds me of chutney or chilli jam. Sounds like it goes wonderfully with the pork, though.
hungry dog says:
Jul 17, 2009
This sounds so interesting. And it looks good too…the bun looks so perfect it almost doesn’t look real!
Thanks for another art lesson, I look forward to them! :)
Justin says:
Jul 17, 2009
it’;s funny how perfect the strawberry sounds, since i’ve never heard of it before.
Feasting on Art Recipe Contest »Feasting on Art says:
Feb 18, 2010
[…] I chose a still life that could be adapted to either a sweet or savory recipe, see my posts for Strawberry BBQ Pulled Pork, Strawberry Shortcake, and Berry Vlaai for inspiration. I know that many of you are in the middle […]
penny aka jeroxie says:
Mar 12, 2010
How interesting! strawberries and pork…. this is something that I will try soon.
Strawberry iPhone App » Megan Fizell | Tres Jolie Studios | Freelance Writing and Photography says:
Sep 28, 2010
[…] recipe and photograph for Strawberry BBQ Pulled Pork was included in the Strawberry Recipe Application produced by the California Strawberry Commission. […]