NASCAR Cupcakes - Salt and Vinegar Pork Rind Cupcakes with a Beer Glaze

This NASCAR cupcake is for Nanette Biddle Taylor who posted the following on the Cupcake Project Facebook Page last week:

Might I suggest some type of NASCAR-themed cupcake in honor of the start of the racing season at Daytona in less than 10 days??? I'm having withdrawals and can't wait for Daytona.

After seeing Nanette's request, I polled the Cupcake Project Facebook Community to see what types of food you thought best represented NASCAR.  Beer was the clear winner!  I've been around that track before.  If you want a beer cupcake, check out my beer cheese cupcakes, Hefeweizen (wheat beer) cupcakes, or my cupcakes with a built-in cup for beer.  Another popular food on the list was hot dogs; if you want to make a hot dog cupcake for NASCAR, I've got a recipe for that as well.  So, I was forced to race toward another popular suggestion - pork rinds!

Coffee-Rubbed Pork Tacos on Homemade Chocolate Corn Tortillas

It all started with some leftover masa harina (special corn flour that I used to make chocolate tamale cupcakes).  I couldn't let that big bag of flour go to waste, so I decided use some of it to make corn tortillas with a hint of chocolate.  Then, of course, I needed something to go in the tortillas. Coffee-rubbed pork tenderloin seemed like just the thing - and my husband Jonathan, who does most of the cooking in our household, was just the man to prepare it.

Rhubarb Pulled Pork: Great Today, Even Better Tomorrow

Rhubarb pulled pork is my latest cupcake inspiration. Yes, people, rhubarb cupcakes are coming soon. For now, though, it's time to talk about the rhubarb pork.

Rhubarb and pork are words that I had never put together until I saw them on the site of this month's Taste & Create partner, Culinary Disasters. I must admit that with a blog name of Culinary Disasters, I was a bit concerned about finding something good to make there. My fears, however, were unfounded.

The rhubarb pork was a smashing success. It was moist and flavorful. I just have a few things that you might want to consider before making it:

1. If I were to make the rhubarb pork again, I would definitely make it in a crockpot. No offense to the cast iron dutch oven, but I just find crockpots easier.
2. Rather than serving it with rice or bread, I would use the pulled pork in a taco. This pork was just screaming to be in a wrap of some sort.
3. This is a FYI for those who are expecting the pork to taste like a strawberry rhubarb pie. The rhubarb dissolved. It definitely came into play in the flavor, but had I not put it in the cast iron myself, I would never have known it was in the dish.
4. Save some for leftovers. This pulled pork makes for a great pulled pork sandwich.

The Rhubarb Pulled Pork Recipe

Here is the recipe for rhubarb pulled pork from Culinary Disasters. I made a few notable changes from the original. Whole Foods didn't have a pork shoulder, so I went with a pork loin. I used agave nectar instead of honey - just because I had some on hand. Lastly, I used chipotle peppers instead of jalapenos because I like them better, and I skipped out on the shallots because we didn't have any.

• About 2 lb pork loin
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 T canola oil
• 1 lb rhubarb, cut into medium slices
• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 dried chipotle pepper
• 1/2 C dry white wine
• 1 1/2 C chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 T agave nectar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 t five spice powder
• 1 t ground ginger (feel free to use fresh, just use about 1 T of it)

1. Add in the oil to your cast iron dutch oven on med-high heat.
2. Salt and pepper the pork all over and brown on all sides (about 5 minutes a side).
3. Remove the pork and drain all but 1 T of the oil from the pan.
4. Keeping the pork aside, add in the rhubarb, pepper, and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
5. Add in the 1/2 C of white wine and reduce by half.
6. Return the pork to the pan along with the chicken stock, honey, soy sauce, bay leaf, and spices.
7. Bring this mixture to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer and cover.
8. The pork will take about three hours to cook, and make sure to flip halfway though. It is done when you can take a fork and easily shred the meat. If it does not shred easily, cover and let it cook for another 15 minutes and try to shred again.
9. Serve as you see fit.

A Photo-Only Side Dish

No recipe for this one, but here is a photo of the side dish that we enjoyed with the pork. Both the photo and cooking are compliments of Jonathan.