Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

I've got a few recipes for grilled plantain cakes, if you'd like, Bob. I've always found Pibil and similar dishes to be very tasty with sweet plantain and queso fresco empanadas (you know how these work already), or else make Chifles out of green Orinoco or Hua Moa and do a Volquetero. I'll post that recipe to its own thread in a moment.

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

Thanks Beth please send whatever you want to share. I now have a weekly supply of Queso fresco and had empanadas(I used plaintain flour this time) 2 days ago. Just got 2 hands of Manzano at the Asian market this morning, this was the first time they ever had them in the few years I've been going. I ate an under ripe one and of course it tasted green. I'll let them ripen and report later.

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

Doing a pork shoiulder in the crock pot today using this recipe. Get back to ya later with the results.

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

The banana leaves renders an aroma and taste all of its own. You must've grown with it in order to appreciate the delicate and delicious taste and aroma of the finished food product.

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

Well I usually do my slow cooking in a large Dutch Oven or my smoker, but for this I decided to purchase a Crock Pot. I played with the recipe just a touch adding more fresh from the garden Oregano then called for, and Maui Onion instead of regular yellow onion. I also used a large Brandywine tomato and far more garlic than the recipe calls for. This time I used a 3 lb pork shoulder. The leaf was from my Manzano. Cooked it on low for 8 hours and let me tell you the smell was killing us all afternoon. We were starving by dinner time! The finish product was tender and delicious! We served it shredded on corn tortillas with chopped onion, cilantro, fresh salsa and a squeeze of Lime.

Definitely two thumbs up! :chefnaner:

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

OH!!! Can you just say 'YUM'???!!! :) ~Cheryl

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

YUM!

Dangitall, Momo, you had to wait until AFTER I'd published that recipe (Issue 1 to be exact) to make it and post pictures?!?!

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

No worries Beth, I'll take pictures of the Tamal Platanos stuffed with the left over pork shoulder I'll be making tonight. :)

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

I was wondering what a tamale would taste like rolled in banana leaf instead of corn husk? Is there a demand for banana leaf in the markets in the US?

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

They're very tasty - the leaf adds an extra dimension to the flavour of the Tamale. (Although the tradition in Ecuador is Canna leaves for most tamales, not Banana. Only Humas and Humitas are made with corn husks, and they're fairly highly flavoured doughs to begin with.)

I'd imagine that the demand for banana leaves in the US is fairly low if you average the population as a whole, and fairly high within the communities of immigrants where culinary banana leaf use is traditional. (SE Asians in particular.)

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

We have a Mexican grocery store here that sells banana leaves.
Nice pics Mitchel. My leaves split even after I softened them.

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

Wow, am I hungry, what a great recipe, gonna have to try it for sure, either that or I have to catch a flight to Milwaukee, Patty, guess who's coming to dinner:):waving:

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

Mitchel,
That looks great!!!

I've got my pork loin roast on the grill now wrapped in a banana leaf. If I can find my camera charger I'll take some pics.

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

My roast came out great!! The banana leaf really gave it a good flavor.
First, I cut through the length of the roast with a knife, making a cavity through the middle of it. I then stuck a link of MANDA'S garlic sausage* inside it. The outside was rubbed with 'slap ya mamma' and some fresh ground garlic/pepper. I seared the roast on the grill before wrapping it.



*MANDA'S sausage is about 12" in lenghth and can be used as a weapon if the wife comes into the kitchen and tries to tell you how to cook the roast.

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

Sounds delicious - but you guys kill me!!!!

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

'Slap your mama' is a common phrase down here. I grew up hearing my uncles say.....................

"This gumbo is so good it'll make ya slap grandma".

The nostalgia of the saying has made the seasoning popular here.

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

Great idea to stuff it w/ a sausage & to sear it first. Can't wait to hear what someone else will try!
Did anyone have a problem w/ juices running out of the leaves? Did I not have enough leaves around it or what?
When I do this again I will still put a piece of foil under to catch juices.
Getting great ideas here :)

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

Yes, but Mexico beats you to it. They are on sale on many oriental market fresh and they came from Mexico. And for $1 you get a bundle.

In the Philippines tamales are wrapped in banana leaves and the taste is for me out of this world. Soooo good!

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

I cut slits in the sausage so the juices would run out inside the roast.

The banana leaf I used got a little tear in it as soon as I put it on the grill. By the time it finished cooking there was not much left to the leaf.

Re: pork roast wrapped in banana leaves a la crockpot
 

Great. Haven't seen a bundle yet. Anyone have a pic of a bundle.