Pork and Bourbon Glaze
Canned pork simmered in a sweet and spicy whiskey-touched sauce. Dinner done in ten minutes.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 116
- protein
- 28 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 11 min
- water
- 75 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Dairy free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Canned pork | 6 oz | drain the liquid off well |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato paste | 1 tbsp | small squeeze tube to save space |
| Apple cider vinegar powder | 1/2 tsp | or 2 tsp liquid vinegar in a small bottle |
| Brown sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Cayenne pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Kosher salt | 1/8 tsp | |
| Cracked black pepper | 1/8 tsp | |
| Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey | 1 tbsp | optional; carry in a small dropper bottle |
Method
- Boil 75 ml of water. Drain the canned pork and set aside.
- Add the drained pork to the boiling water and break it apart with your spoon.
- Stir in tomato paste, vinegar powder, brown sugar, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and coats the pork.
- Pour in whiskey if carrying it, let it bubble a minute, and eat straight from the pot.
This is a trail version of a lodge-grill recipe: the protein is canned instead of fresh, the heat source is a canister stove, and the timing is ten minutes instead of ninety. The sauce—tomato paste, brown sugar, and vinegar—stays the same. Whiskey is optional; the dish works without it, though it deserves to be there if you’re carrying it.
Drain the canned pork thoroughly. Wet pork simmered in its own brine is unsatisfying; the sauce needs to coat, not surround. The reduction is fast and the cleanup is one pot. This hits a real need on a long day: protein, calories, and flavor without hours of cooking.
Packing
Canned pork and tomato paste tube. Pre-mix the cayenne, salt, and pepper into a small bag at home to save fumbling in camp.
Variations
- A pinch of mustard powder sharpens the glaze.
- Dried onion or garlic powder adds another layer.
- Use cured pork or spam instead; tear it into pieces and treat it the same way.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/pork-blade-steaks-with-jack-daniel-s-sauce