Solar Cooking Pulled Pork and Baked Beans

An uneventful day of solar cooking. I made some old favorites; pulled pork and baked beans. I forgot to soak the beans so I had to get up early and use the quick soak method, boiling the beans for a couple of minutes then letting them soak for an hour - that was the most exciting part. Even though the forecast said there'd be intervals of clouds and sun, the sun was out most of the time. We have enough left over for lunch tomorrow and we're going out for dinner; I guess I'll be baking if it's sunny.

BBQ Pork Riblets

 With not a cloud in the sky this morning my solar cooking blog was back in business. I found some pork riblets marked down at my local Fresh and Easy and since I still had a craving for ribs after throwing some out on Friday I snatched them up. I'd never heard of riblets before, but figured with a bit of spice rub and a few drops of liquid smoke I'd get a couple of pulled pork sandwiches out of them. And that I did. Not bad for $1.89 plus the cost of the buns.

This weeks forecast looks very promising. I should be able to cook something in my Sun Oven every day without any worries.

Camping with the Sun Oven

 We went camping for one night, and while there is some debate among my friends as to whether staying in a cabin is actually camping, that's what I'm calling it. So we didn't pitch a tent; we did bring our own linens, cook and eat outside, and use the nearby shower/restroom facilities. Really the cabin was nothing more than a hard sided tent.
Using the Sun Oven in this setting was mostly a question of preparation. The evening before I seasoned a small pork shoulder roast with a spice rub and wrapped it in plastic wrap. I also soaked some beans and chopped a bell pepper and onions. We got to the campsite just before noon, set up the Sun Oven and had our dinner cooking in no time. After an afternoon of hiking and enjoying the cooler temperatures-it's still in the 100's here in Phoenix-we enjoyed a relaxing picnic dinner.

With no t.v. or internet and only a flashlight to see by, we decided to call it an early night. I wanted to get up early to make breakfast in the Sun Oven. I didn't need an alarm clock, at 6:30 a.m. it was time to make a trip to the communal restrooms. When I got back the sun was just starting to peak over the trees. To use the Sun Oven to catch the early morning rays I remove the tray, turn it upside down and place a trivet, or in this case having forgotten to bring one, an upside down square pan, on the floor of the cooking chamber. By 7:00 the Sun Oven had reached 250º. Hot enough to cook some huevos rancheros. I took two small dark metal pans, coated them with cooking spray, then topped a corn tortilla with some beans left over from dinner and two eggs.

Sun Oven Dinner Party

The baked beans are bubbling and the pork is roasting. Everything is on track to be ready in time to bake a pan of macaroni and cheese while there's still enough sunshine. We're having guests for dinner and all of the cooked food is being prepared in the Sun Oven. Pulled pork is a dish - like chicken - that will get you hooked on solar cooking at first bite.

Solar Pulled Pork and Baked Beans

Pulled pork just might be one of the easiest and tastiest things to come out of the solar oven. All you have to do is trim the fat off a pork shoulder roast, rub it with a bbq spice mix, put in in a dark pot and place it in the solar oven. When the meat is fall apart tender, place it on a cutting board and shred it by pulling it apart with two forks. Serve it with your favorite bbq sauce. It's a great dish for a casual dinner with friends. It can be made a day in advance and gently reheated. The baked beans were made in the sun oven too. I used a recipe from epicurious.com. If you want to make both the beans and the pork on the same day you will need two pots that fit in the solar oven together. I am always on the look out for cookware that can be used for solar cooking. I found the two red pots in the picture at a thrift store.