I highly recommend a non-enameled cast iron dutch oven for this recipe (minimum capacity of 4.5 quarts).
Ingredients
~1.5lb of cut up pork. Boston butt, cushion, or temple (head cutlets) work great for this.
~1lb of smoked pork sausage cut into rounds
1lb (2.5 cups) of Long grain rice
5 cups of low sodium chicken or pork stock
2 medium onions, chopped (~3 cups)
1 Bell Pepper, chopped (optional)
Hot Sauce (optional)
Cooking oil
Spices: 1/2 tsp red pepper, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 TBSP garlic powder
Directions:
Pour just enough cooking oil into the dutch oven to cover the bottom and heat over medium-medium high heat. Dust the pork with some of the spice mix, then brown in the oil. This is probably the most critical step in the recipe. Let the meat stick to the pot, then stir and repeat until browned very well. The fond from browning the pork makes most of the flavor and all of the color in this dish. A good dark (not burnt) fond will be key. The bottom of the pot and pork should look like the picture below when done. Remove the pork from the oil/pot and set aside.
Add the sausage to the pot and brown lightly. Remove and set aside.
Add the onions/bell peppers to the oil, and any left over spice mix. My fond color is usually where I want it when I'm done with the sausage. I usually deglaze with a dash of water right after adding the onions/peppers. Just make sure to deglaze before the fond burns. Don't be afraid to add a little water any time during the browning process to cool the pot down if necessary. Cook the water out and and brown the onions until they are caramelized.
Add the sausage and pork back to the pot with the onions. Add the stock. Add all the stock and bring to a boil. Note the level in the pot at this point (I make a mental mark on my spoon). Cut back the heat and simmer for ~30minutes (longer if using wild game to get the meat tender).
Oil/foam will begin to pool on top of the liquor. Remove by skimming and discard as much of this as possible. It will mess up the rice if too much oil is left in. Taste the liquor at this point. The liquor should be a little salty (like the sea) and have a good kick of pepper (kick in the back of throat). This is where you add more spice if needed. Once the 30 minutes are up, the spices are where you want them, and the oil is skimmed, bring the pot back to the previous noted level using water.
Bring the pot to a rolling boil. Add the rice and bring the pot back up to a rolling boil ASAP. Boil the pot for ~8-10 minutes uncovered stirring often. The rice will have absorbed a good bit of liquor at this point. Put the lid on, and cut the heat down to low. Do not open the lid for any reason for 25 minutes! After 25 minutes open the lid and turn the rice (don't stir, try to fold the rice over). Put the lid back on, turn the heat off and let it sit for 15 minutes. Now it is ready to eat.
