Leftovers

Went back to pick up the rest of my gear from the gig this weekend (by the end of it, I was way too tired to pack up the truck).  I hurt in places I didn't know I had, but it's a good hurt.  Everyone left happy and I'm still basking in the afterglow. 

But enough about me, let's talk about leftovers.  No matter how good an estimator you are, no matter how accurate the guest count is, and no matter whether all the predicted guest show up (with no suprise additions), when you're doing a buffet you're going to have leftovers.  Part of it is basic planning technique (add 10% to your quantities when doing a buffet to accommodate people that don't show offset by people who go through the line multiple times), part of it is psychological:  An empty or near empty steam tray will empty even slower as no one wants to be the one to take the last serving of anything.  Well, almost anything:  I've seen people fight over the last cookie but completely pass up the last baby-back rib.  Weird.

The bottom line is this:  when you're done, you're going to have extra food.  What do you do with it?  For those of you screaming "donate" I have a word of caution:  not all charitable organizations who accept food will accept all kinds of food.  If it's cooked at a private party, probably not (many have rules about the production facilities), for health and safety reasons.  Just bear that in mind.

If you end up taking it home, and I can't bear to see good BBQ go to waste, you are then faced with the challenge of what to do with it.  Either eat it as is for as along as you have to, or get creative.  I opt for the latter.

I'm starting to fade now (long day), but I'll leave you with a quick and dirty recipe for BBQ hash.  I made it this morning for breakfast and it was wonderful.  The idea is to use the BBQ pork as a bacon substitute, so think about other recipes using bacon that might benefit from a change up to smoked pork.

BBQ Breakfast Hash

Put a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat with a little olive oil.

While it's heating, dice up a medium potato and a quarter of an onion.  Make the potato dice smaller than the onion (this helps to even out the cooking time).  Rinse the potato to wash off some of the excess starch, pat dry, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and your favorite herbage (I like to use a little Mrs. Dash).

Add the potato to the hot skillet and saute for a few minutes to start the browning process.  When it starts to brown and is soft when you poke a piece with a knife, add the onion and a half cup of pulled or chopped smoked pork.  Saute for a little longer.  We're not trying to completely cook down the onion, just soften it a bit and give it a little color.  The pork will lend it's fat to the browning process as it heats through.  When the onion's barely soft and the pork is warmed through (and may have some nice crispy bits), plate, cover and set aside.

Crack two eggs into the skillet and cook to your preference, plate on top of the hash.  Alternatively, you could mix the egg in the skillet with the other ingredients (the "breakfast scramble"), or if you're really lazy, crack the eggs in on top of the hash, cook on the stove top for a couple minutes then put under the broiler to finish.

Eat!

G'Nite, Internets.