Barbecue pastechi • pasties with smoked pork cheek as a filling

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Every now and then great ideas arise out of necessity. And I think these arebarbecue paste', or 'smoked pork cheek pastechi' is a fine example of that. You make them with a filling of slowly smoked pork cheeks. That makes them a bit sweet and they really have that authentic barbecue taste.

You can make this pastechi in advance and freeze it. When you want to eat them, they can be frozen and fried in the hot oil. Our freezer is now full of it, because it has become a real favorite here at home. How did that happen? Let me tell you…

Pork Belly – is that a joke?

No really! Pork cheeks. I bought them from an online butcher a while ago, because I had heard very good stories about them before. Apparently there is a very nice piece of meat in the cheeks of the pig. Well drained, nice red in colour. And no 'weird structure' like organ meat, but just a very nice piece of muscle. If I were to describe it, I'd say it tastes like spare ribs, but without the bone. Easy.

So I bought a kilo of it and I put it on the barbecue. After hours of smoking and then slow stewing, they were ready. Perfect pulled pork with a nice smoky bbq taste. Only a kilo is not that much after preparation. Certainly not if you have guests the next day and are therefore with a group of 9 (mostly children by the way, so entirely in accordance with the measures ... before you want to send a BOA at me) 😉

barbecue bbq smoked pork cheek pork belly antillean pastechi recipe

We're going to hide that meat

No problem, of course, we're just going to hide that meat somewhere, so that it looks more like. Think a little bit economically! And so the idea for this barbecue pastechi was born. In hindsight, the flesh of the 'pork cheek'Maybe even better that way. With a crispy dough jacket and then that smoky barbecue pulled pork on the inside. Very good, just!

Will you be making this pastechi (or just the filling) soon? Make sure that the barbecue is not too hot! For best results, the meat may be smoked slowly and then cooked in the pan. That last piece can also be used on the barbecue, but it is not necessary. You can also put the pan on the gas stove or in the oven. As long as it happens slowly.

This recipe is for 20-25 (small) pastechi.

Ingredients:

for the meat

1 kg pork cheeks, skins removed
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tl paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tl ginger powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste

for the sauce

200 ml apple juice
100 ml Sherry or dry white wine
50 gr raisins
1 (small) onion, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
3 el vinegar
3 tbsp brown sugar or cane sugar
salt, pepper and hot pepper to taste

for the dough

500 gr wheat flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag / 16 gr baking powder
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 egg, jammed
200 ml water

Preparation barbecue pastechi

We start, of course, by preparing the meat. That takes a few hours, so let's get started quickly! Remove the membranes from the bottom of the pork cheeks and place in a bowl with the oil and spices. Marinate the meat in this and let it stand for at least half an hour.

Then light the barbecue or smoker On. It is important that the meat is smoked slowly. Do you have a thermometer in the barbecue? Then go for a temperature between 80 and 120 degrees. Place the meat on the grid and let it smoke for an hour at a low temperature. Some extra wood between the coals is of course the best!

After this hour you can put the pieces of meat in a (cast iron) frying pan. Now add all the ingredients of the 'sauce' and cover the pan with a layer of aluminum foil. Let the meat cook slowly in the liquid. This is allowed on the barbecue, but also on the fire or in the oven. After about 2 hours of slowly stewing, the meat will fall apart into threads and your filling is ready. Is the filling still too moist? Then leave the pan on the fire without foil for a while, so that it can evaporate.

Finally, mash the meat very finely with two forks or a potato masher. Allow the filling for the barbecue pastechi to cool to room temperature while you make the dough.

Making dough for pastechi

Place all ingredients — except the water — in a bowl and mix well. Then add the water little by little and knead into a smooth dough. Is the dough too sticky? Then you can add some extra flour. Is it just too dry? Then add some water!

If you knead with a food processor, 3 minutes is enough. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes.

Once you've kneaded the dough, let it rest under plastic wrap for 30 minutes. This makes it nice and soft and it will be easy to roll out later.

Then roll out the dough until it is about 3 millimeters thick. Then cut circles out of the dough. This will soon be the pastechi.

Fill each circle of dough with a tablespoon of the filling. Brush the edges of the circle with some water and fold the dough in half. Finally, press the edges of the pastechi karni well with a fork.

TIP: You can also use a pastechi former for this. I find that much more convenient myself. This way the pastechi will all be exactly the same size. We use the following set at home - it's not expensive and you immediately have 4 different sizes! You can also immediately use the bottom of the shape to cut out the circles. Useful!

When you've filled all the pastechi, it's time to bake!

Preheat a deep-fat fryer or pan with oil to 170 degrees. Then fry the pastechi in the oil until golden. This will take about 5-7 minutes. Finally, let them cool on kitchen paper – Enjoy your meal!