The captain's planked Red Stripe roast rack of pork

I am a big fan of having a few shots followed by a beer chaser. It is
my preferred way of consuming. Many days, while in Jamaica, I found
myself having a few shots of rum, then washing them down with a frosty
cold one.

I came up with this recipe while I lounged on the beach
with my wife. I really don't tan, so lounge is a better description of
what I do. One time, the folks from Greenpeace came rushing by to see if
it was a beached whale on the sand. Needless to say, it was me. I told
them to go away, and went back to eating pork and drinking beer.

Hey, when you're on vacation, the only activism should be the activity of drinking beer. It's a beer-cation!

Ingredients

• One 12x6-inch (30x15 cm) maple grilling plank, approximately 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) thick, soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour
• Meat thermometer
• Spray bottle of water
• One Frenched rack of pork (3-4 lb/1.5-2kg)
• One bottle Red Stripe (12 oz/330 ml)
• 2tsp rum flavour extract
• 2oz spiced rum
• 1tbs kosher salt
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1tsp crushed red chillies
• 1/2tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Two sprigs fresh thyme
• One cinnamon stick, 1 inch (2.5 cm)
• 15 long cinnamon sticks, each 6 inches (15cm) long
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Place rack of pork in a large self-sealing plastic bag. In a bowl, stir together Red Stripe, rum flavour extract, kosher salt, garlic, chilies, pepper, thyme, and short cinnamon stick.

Seal bag, turning bag and gently massaging rack to evenly coat. Place bag in a large bowl, refrigerate and let brine, turning occasionally to evenly brine, for 48 hours.

Preheat grill to medium (350-450°F/180-230°C). Drain rack of pork, discarding leftover brine, and pat dry with paper towels.

On centre plank on grill arrange even layer of cinnamon sticks. Season rack of pork to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Place meat on flat sides of cinnamon sticks. Close lid and plank-roast, checking occasionally to ensure plank has not caught fire, until meat is moist and juicy and reaches an internal temperature of 150-160°F (65-72°C) for medium to medium-well. (Note: If plank catches fire, extinguish with bottle of water.)

Remove planked rack of pork from grill. Tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. (This allows meat to retain its juices when it's sliced.) Serves 6

The Professor's pairing notes

The sugary body of the rum should bring out some of the sweetness of the beer. You should also look for the little tad of spice in the meat to be cut by the crisp finish of the Red Stripe. We all know pork as the other white meat, and should probably match a good lager with it - hence, the Red Stripe.

Chef Ted Reader was one of the many chefs that participated in the recent Epicurean Escape. He is a Canadian chef and author of several cookbooks and a line of sauces and products, called Ted's World Famous BBQ. He is a graduate of George Brown College's culinary management programme.