Blue Apron’s Triple Pork Mazemen: What Works and What Doesn’t

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pork mazemen blue apron

A Blue Apron Experiment: Navigating the Pork Mazemen Experience (Not Sponsored)

Hey, I gotta tell you—I put my money where my mouth is for this one. Yup, not a sponsored post; I paid for this Blue Apron trial with my hard-earned dough!

blue apron pork recipe

Let’s Cook!

Diving Into the Triple Pork Mazemen

On the inaugural night of my Blue Apron adventure, I couldn’t resist choosing the triple pork mazemen. The picture alone was quite enticing, and let’s face it, who could pass up an ethnic-themed dish?

I was optimistic going into dinner. My fam has given Blue Apron two thumbs up, so I thought, “Hey, it’s gotta be good, right?” Fun fact though: No onions in this recipe, even though the pic suggested otherwise. A missed opportunity, if you ask me—onions would’ve added an extra layer of goodness.

blue apron pork ingredients

Oops, We’re Out of Foil

Now, here’s where things started to get interesting. I went to grab some foil for roasting the garlic, and—darn it—there was none left! Totally on me for not being ready. So, a quick pivot was needed: roasting the garlic at a lower temperature without foil. Just like that, I was veering away from the challenge rules, which called for following the recipe to a T.

blue apron roasting garlic

One of the nicest things about following Blue Apron recipes is using their online recipe to see exactly how to prep every ingredient. However, sometimes this feature doesn’t come through with the physical copy, so I definitely recommend checking out the online version when in doubt on how to make a specific component of the dish – like peeling and mincing garlic.

aromatics for blue apron recipe

Hmmm, Something’s Off Here

Here’s where I began scratching my head even more. First, the recipe recommended using olive oil to fry the bacon. Olive oil? Yeah, it led to sputtering and splattering bacon fat—big yikes. Also, they told me to cook the diced bacon for three to four minutes at their temperature guide, which is usually medium-high or high. Spoiler: I ended up with bacon bits that were more like charcoal bits.

frying garlic in oil

Then came the confusing step of adding the aromatics—think ginger and garlic chives—straight into the same skillet as the raw pork. To me, that felt backward. Swapping the order might have really amped up those flavors.

seasoning pork with aromatics

Noodles to the Rescue

The best part of this dish? Absolutely the noodles. They slurped up all the leftover sauce, which had a transformative effect on the flavor. The demi glace? Not so much my thing.

assembling the dish

In Hindsight

The triple pork mazemen has its fans. After perusing some Chef Tips online, I found out that Blue Apron has tweaked this recipe a bit over the years. Would I try it again? Maybe, but with a few personal touches like more bacon, garlic, ginger, and yes, onions. But given the trial’s “follow the recipe exactly” rule, I’m not sure I’d roll the dice on this one next time.

pork mazemen from blue apron

Here’s What You Need

For those curious about trying this recipe out for yourself, you can check out the full recipe on Blue Apron’s website.

The Final Scoop

Alright, Hungry People, let’s put a bow on this. While the triple pork mazemen had its ups and downs, it was a valuable learning experience. Would I reorder this particular Blue Apron dish? Eh, I’m on the fence. But hey, that’s what cooking trials are for, right? Experimenting, learning, and figuring out what tickles your taste buds and what doesn’t. Keep on cooking and until next time, stay hungry!