Archive for the ‘Pork’ Category

These days it’s practically cliché to rant about one’s love for bacon. What’s that t-shirt I’ve seen guys wearing? “I’m a vegetarian except for bacon” or “I put bacon on my bacon.” Yeah, yeah, we get it. Bacon is delicious. I love it, you love it, we all make fun of vegans for pretending there is anything even remotely equivalent in their root vegetables.

Of course I love bacon. It’s not like bacon is Hootie and the Blowfish and I’m in 5th grade, pretending to like “Hold My Hand” trying to get my first kiss. Liking bacon is kind of like asking someone if they like music or sex.. or breathing air.

So I decided to try my hand at making some porky heaven of my own. As usual, I grossly underestimated the amount of work that the process would require. It is a bit of a production so let me put the disclaimer out there that one needs about a month of empty fridge space, a smoking device of some sort, and of course, several pounds of fresh pork belly. And good luck finding a 5 lb slab at Whole Foods, I’ve tried more than once.

Luckily, I was able to talk one of my bosses into ordering me a whole slab of pork belly as well as the freedom help myself to the pantry. The production is a bit of a pain, but the process is pretty simple: Rub meat with a cure mixture and store it in the fridge. Once the liquid has been leached out and the meat nice and firm, soak in warm water to mellow out the saltiness. Finally, and if possible (this I highly recommend to give it that extra flavor and help break down the protein), smoke the cured belly for several hours.

I went about trying to put together one of the more basic recipes out of Micheal Ruhlman’s Charcuterie, using only salt and sugar. The pink salt he recommends is helpful in helping to keep the fat from becoming rancid, but his timeline of 5-7 days in the cure I found to be way off the mark and I gave up on the pink salt after the first week. Granted, this was my first attempt, but I ended up having to cure 11 lbs for a solid 4 weeks , and I could have let it go for longer.

You see, I started off following his method to the letter, weighing all of my ingredients, adding a bit of garlic and crushed peppercorns, but all the liquid that came out just melted my cure right off. After five days I checked the slab and found it swimming in its own liquids. So I re-cured using only salt and sugar, and this time elevating the slab on a wire rack to keep it relatively dry. Again, tons of liquid leached out, the cure mix was soaked. Essentially, I found that every 5-6 days I needed to pull the bacon out of the pan, change out the cure for a fresh rub and regularly check the slab for firmness.

My advice is to keep the slab elevated on a rack of some sort for the first couple weeks until most of the liquid has been removed and then bury it in the cure mix to finish it off and get that nice firmness you want. I also plan to try to work in 5 lbs batches instead of a whole 10 lb slab to help cure more evenly and hopefully more quickly.

Next the slab needs a bath in warm water for about an hour or two. This is a step that I didn’t take and ended up wishing I had. I rinsed the cure off, but the water bath would have gone a long way to mellowing out the overwhelming salty, sweet flavor. The pre-smoked bacon tasted ok, but once you served it with say, eggs, you realized how ridiculously salty the pork was. At this point you can freeze the bacon and it will keep for months or a couple weeks in the fridge, or…

Smoke that sucker. To me bacon isn’t really bacon without that smoky flavor and I found that a hot smoke helped breakdown the meat so that once sliced and in a pan, the bacon just melts in your mouth. I sliced mine to fit in my bullet (about 7 lbs) and smoked it for about 3 hours at around 160 degrees Fahrenheit tossing in soaked wood chips every 30-45 minutes. Keep in mind that in order for the smoke to stick to the meat, the belly needs to be dry, so taking the slab from the bath to the smoker is NOT a good idea. Dry the meat the best you can and let the meat cook under low heat for 30 minutes or so before adding the smoke chips. Ideally letting the slab air-dry for a couple days in the fridge would get you the best results.

Finally, and I know this is extremely tempting after all this effort, don’t slice into the belly right after it’s been smoked! Don’t get me wrong, those bites you slice off will be euphoric orgasims of smoky, salty, fatty porkiness, but then the belly is going to leak out all the juices and fat you’ve been working so hard to create. I sliced small bite off of mine, and almost wept when I saw the fat continue to ooze out 15 minutes later.

In the end, my bacon didn’t really taste like any bacon I’ve ever had before. Still not sure if that’s good or bad. It was however, unquestionably bacon. The salt hits you over the head and then an unexpected sweetness rounds out the flavor. I did get as much smokiness as I wanted, but the post-smoked bacon dissolves on your tongue much better than the pre-smoked slab. Like cotton candy bacon.. now there’s an idea. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the experiment. A new belly has already been ordered. Now it’s time to start all over again.

I really shouldn’t be surprised that a lot of people were a little grossed out by my photos of the butchered heritage hog from Cochon 555.  While the post about Cochon focused on the food and the chefs, the gang over at Endless Simmer encouraged me to post some of the more “explicit” photos on their site for all the world to enjoy. I was thrilled that they were as excited as I was about the demonstration, but as I indicated before, reactions were mixed.

Now I can appreciate people not caring to see this part of the cooking process.  It’s sometimes a hard truth that something has to die in order for us to enjoy the foods we love and consumer everyday.  To feel some note of compassion for the slain animal is normal and healthy.  But to me, the more I learn about the animals we eat and their anatomy, the more respect I develop for those ingredients.  It’s an animal, not another processed, prepackaged ingredient I get at any grocery store. The steak or chop stops being just some cut of meat, and I can see it as part of a larger picture, as something that has a little story behind where it came from.  My appreciation grows the more hands on I can be with the ingredients. And this applies across the board: growing veggies, filleting fish, or seeing first hand where a tenderloin comes from.  I love this stuff, I geek out to this stuff, and if it grosses my friends out a little bit, even better.

So I figured I’d throw the whole breakdown out there and let God the Internet sort it out. The following pictures aren’t bloody, there are no guts being thrown around, but if you enjoy the ignorant bliss of not knowing where your favorite piggie parts originate from, this post may not be for you.  If however, you’re like me, and would love nothing more than to try your hand at breaking down a whole pig, then by all means enjoy the photos after the jump.

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You know, there are days when I question the merits of running a food blog.  It’s a time consuming, frustrating, often unappreciated process. Juggling HTML code, photography, cooking and writing can consume a considerable amount of one’s time. Sometimes it’s bit too similar to real job than I’d prefer my hobbies become.  This is natural I suppose, especially when you have to turn down a happy hour with friends.  But then, once and a while, you have a day like last Sunday.  Or more specifically, when Foodbuzz hooks you up with free tickets to check out an event you’d normally wouldn’t be able to afford.  So from here on out, when I start balling up my fist and shaking it furiously my computer, I’ll just lean back in my chair, close my eyes and think back to Cochon 555.

Cochon 555 got it’s start down in Atlanta as a benefit to showcase local chef skills, ecofriendly farm raised animals, and to help raise awareness for ICompassion.  I was really lucky to have a chance to attend as well as bring a few friends.  With a $125 price tag per ticket this was a luxury all of us would probably pass on despite the fact FIVE different top notch DC chefs compete with a whole pig Iron Chef style.  Oh and did I mention wine?  Well, that’s intentional.  After Vintage Virgina I was a bit drained on wine note taking, but I took more issue with the fact that most of the wines were flown in from California.  What the fuck?!  This fact was made all the more annoying given that I had just spent the entire day before surrounded by 50 local wineries.  But this event was all about pig, and by god Cochon 555 did not disappoint on that promise.

Featuring Brian McBride’s team from Blue Duck Tavern, RJ Cooper of Vidalia, Nicholas Stefanelli of Mio, Jamie Leeds from Commonwealth Gastropub and John Manolatos of  Cashion’s Eat Place, Cochon 555 very much delivered on showcasing some diverse, local culinary talent.

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What better filler is there to complement a BBQ than cornbread?  It’s easy, tasty, and matches perfectly with anything you eat without utensils.  Depending on where you grew up the type of cornbread you were exposed to may vary.   I’m a regional mutt so I had a taste of both the sweeter, cakelike Northern variation as well as the crumbly, salty Southern style.  And I really dig on both when done well. 

Lately I’ve been trying recreate a version I have fond memories of growing up.  And I’ve failed..  a lot.. each failure closer and more tasty to what I’ve been shooting for but fail none-the-less.  Oh don’t get me wrong, as a result of my missteps I can make some damn tasty cornbread, but that adored variation I’m secretly terrified was just Jiffy mix is a mystical and allusive bitch. 

Creating a moist, delicate texture as well as having that corny flavor while balancing sweet, salty and savory tastes is worth a few dozen more tries.  Until I’ve perfected this seemingly impossible cornbread, enjoy one of my favorite “southwest style” cornbread that’s just brilliant in a cast iron skillet. 

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Why the hell would you be munching on shredded pork at 1 am you ask?  Well, my initial reaction would normally be, “I don’t understand the question and I won’t respond to it”, but I suppose another reason could be because you enjoy the Spanish style of eating dinner in the late evening.  Or maybe you take the initiative to prepare a large amount of pork and package it up for easy access when you’re so inclined.  Or you’re like me, you can grossly underestimate the amount of time it requires to braise down a whole pork shoulder while your friends happily hang out and drink all night until the food is ready.

Don’t get me wrong, braising is pretty dummy-proof even for me, but there is one tiny bit of calculation that needs to be factored into the process: the weight of the meat.

A good rule of thumb to consider with most tough cuts of meat is braising for a solid 3 hours for 3-4 lbs of meat, plus an extra hour for each additional pound.  You need at least 2-3 hours for even smoall cuts just to break the tissue down enough to tear apart easliy.  With this dish, we braised it at 350 degrees in the hopes of a slightly faster cooking time which turned out great, but I’d really recommend 300-325 degrees as the ideal temperature to set your oven.  You want that connective tissue to break down and dissolve into the meat to really give it that amazing melted texture.  Too hot or too cool, the connective tissue doesn’t break down properly and the meat remains chewy.  The braising liquid is best if fat skimmed off and reduced to thicken as a sauce.

Also, one good thing about the long cooking/drinking time was have a chance to throw some bottles around and coming up with new shot/cocktail.  Next time you’re looking for something to do with that Southern Comfort, cheap tequila and triple sec you’ve had sitting around collecting dust, pick up a can of guava juice.  Mix equal parts each spirit and juice, shake with ice and pour into shot glasses or martini glass.  Bonus points for adding a dash of whipped cream to an already very girlie shot.  Not the best cocktail for the scotch drinkers out there, but the cosmo drinkers of the world will not be disappointed.

Apologizes on the lack of photography on this post, it was not a sober evening.

Keep in mind that ingredients are very interchangeable and this recipe is more of a guideline.  You can vary the vegetables, braising liquid, seasonings to your liking.  The only thing i would add to this recipe is hotter peppers and/or some spices to give it some heat.

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 I really can’t think of a time when I didn’t want to make some paella.  There’s just not that many dishes that are as filling, flavorful, and satisfying as a good old fashioned paella.  I’ve been lucky enough to go on a few adventures that resulted in me eating the genuine article, homemade Spanish version of this dish complete with glasses of gazpacho and lively conversation.  It’s just an immensely social and gratifying dish and I can’t think of a better way of starting spring than sitting around outside with friends, drinks in hand, and tearing into a big skillet of this crispy rice wonder.

That being said, paella is very easy to make, but kinda tricky to make right.  I say that because the actual process of sauteing some veg and throwing some seafood in to cook with the rice isn’t difficult;  it’s basically just making a stir fry.  A true paella, which it’s crispy layer of rice on the bottom (called socarrat), saffron flavored rice and variety of ingredients takes a little effort to get right.  You can literally make paella a thousand different ways, there’s no solid rules on that.  But in my mind a big part of the challenge behind this dish properly is getting that rice texture and flavor right.

There’s plenty of easy shortcuts to make a great paella, but the genuine article is really worth the small degree of extra effort.  I’ll touch on a couple of shortcuts in the post for those that are just looking to cook a tasty dinner.

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AMF’s goal has always been to post quality recipes and techniques that have been tested and taste delicious.  But on my most recent epicurean adventure, it was such an epic fail for reasons that I still don’t really understand, that it deserves a post of it’s own, if for no other reason then to warn others of my not so obvious mistakes.

So the great Pork Belly Failure of 2009 will live on in infamy simply because I really couldn’t salvage anything from this dish.  Only getting few morsels of decent meat resulted in me having to steal a hotdog from my roommate and forgo a more satisfying meal.  Live and learn I guess.

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Now I know it’s sacralege to even infer ribs made in the oven and not over indirect wood burning heat are comparable in any way.  I wouldn’t argue that.  Ten years growing up in South Carolina was a sound education for anyone interested in BBQ.  But I will say that any ribs slow cooked after being rubbed all over with a variety of spices coated with a dash of your favorite BBQ sauce is still one of the most savory and delisious meals you can make whether it come out of your oven, off your grill, or from a home made fire pit!  A little planning and there’s no excuse not to play with some  ribs.

I’ve never made ribs before, but if you have a constant heat source and a few basic spices you can make yourself some fall off the bone deliciousness that you’ll want to tear apart with your bare hands and savor every ounce of flavor.  This may be my new favorite cut of meat to play with.  The only draw back is the need to prep and the 3 hour cooking time.  But other than that it’s pretty hard to mess up.  Plenty of recipes sure to come, but for now, what I did yesterday afternoon..

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Yeah, fuck it.  I’ve been working on this fucking site for over a month and I’m sick of dicking around.  Awesome episode of top chef and nothing but good company.  Fuck it.  I thought it would be a good night for something, and it’s too damn nice in DC to not be grilling.  Here’s the meal.  Enjoy.  We loved it.

All I could think about was pork walking home so after a quick call to a friend i picked up a some pork loin (both sliced and whole) and a bit of mustard.  Green beans were easy and there i was, home after 10 minutes ready to throw my gnocchi in with the dish.

Spice rub of (SC spices) with a generous helping of cayenne pepper and Chinese five spice.  After a mustard rub and a rub of the spices a touch of olive oil and were off.  2o minutes after the rub on the grill four ways and on the plate with g nocchi and greenbeans.

Greanbeans was in deep pan with cup of chicken stock and extra salt/pepper.  A 1/2 lbs. of greenbeans laid out and 2o minutes later we’re good.

Gnocchi is a whole other story…