Popcorn popper

Catamount popcorn popper, made in VT, borosilicate glass. Photos, review.

Done (scheduled)

Bionic Burger

1. YouTube video of Bionic Burger - supposedly some asshole kept a McD burger for a year and it was OMG EXACKTLY THE SAME when he found it in his closet
2. Matt Malmgren is the douchebag in question
3. "Immortal Burger" museum or something similar at TheBestDayEver.com.
4. BestDayEver is a pay site promoting a "raw food" diet.
5. Burger museum consists of nothing but a few photos and a link to the youtube movie.
6. Video shows bullshit list of chemicals supposedly in the fast food burger

This shit is ripe for debunking - should be worth an article.

Give link credit to Kuya's Kitchen on blogger.

Silken Raspberry Mousse

Recipe from here, originally.
We made changes.

Done & posted

Frosting the Turd

Reminder: go through Google's toybox later and see if there is anything that I can chuck into the sidebar to take up some room, provide epic lulz, and deliver great justice.

DONE. The only thing I could find was the "Culinary Term of the Day" by CIA. Kind of classy, but kind of basic too. Think I'll check every now and then to see if there's anything new.

Pig Roast

1. Pig roast post is done & edited & staged for 8/30 with a pic of the pig in the pit and Sr. R. chopping the carcass with that awesome goddamned cane knife.
2. Next: Choose the best of the pictures of the partying - maybe a shot of Rick and the band? and put it in at the bottom of the post.
3. I'd really like to get the photo of the pig head on the spit in there somewhere, but the way it's laid out right now is pretty close to perfect and there's no way to get that pic in without a hell of a lot of monkeying around, so I guess that photo will be a Foodbuzz exclusive

Pig roast post is done and the head photo is up on FB; no other photos really go well with the layout and the subject of the post, so this one is put to bed.

Martinis

How about an essay about how people are fucking up martinis with vodka?

Reminder

Download the photos from Roberta's pig roast.

Done. Photos are on Flickr.

Formatting

The more recipes I put on the blog and enter into the recipe index sidebar, the longer the sidebars are going to be. I think I'm going to make an early-dated blog entry filled with links for the recipes, and then link to that single page from the sidebar. It should make the blog look a lot cleaner.

(Not going to do this until after the Foodbuzz traffic study is done with, though, or until I have the next couple weeks' worth of posts scheduled.)

Smoking Bluefish

1. Brining
2. Pellicle
3. Smoker
4. Results
   

Scrapple Timeline

Jim Weller of Yellowknife NWT passed along a recipe for "Chili Scrapple" from a 1936 Texas cookbook. It was interesting enough that I tried it, and I'm glad I did, because it was delicious. I'm including the recipe in the Scrapple series on the Cupboard next week, but I want to preserve the Fidonet messages that document the process:

From:	JIM WELLER	Number:	83965
To:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Date:	3/10/2008 11:16 PM
Subject:	Re: Weather vs Location	Reference:
Read:	3/11/2008 6:20 AM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

-=> Quoting Dave Sacerdote to Jim Weller <=-  JW> Ottawa got 19 more inches for a total of 13 1/2
JW> feet this winter, second snowiest year on record.

DS> It's a winter just like the ones we used to get when I was a kid
DS> (and I have the photos to prove it.)

I remember it well. I grew up in a snow belt. Drifts up to the eaves
of the pig barn in the 50's so I could sled right down from the roof
peak. Ottawa's snowiest year of all was in 1977 with over 14 feet of
accumulation ending with two 20 inch March storms a week apart. My
first year up here I didn't mind the -40 temps as it was too damned
cold to snow and I didn't have to shovel the drive.

I came across this weird but probably tasty recipe while looking for
something else:

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

Title: Chili Scrapple
Categories: Meats, Chilies, Historical
Servings: 8

1 lb meat
1 1/2 qt boiling water
1    onion
2 c  tomatoes
1 T  salt
1 T  Gebhardt's Chili Powder
2 c  corn meal
1 c  cold water

Either beef, veal or pork may be used in this recipe.   Boil the
meat in the water until tender (about 1 and 1/2 hours).  Remove meat
and run through meat grinder with the onions.  Measure meat stock
and add enough water to make five cups of liquid: combine with
ground meat, onions, tomatoes, seasonings and cornmeal moistened
with the cold water.  Simmer 15 minutes or until ingredients are
tender and mixture thick. Pour into greased bread pan to cool. Slice
about one-fourth inch thick, roll in flour and saute in hot fat
until golden brown in color.  Serve hot with chili sauce.

Posted in: http://www.slashfood.com/

From: "Mexican Cookery For American Homes"
By: Gebhardt, San Antonio, Texas, 1936

MMMMM-------------------------------------------------


I know, there ain't no tomatoes in scrapple. [g]




Cheers

YK Jim

---

From:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Number:	83991
To:	JIM WELLER	Date:	3/11/2008 10:58 AM
Subject:	Chili Scrapple	Reference:
Read:	3/11/2008 9:15 PM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:	Add Sender Add Recipient	View Mode:	Standard Text Headers

JW> I came across this weird but probably tasty recipe while
JW> looking for something else:

JW> Title: Chili Scrapple
JW> 1 T  Gebhardt's Chili Powder

JW> I know, there ain't no tomatoes in scrapple. [g]

Well, I'll defend clam chowder against tomatoes, but in that
particular scrapple recipe it seems like it would be OK.
There's plenty of precedent, what with polenta and tomato
sauce and corn chips and salsa.  And beef, veal, and pork all
go pretty well with tomatoes.

The liquid balance seems right, too.  I think I'd be more
concerned about the additional water from the tomatoes making
the scrapple too loose to set up well, but I think with just
one cup of water to the two cups of tomatoes it should be a
pretty good set.

You know what concerned me more than any of that?  The fact
that there's only one tablespoon of chili powder in it.  Talk
about seasonings getting lost in the mix!

Anyway, I'm saving out that recipe because it looks like
something I might have to try just for the hell of it.  I've got
the last remainders of a whole pork shoulder that can provide
the meat, so maybe I can get to it in a day or so.  I'll post
results later.

---

---

From:	JIM WELLER	Number:	84060
To:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Date:	3/12/2008 10:36 PM
Subject:	Re: Chili Scrapple	Reference:
Read:	3/13/2008 11:28 AM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

-=> Quoting Dave Sacerdote to Jim Weller <=- JW> Title: Chili Scrapple
JW> 1 T  Gebhardt's Chili Powder

DS> (tomatoes) in that
DS> particular scrapple recipe it seems like it would be OK.

I think it just might be.

DS> there's only one tablespoon of chili powder in it.

Well remember that this was back in 1936 in a cook book for white
folks.

DS> Anyway, I'm saving out that recipe because it looks like
DS> something I might have to try just for the hell of it.

I have half a mind to too. If you do it first let me know how it
turned out.


Cheers

YK Jim

---

From:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Number:	84151
To:	JIM WELLER	Date:	3/15/2008 12:11 AM
Subject:	Chili Scrapple	Reference:	None
Read:	3/15/2008 1:17 PM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

I made up a batch of that chili scrapple.  Although I won't be
frying up some slices until tomorrow, I can tell you from tasting
the mush that it isn't all that bad.

It's kind of like a pleasantly flavored corn chip.  I used some
wicked overripe tomatoes that have been in the fridge since I bought
them already old and on markdown last week (soft, but full of flavor
and perfect for cooking.)  The only deviation from the recipe was the
tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper I added to give it a kick
(and even that was fairly well absorbed by the volume of stuff.)

Anyway, I'll let you know more sometime tomorrow after I have
a chance to have breakfast.

---

---

From:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Number:	84155
To:	JIM WELLER	Date:	3/15/2008 12:17 PM
Subject:	CS	Reference:	153846
Read:	3/15/2008 1:17 PM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

Notes follow the recipe.

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

Title: Chili Scrapple
Categories: Meats, Chilies, Historical
Servings: 8

  1 lb meat
1 1/2 qt boiling water
  1    onion
  2 c  tomatoes
  1 T  salt
  1 T  Gebhardt's Chili Powder
  2 c  corn meal
  1 c  cold water

Either beef, veal or pork may be used in this recipe.   Boil the
meat in the water until tender (about 1 and 1/2 hours).  Remove meat
and run through meat grinder with the onions.  Measure meat stock
and add enough water to make five cups of liquid: combine with
ground meat, onions, tomatoes, seasonings and cornmeal moistened
with the cold water.  Simmer 15 minutes or until ingredients are
tender and mixture thick. Pour into greased bread pan to cool. Slice
about one-fourth inch thick, roll in flour and saute in hot fat
until golden brown in color.  Serve hot with chili sauce.

Posted in: http://www.slashfood.com/

From: "Mexican Cookery For American Homes"
By: Gebhardt, San Antonio, Texas, 1936

MMMMM-------------------------------------------------

I had the shank end of a fresh pork shoulder along with the entire
bone; this was left over from a couple weeks of hacking off pork for
various recipes.  I chucked the whole thing, skin and all, into the
pressure cooker with the 1 1/2 quarts of water and cooked it until
completely falling off the bone, about 2 hours.

I finely chopped the onion in the Cuisinart, then added the meat,
rendered gristle, and skin to process it all into ground meat.

Meanwhile, I brought the 5 cups of broth to a boil and added the
tomatoes, cooking them until soft, the stirred in the meat mixture,
then added the spices (with an additional tablespoon of ground
pepper) and the moistened cornmeal.  It took about 20 minutes to
cook it until very thick.

It set up well, but was a little wet when sliced.  No matter, it
fried up beautifully with a crisp brown skin outside and creamy
cornmeal-porky goodness inside.  The seasonings were not spicy, just
very savory, and the flavor reminded me of a sundried-tomato
flavored corn chip.  I ate mine dressed with Bruce Foods Red Rooster
Louisiana Hot Sauce.

Good find, Jim.  It's a keeper, and I will definitely be making this
again.  I encourage you to try it - it's great.

---

---

Gebhardt's Chili Powder is now made by ConAgra.

So Monday I go to check out the Notebook here and I find that it's been unpublished by Google and flagged as a spam blog. Damn. After I read up on Google's pages about what trips their radar, I realized why their bots flagged me.

Links.

The Whiskey Cured Bacon post used copies of Fido messages from a BBS called "Doc's Place" to trace the evolution of the recipe. Every one of the Fidonet messages I copypasta'd over from Doc's Place had a minimum of four links back to Doc's built into the headers. At Doc's, those links are aids to internal navigation. At Blogger, it smells like spam - that single post must have had over 100 links in it!

I requested a review, hoping that if a human checked out the blog they'd notice what was going on. Sure enough, this morning I found the Notebook back to normal and the locks lifted.

The first thing I did was edit that post to remove all the links from the copypasta. That way, the next time the bots crawl through this won't happen again. Nothing like learning the hard way!

More ideas.

1. Scrapple - I've got pix and notes for the Parks beef scrapple, but I need to develop a good article about scrapple history, flavors, and recipes. Might be good for a series. First page is done. Recipe page is in progress. First page and recipe page are completed. Hopefully I can get around to making some scrapple this weekend so I can take some photos of the process for a third post....Done and scheduled, last post appears 8/21
2. Lobster news - rearrange the knucklehead posts over the next few days, work in the lobster price drop. DONE - Lobster post will appear on 8/15
   

Whiskey Cured Bacon

In May 2008, I published a blog entry about curing bacon with whiskey. Click here to go to that entry. That article was the culmination of more than a week of activity, documented on the Fidonet COOKING echo.

It started after a discussion of making bacon-infused booze. That inspired me to try making booze-infused bacon. A search of Google revealed that no one seemed to have tried it before (that was a bit of a surprise, actually.) Here's the message that started it off:

From:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Number:	87368
To:	MICHAEL LOO	Date:	5/13/2008 11:44 PM
Subject:	Suggest Something	Reference:
Read:	5/14/2008 4:17 PM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None

Anyway, the next bacon I make I want to use some kind of booze
cure.  I figure a few days in something nice like bourbon or
Kentucky sour mash, then smoke over chips made from retired
whiskey barrels.

So I'm open to suggestions.  Let's discuss.

Sweet:
Southern Comfort.  Gads, I hate that sticky-sweet swill, but it
might lend a good flavor to the bacon, the same way that honey does.
I have a full fifth I bought when I was in high school (never
opened) and a uncracked quart I bought last week at a tag sale
(no kidding.)

Amaretto.  The almondy flavor might be kind of pleasant.

Frangelico.  I'm not fond of hazlenuts but some people might like it.

Apple schnapps.  Is that going too far overboard?

Not Sweet:
Bourbon.  I think that this would be really good, especially if
I gave it an extra day or two in the liquor to really soak up the
flavor.

Kentucky Sour Mash:  Ditto to the bourbon, there isn't that much
difference.

Canadian:  This would likely to be pretty good as well.

Scotch:  For some reason, I can't reconcile the flavor of bacon and
scotch in my "mental tastebuds."

Rye:  Maybe.  I have less experience with rye whiskey than any other
booze.

---

The suggestions started coming in and led to a discussion about the various flavors of booze and how they might go with pork.

From:	RUTH HANSCHKA	Number:	87411
To:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Date:	5/14/2008 10:50 PM
Subject:	Suggest Something	Reference:
Read:	5/15/2008 5:40 AM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None

-> Anyway, the next bacon I make I want to use some kind of booze
-> cure. I figure a few days in something nice like bourbon or
-> Kentucky sour mash, then smoke over chips made from retired
-> whiskey barrels.
->
-> So I'm open to suggestions. Let's discuss.

Triple Sec? Oranges and bacon just belong together sometimes. I'm not
feeling rum somehow. I wonder what Kummel would do - caraway-smoked bacon
sounds good to me!

---

From:	MICHAEL LOO	Number:	87475
To:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Date:	5/15/2008 3:55 PM
Subject:	suggest something 314	Reference:	None
Read:	5/15/2008 5:23 PM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

DS> So I'm open to suggestions.  Let's discuss.

Okay. I'm against using sweet booze but would suggest perhaps
combining real Bourbon (or rum!) with say brown or maple sugar
to make a cure.

DS> Southern Comfort.

No! [shudder]

DS> I have a full fifth I bought when I was in high school (never
DS> opened) and a uncracked quart I bought last week at a tag sale
DS> (no kidding.)

eBay.

DS> Amaretto.  The almondy flavor might be kind of pleasant.
DS> Frangelico.  I'm not fond of hazlenuts but some people might like it.

Maybe, but there are probably foreign elements in those
sticky liqueurs.

DS> Apple schnapps.  Is that going too far overboard?

May be okay, but why not just fruitwood and a Bourbon-sugar
cure as above?

DS> Bourbon.  I think that this would be really good, especially if
DS> I gave it an extra day or two in the liquor to really soak up the
DS> flavor.

For sure.

DS> Kentucky Sour Mash:  Ditto to the bourbon, there isn't that much
DS> difference.

As I find sour mash (Jack Daniel's Tennessee notwithstanding)
not superior (mostly inferior) to regular Bourbon, I'd nix that.

DS> Canadian:  This would likely to be pretty good as well.

Probably.

DS> Scotch:  For some reason, I can't reconcile the flavor of bacon and
DS> scotch in my "mental tastebuds."

Nope. Agreed.

DS> Rye:  Maybe.  I have less experience with rye whiskey than any other
DS> booze.

Rye tastes too grassy.

As I said, I'd explore rum. Possibly sherry or Madeira. Anisette
might be a kick - I used to put it in my red-cooked pork when I
couldn't find star anise. What about infusing vodka with an herb
such as sage and using that?

---

From:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Number:	87477
To:	MICHAEL LOO	Date:	5/15/2008 5:57 PM
Subject:	suggest something 314	Reference:
Read:	5/16/2008 9:00 AM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

DS> Southern Comfort.

ML> No! [shudder]

I guess that would leave out Yukon Jack too, eh.  I thought of the
sweeter boozes because I thought I could skip on the sugar in the
cure and just go with the salt.

DS> I have a full fifth I bought when I was in high school (never
DS> opened) and a uncracked quart I bought last week at a tag sale
DS> (no kidding.)

ML> eBay.

No, it's on eBay's blacklist.  I'm sure someone will drink it
sometime.

The tagsale was cool - they had a big milk wire filled with bottles
of booze of varying stages of emptiness, but most all were very old
stuff (tax stamp era) and so were high proof and superior smoothness.
I bought the whole thing for ten bucks.


ML> Okay. I'm against using sweet booze but would suggest perhaps
ML> combining real Bourbon (or rum!) with say brown or maple sugar
ML> to make a cure.

I like that idea.  I think I'll stick with the more neutral brown
sugar and the bourbon, and then put it over whiskey barrel smoke.
The flavors will be complimentary.


ML> What about infusing vodka with an herb
ML> such as sage and using that?

I ruled out vodka because there are no intrinsic aromatics
that distinguish it.  Decent vodka has no flavor of its own.

---

From:	MICHAEL LOO	Number:	87601
To:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Date:	5/17/2008 12:52 AM
Subject:	suggest something 323	Reference:
Read:	5/17/2008 11:46 AM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

 DS> Southern Comfort.
ML> No! [shudder]
DS> I guess that would leave out Yukon Jack too, eh.  I thought of the
DS> sweeter boozes because I thought I could skip on the sugar in the
DS> cure and just go with the salt.

True, but why pay booze prices for sugar (and glycerin and other
thickeners too no doubt)?

ML> Okay. I'm against using sweet booze but would suggest perhaps
ML> combining real Bourbon (or rum!) with say brown or maple sugar
ML> to make a cure.
DS> I like that idea.  I think I'll stick with the more neutral brown
DS> sugar and the bourbon, and then put it over whiskey barrel smoke.
DS> The flavors will be complimentary.

I think this would succeed nicely.

DS> I ruled out vodka because there are no intrinsic aromatics
DS> that distinguish it.  Decent vodka has no flavor of its own.

Actually, I've discovered that what the pretentious-ass
conn-o-sewers say is right, and vodka does have some small amount
of flavor and individuality. It's true that the US Government
definition says that it is supposed to have no discernible taste,
aroma, or color, but in reality there's something there. Not
enough to justify wide disparities in price, of course. But why
not, if you're going to rely on it to bring flavors to your meat,
add some of your own? My current mind's nose thinks that a vodka
infused with thyme and, say, Santakas might be interesting both
on its own and in such a setting as your bacon cure.

---

From:	HAP NEWSOM	Number:	87478
To:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Date:	5/15/2008 6:03 PM
Subject:	RE: Suggest Something	Reference:	None
Read:	5/15/2008 8:52 PM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

HIya Dave!
->
-> Anyway, the next bacon I make I want to use some kind of booze
-> cure.  I figure a few days in something nice like bourbon or
-> Kentucky sour mash, then smoke over chips made from retired
-> whiskey barrels.
->
-> So I'm open to suggestions.  Let's discuss.
->
-> Sweet:
-> Southern Comfort.  Gads, I hate that sticky-sweet swill, but it
-> might lend a good flavor to the bacon, the same way that honey does.
-> I have a full fifth I bought when I was in high school (never
-> opened) and a uncracked quart I bought last week at a tag sale
-> (no kidding.)
->
-> Amaretto.  The almondy flavor might be kind of pleasant.
->
-> Frangelico.  I'm not fond of hazlenuts but some people might like it.
->
Hmmm, Perhaps Yukon Jack? It's about the same as
Southern Comfort though so you might just as well
avoid the expense.

-> Apple schnapps.  Is that going too far overboard?
->
I'd say so, but I don't like apple schnapps...I'd just as
soon use Jaegermeister (grin)!

-> Not Sweet:
-> Bourbon.  I think that this would be really good, especially if
-> I gave it an extra day or two in the liquor to really soak up the
-> flavor.
->
-> Kentucky Sour Mash:  Ditto to the bourbon, there isn't that much
-> difference.
->
-> Canadian:  This would likely to be pretty good as well.
->
-> Scotch:  For some reason, I can't reconcile the flavor of bacon and
-> scotch in my "mental tastebuds."
->
Many of the better scotches have a smokey peaty flavor that just
might go well with bacon. Perhaps a dark rum would work well?

The one I'd have doubts about the most would be Gin
Although a sweet vermouth might do well.
You could call it a bacontini (grin)

-> Rye:  Maybe.  I have less experience with rye whiskey than any other
-> booze.
->
(grin) There may be a good reason for that!
I have a friend who drinks Rye exclusively.
I asked him why, because he complains about
it often....his response was He know's he'll never
be a drunk...he can't stand to drink enough rye
to get hammered! (grin)
chat with you soon
hap 

---

From:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Number:	87484
To:	HAP NEWSOM	Date:	5/15/2008 9:04 PM
Subject:	RE: Suggest Something	Reference:
Read:	5/24/2008 11:14 PM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

HN> Hmmm, Perhaps Yukon Jack? It's about the same as
HN> Southern Comfort though so you might just as well
HN> avoid the expense.

I think I have a bottle of YJ around somewhere.  But I think
I've just about ruled out a sweet liquor like that.

HN> I don't like apple schnapps...I'd just as
HN> soon use Jaegermeister (grin)!

That's not a bad idea - the herbal notes in Jaegermeister might
be pretty good.

DS> Scotch:  For some reason, I can't reconcile the flavor of bacon and
DS> scotch in my "mental tastebuds."

HN> Many of the better scotches have a smokey peaty flavor that just
HN> might go well with bacon. Perhaps a dark rum would work well?

No, the Scotch just doesn't "taste" right.  Rum seems a decent idea
and you and Michael have both mentioned it; I may make two pieces
with an identical cure save that one will start with bourbon and
one with rum.

HN> The one I'd have doubts about the most would be Gin

I was thinking the juniper flavor would be a welcome addition
as long as it isn't too powerful.

DS> Rye:  Maybe.  I have less experience with rye whiskey
DS> than any other booze.

HN> (grin) There may be a good reason for that!
HN> I have a friend who drinks Rye exclusively.
HN> I asked him why, because he complains about
HN> it often....his response was He know's he'll never
HN> be a drunk...he can't stand to drink enough rye
HN> to get hammered! (grin)

LOL

---

From:	JIM WELLER	Number:	87618
To:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Date:	5/17/2008 12:32 AM
Subject:	Re: Suggest Something	Reference:
Read:	5/18/2008 12:24 PM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

 DS> Anyway, the next bacon I make I want to use some kind of booze
DS> cure.

Now that sounds more promising.

DS> So I'm open to suggestions.  Let's discuss.

I'd try a mix of Southern Comfort and Bourbon (or in my case Yukon
Jack and Rye.)

---

I had originally intended to discuss the flavorings for at least another few days with my associates on the Echo, but I stopped at the wholesale meat market a day after Jim's last message came in (I couldn't help myself; the store is right next door to the farmer's market where I went to buy plants for my garden.) I bought a whole pork belly that morning, and that afternoon posted the message that started documenting what became known as the Whiskey Cure:

From:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Number:	87686
To:	ALL	Date:	5/18/2008 1:35 PM
Subject:	Bacon Cures	Reference:	None
Read:	No	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

I was going to wait a couple more weeks before going into this, but
fate has forced my hand once again. [g]

I was at the Farmer's Market yesterday, buying seedlings for the garden,
and the wholesale/retail meat market was open next door.  I wandered in
and got a few things, including a nice cured/smoked whole beef brisket
labeled at Beef Bacon (ready to slice and use for kosher BLTs hahaha)
and...

...A WHOLE PIG BELLAH.

I'm psyched because up to now I've only been able to find pig belly
in small cuts. Sadly, this one doesn't have any rib bones on it, but
still - it's the whole side! About 13 pounds of bacon-on-the-hoof!

So, I'm going to be chunking it off into, perhaps, six two-pound-ish
blocks and making more bacon.  They will be smallish squares, but the
point here is to find a new and delicious flavor.

Ingredients:
Bourbon
Canadian Whiskey
Herbal Vodka
Southern Comfort
Standard Bacon Brine (recipe previously posted)

Wood:
Whiskey barrel chips
Apple
Hickory

Bacon varieties:

1. Two days in a straight bourbon marinade, then three days
in Standard Bacon Brine with the bourbon dumped in, too.
Smoke over whiskey barrel chips

2. Ditto with Canadian whiskey.

3. Ditto with Southern Comfort, but the Standard Brine will
have the sugar cut in half due to the sweetness of the
fratboy-pigswill marinade.

4. Two days marinating in the herbal vodka, then three days
in Standard Bacon Brine with the vodka and some additional
herbs tossed in (a little rosemary, some thyme, and a
bay leaf or two.)  Smoke over apple chips.

5. Two days in Canadian whiskey, then three days in Standard
Bacon Brine with the sugar and one cup of water replaced
by one cup of maple syrup. Smoked over apple chips.

6. Standard brine for four days, smoked over hickory. (Control.)

I'll be documenting everything with photos.


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From:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Number:	87817
To:	JIM WELLER	Date:	5/20/2008 1:42 PM
Subject:	Bacon Cures Update	Reference:
Read:	5/20/2008 9:18 PM	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

So last night, I hauled this enormous pig belly out of the fridge and laid it out on my biggest cutting board, where it hung over the edges by an inch or two on all sides. Pretty impressive. I cut into thirds across the width, and then cut each third in two for six approximately two-pound sections. A couple of the sections were a little thin at the ends, but all of them look pretty good, and there will be little waste because I generally keep the rind on even through smoking and frying the bacon itself.

Chunks of bacon were placed in cryovac pouches, booze was poured in, as much air as possible was pressed out, and the pouches were sealed. Not vacuum-sealed, mind you, because the vacuum apparatus tried to suck out the booze and the first attempt made a mess, with bourbon filling up the spill tray, splashing off the floor, and soaking the legs of my jeans. I will tell you this: The smell of pigblood and bourbon mixed is pretty disgusting. I hope the bacon smells better than that. [g]

I couldn't go with the original plan and use vodka, because there were no ready-made herbal infusions in the liquor stores I visited and with the pork already waiting in the refrigerator I didn't have the time to make my own. I'll try it another time; for now, I'm using rum, which was another recommended liquor.

For the most part, I used decent but not expensive liquor. Middle- of-the-road quality - I see no reason to use the fanciest most pricey liquors simply to flavor bacon, but I'm not about to ruin the stuff by using the rotgut store brands either. The lineup:

Bag 1: Two chunks in Canadian whiskey (Black Velvet.) One will later be cured with brown sugar, the other with maple sugar.

Bag 2: One chunk in bourbon (Jim Beam.)

Bag 3: One chunk in Southern Comfort. After pouring the liquor into the bag and swishing it around, I noticed a citrusy, almost orange note I had never detected in Comfort before, and thought that this bacon might be more interesting than I had given credit for previously.

Bag 4: One chunk in Bacardi white rum. I considered using some Bundy for this one, but decided that the overproof stuff wouldn't really be appropriate. Although I like the burn and the somewhat raw taste of Bundy to drink, I wanted something a little smoother for the bacon.

That left one chunk refrigerated as is until tonight as a control. Tonight I'll be starting it in a standard brine without any other experimental flavors so we can have a baseline comparison.

---

From:	DAVE SACERDOTE	Number:	88333
To:	ALL	Date:	5/28/2008 10:07 PM
Subject:	Whiskey-Cured Bacon	Reference:	None
Read:	No	Private:	No
Conference:	COOKING	Attachment:	None
AddressBook:		View Mode:

Recently, I tried an experiment in which I cured 2-pound slabs of
bacon in various liquors before putting them in my standard curing
brine and smoking them.

Originally, I had intended to use different smoke for a couple of
the slabs, but I decided it would be a better and fairer comparison
if all of the bacon was smoked over the same chips.

A few hours ago, all the bacon came out of the smoker and was set
on racks to cool.  When the bacon cooled, I trimmed a strip off of
each slab and Maryanne, Lynn, and I just sampled each of them for
an official tasting.

I am very, very pleased with the results.

0 - No liquor, standard brine cure, made as a control.  It came
out just as delicious as it ever has.

1 - Canadian whiskey.  A very slight hint of caramel, but not
enough of a flavor difference from the control to justify the
added expense of the whiskey.

2 - Canadian whiskey and maple syrup.  The caramel notes in
the whiskey and the maple flavor complimented and accented one
another.  Very good.

3 - Rum.  This was absolutely stellar.  The rum flavor held up
beautifully to the cure and smoke, and the bacon is fantastic.
Definitely a method to use again; this one was one of our favorites.

4 - Bourbon.  Another excellent flavor, bourbon also held up
well to the cure and the smoke.  There was a rich, full bourbon
taste with vanilla and caramel accents.  Another favorite, and
another cure I'd happily use again.

5 - Southern Comfort.  I have to admit to being pleasantly
surprised with the results.  None of the faintly citrusy notes of
straight Southern Comfort survived the cure or the smoke, but there
was a noticeable overtone of whiskey and a very interesting toasted
cane sugar taste that reminded me of cotton candy.  I would make
this bacon cure again, especially since I have somehow acquired two
bottles of Southern Comfort and absolutely no intention ever to
drink that fratboy syrup.

One note about the whiskey-barrel chips I used for smoke:  Meh.
Not only were they nothing special, but from the looks and smell
of them, they've been generously adulterated with mesquite and
hickory.  Luckily, the results were still decent.

---

So there you have it: The sequence of messages above, along with the photographs I took throughout the actual curing and smoking process, eventually became my May 2008 post about Whiskey Cured Bacon.

Seasoning Week

A series of posts detailing and reviewing various seasonings, salts, etc. Might be enough for 2 weeks? Good for the Buzz's month-long traffic study, since I find it difficult sometimes to come up with an entry every single day.


First post in the series is primarily done - I think I'm going to try to get some bacon salt, and add a paragraph about my pork salt.


Outline:

1. Seasoning Salt
2. Bouillons and soup bases
3. ????
4. Profit!

Post 0

This is Dave's Notebook. It will serve as a sort of "rough sketch" notepad for ideas that can later be fleshed out on my primary blog, Dave's Cupboard. Occasionally, I'll also use it to document "behind the scenes" processes that have led to blog posts.

Feel free to poke around but don't expect regular updates, lots of photos, or even coherent entries.

Comments are not enabled on this blog.

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