Bacon, at last

Cue the Hallajulah Chrous, part the clouds, bring in the small chirping birds.

We have bacon!

After roasting for a few hours,

remove the skin. Having never done this, it is pretty ugly. I'll get better, promise!

I was not happy with the slicing job, I think I need to freeze the slab a bit so it slices better.

So how is it?

Firstly, it doesn't shrink as much as commercial bacon. It also gives off a lot more fat. But how is it?

Crispy outside, hammy flavor, chewy interior, subtle, rich fatty deliciousness. Unlike anything I've ever had. So different from "regular bacon" that they don't even seem related.

I still have one more slab that I'll smoke on Friday with some sausages that are in the works.  By the way, the weight dropped almost 2lbs! - the belly - not me!

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Diggging!

The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Bacon - Part I

You all know by now that I am a huge fan of pork, such a noble beast, snout to tail, it's all delicious.  I've always loved bacon, salami (salumi), and recently have tried my hand at some simple fresh sausages such as bratwurst. I've built a smoke house, and am ready to embark on my next porcine (I just like the word) adventure!

Armed with my copy of Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, I've decided to start simple with homemade bacon.

Curing meats requires Nitrites or Nitrates, it is responsible for the red color and taste common to bacon or ham. More importantly, it inhibits bacteria growth, particularly that responsible for botulism. Before you have a fit about the evils of nitrates, it is likely you consume more nitrates in your vegetables than in your cured meat, but that is a discussion for another time.

With the magic Sodium Nitrite in hand, I made their basic cure:
1 lb kosher salt
8 oz sugar
2 oz pink salt

I did weigh it all out. Let's not wing it on a first try. Mix it all together.

Can you see the light pink color? Keep this out of reach of the kids! Improperly used this can be toxic.

I have two hunks of pork belly, let's do one sweet, and one more savory.

Combine in a 2 gallon zip bag 1 hunk of pork, 1/4 cup of the basic cure, plus some more brown sugar in the sweet one:

In the savory one add cracked black pepper, crushed garlic , and some crumbled bay leaves. 

Press out the air, and massage the dry rub all over the pork belly. Into the fridge it goes for 7 days. I'll be paying a visit to check on the progress every day. Stay Tuned!

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!
The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Restaurant Review - The Purple Pig. Chicago IL USA

I met an old friend for lunch at the Purple Pig today. The Purple Pig’s motto of Cheese, Swine & Wine is certainly upheld if the menus are any evidence. We arrived at 11:30 but the place filled very quickly. Some have complained about the noise level and while it was loud, it was certainly manageable. Relatively small inside, it has some room on a covered heated patio, though today we opted for inside.


Our wait staff was friendly and informed. Sadly, as it is a lunch in the work week, we did not indulge in any wine, though the list was rather extensive.

Eager to dig in, we ordered the Purple Pig Platter ($29) – a sampler of cured meats including Catalonian Fuet, Coppa, Sopressata, Testa, Lingua Agrodulce, Jamo Serrano and Prociutto Di Parma. My dining companion and I both favored the Fuet and the Sopressata, though the testa melted in your mouth, the Coppa had a lovely anise note to it, and the Lingua had a dash of vinegar. It was reminiscent of the most tender corned beef you could ever imagine. We talked about making a Reuben sandwich with it, but only if the lingua was shaved paper thin as it was here.

A three cheese ($17) sample of Valdeon (a cow and goats milk blue), Gouda, and Truffle Tremor, a goat cheese infused with Truffles. Served with large croutons and Mostarda di Frutta, the Valdeon was particularly sublime.

The porcine pleasures continued with Pigs Ear with Crispy Kale, pickled Cherry Peppers & Fried Egg ($6). The pigs’ ear, julienned, battered and fried, is tossed with fried Kale and strips of pickled Cherry pepper. A fried egg sits atop the golden mound of porky goodness. Some reviewers have said the egg doesn’t work. I wholly disagree. Have you never sopped up egg yolk with your hash browns? The crispy, salty ear and kale, is cut with the acidity of the peppers, and once you break the yolk, is awash in a gold sauce. By this point we had abandoned civility and were using our hands to devour the lunch.

Our final indulgence was the Pork Liver Pate ($6) from the Smears segment of the menu – a tub of smooth creamy –also melt in your mouth- deliciousness. It was good that we only had a lunch hour; I would have stayed for hours and hours, plowing my way through the menu. As it is, there are plenty of menu items left, so I’ll be sure to be back!


Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!



The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Restaurant Review The Purple Pig. 500 N Michigan Ave Chicago IL.