Do you have your turkey yet? When you get it, give yourself a couple days to brine your bird in this flavorful brining recipe. Brining allows salt, sugar and the flavors of the brine to soak into your turkey, giving it needed moisture and seasoning. No more dry white meat! Read more ›
Spring is finally here! In my house, that means digging to the bottom of the freezer for a big pork leg or shoulder to cure up a smoked ham. Ham pairs beautifully with spring vegetables like asparagus, artichokes and peas. Read more ›
In the spirit of winter, I’m making a Warm Spice Bacon, flavored with allspice, chiles, coriander, mace, pepper and maple syrup. Winter came ridiculously early this year in Minnesota, so I’m making bacon to cheer myself up a bit. Happy holidays to me! Read more ›
When we got our half hog from Snake River Farm Minnesota, it came with the largest pork belly I’ve yet seen from our own pig. This baby was 10 plus pounds, enough for two batches of bacon. Yahoo! I let the belly languish in my freezer for almost a year before finally hauling it out to defrost. I tend to delay making bacon until the fall because there’s bacon, we eat it immediately. Read more ›
Since moving to Minnesota summer has taken on newfound importance for me. It’s a short, intense season that’s not to be missed. I savor every moment I can, particularly the lingering evenings where the sun never seems to set. On nice nights I like to pull cold picnic food from the fridge, pair it with bread, fruit, add a bottle of wine, and call it dinner. That’s where gravlox comes in. It’s the easiest charcuterie you’ll ever make, and you never have to turn on your oven. Read more ›
This year we celebrated the holidays with a proper holiday ham. The fresh pork leg came from a locally raised, pastured pig and was cured and smoked by yours truly. While there are lots of decent hams on the market, the satisfaction I get from curing my own ham with my own unique flavors makes processing my own pork well worth the effort. Read more ›
My immediate family comes together every two years for a week-long family vacation. We hangout, we fish, we go on little adventures. But the biggest thing we do is cook. And of course eat. The whole clan sits around a big table over a shared meal made from scratch almost every night. Sunday was my day to cook, and for breakfast I made home-cured honey pepper bacon, with scratch sourdough pancakes. Read more ›
You know that feeling you get when the many places you’ve been and the many tastes and smells you’ve experienced suddenly collide in a single moment out of time? Mussaman Corned Beef is fusion deja vu. I was in Thailand many years ago and had the wonderful experience of eating Mussaman curry in a cafe overlooking the ocean on an island in the Gulf of Thailand. Read more ›
Grass-fed beef is perfect for jerky. Naturally lean, the rich mineral flavor of the beef shines through. Luck for me Santa left a fab new dehydrator under the Christmas tree. I fondly remember the venison jerky my Dad used to make. He would marinate the jerky in teriyaki sauce or red wine, then dry smoke-dry it over a low fire on the BBQ. Rich, tangy and chewy, the whole family loved it. It didn’t last long in my house. Read more ›
What to have for Christmas dinner? Ah, the eternal question. It should be special, communal and hearty, but not so complicated that you can not enjoy the day. Ham is traditional fare in our family, but we were a small group this year and I already made ham for our Winter Solstice Party. Read more ›
It’s time to embrace Winter. The cool weather sends us indoors, the oven keeps the house nice and warm, and herbs and spices sent the air. This year I threw a party for the Winter Solstice to celebrate the longest night and the blessed return of the sun in the New Year. Since my friends have come to expect charcuterie at my parties, I cured an easy festive holiday ham for the table. Read more ›