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 ›
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 ›
Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of attending a Whole Hog Butchery class at Kitchen in the Market with local salumi-maker and chef Mike Phillips of Three Sons Meats in Minneapolis. We learned how to breakdown an entire hog for Italian salumi (cured meats), including dry sausage, coppa, hams, pancetta, lardo, etc. Little Foot Farms raised and supplied the pig, Read more ›
I recently saw a tweet go by for “Sichuan Bacon.” Hold the phone. Click. It was from Hank Shaw author & blogger of Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, who’s site I just love to follow. What a fabulous idea. I had just purchased a few ounces of Sichuan peppercorns, so the tweet was clearly a sign of planetary alignment. Last year while participating in Charcutepalooza, I honed my curing skills, particularly on bacon and ham. Read more ›
Growing up, corned beef was a treat in my house. Simmered on the stovetop or braised in the oven with potatoes, carrots, and onions, I could not wait to eat that salty, preserved goodness. I was fortunate enough to grow up on a farm where we raised our own cattle. When we slaughtered a steer, my dad always ask our butcher to corn the briskets and a couple of chuck roasts. Read more ›
The final challenge for Charcutepalooza was to make a whole mess of charcuterie items and throw a party to celebrate the makings. Thank goodness I had a whole month to prepare, because that’s how long it took me to do it all. If I had not done the eleven preceding challenges, this final project would have been impossible. Read more ›
Bresaola is remarkable food. Like a woodsy prosciutto with a full beef flavor, bresaola is silky, herbaceous and complex. This cured meat knocked me off my feet. I made this myself? So cool. Read more ›