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CHARCUTEPALOOZA CHALLENGE #4: THE PIGANATOR HAS LANDED

For Charcutepalooza challenge #4 we confronted hot smoking, and I got to spend some time with an old friend, my New Braunfels style vertical smoker. When my wife gave it to me as birthday present years ago, I can’t imagine she realized the Faustian bargain she had entered into. Sure she enjoys the quality eats with ...

CHARCUTEPALOOZA CHALLENGE #3: CORNED BEEF, PASTRAMI, AND ONE OF LIFE’S GREAT BARS

The March Charcutepalooza challenge brings us to brining. Which for me meant corned beef, pastrami and a stinky, stinky attempt at sauerkraut. The process of making corned beef started with a very nice looking locally raised, grass fed brisket. Brisket being the national steak of Texas, this one wasn’t very difficult to ...

CHARCUTEPALOOZA CHALLENGE #2: SIZZLIN’ BACON, A LATE WINTER DALLIANCE

If anybody ever tells you they love bacon, your answer should be something like this: “No shit.” Everybody likes bacon. Saying how much you like bacon is sort of like going on and on about how much you like smelling things that smell good or how funny things make you laugh or how rat poison is just something that ...

DUCK PROSCIUTTO AND THE GRAND PLAN: REASSEMBLING ONE DUCK INTO ONE MEAL. OR, FRANKENDUCK: THE RESSURECTION. OR. SON OF FRANKENDUCK: THE LIQUID BONES.

So my last post was part of the 1st challenge for Charcutepalooza, at least the duck prosciutto part of it (as is this one). After feeling pretty good about dissecting the critter, I said something along the lines of “Meat plus salt equals good.” Which I probably should have worded more thoroughly, something like ...

DUCK PROSCIUTTO, OR MORE ACCURATELY, COMPLETE UTILITY OF A DUCK WITH the DELICIOUS BREASTS GOING TO MAKE DUCK PROSCIUTTO

I learned to cook from my grandfather. He had one often spoken but informal rule: don’t be a dumb sonofabitch. It tended to go something like this, “Don’t be a dumb sonofabitch and let that sauce stick.” Or “Don’t be a dumb sonofabitch and cut yourself, that knife’s goddamn sharp.” Or “Don’t be a ...