CHARCUTEPALOOZA CHALLENGE #11: THE ITALIAN FOR “ARE WE THERE YET?”
It’s probably inappropriate to describe any feelings toward a pig as a love affair. But it’s true. I have a pig-lover. And my pig-lover’s name is Mangalitsa. I’ve documented my feelings toward the king of swine here. But let me just say again, this is some pig. It’s also my pork of choice for this month’s (second ...
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IF I GET DRUNK AND EAT A WHOLE MEAT PIE, IT’S A FAMILY TRADITION
This month Charcutepalooza brought a choice: pate or meat pie. I have a little bit of history with both. In the case of pate, it’s a history I would rather forget. I have a spectacular ability to completely screw it up. Chicken liver, duck liver, doesn’t matter. My pates tend to end up somewhere between a sous vide ...
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CHARCUTEPALOOZA CHALLENGE #8: SOMEWHERE, BECAUSE OF ME, THERE’S A PIG WALKING AROUND WITH A PEG LEG
I like pig’s feet. I eat pig’s feet. I have never made pig’s feet. Now that I have, I may no longer like pig’s feet. I was excited about the idea of making a terrine out of pig trotters for Charcutepalooza for this month’s challenge. I called a great local farm to table place in Houston to source some pig’s ...
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IT’S LIKE BACON, ONLY MORE DRAMATIC AND WITH EXTRA SYLLABLES
There’s something really outstanding about a pig’s belly. The short of it is probably that it’s outstanding because it’s mostly pork fat, which in and of itself is an inarguable point of greatness. The longer answer though, is a study in versatility. Cured and smoked, pork belly makes bacon, one of the Earth’s ...
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YES… BUT DOES YOUR PINT COME WITH BACON?
There are few great absolutes in life. The undeniable worth of a quality bar snack is one of them. A good bar snack is what you might call an intangible—it makes the beer taste better, the time spent seem more fulfilling and the shelled peanut appear to be something worth the effort of an oyster. And yet, I see them less ...
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SOME PIG
Sonofabitch. If there was a phraseology hall of fame, this would have to be an all time first balloter. What’s so brilliant about it is that it can apply to nearly anything. “Son of a bitch” is what you call someone who’s a jerk or just plain stupid. “Sonofabitch” is what you might say upon the realization of ...
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CHARCUTEPALOOZA CHALLENGE #5: SALSICCE, BY ANY OTHER NAME
There’s a picture of my grandfather, I think it’s probably taken in the 1970s, standing in a friend’s basement, smiling with a sausage grinder by his side and many, many links of tubed meat hanging from the rafters around him. I’ve always loved this picture of him, and when he died my mother found his old sausage ...
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