Foodies Unite!

[Fully]

Yesterday we did the family New Years and Birthday thing since my BIL and my birthdays are so close to NYE. I smoked a pork shoulder using dried grape vines. The pork is from the hog I butchered which I do every year, the grape wood is from the Normandy grapes I grow, and the spicy rub is my own concoction. Made insanely dark, thick gooey brownies, banana ice cream, and the greatest cake in the world: pastille tres leches. It was good, sooooooooooo good.

That sounds amazing. Do you make your own sausage too?

Yep. Links, breakfast links, and bulk. We normally just go with a standard country style sausage as it's versitile and you can basically use it as ground pork since it just has salt/pepper/garlic in it. I've made chorizo, actual bratwurst, and hot Italian in the past. It's a fun annual event.

My grandfather used to make his own country sausage, country hams in the smokehouse, and (grosser than gross) chitlins. There are a few old farmers around me who still do this too. At the holidays I always get a couple of packs of country sausage to eat. So good, store bought just can't compete. I'm impressed with your pig skillz!

[mjk73]

Yesterday we did the family New Years and Birthday thing since my BIL and my birthdays are so close to NYE. I smoked a pork shoulder using dried grape vines. The pork is from the hog I butchered which I do every year, the grape wood is from the Normandy grapes I grow, and the spicy rub is my own concoction. Made insanely dark, thick gooey brownies, banana ice cream, and the greatest cake in the world: pastille tres leches. It was good, sooooooooooo good.

That sounds amazing. Do you make your own sausage too?

Yep. Links, breakfast links, and bulk. We normally just go with a standard country style sausage as it's versitile and you can basically use it as ground pork since it just has salt/pepper/garlic in it. I've made chorizo, actual bratwurst, and hot Italian in the past. It's a fun annual event.

My grandfather used to make his own country sausage, country hams in the smokehouse, and (grosser than gross) chitlins. There are a few old farmers around me who still do this too. At the holidays I always get a couple of packs of country sausage to eat. So good, store bought just can't compete. I'm impressed with your pig skillz!

I avoid the chitlins. We normally do not send the hams out. I use the meat in the sausage after I get some ham steaks and a roast or 2 out of them. We probably will send the hams in this year. We are picking up a side of beef in a week so we will not have room for a lot of pork this year so no need for as much stuff as in the past. Normally keep the chops, the tenderloin, the hocks, the shoulders, THE RIBS oh god the ribs, and the bacon. We do not cure or treat the bacon. I cannot eat store bought pork anymore cuz of this. It's worth the hard work for that bacon alone

[Ruckus]

Yesterday we did the family New Years and Birthday thing since my BIL and my birthdays are so close to NYE. I smoked a pork shoulder using dried grape vines. The pork is from the hog I butchered which I do every year, the grape wood is from the Normandy grapes I grow, and the spicy rub is my own concoction. Made insanely dark, thick gooey brownies, banana ice cream, and the greatest cake in the world: pastille tres leches. It was good, sooooooooooo good.

This sounds amazing Mike! 

[lucylew]

It's good to have foodie neighbors!  I just traded 4 2oz pieces of foie gras that I won't use (I won them - husband doesn't like and I won't make it just for myself) for a lb of home cured proscuitto from a wild pig and a fresh wild duck my friend shot on Friday.  Tonight's dinner will be soy marinated duck breasts with ginger scallion noodles - the latter from the Momofuku cookbook.  I've also got some 48 hour (sous vide) short ribs going for dinner on Tuesday (also from the Momofuku book).

I am a cookbook whore but I must say that I am completely smitten with Momofuku as well as Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty (which is a vegetarian cookbook and is simply stunning).  Are you currently obsessing over a cookbook?

[mjk73]

The Momofuku book is badass.

This. I mean come on, there is a chapter on chess pie alone



And I want these 2. A friend of mine has both and her and I spent a good 3 hours looking through them together and making notes.

[lucylew]

Momofuku has (at least?) two books.  I think you're referring to Momofuku Milk Bar - which I haven't yet purchased but have read tons of great reviews.  I have the Ad Hoc  book and I must say - definitely worth getting.  I'm a Thomas Keller fan and have all of his books but Ad Hoc is really the only one I use regularly.  The French Laundry and Under Pressure are, admittedly, beyond my skill set but they are pure food porn.  Bouchon has some good stuff in it.

I have Peter Reinhardt's Artisian Bread Everyday.  It's pretty darned good.

Like I said, I'm a cookbook whore.   

[mjk73]

Yeah, it was the book for the Milk Bar.

I looked through the other 2 Keller books and I though I was going to have to change my shorts. I just wish I was independently wealthy and can afford to eat like that.

[ALady]

I've heard nothing but great stuff about this.   

lucy, have you tried the David Chang bo ssam recipe?  Sound super easy and deeeelicious.  There's an abbreviated version here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/magazine/the-bo-ssam-miracle.html

[mjk73]

I've heard nothing but great stuff about this.   

lucy, have you tried the David Chang bo ssam recipe?  Sound super easy and deeeelicious.  There's an abbreviated version here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/magazine/the-bo-ssam-miracle.html

Surprised you didn't hear the moaning as it was at my friend house in Wrigley. It's a required book to own.

[lucylew]

Alady - I haven't tried it yet but methinks I may soon!

[mjk73]

Seared off some pork shanks and now they are slow braising in adobo, beer, garlic, and valentina hot sauce. Going to shred these up for tacos. Just me and the kids tonight so they get somethig extra special.

[lucylew]

Yum!  Sounds great!  Valentina hot sauce?  Never heard of it. 

[mjk73]

Oh it's great and it's insanely cheap.

[mjk73]

and the pork came out really f'n good. corn tortillas, some tart tomatos, and queso fresco.

[Hawkeye]

I made this for the Super Bowl and it turned out pretty legit:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/franks-spicy-alabama-onion-beer-chili/

Recommend 

[Fully]

Here's a cooking blog by Steve Albini. I thought all of you music/foodies would enjoy it. I've looked at it and I must say that it looks pretty yummy.

http://mariobatalivoice.blogspot.com/

[lucylew]

@Fully - I've been following it for a while.  I like it -but I sure do wish he'd buy some new plates!

[mjk73]

Sumbitch, he has my mom's old "good companys comin over for Thanksgivin and Christmas dishes" as she put it. I hate those ugly ass old dishes.

[lucylew]

So freakin' pissed (ok, well, as pissed as I get about TV) that Ed was told to pack his knives and go on Top Chef!  IMO, that was totaly bullshit and politics since Michelle Bernstein has been on Top Chef many times as a judge.

My stance is not influenced by Ed being from Louisville or because I find him incredibly hot.   :o

[Jane]

Oh it's great and it's insanely cheap.

thats my jawn!