Makin' Bacon- Part 2

Different recipes recommended different cure times for the bacon but all recommended a minimum of 7 days and I didn't see too many places recommend more than 21. Being that it was my first time making bacon, I couldn't resist doing one batch early (after 8 days), then another batch after 20 days. The main difference that I noticed from the 2 batches was the density of the bacon- which seemed more firm after the 20 days. And the saltiness- The 20 day batch was much saltier which likely could have been reduced by soaking the bacon in fresh water to draw some of the salt out- which I didn't do for as long in the 20 day batch that I probably should of. One way to determine saltiness before committing to smoking is to cut off a piece of bacon from the raw belly and cook it prior to smoking to see if it requires additional soaking to draw out more salt. You do this for a couple of hours (the more you soak, the less saltier) prior to smoking.

Now it was time for the smoke...and a decision- to cold smoke or hot smoke? Not really understanding what I'd get from either method and limited to the fact that my smoker could only hot smoke anyways, I chose that method by default.

I pre-heated the smoker to 150, stuck in a meat thermometer into one of the slabs and used applewood and hickory to smoke for about 2 hours. I then upped the temperature to about 190F-200F to push the bacon to an internal temperature of 160F which took an additional 2-3 hours for a total of about 4-6 hours.

And voila...I had brown sugar cured bacon...and lots of it!

This was by far, the best bacon that I have ever had and I don't think that I'll ever be able to go back to that store bought crap ever again. The patience that goes into the whole process really pays off in the final product and being able to make the bacon for about $3/lb is an added bonus.

Makin' Bacon- Part 1

Bacon that you buy from the grocery store these days is just terrible Whatever happened to slow dry curing and careful smoking? Well- it was replaced by injection curing, wet aging and bypassing the smoking process completely by replacing it with liquid smoke.
The only way to get good bacon these days is through careful sourcing from a butcher that buys directly from a smoke house or to make it yourself.

In the next few posts I'll be walking you through the whole process of makin' bacon yourself- step by step.

Sourcing the Pork Belly
Pork belly is a cut that comes from the fatty belly of the pig and is the outer layer between the skin and ribs. It is highly unlikely that your run of the mill national supermarket will carry the cut, however they should be able to order it for you. The cut is far more commonly carried in Mexican and Chinese supermarkets and I found mine at the local Mi Pueblo Mexican supermarket. After explaining what I needed in painstaking detail they hand trimmed the belly to remove the ribs and the rind (the outer skin) while I waited. The total weight after trimming was 7lbs and cost about $3/lb. Once you get the belly home you want to cut the belly into a couple of workable pieces and once cut, you can move on to curing.

Trimmed Pork Belly

Curing the bacon
Curing the bacon is a necessary process to help preserve the bacon for a longer post smoking shelf life,  to prevent bacteria while you store it in the fridge and to infuse flavor. This is not an optional step. The cure and the use of sodium nitrate in the cure ensures that you won't die of botulism, so make sure your cure has the right ingredients.
There are 2 ways to cure- a dry cure where you only rub the meat with the cure or a wet cure where the meat is submerged into a curing liquid. I opted to try the dry cure.
To make the cure I used 1 Tbsp or Morton's Tender Quick and 2 Tbsp of brown sugar for each lb of meat.

The Belly, Morton's Tender Quick and Brown Sugar

After combining in a bowl I applied the cure to the entire surface of the 3 pieces of belly and transferred each piece to ziploc bags and put them in a drawer in the back the fridge where they will sit for the next 7-10 days and will be ready for the next step- Smoking.

The belly cut into pieces and cure applied

Check back in a week or so for an update!

A foodies quest for perfection

I like spending time dissecting my favorite dishes that I've eaten from around the world in an attempt to replicate them at home while remaining authentic and true to the original. Often times the goal is not only to replicate them, but to try to make them better. Imagine the satisfaction that you get from enjoying Neopolitan Style pizza as good as you had in Italy, or Gyros better that any Greek restaurant you ever ate at.

Sometimes this means hacking or modifying existing kitchen appliances (in the case of trying to transform my Weber BBQ into a wood fired pizza oven, or my rotisserie chicken maker into a gyro cooker), or sometimes it's flying in or sourcing ingredients from around the world- like San Romano tomatoes or Tipico 00 flour from Italy, Saffron from the middle east or Chorizo sausage from Spain. This quest also often requires you to grow (Heirloom Tomatoes or Shishito peppers) or even catch things (Dungeness crab) yourself.

I've spent many a 'evenin wasting time in the kitchen trying, experimenting, adjusting - sometimes even over the course of a week of consecutive evenings to perfect the same dish and usually, after enough perseverance, announcing to my wife and the rest of the world that I won't ever have to eat at the restaurant that the dish originated from again!

In my next few posts I'm going to trying to break down some of these dishes and tell you how I created them at home myself. Stay tuned!

I'm Back!

Look- I told people that I might take a vacation or two away from writing my blog.

I never expected the "vacation" to be this long. It's been months.

During my time off, a few people even asked me "Are you still writing your blog" and I responded- na- it takes up too much of my time...or no, writing is like work to me.

You know, writing ain't easy...some people got it, love it and words flow like water...but for me, it's work and tough to string a sentence together without having to re-read it to see if makes sense. It take minutes to type a few words and sentences or paragraphs- well that takes forever, but what made me come back to writing this blog is my passion for food and wine.

I've got a lot to catch up on, and so do you. so stay tuned as I have a lot to fill you in on!

Why Livermore is better than Napa: Ruby Hill Winery

Having friends in town is a great excuse to head out for a day of fine food, fine wine and great company. Why go to Napa when you've got the choice of dozens of top notch wineries just minutes away from my home?

You know I love Livermore Valley- and it's not that I don't like Napa and Sonoma, it's just that Livermore wineries are just better in terms of physical proximity to my house, value of wine for the dollar, absence of (or very low) tasting fees, and just a far more laid back attitude.

Take Ruby Hill Winery as an example. Having arrived on a Friday at around 11AM you wouldn't expect a crowded tasting room, but what I didn't expect was the impeccable personal treatment and attention that we got for the hour that we were there. We literally tasted 20+ wines all for a $5 Tasting fee which was refunded after the purchase of a few bottles. Our host Marilyn was kind, courteous and had a bubbly personality. And man did we ever sample some great wines!

Some of the wines we sampled included:

Champagne California
Bright lemony citrus champagne. Refreshing

2008 Pinot Noir reserve
Aged in French and Hungarian oak. Smoky, strawberry, elegantly silky.

2007 Estate Merlot
Peppery nose, Tannins are a bit up front, slightly muted fruit

2006 merlot monterrey
Rich raspberry nose. Dark chocolate, dark berries

2007 Harris Tesla Cabernet
Aged in 100% French oak. Dark ruby/raisin. Nose of truffle, menthol. Tight tannins, elegant mouth feel. Tastes of cherry and dark chocolate.

2007 Ghielmetti Cabernet.
Aged 24 months in American, French and Hungarian oak. Cedar and mint nose. Smooth mouth feel. tastes of cherry and liquorish.

2008 Grapeful Red Blend
Fruit forward, a bit lacking in oak but easy drinking. Taste of red berries.
2008 Peacock Patch Zinfandel
Jammy with layers of dark berries.

2007 Intessa blend
Cabernet/barbera blend.
A spicy blend of Cabernet and Barbera.

My 2 favorites were:
2008 Estate Petite Syrah
Ultra long finish, chewy, smooth, rounded. Huge dark berries.

2007 Jewel connection Zinfandel
100% new oak. Not to be released for another 6 months
Tastes of Dark berry jam, maple syrup, buttery oak. Incredibly rounded. Chewy.

We finished the tasting with a white and red port which they served to our spouses in chocolate cups!

After buying a few bottles and having them hand carried to our car we asked about a good lunch spot to have a picnic. There were kind enough to offer the use of their private patio where we sat and had a relaxing picnic lunch of assorted meats, nuts, berries and cheese.

What a great winery. I shall return!

Review: Taurian Vineyards Flight- 1995, 1999, 2000 Zinfandel Part 2- 1999

Taurian Vineyards 1999 Zinfandel. $12

Winemakers tasting notes:
Unavailable

My notes:
Color: Dark Raisin and a bit cloudy. Nose of  toasted oak, coffee and nutmeg and cocoa. Taste of bitter cherry, pomegranate, mint and rosemary. This wine is a bit more structured than the 2000 and really shows it's age.

Bayareawinelover rating: 88

Review: Taurian Vineyards Flight- 1995, 1999, 2000 Zinfandel Part 1- 2000

Taurian Vineyards 2000 Zinfandel. $12

I bought this flight on Lot 18 for $48. It included a 1995, 1999 and 2000 Vintage of their proprietors reserve Zinfandel. I thought what the hell lets give it a try. BTW Lot 18 is a great place to buy discounted and rare vintage wines. To join go here: http://www.lot18.com/i/Alex62752

Winemakers tasting notes:
Unavailable

My notes:
Color: Inky red. Nose of fresh air, hay and iodine. Taste of cherry jolly ranchers, leather and creme brulee. A decent Zinfandel but not great.

Bayareawinelover rating: 87