A Patric

would "funk" or "funky" be appropriate. It may seem negative, but dry-cured sausages can have a "funky" smell that one can grow to appreciated, and the honeycomb tripe that I bought today had a similar smell to it--not bad, but not necessarily "fresh"

So, since no one had any thoughts on a confited tripe that is then deep fried, I decided to do it myself. I found some recipes for deep fried tripe that first included boiling it for about 4 hours, so I figured that my method was sound enough since, just like boiling, it is intended to break down a lot of that collagen. I am using honeycomb tripe, and simply the recipe for Jim Drohman's Pork Belly Confit from Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie book. It has cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, all spice, fresh thyme, salt, pink salt, and white wine to cover. It is currently curing for about 24 hours, and then after rinsing and drying, I'm going to confit it in home-rendered pork fat at about 180 F overnight. Then I'll drain it, deep fry the pieces--they are about 2" x 2"--over high heat until the outside is crisp and golden-brown, and serve with some French mustard, pickled onions, and baguette. I'll let you all know how it turns out. Next on the list is a menudo recipe from Rick Bayless.

Has anyone ever marinated it overnight with herbs, spices and wine, sliced it up, confited it in pork fat overnight at a low temp (180 F), and then deep fried it to crisp it. I haven't ever had tripe, but assuming that it is filled with collagen this might really tenderize it and then give it a nice textural contrast. This is how I recently saw pig ears prepared in another eGullet thread (there's a video), and it just made perfect sense to me. If slow and low is the way to go, then I imagine that this method would work perfectly. Also, the marination and the high temperature during the deep-fry crisping might help to remove some of the stronger flavors that some might find unappealing...maybe.

Finally had a chance to take a look. Those ears are beautiful things. Considering my love for Jim Drohman's pork belly confit in Ruhlman's Charcuterie book, I have a feeling that this may be the way to go for me. I'll try using the same overnight cure as in Ruhlman's book and then proceeding the same as in the video. I still haven't managed to track down any ears, but I'll be splitting a Berkshire with some family in about a month, and part of the agreement is that I get the ears. Well, there wasn't really an argument about that point. I think most people see them only as dog treats. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Alan

New question: Has anyone eaten at Hemmingway's? Thoughts?

Well we ended up going. I'll leave it at that.

Hi All, Time-sensitive question: I have a friend coming in to town tonight, and I am wanting to go someplace fairly memorable. I have never been to Abigail's at Rocheport, but I just recently talked with someone whose judgment I trust--who has eaten pretty much everywhere in Columbia, from Sycamore, to Grand Cru, to Churchill's to Chris McD's, to CC City Broiler--you get the picture--that Abigail's is excellent. Can anyone shine any light upon this restaurant for me? Any positive personal experiences eating there? What makes it different/special? Best, Alan

Kerry, Did you try Jim Drohman's Pork Belly Confit yet? If so, what did you think? Alan

Hi all, For all of you who love Ruhlman's Charcuterie, I thought that you might also be interested in a book that I recently purchased: Volume 1 of The Professional Charcuterie Series by Marcel Cottenceau, et al. It is a French book that has been translated into English with US readers in mind, so it constantly references the USDA, and the types of cuts that are available in the US. It covers sausage, ham, confit, and smoked pork to a lesser degree. The largest part of the 300 page book covers various French sausages, and some German ones, with some time spent on specialty sausages and even a variety of blood sausage recipes. Dry sausages, however, are relatively absent from the book, though there are a couple, such as Spanish Chorizo. Overall, I find it to be interesting, thorough, and filled with recipes about which I would otherwise not have ever known. It isn't cheap, but at Kitchen Arts and Letters in NYC you can find it for about $89, which is far less than where I have seen it online. The second volume, which I don't have, is about terrines.

I'm no expert, but I'd agree with Jason and Chris that more time makes a positive flavor difference. Having just recently had saucisson that is incredibly flavorful due to very long aging--see my post above--I began wondering about the mechanisms behind all of this. I assumed that enzymes played a role, but wasn't sure if that was the case, or if they were pretty well inactivated due to the salt. I referred back to McGee's On Food and Cooking, as always, for the answers. Here is what I found: Not only will the flavors simply be more concentrated as the meat dries further, but you'll also get enzymatic breakdown of the protein in the meat into flavorful and savory peptides and amino acids over time (up to a third of all proteins will be broken down). This is similar to what you'd see in non-cured aged meat, but probably happens more slowly. Some further of beneficial enzymatic actions are: the breaking down of muscle glycogen stores into glucose, breaking down something called ATP into IMP, which is apparently quite savory, and the breaking down of fats into hundreds of aromatic fatty acids. all of these interactions create intense meaty/porky, nutty, and caramel flavors. There are apparently also some flavor-beneficial bacteria that can play a role on the external parts of the meat, and it seems that this is one of the reasons that Prosciutto di Parma is so flavorful. Then, of course, in inoculated sausages there are internal flavor-beneficial bacteria that create, in addition to some level of tartness, fruity and nutty notes. A lot of these flavor compounds are apparently related to those that you find in cheese, which helps to explain why my Rosette, and the Chabichou goat cheese that I was eating with it smelled quite similar in many ways. While reading all of this I found myself wondering if there is a limit to aging/drying after which flavor deteriorates. I wonder if the main limiting factor is salt content (i.e. after a certain point the meat will begin to become too salty due to a lower moisture content). One could use less salt in the cure to allow a longer aging and slightly drier meat, but I would think that this would increase the risk of spoilage and non-beneficial microbes setting up shop in or on the sausage/meat. Maybe aging/drying of the meat could be extended by running a slightly higher relative humidity such as 75%-80% instead of 70%, but at a certain point I imagine that increased humidity would also risk spoilage. I guess that the diameter of the meat could also play an important role by slowing down the aging/drying time, which may be why hams, with their large size, are so flavorful, as it takes them much longer to age/dry properly at a safe humidity level. This might be reason enough to do the larger diameter sausages, despite the longer wait. Looks like a bit of experimentation is in order.

Hi all, Just got back from NYC and visiting Salumeria Biellese. Ruhlman mentions this on page 174 when talking about amazing charcuterie makers. Mark Buzzio is the one in charge, and though the place looks unimpressive inside and out, if you venture in and pay close attention, you'll finally notice delicious looking fresh sausage at the furthest case from the door, all labeled "certified Berkshire." If you ask, you'll receive their dry-cured "menu" with pricing, and you can choose anything from it even though it isn't displayed in the case. Unfortunately Mark wasn't there on Saturday, so I didn't get to see his drying room, but I'll undoubtedly be back later this year, and hopefully I'll be able to catch him. For what it is worth, I bought a whole Rosette de Lyon, a very long dry-cured pork sausage of large girth, that is flavored with red wine and quatre epices. As Ruhlman mentioned, it did indeed smell like a nasty old sock. However, upon cutting it open...well, it is hard to put into words, but it took me right back to my year living in France, and really brought home to me the difference between the locally available, mass-produced dry-cured products, and the real deal. For anyone who has the chance, I highly recommend visiting the shop. After all, can you really go wrong with a place that sells a sausage called a "petit jesus"? Best, Alan

I feel like I am turning into "the voice of dissent" around here... I didn't care for this confit: it was much too sweet for my tastes. Something about that combination of spices... Then again, as anyone who knows me will attest, I really have very limited tolerance for sweet things, so YMMV (and obviously does ). I personally would have preferred just a salt and black pepper seasoning, I think. ← For those of you who haven't tried it yet, it is true that Ruhlman calls the seasoning a "sweet-spice" mix, but despite this, the recipe actually has no sugar or other sweetener added to it. There is certainly a lack of pungent flavorings that probably tend to let the natural character, sweetness if you will, of the pork stand out. It may be for this reason that I find the flavor to be such a beautiful thing. Alan

Alan - point me to the recipe! ← Kerry, It is on page 264 of the first edition of Charcuterie. Edited to add: I had the finished confit deep fried, as recommended in the book, with crusty baguette, French mustard, pickled red onions, a side of asparagus tips, and a nice red wine. It's hard to convey my level of happiness with the meal. Alan

I think that I have said this before, but after having just made Jim Drohman's Pork Belly Confit again, I have to say that this is one of the best things that I have ever eaten, pork or otherwise. I don't think that the term "pork crack" is strong enough. For those of you who haven't tried this recipe, but who love pork belly, please do yourself a favor and put it on your "to do" list. Absolutely phenomenal. By the way, it calls for 24-36 hours of curing prior to the cooking, and I have done 24 hours both times, and find it to be perfect. Alan

Chris, That bacon sounds great! By the way, what is your reasoning for liking the vacuum-sealed curing better? I'm curing my guanciale that way, and my reasoning was that it would help keep any released liquid--including all of the spices and other aromatic components--in better contact with the meat. Are there other reasons to go the vacuum route in your estimation? Alan

Abra, Chris, Thanks. I changed the book's recipe for Mexican Chorizo in this way: Added: 1 oz of 100% chocolate 1/4 t toasted coriander fried raisins 2/3 cup thin mole sauce that I had left over 1 toasted and powdered mulato chile, and 1 toasted and powdered ancho (instead of powder) extra garlic (4 cloves in all) Subbed: toasted cumin for raw apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar canned chipotle in adobo for the powder The results are outstanding. I've made chorizo a couple of times from Bayless' recipe, and I like it a lot, but I like this one better. The flavor is more subtle and complex due to the lighter acidification of the mixture than in commercial versions or in Bayless'. This might be less authentic, but I like it better. Also--and this is important to me since I am buying excellent quality meat at a premium--the flavor of the pork really comes through well. Part of this might also be the relatively high percentage of fat since I'm using belly. Things I would change in the next version: more chocolate more spice (perhaps spicier paprika or leaving in the seeds of all the chiles) maybe another chipotle Serving suggestions: Tonight I used it loose with some onion, garlic, tomato and chiles all sauteed and then eaten on homemade tortillas with homemade salsa picante and pickled onions. Amazing. Tomorrow I'll be slow-roasting some and then crisping the casing, slicing it up and eating it on some fresh tortillas with some fresh vegetables. I know that chorizo is not eaten like this traditionally, but this is one of the reasons that this recipe appeals to me. I like the idea of a Mexican-style chorizo that doesn't need to be crumbled--one that could be eaten on a sandwich, or sliced up. If it works out, I'll try and get a good photo of it. Changing subjects... I've had some salt-packed casings for quite a bit over a year--approaching two--and they are just fine. I think that I read on Butcher Packer that they can last up to about two years, but I would bet that they could last longer if stored properly. Best, Alan

Having just trimmed my belly into one 5 lb bacon piece, and into enough pieces for Drohman's pork belly confit--now in the cure--I find myself with extra belly. Since I am in the process of curing some guanciale at the moment I didn't feel like also doing pancetta, so I decided to cut off the fat and cube up the meat and fat for a sausage, which I have done once before with delicious, though not light, results. I am leaning towards the mexican-style chorizo which is quite different than the Bayless recipe that I have used before. However, I started thinking about the spicing, and I'm on the verge of doing a "mole-spiced" chorizo by adding cocoa powder (or shaved 100% chocolate), some raisins, even shelled pumpkin seeds, and adjusting the spicing slightly. Has anyone experimented with chocolate or cocoa powder in their sausages? I am so intrigued by the idea that I might not be able to talk myself out of it. Any prior experience would be appreciated. I have only made it up to page 30 of this thread and don't think I'll be able to cover the other half in one evening. Also, I was thinking of doing a canned chipotle in adobo instead of the dried powder. I thought that it might add a bit more juiciness to the sausage. Any thoughts on that are welcome too. Best, Alan

HI all, I have been absent from this thread for a long time (maybe two years almost), and have only caught up to page 23, but still, I figured that I'd let everyone know what I'm up to. Today I started a guanciale after having received my order of juniper berries. I'm using a modified version of the pancetta recipe in Charcuterie. Instead of the full amount of brown sugar, I used part brown sugar and part dextrose. Over the next month I'll be working on the following, also from the book: -Drohman's pork belly confit, which I made once before, and which was one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life -smoked maple bacon -saucisson sec I have also made the bacon before, which was excellent, but have yet to delve into the world of dry-cured sausages. I just purchased some beef middles from Butcher Packer for the saucisson. I'll post some updates, and maybe some photos, once I have finished the first item. Best, Alan

I know that I am replying to a two-year-old post, but I have just finished reading the first 16 pages of this thread, and I have noticed how early on it was theorized that the whiskers were due to the meat being too cold, and perhaps not filling the casing fully. Later, someone suggested that they were remnants of veins that had surrounded the casing and not due to the filling. Well, I can say that a couple of years ago I had done some reading about the issue online, and here is what I found: http://www.dewied.com/trouble_fresh.html In other words, it isn't something "wrong" with the casings, it is just that if you buy the hand-pulled casings, you can get them without the connective tissue whiskers. As mentioned above, and as I'm sure you have all noticed, since the whiskers are quite fatty, they virtually melt away during cooking. There is nothing to be worried about, and they certainly don't signify that something is wrong with the filling--too cold or otherwise. One thing to note is that the knife-cut casings are actually stronger, and have less risk of tearing. See here: http://www.alliedkenco.com/catalog/popup_t...l/howtos/key/17 So, the moral of the story is not to worry about the whiskers, they actually result in stronger casings, but if they do bother you, then look for hand-pulled casings. Best, Alan

Hi All, I am looking for some good pig ear recipes. I have come across fried, braised, and braised and fried. Does anyone have any great pig ear tips? On another note, I was told by a local pork supplier that the USDA regulations don't allow them to sell pig ears. What?? I've seen people talking about eating pig ears on eGullet, so is this a mistake, or is there some other explanation that someone who is better educated on the USDA and their regulations can explain to me? Thanks in advance, Alan

Thank you. I have run across the Dubys' site and books, and will have to look into the books a bit more one day. Alan

Fusion Chocolate by Frederic Bau? ← That's the one. I thought that you might know. In fact, I think that we may have briefly talked about this book when we were in NYC. Thanks! Alan

Hi all, Some time ago I ran across a huge and very expensive book by a chef at Valrhona that included only savory chocolate recipes. Since then I can't manage to find the reference again. Does anyone know what that book is called? I know that Amazon.com did stock it. Best, Alan

He specifically said that he "dry ages" his beef for 21 days. He mentioned letting the sides hang and having to trim them and losing quite a bit of weight, so it seems that he is indeed talking about dry aging. Best, Alan

Kerry, Thank you! Alan