MikeHartnett

Aaaah. Got it. Completely missed that.

That's a scary and potentially dangerous misprint, reinforced by the note that says that sodium nitrite is sold under various names, which might be true but is misleading, since pure nitrite isn't used in curing. In Charcuterie, the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons (12 grams) of pink salt, which would include 0.75 grams of nitrite. By my calculations, that's a reasonable amount for a five-pound belly, though you could probably get away with less. ← Are we looking at the same recipe, found here? It says 2 teaspoons for a 5 pound belly.

That's what I'm guessing. I'm going to run through it the same as I normally would, but I guess I'm just curious if it produces drastically different results.

I'd be interested in hearing how that turns out. I've only done it with pink salt. I've got a friend who might be able to get me some wild pig belly. Anyone have any experience with making bacon from a wild pig?

Indeed. I like that technique. However, I'm less of a fan of the use of russets. I know that supposedly makes it "classic" but to me, that's a flaw in classic American potato salad. ← What would correct that flaw? I made this potato salad yesterday, and it was good, but it definitely ends up more like mashed potato salad.

Hi Mike! I bought myself one of these about 2 months ago. Living in Australia, we basically have a choice between 2 vacuum sealers. Sunbeam or crappy ebay ones. I tried an ebay one first and threw it in the trash after the second use. Don't even go there. I then figured that there are so many in the USA and so many people swear by Foodsavers that I would give it a go. So, I purchased it from the site you linked and also included enough accessories, spare bags, bag rolls and other goodies to last me a life time. I can tell you that I am EXTREMELY please with it. It looks great, stores easily in the cupboard, and best of all, makes air tight seals that work a treat for sousvide and frozen goods. Sure I haven't tried any of the other brands, but I don't need to - this one works great. The only honest downside I can mention is the first few times I had some trouble feeding the bag into the vacuum channel properly. Hope that helps! ← Thanks! I completely missed this.

Not having been to L20, I'm glad I read this. I've gotten this same impression of lack of personality from what I've seen so far.

This just reminds me that I need to get back to Hansen's before the summer's over...

Is there any particular reason you wouldn't use it? It's cheap, and it's an extra precaution... I see no reason not to, but I guess that plenty of people don't use it.

I'm driving back, so my car will probably turn into a Polish on the way back...

I been baking a bit from this book lately, and here is the first picture of my results: French Yogurt Cake with Raspberries... Pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.

Alright. Picture, finally. Unfortunately, the camera was not charged until I began pulling it, so no setup pics. Here is my butt: I'm warming it up to serve at a pulled pork party tonight, with a South Carolina mustard sauce, which is basically =mark's with a few changes. I'm also serving it with a watermelon pickle, watermelon salad, and potato salad.

It would certainly be nice to have a well-stocked market right next to Cork & Bottle.

Oh, a few pieces may have fallen off... Pictures tomorrow, I believe. Turned out quite well, I'd say.

I was there not too long ago and it was absolutely awful. It was empty, and still painfully slow, the food was overcooked (all of it), and the chef was more focused on chatting with Tom Fitzmorris about his plans for the upcoming Eat Club dinner than making sure the experience was acceptable. Plus the maitre d' was just plain weird. I hope it can be fixed with this new incarnation.

I've got a 3.5 lb bone-in on the grill right now... It's been there for going on 9 hours, and I've kept it right around 200* through 3 rain showers and heavy winds blowing off of Hurricane Edouard. I should have pictures later, barring any unforeseen technical difficulties. It's looking delicious, though. It's hard not to just grab it and eat it right now.

While it is more authentic, my problem with it was that it exposes more of the belly to the outside, meaning that you get more of the 'salty outer edge' phenomenon. The flavor was very good, but I think next time I'd do it as a full slab because it got too salty in too many areas.

Sorry. Her recipe calls for cutting the belly into thin strips before curing. I'm not sure if it's just intended to increase potency or what. Regardless, the bacon was in about 2 in. strips when I smoked it, and it met a quick demise due to my lack of attention. At least I had a another slab of bacon to cheer me up after my loss...

Haha. Too bad I got this an hour after it ended. Oh well.

I'm traveling to get to Chicago in the first place! When I said I was willing to travel wherever, I meant around Chicago, and within reason...

So, I tried the Sichuan bacon, used too much charcoal, got distracted, and burnt it to a crisp. However, I did salvage a bit from the inside that was still edible, and it was delicious. I recommend trying it, but keeping in mind two things: 1) the bacon is in thin strips, and thus will not cook for as long, and 2) do not use enough charcoal to launch a rocket.

You're right. I don't know where I pulled that from. Good. Now I can smoke both this weekend. Chris (or anyone else), have you made the Sichuan bacon?

I'll check it out! Thanks.

I've got a Sichuan bacon curing now (from Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Plenty), as well as the basic Charcuterie recipe. We'll see how they go. I'm planning on smoking the regular bacon tomorrow or Sunday, but I think I have to dry the Sichuan bacon. Does anyone know why I would do this? (I'm pretty sure it's supposed to dry significantly longer than for pellicle development)

I'm originally from Chicago, living in New Orleans for the time being. A coworker, also originally from Illinois, asked me to pick her up some Polish Sausage on my upcoming trip home. I'll be based in the south suburbs, but I should be in the city a fair amount, and I'm willing to travel wherever. So where can I find the absolute best -bar none- Polish Sausage?