Recoil Rob
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Posts posted by Recoil Rob
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The times I've worked with octopus at the restaurants I've been at we braised it, chilled it down, and then grilled it to order to re-heat/char.
While I'm sure this was an oversight in the Babbo cookbook, I can't imagine that it is done any different.
I mean, wouldn't that just be the logical conclusion?
Seems like it to me, thanks.
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My point exactly. Something is missing. I tried to send an email to Babbo in hope of a clarification but they don't give an email address on their website.
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Nice job! I wish I had the space to let them age properly (and the low temps).
Do you have a picture of the apparatus you use to hang it from the back end? I usually use the gambrel method, like a big coat hanger but I'm curious as to how you are holding that deer, what is the chain hooking on to?
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While looking for good octopus recipe for Christmas Eve I came across the one in the Babbo Cookbook (2002) p.66, Barbecued Octopus with Yukon Golds
I read it through 3 times and I see where the octopus is initially cooked in oil and then braised for a couple of hours but there's no mention of it ever being grilled as suggested by the accompanying photo.
Am I missing something? Has anyone tried this recipe?
Thanks, Rob
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Well, I'm curing.
I ended up trimming out all the salivary glands, even the ones that were the same color as the meat. It wasn't that much, a few tablespoons each and some fat came off with it but from what I read it seemed like a good idea.
For my cure I used a combination of the three recipes (Poli's, Babbo's and the pancetta cure from CHARCUTERIE (1st Edition) which the book stated was the same one to use for guanciale).
1/2c Morton's Kosher salt
1/2c light brown sugar
1/2tsp. Instacure #2 (this was a compromise, one recipe said to use 1-1/2tsp. #2, one said #1 and the other had none)
Garlic, sage, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary & juniper
In the photo they look like fried cutlets but that's the brown sugar. I had some granite slabs that I will put on top while they cure to even them out. There are also two chunks that were thicker than the rest so I cut them off and they are curing also, but probably for less time.
Now it's sit and wait for a week. If they throw off some liquid brine am I supposed to drain it off?
Thanks, Rob
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Andrew, my CHARCUTERIE is the first edition and p.47 has drawings of pancetta, no guanciale recipe. If you have a copy you could email or fax me I would love to see it.
Whoops, my bad!
Anyway, I was able to read that .pdf file (but only with Adobe Reader, not the software I usually use.) The first direction is to remove the salivary glands, which sound like the bubbles or nodes you noticed. So it sounds like you did the right thing.
Good luck with the guanciale! I haven't made it yet-- it'll have to wait until I get a curing chamber set up in January or February-- but I'm looking forward to giving it a go myself. Be sure to report on your results!
I've actually noticed two different types of little nodes. There the brownish ones I removed but here are also areas of tiny pink bubbles, the same color as the meat. Any idea if these should be removed also?
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Thanks for the Babbo recipe, that should work.
Andrew, my CHARCUTERIE is the first edition and p.47 has drawings of pancetta, no guanciale recipe. If you have a copy you could email or fax me I would love to see it.
HKDave, thanks but that file wouldn't open for me, perhaps it's corrupted.
Does anyone know if the meat should be wrapped in cheesecloth while drying or left naked?
Also, here are some pics of the jowls I got, they're pretty big, over 10" long and about 2" at the thickest point. I have trimmed out several small pea sized nodes that were a brown color. I read in CHARCUTERIE that one should be careful to trim out all the glands, is this what was meant?
It looks to me as though the pieces I have are bigger than the drawings in the book, they have a large covering of fat. Can I use the whole pieces as they are or should I trim them to a more uniform shape?
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Can someone point me to the basic guanciale recipe? I thought it was in CHARCUTERIE but it's not, perhaps it's in a Batali book?
I tried our search engine but couldn't get specific enough.
My neighbor just slaughtered two pigs and I have two cheeks waiting for a cure.
thanks, Rob
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I don't think there's going to be any short term danger, the question is what are the long term effects of such a practice.
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I'm a fan of brining, had great success last week brininh striped bass filets. they were about 1" thick and I brined for about 75 minutes then let rest for a day. It grilled up perfectly, moist and held the brine's flavoring well (mostly herbs).
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It's been almost 2 weeks now and several emails have gone unanswered. I finally called and spoke with a very helpful gentleman named Jamal who made arrangements to have our blender replaced with an improved one. Will report back when it arrives.
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Another question. I have a lot of little bits for grinding for burgers (have grinder). Should I be mixing this ground venison with something, or grinding it with something else that has more fat? (not talking sausages)
If you're going to freeze the ground meat, freeze it as is, you can always add fat to it when ready to use.
I'm not a big fan of burgers anyway, not big on ground meat except when making pate's terrines and such. I take all the little bits and odd pieces and freeze them in 1 or 2 lb bags. I use it for stews and chilies. I make a venison/black bean chile that all my family and friends love. I trim the fat and gristle off those small pieces and cut them as uniformly as possible into 1/4 - 3/8" chunks. I feel it adds more to the chile than it would ground up.
If you want to use it for burgers you can add beef fat.
I do add pork fat when making fresh sausage meat.
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I've read a couple of people hear say they're too tough, to many tendons and either grind them up or toss them.
Myself, I love them and keep any that fellow hunters don't want. I braise them, any kind of braise will do, red wine, stock (preferably venison stock), Middle Eastern spices, whatever you like. They fit great in the Le Creuset oval ovens. You do have to braise them a long time, but the tendons get soft and are delicious.
I have thought about trying Osso Deero but they are too small in diameter for that, best to braise them whole.
Rob
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I find it easier to hang head down. You can skin down to the Atlas joint and then cut through it and the head comes off with the skin. It seems to me the animal stretches out better. Once skinned you can take off the shoulders, the rib and loins and then split the hindquarters.
It's how I learned and seems natural to me. I've never hung it by the head and skinned.
FWIW the local processore, who does close to 1000 deer a season, skins head down. Takes him about 4-5 minutes to skin a deer.
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Me and a buddy tried the golf ball method once. It worked but wasn't worth the trouble. I agree, hanging it by the hind legs and using a knif is the way to go.
That curry sounds great but I'm having striped bass for dinner. We got out on Friday before the weather hit and had a field day with 30+ bluefish and about 12-15 stripers. Only the one striper was legal so we kept it and one bluefish which is curing as we speak into Blox (bluefish lox)!
Maybe hunting tomorrow.
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I have a Foodsaver and I like it though the bags are expensive. To be honest, I used to just triple wrap in food saver film (read "plastic wrap") and then wrap in freezer paper. More work but just as good as Foodsaver bags. You do have to handle the Foodsaver bags carefully though. If you bump them around too much in the freezer you will cause a leak that won't be noticed until you pull a package out and notice the crystals inside. You can write on the bags, they even have a white strip for that.
Ever hear of the "golf ball method" of skinning a deer?
Rob
Nice buck Hardwater. Where to you hunt, in NH?I find that if you skin the deer when it's still warm it's much easier, I hardly ever even need a knife, just to start the cuts. I have a pair of welders clamp Vise Grips and I clamp that on and just pull, most of it come right off.
One other thing is deer fat will go rancid quicker than other fats so don't put a lot in that bird feeder, no more than a few days supply.
I was supposed to be hunting this morning, it's the NY opener but it's been pouring all day and too warm. I try Monday, less guys in the woods.
Rob
I do believe that Hardwater is hunting more in my neck of the woods than yours! And, yes, skinning is easier when it is warmer.
Vise Grips are a good things are is just flat standing on the hide that's on the ground and some brute force. Hanging the deer from the rafters with a block and tackle is a very good thing. One can raise and lower The Beast with ease.
But, as to freezing the pieces. Assume that Food Saver is better than butcher paper? I don't have one of those food saver things, but my backdoor neighbor does, and I think just borrowing the machine and buying the bag roll thingee is a good thing, no? Can you write on the food saver bags with a sharpee?
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Nice buck Hardwater. Where to you hunt, in NH?
I find that if you skin the deer when it's still warm it's much easier, I hardly ever even need a knife, just to start the cuts. I have a pair of welders clamp Vise Grips and I clamp that on and just pull, most of it come right off.
One other thing is deer fat will go rancid quicker than other fats so don't put a lot in that bird feeder, no more than a few days supply.
I was supposed to be hunting this morning, it's the NY opener but it's been pouring all day and too warm. I try Monday, less guys in the woods.
Rob
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Leave the skin on, I doubt it will make that difference in the amount of fat rendered and you need to crisp it before serving!
To bad about no Vietnamese in Westchester. We went to a place outside of Danbuy, CT a few years back, never went back. I thought I had read on one of the local blogs that a new one had opened....
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Thanks Rob and Joan. Great suggestions, both.
I may be in trouble now. My duck has been curing for almost 24 hours and I don't think I have enough duck fat.
Maybe I should brush the salt off, put back in the fridge and start calling around. After all this work, I don't want to use olive oil.
Last batch I made I used a modified recipe from CHARCUTERIE but the amount of salt they called for. If they have been salted for 24-48 hours you can go ahead and rinse them and pat dry.
If you call HVFG tomorrow morning you'll have your fat Tuesday and proceed from there.
BTW, do we have any good Vietnamese restaurants in Westchester yet? Connecticut?
Rob
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Liz, for future reference I get my duck fat from the Hudson Valley Fois Gras, they sell a 7.5lb (1gal.) bucket that comes UPS to me in Westchester for about $30.
I use it for my pheasant confit and it's great stuff.
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Just an update on the Breville Blenders. We bought on about 14 months ago primarily for smoothies, it gets used 2-3 times weekly and performs well, we like it.
It gets wiped down when needed but that's it.
As it turns out that attractive Breville "stainless steel" base is actually a diecast pot metal base that is painted with a silver paint. For no apparent treason except it's over a year old that finish has been peeling off and the base underneath is corroding. So far attempts to contact Breville have received no reply. In a few more months it's going to look like hell on the countertop.
Caveat emptor...
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seems like mayo and just about everything....
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Somewhere in my memory I have the idea that the MacDonalds "Big Mac Special Sauce" was simply mayo, ketchup & mustard. I still like that for burgers and fries.
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Making Guanciale at Home
in Italy: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Rinsed, dried and hanging in 43% RH & 55˚!