donk79

I will say that it recently seems more widely available. I have purchased pork belly from Costco and our local international foods store for years, but just recently I have noted it being sold at Food Lion, a very mid-road grocer, not noted for carrying anything unusual.

They can get fibrous, depending on when they are picked. Sometimes I have some that I will eat as they are. Other times I stick to using them as an ingredient, blended or finely chopped.

You are not wrong! I never use foil, but I am not in a competition with a time limit. Regarding smoke, I smoke all the way through, but I understand that many say most smoke is absorbed at temperatures below stall levels.

I would look to @rotuts for solid information. He is much more methodical than I am (I lack a notebook and intention to start one!) and knows your smoker better than I do. That said, if I am smoking a pork butt, I usually cut on in half to smoke 5-6 lbs. I smoke at 225-250f, and smoke until 195-200f. I give it 8 hours, but it sometimes takes less ans sometimes more.

Rotuts, on reflection, I have seen similar on beef tongue cooked for 48 hours. You are correct. But a 4 hour cook at those temps will definitely not get you there.

To clarify further, for bbq (typical smoking treatment for pork butter, you want a final temp around 90c. You are not getting close to hot enough to break down that connective tissue.

@JoNorvelleWalker In my experience, a pork shoulder wants several more hours of cooking. I smoke low and slow, but anything under 6 hours, I would consider pushing luck.

I had one (wedding present) and got rid of it because of the space it took up. We used it rarely, and I do not remember anything regarding freshness impacts.

Looks like it is owned by Hellofresh. That says nothing to me about quality/reliability, but it may to you.

Never mind. I just missed the "Cook it" name previously.

Rebranded a touch?!

And ANNIVERSARY5 still works! And the pan combo is still unavailable. But I have a cooker for the office coming to me.

Unfortunately that site is trying to tell me I need to "scan my system." I would stay away from it. Is there another link you can share?

Can you say more about this? What makes it "Cracked?"

These are just about banned from our house due to the price and how easily they dissappear. A nice occasional treat, though!

I have favored celery root for a while, but it can be a touch pricey. So I grew some the past couple years, with this year being the first good harvest. I love it in both pot pies and soups. I generally calculate it as half celery and half potato in a recipe. It's more than that, but that gives an idea of how to use it.

@rotuts Please share your results. I have only cold smoked bacon. I recall many people starting out with a hot smoke, though. I am quite envious of the indoor smoker. My smoker setup requires quite a lot of babying in cold temperatures for best results. That said, Edward's is the only purchased bacon I have found comparable. Mass market brands don't get close.

Hmmm.... I just smoked and sliced ten pounds of bacon last week. Was starting to wonder about the economy of this when paying $4.50/lb for the belly, given the work that goes in. Appreciate you giving me encouragement!

I used to do this with reduced chicken stock. A few seconds with hot tap water and coaxing with a butter knife was generally enough to get my cubes free.

Depending how you feel about ebay... https://www.ebay.com/itm/326385953392?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=izKFWE6gSX-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=mlLJA92sQYO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media

Have you checked this out? Looks like higher base price, but I think I recall everyone here being very pleased with it. I would be interested in hearing updates from those who have it too!

Hmmmph! Just enough to make me want to come back to it with a university account! 😛

Bernie's suggestion is the way I would go with good Blue Crab. Some sort of crab imperial. Or, alternatively, a cream of crab soup. Just make certain not to overwhelm the crab!

It's a thing, but often shouldn't be. @Dr. Teeth, am I correct that blue crab is your crab of choice?

I will not call myself a focaccia expert, but the LA bread is certainly not what I expect of focaccia. I'm curious what someone with more knowledge of the history of focaccia would say.