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Has anyone tried doing a squab leg confit? If so, how long did you salt it and how long did you cook it in the fat?? I've done the moulard duck legs confit with decent success - salting for about 12 hours with Diamond Kosher (thanks Paula Wolfert!), then cooking SV (much easier cleanup) at 180degF for about 7 hours... I'd assume that the squab legs would take considerably less time both salting and cooking since the thickness is maybe 1/3 that of a duck leg... also, I think a squab leg is a bit tenderer to start out with.... Any thoughts or experiences???? Thanks...

Would like to know if anyone out there has any ideas on how to make andouille without beef or pork (housemate allergic to such). Not only looking for flavour but also the all-important texture. Anyone have any ideas on how to go about doing this? Sincerely, Dante

A neighbour asked me to show him how to make duck confit. We are going at it this weekend. As a starting point, I bought two Mennonite-raised (so they should be pretty natural and pretty tasty) ducks. They are currently frozen so I don't yet have a good idea of their proportions (except their weight, 4 and 4.5 lbs.) We are planning to confit of the 4 legs this weekend (and maybe the wings too? depends on their size I guess.) Question is this. These natural ducks were pretty expensive ($6 a lb?) and so I am loath to waste anything. In my experience (in France), the breasts are saved, boned, for magret that measure about 6"x3"x1". Here though I've found that duck breasts are pathetic little things unsuitable for much. (Maybe French magret ducks are specially raised?) If these breasts seem substantial enough, we'll go the magret route. But it they are skimpy, what suggestions does anyone have for making the most of two legless, wingless, breast-still-on duck carcasses? roast? other? thanks Peter

A friend made a wonderful dish of roasted almond-stuffed dates on a piece of candied bacon. I'd like to make this for a friend's party but wonder if it will be tasty after 20 minutes in the car. I have a hot/cold cooler for the car that keeps things pretty warm. Maybe a bacon dish is not the way to go. I saw quite a few raves about bacon wrapped parmesan stuffed roasted dates when I googled roasted dates and wondered how that might work. The advantage being that I wouldn'' have to assemble the dish when I get there since the bacon is already wrapped around the date. Just not sure that these are dishes that work best when served right after roasting. Since our host is also cooking for the party I really don't want to intrude and ask to use her oven. Any thoughts here?

HI, Are there any mail order sources for Chourico or Linguica other than Gaspars? Tim

The last few years I've been making pheasant confit, using the legs and thighs of pheasants. I'm using the basic recipe from "Charcuterie". In that recipe, after the meat has simmered in the fat, one removes the pieces to a container and covers them with the fat for aging. Left is the pot is the pinkish liquid which, if left with meat can sour it. It is recommended to strain this liquid and cool it which, because of all the natural gelatin it contains quickly comes together into a sort of aspic. In the book the authors recommend using it in a vinaigrette for salads, but no much else. I've tried that and it did nothing for me. I've reduced and clarified the amount I had, sort of like a demi-glace, does anyone have any other ideas for it's usage? Thanks, Rob

Reading through Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's instructions about making salami (I'm really loving his books BTW), I noticed he uses what he calls simply "Acidophilus". He says it comes in powder form or tablet and can be bought at any healthfood store or pharmacy. The reason? To promote fermentation and a powdery mold. He uses no starter culture. So, a product that is readily available, is shelf stable, ferments and creates mold?? I did some research and Acidophilus is basically the bacteria that makes yogurt (well, mostly) Lactobacillus Acidophilus. It can be used as a food supplement or as an addition to sausages to aid fermentation and "good" mold. You can buy it from your local drug store for a very reasonable price, like at walgreens. I am sure this is not as good as it sounds. Is it? Has anyone tried using it? If it works as good as the Bactoferm stuff or even close to what Bactoferm does, then why bother paying for Bactoferm? Thoughts, ideas, suggestions. Am I totally off the mark here?

Hello, Any thoughts on how to cook Merguez Lamb Sausages? I was thinking I'd like to do a sort of a stew. Brown them first, slice and add back in just before turnips, carrots, cabbage are cooked through? Thanks, Grace www.fearlesscooking.tv

Hello I've got a glut of lamb to use up and im after a good recipe for a lamb sausage. If possible, I want to avoid having to add pork fat. Open to any ideas just as long as its good! Many thanks

Stayiing at the apartment of friends in the Upper West Side of Manhattan last week, I was curious to try the new salumeria in the area owned and run by Cesare Casella, Salumeria Rosi. having heard a rumor that the shop/restaurant had opened I arranged to meet my brother and sister there for lunch. While the Marketplace of the salumeria would be open later in the afternoon and they were planning on serving their opening dinner that night, unfortunately they were not yet open for lunch. Instead we wound up at the not too far and still quite new Shake Shack UWS. Suffice to say that we enjoyed each others company, but this post is not about Shake Shack. After our lunch, I headed downtown for some business and returned to the UWS later in the afternoon. 2Since the marketplace was supposed to be open, I decided to return and check it out. Still a bit late from the time we were told earlier, but clearly closer to fruition, the marketplace was just about to open, but only in a soft sense. They were not quite yet doing business, but Casella and his staff were there with samples of their wares for prospective customers to try. Though small and with a low-key storefront located to the also low-key, small storefront of the new Jacques Torres chocolate shop, the shop/restaurant was very nicely appointed with the salumeria counter at the entrance and some tables to the side and the rear. With prosciutti hanging from the ceiling in front of the wall behind the counter, the offerings looked fresh and delicious. Freshly imported mozzarelle di bufala and burate along with other Italian cheeses lined part of the glass enclosed refrigerated cabinet.A variety of salumi were to the left of the cheeses as one peered into the glass, while a number of prepared products along with olives and other items lay to the right of the cheeses from the onlooker's perspective. The presentations were colorful and beautiful in the glass cases. Cesare Casella himself cut some Prosciutto di Parma by hand for me to taste, while the countermen sliced some more of that as well as prosciutto cotto, Mortadella and Prosciutto di San Daniele to sample. The samples were delicious, my preference in this case being for the Prosciuuto di Parma over the San Daniele. The Parma was, in this instance, more complex and with deeper flavor. Another time, I would love to return to try the many other items available. This should be a fine addition to that neighborhood. For more photos, please see my photo album on my new blog, aka "Docsconz - the Blog."

I thought this would catch the interest of some of you after reading the interesting debate on the best way to cook a steak. Tim Hayward wrote a piece on the best way to cook a sausgage on his Guardian blog: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wor.../nov/11/sausage Comments?

No where near kosher, but never the less interesting... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/dining/2..._r=2&ref=dining Dan

As I have noted a few times recently, it seems like bacon is perilously close to jumping the shark. Not only does it seem like an interminable length of time that internet foodies have been making a fetish of bacon, but even the fast food and "casual dining" megachains have been catching on with their offings of just about everything "baconized." Even relatively late-to-the party old media are starting to go bacon-wild, and as Steven noted, "typically by the time a trend gets recognized by the New York Times it is already on the decline among the people who actually drove the trend." Now Win Rosenfeld of The Big Money weighs in with similar thinking. None of this is to say that I don't still love bacon. It's tasty as hell. But I long ago stopped obsessing about it, eating it every chance I had, and thinking things such as bacon-flavored mayonnaise were charming, cool or even delicious. Thoughts?

I'm looking for some really good, local smokehouse type bacon, preferably applewood smoked. I've tried some local brands but haven't found what I'm looking for. North of Seattle is also good, if there's anything there. Any suggestions?

This is my first post in a long time, but I have had a concern that is burning my conscience as I work on a business plan for a restaurant I want to someday run. I suddenly realized this may be the perfect place I should look for more information. The local laws for the restaurants I have worked in recently go by a 7-day shelf life for potentially hazardous foods (this is probably almost universal…?) I have done pancetta, bacon, and corned beef at a small restaurant recently under these laws, either cooking, or freezing, then cooking the product within these terms before serving. But…as I do more research on cured meats, I am curious to learn as to how laws affect these meats that are hung to dry in fixed environments (or dedicated, humidified refrigerators above 41 degrees) and how restaurants are able to serve products that fall beyond the “7-day” rule. Hanging pancetta for three weeks? Duck proscuitto? Ham proscuitto? 12 hour cold-smoked bacon? Reading our laws online, it sounds like these are special cases that need to be reviewed by the health department. Can these only come from commercial operations? Can these things be made in a commercial kitchen? What's it like in your kitchen? thanks for the help...tim edited to clarify the: cooking; or freezing, then cooking the product within 7 days, etc...

I have a chance to buy a 30-lb box of Niman Ranch Applewood Bacon Ends and Pieces at on $1.99/lb. This is originally destined for a professional kitchen. What can I reasonably expect to get? Do I surmise that these are the trimmings off of bacon slabs that get packaged up as bacon strips and therefore are grisly and mostly fat? Don't want to get something that can only be used in limited circumstances. Bacon is chancy as it is sometimes when the ends are grisly and you can't chew them. On the other hand Niman Ranch is supposed to be a top brand. Any feedback is appreciated! doc

I have several batchs of fermented sausages going. Everything seemed fine, all covered with pennicilin mold, losing weight on schedule. Over the last few days I have noticed a strong odor of ammonia when I open my curing cabinet. What's up with that?

So, the former long-hair (aka Peter) has requested these for Super Bowl Sunday. Suggestions for add-ins besides bacon? Or, add-ins instead of bacon! ETA: How well do these freeze for a couple of days, or do they hold well without freezing?

I just ate some morteau sausage for lunch - it was lightly-smoked and I got if from the cooked meat counter of selfridges, but it seemed pretty raw... are you supposed to cook it? If so I might be in trouble.. would someone please clarify (quickly! i might not have long left...)

Anybody have this? It looks pretty solid. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Making-Fermented...howViewpoints=1

I'm a bird hunter, primarily pheasants which are known to have tough legs with a lots of tendons. So much so, most hunters just take the breast meat. A few years back I tried to confit some of the leg/thigh pieces, I used a couple of the D'Artagnan containers of duck fat mixed in with rendered pork fat. I was pleased with the results. The meat was nutty and falling off the bone, a bit bland and gray, but made some nice dinners and rilletes Two years ago I saved about 20 leg/thigh joints and bought my duck fat from Hudson Valley Fois Gras. I live within a couple hundred miles so I was able to get a 7.5lb. tub, about 1 gal., of rendered duck fat UPS'd to me overnight for about $35.00. The confit turned out better, perhaps a little salty and one dimensional. I used the method from Polcyn & Ruhlman's "Charcuterie". I kept it covered in the fat for about 5 month in the back of the fridge after drawing off the clear juices from the bottom. We ate it gradually, sometimes by itself, a few pieces in cassoulet, some rillets. After it was all eaten I strained the fat back into the tub and put it in the deep freeze. Last week it was time to confit last years kill, approximately 12 lbs of pheasant legs/ thighs, close to 35 pieces. This time I used a little more spice, lots of garlic and bay leaf. I also added almost 2 tsps. of pink salt which "Charcuterie" recommended if planning to keep the confit longer than a month. I let it cure a full 48 hours then rinsed, patted dry and packed into a stainless container. I melted last years fat which already had some flavor in it and was just enough to cover the legs. I placed it in an electric oven set on warm, after two hours the temperature of the fat was taken with a laser type thermometer, it was right at 169˚K, perfect temperature for cooking. Last year I used a different oven that would only go down to 185˚F and the meat separated from the knuckles and crawled up the bone. After 8 hours of "poaching" at 169 I pulled a piece and it was perfect, just the right amount of salty spicy, nutty goodness. We had four pieces for dinner that night over an arugula salad with some crusty bread. Absolutely delicious, the thighs are meaty and it pulls right off the bone like good BBQ. The legs still have those tendons but all the meat just strips out fro between them. I removed the pink liquid from the bottom, packed the legs back into the SS container and covered all with melted fat, it is now aging in the back of my fridge, should be perfect for the holidays. The little bit of pink salt did wonders for this batch. Last year, although tasty, the legs were an unappealing gray color. This year the meat stayed pink and much firmer, also due to the longer cure. I have reduced the pink liquid, and clarified it. In "Charcuterie" Ruhlman & Polcyn say it ca be used in a vinaigrette. I tried that last year but wasn't impressed, any other recommendations for it's use? I can't recommend Hudson Valley Fois Gras highly enough, quality products at a reasonable cost, and the fat was much more flavorful than the smaller containers. I needed some extra fat to cover my confit, I called and my tub was there the next day.

I apologize for any duplication. I'm looking for a quality recipe for a good traditional garlic kielbasa. I've made before but always cheated with spice mix from butcher supply and moose meat would like to make my own. Don't have access to anything besdies your hillshire here. Have a good workingt knowledge of sausage making but am looking for someones grandmothers recipe to go with my family pierrogi recipe. Food memories.....yummm. any help greatly appreciated but basically looking for a what spices, to what meats all pork, or pork and beef, ratio . Is a light smoke involved . ?The recipes I found on the net involved liquid smoke which i'm not fond of. If smoking is appropriate I will do cold smoke process ... happy holidays - ps this is for xmas day ty.

Looking for a source of lardo, which is Italian cured pork fatback, essentially. Anyone?? Thanks

Hello, this is something I experimented with. We know that the eggshell is porous and permeable, hence is can absorb smells and flavours. What I did was to dip 6 eggs in a container full of bacon drippings and pepper corns. left it in the fridge for a week and then boiled poached, fried and boiled the eggs to soft yolks (2 for each method). I was really surprised!!! the method that had the strongest flavour of bacon and hints of pepper was boiling, although frying and and poaching also gave hints of smokeyness and meatiness. Has anyone else tried this? I think the possibilities are endless!

I'm in the mood for Spanish food, and a surprising large number of recipes in Penelope Casas' early book call for blood sausage. Not a lot of morcilla. And it's usually optional. But I want to make the dish right! Is there anything I can use to substitute (I could get blood from the Asian market, but it's not cooked)? Anything else that would get close? Are there any sources for morcilla in the U.S.? And if I found a supply of morcilla, is this something that I could freeze?