Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 2)

[ronnie_suburban]

Ron

Those look FABULOUS!  I think you got this sausage thing down...

Time for some salame

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Yes, I'm definitely ready to move on to salame.

And in the interim, one round of jowl bacon coming up later this week. A small box from Niman just magically appeared at my door last week.

=R=

[jmolinari]

This is a picture of my yearly cotechino e lenticchie (cotechino and lentils) dinner. This very sausage was the sole reason i started making sausages. I missed it so much from when i lived in Italy I started making it. Then i said to myself, well if i can make cotechino...how hard could cured meats be:)

[snowangel]

Ron, how fine did you grind for the andouille? Or, did you just cube the butt and stuff?

I'm putting the venison in with the back fat tonight. fifi's nephew raved about a venison and back fat sausage with sage and fennel, with some garlic and black pepper, and I'm going to add the cherries. Grind and stuff tomorrow.

[Michael Ruhlman]

susan, no wonder the quiche is so diificult, you're dividing your affections between the custard and the hog.

[snowangel]

susan, no wonder the quiche is so diificult, you're dividing your affections between the custard and the hog.

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And the hog is winning.

I'm off this week to find some nice fatty butt for the pork/poblano sausages. They reek "make me." But first, to the venison!

[Bombdog]

I'm off this week to find some nice fatty butt for the pork/poblano sausages. 

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Susan, STOP IT! You're in my head.

I'm making pork with roasted poblano and chipolte in adobe sausages tomorrow. I've got that smoked fat and fresh cilanto I'm going to add also.

[snowangel]

Stupidest question of the week. I whacked up that vension yesterday and stuck it in a bag. It has leaked blood (in the bad, not in the fridge). Can I assume I should just include the blood in the sausage? I'm talking about 1/3-1/2 cup.

[ronnie_suburban]

Jason, that looks beautiful. Not to stray too far off-topic, but are those lentils? How were they prepared?

Ron, how fine did you grind for the andouille?  Or, did you just cube the butt and stuff?

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I used the larger blade on the KA grinder, 1/4", I think.

=R=

[Abra]

OMG, you all are making the most beautiful sausages! Ron, talk more about what was wrong with those casings. The sausages looked lovely to me, more artisanal for their irregularity.

Ok, pork belly skin R me now - what a great bunch of suggestions. I just had Thai pigs feet for dinner, which made me wonder about what other parts of the pig are underappreciated.

Edited April 26, 2006 by Abra (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

OMG, you all are making the most beautiful sausages!  Ron, talk more about what was wrong with those casings.  The sausages looked lovely to me, more artisinal for their irregularity.

Ok, pork belly skin R me now - what a great bunch of suggestions.  I just had Thai pigs feet for dinner, which made me wonder about what other parts of the pig are underappreciated.

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The casings repeatedly burst -- not while I was stuffing them -- but while I was twisting off the links after they'd already been filled. As many batches of links as I've made up to now, that was a first. One of the things I love about this entire endeavor is the endless variables. That's also what I love about bread baking -- there's always something new to learn.

In this case, I decided not to sweat it and just sort of twisted up the few links that had burst. That's why a few of them have tapered ends, etc. I guessed that between the drying and the smoking all the links would firm up regardless of whether they were broken or not, so I just left them as they were. As it turned out, the links with the broken casings are just as moist inside as the ones that are intact, so all's well that ends well.

Dave, on the chicken sausages upthread (which look great, btw), did you do any special prep on the sun-dried tomatoes?

=R=

[Bombdog]

Dave, on the chicken sausages upthread (which look great, btw), did you do any special prep on the sun-dried tomatoes?

=R=

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Just a little bit of time in some warm water. I suppose I could have gotten creative and soaked them in the wine, but I didn't think of it.

[jmolinari]

Ronnie, the lentils are very easy. Saute some carrot, onion celery and garlic and pancetta. Add dry lentils to it, let it saute' for a minute. Add white wine. Let it cook off. Add chicken stock. Add bay leaves and whever other herbs and spices you want. About 15 minutes into the simmer, add some crushed tomatos (optional). Let cook until done, adding more chicken stock as needed.

jason

[FoodMan]

Ron, these are awsome perfect looking sausages! I have to go to lunch right now...

Molinari, I love that cotechino. I have to make some for this year's holiday season.

[hwilson41]

All you folks are doing beautiful work. If this topic doesn't inspire one to new and better things, I don't know what would. I just need to figure out how to get invited to dinner in places that are 500 miles apart when gas costs $3/gal .

Ron, I picked up some Cherry earlier this week and finally scored some pecan, down in Tidewater VA. Best news is that it is free, so as soon as I get it here (next week?), I'll be trying my Andouille. There's a big pot (or three) of jambalaya on my horizon. I can feel it in my bones (or maybe in my sausage) .

[ronnie_suburban]

All you folks are doing beautiful work.  If this topic doesn't inspire one to new and better things, I don't know what would.  I just need to figure out how to get invited to dinner in places that are 500 miles apart when gas costs $3/gal .

Ron, I picked up some Cherry earlier this week and finally scored some pecan, down in Tidewater VA.  Best news is that it is free, so as soon as I get it here (next week?), I'll be trying my Andouille.  There's a big pot (or three) of jambalaya on my horizon.  I can feel it in my bones (or maybe in my sausage) .

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I've driven 150 miles for White Castles, so even at $3/gallon, driving 500 for some quality, home-made charcuterie seems worth it.

I look forward to reading about your results, not only about the andouille itself but also what effect it has on your jambalaya and other dishes you make with it. I should probably make a pot of jambalaya myself. I was hoping to have turned out my own tasso before doing so but I do have some Poche's on hand . . .

=R=

[Bombdog]

Pulled the peperone out this morning.

Wonderful taste, just like Michael described in the book, tangy and spicy.

I also finished the pork sausages with roasted poblano and chipotle peppers. I'll have some pictures after dinner.

[ronnie_suburban]

Beautiful work, Dave. I'll take that slice on the right with the nice little oval of fat in it (and a few more) !

=R=

[Bombdog]

Beautiful work, Dave.  I'll take that slice on the right with the nice little oval of fat in it (and a few more) !

=R=

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Well there's 4 lbs of the stuff, help your self. Which leads me to the question, where has all the bacon, tuscan salame, hungarian paprika sausage, duck breast proscuito, bresaola and pancetta gone?

[Michael Ruhlman]

Pulled the peperone out this morning.

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that is gorgeous stuff. what i love best is that it looks like real dried sausage, not crap in plastic yellow packages or the greezy shit on a dominoes pizza. thanks for the pix.

[Bombdog]

Pulled the peperone out this morning.

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that is gorgeous stuff. what i love best is that it looks like real dried sausage, not crap in plastic yellow packages or the greezy shit on a dominoes pizza. thanks for the pix.

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Thanks Michael...and you are so right, it's not anything like the commercially produced stuff we are used to in the US. Of course, I don't need to say that this is the ONLY peperone we will be eating in my house from now on.

[FoodMan]

Pulled the peperone out this morning.

Wonderful taste, just like Michael described in the book, tangy and spicy.

I also finished the pork sausages with roasted poblano and chipotle peppers.  I'll have some pictures after dinner.

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Dave, what can I say other than my stuff pales compared to your lovely work.

On a good note, I found a much better source for my pork belly today and at 1.90/lb for awsome looking belly, it is heaven sent. I picked up a slab a little under 5lbs to start curing more bacon and also they sell great pork butt for the same price. Bought some of that too to make some Andouille.

[melicob]

Questions re: smoking

I don't have a smoker of my own, but a chef friend offered to let me use his big ole guy. Since he's going to have to bring all the way it to his restaurant for me to use, I wanted to be prepared with plenty of stuff to smoke. Can I make a bunch of different sausages and freeze them and defrost/smoke them? What about the pellicle? Should I dry, then freeze? Freeze, defrost then dry? (I have vac sealer so I can protect them a little.) Do the sausages need to be defrosted prior to smoking? Also, there is some running of cool water over sausages mentioned in the book. If I'm doing this in an alley near the restaurant, can I throw them in a cooler or something? And finally, is it bad to refreeze a previously frozen sausage after it's been smoked?

Thanks for everyone's feedback and comments! I've found this forum to be quite helpful in my adventure into Charcuterie.

[FoodMan]

My educated guesse, or what I would do:

Can I make a bunch of different sausages and freeze them and defrost/smoke them?

Yes

Freeze, defrost then dry?

yes, in the fridge

Do the sausages need to be defrosted prior to smoking?

yes, in the fridge

If I'm doing this in an alley near the restaurant, can I throw them in a cooler or something?

I would say shock them in ice water first then put in cooler.

is it bad to refreeze a previously frozen sausage after it's been smoked?

Don't think so.

[Bombdog]

Dave, what can I say other than my stuff pales compared to your lovely work.

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Elie, I am humbled. Thanks for the compliment. I'm just an incredibly lucky rookie following the instructions in the book.

[Abra]

Wickedly beautiful peperone! That dark, cordovan color is utterly enticing.