pig

Cut and Dried (Charcutepalooza Slight Return)

December 14, 2011
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When we last visited the Cabinet of Doctor Charcuterie, I still had bresaola and lonzino curing in it that were not quite ready to eat. By Saturday, ten days later, however, they had both lost 35 percent of their weight and had become firm to the touch. I couldn’t wait any longer, so I released [...]

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Duck, Duck, Goose (Charcutepalooza Challenge 12)

December 6, 2011
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Much to my surprise, my last Charcutepalooza post was selected by Food 52 as one of the ten best posts for the November challenge. I’m honored that my chronicles of near disaster were considered worthy of their attention. I had no time to rest on my laurels for successful salami making because there was one [...]

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The Cabinet of Doctor Charcuterie (Charcutepalooza Challenge 11)

December 1, 2011
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The November Charcutepalooza challenge was about curing, which included my old nemesis – salami – as an apprentice challenge. When I saw that lardo – which I had made successfully the first time I tried – was an advanced challenge, I thought either I got lucky with the lardo, or I really suck at making salami. [...]

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Hello Pork Pie Fat (Charcutepalooza Challenge 9)

September 15, 2011
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I discovered meat pies on the family trip to London two years ago. Our visit to the Tower of London included lunch, and, in the spirit of the adventure, I ordered a beef and ale pie. It was a pastry shell about four inches around and three inches high, wrapped around a rich, almost bourguignon-esque [...]

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A Better Banh Mi

August 29, 2011
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As I mentioned at the end of my recent head cheese post, there was a sandwich in my future. I didn’t have all of the ingredients that were available to Peter, but I figured I could replicate his basic intent. To begin with, I’d have to approximate his black trumpet mushroom/black peppercorn compound butter, which [...]

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Going Whole Hog

August 23, 2011
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Before a car crash derailed their summer dining season, Journeyman had instituted a Saturday afternoon barbecue lunch, setting up a grill outside and serving to the crowds that passed through Union Square on the way to and from the farmer’s market. They’re up and running again, but, inspired by the success of the Saturday experiment, [...]

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Head Over Heels (Charcutepalooza Challenge 8)

August 15, 2011
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I returned from the Chicago trip with the nagging feeling I had forgotten something. As frequently happens when I’m trying to retrieve information out of long-term storage, the elusive memory revealed itself to me at three in the morning: You have to make a head cheese, and you have less than a week in which [...]

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Dinner at Publican

August 13, 2011
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Our Chicago hosts for the week, having recently moved to the area themselves, asked me to recommend a place for dinner that would accommodate their varied tastes, which ranged from the adventurous to the not-at-all adventurous. I recommended Publican, the newest addition to chef Paul Kahan’s empire which also includes Blackbird and Avec. The atmosphere [...]

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Chicago Dogs

August 11, 2011
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We were somewhere around Park Ridge on the edge of the Chicago when the fatigue began to take hold. I remember saying something like “I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive….” And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge hot dogs, [...]

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Dinner at Lola

August 9, 2011
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We have returned from out vacation trip to Chicago, a drive that we thought best to split into two days each way. On the westbound leg we decided to stop in Cleveland for the evening, knowing the next day would begin with a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I also viewed [...]

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