Monthly Archives: March 2011

Chili

30 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by in Barbeque, Beef, Miscellaneous, Smoked Meats

≈ 6 Comments

Chili is a controversial topic. Living in Chicago, we hear non-stop about pizza and hot dogs, the variations are great and regional - New York vs. Chicago vs. New Haven pizza. Dirty water Hot Dogs vs. Chicago Style vs. Detroit Coney Dog, so I am no stranger to controversial foods.  For chili, some people include beans, others do not; some include tomato, others do not. Some people (and I am talking to you, Cincinnati) combine spaghetti, cinnamon, chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and beans. With full disclosure, I grew up on, what my mother called, “chili soup” which I still believe to be a combination of ground beef, kidney beans, spaghetti, tomato sauce and a light sprinkling of McCormick chili powder from the same can that is still in the lazy Susan. While I prefer some versions over others, I don’t judge (OK, I judge a little, but only in private) which are valid. If you like it, good for you and for the chili. Continue reading »

Char Siu

28 Monday Mar 2011

Posted by in Barbeque, Pork, Smoked Meats

≈ 6 Comments

March is the time of year when people North of anywhere warm start doing silly things in hopes of bringing warmer temps more quickly. It has been months since the weather allowed real BBQ to be made at home. With an eye on some Spring Training for BBQ season, I fired up the smoker over the weekend and, despite temperatures in the high 20s/low 30s and moderate wind, dusted off the skills for warmer times. Continue reading »

Pork Pie

25 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by in Making Charcuterie, Pâtés and Terrines, Pork

≈ 7 Comments

What does pork pie mean to you? Living in hipster-friendly Logan Square, I have seen plenty of pork pie hats, but I have yet to see, much less eat, actual pork pies here. In fact, this is not only the first pork pie that I have made, but also the first that I have eaten, so the context for the project was very limited.  Continue reading »

Green Chorizo

23 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by in Making Charcuterie, Pork, Sausages

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One of the great benefits of living in Chicago is that the Block of Bayless on Clark Street is readily available. Rick Bayless, one of the country’s experts on regional Mexican cuisine, is based in Chicago and runs three kitchens adjacent to one another at Frontera Grill, Topolobompo, and Xoco. With either boundless time or energy, Bayless also finds time to pen cookbooks and star in his own PBS show, “Mexico: One Plate at a Time.”

Last summer, I saw an episode focusing on chorizo. Along with the traditional chorizo that can be found in Mexican markets everywhere, Bayless discussed green chorizo. I was instantly transfixed as the sausages were literally green. Not flecked with herbs, but green. After finding the recipe on Bayless’s website, I was ready to make it, but could not find spinach powder. Without spinach powder, the sausage would likely not taste different, but would lack the green color which I really wanted. Continue reading »

Reforming Corned Beef

21 Monday Mar 2011

Posted by in Beef, Cured Meats, Making Charcuterie

≈ 2 Comments

Last year’s St. Paddy’s Day celebration included a corned beef tongue and, despite my wife and her mother being great sports, we had lots of leftovers that were turned into corned beef tongue hash. We rehashed it. This year, I made sausages and the same crew destroyed the platter with no leftovers to be had. However, in the process of stuffing the sausages, there was a tear in the casing of one of the links leaving a sausage worth of forcemeat for leftovers. With the beautiful weather in Chicago this week, I had burgers on the brain and thought that the salty/sweet corned beef mixed in with regular ground beef would make a great burger. We would reform corned beef into burgers. Continue reading »

Riviera’s Salumi

18 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by in Pork, Tasting Charcuterie

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Hidden among the many Italian shops on North Harlem Ave on the far West side of Chicago sits Riviera Italian Imported Foods, a fantastic little grocery that serves great homemade salumi and fantastic sandwiches. You have read about Riviera here before regarding their Nduja. However, do not judge Riv on the lackluster Nduja.

Continue reading »

Corned Beef & Guinness Sausages

16 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by in Beef, Cured Meats, Making Charcuterie, Sausages

≈ 8 Comments

Corned Beef & Guinness Sausage with Quick Kraut and Caraway Mustard

As someone who is half Irish, I celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day on Saint Patrick’s Day, not on the river-dying, drunk at 8 AM Saturday, and, despite it not being actually Irish, with a twist on corned beef. Last year, we had corned beef tongue, which was excellent, but this year, I have been on a sausage kick. Continue reading »

Happy Pi(e) Day

14 Monday Mar 2011

Posted by in Miscellaneous

≈ 2 Comments

As a professional mathematician and a hobbyist home cook, few nerdy holidays hold as much favor as the 14th of March, otherwise known as Pi(e) Day (get it? 3.14). Over the past several years, we have attended a Pi(e) Pot Luck bringing a s’more pie with chocolate ganache topped with burnt marshmallows and, last year, the infamous Crack Pie from Momofuku. Continue reading »

European Homemade Sausages

11 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by in Pork, Sausages, Tasting Charcuterie

≈ 3 Comments

Growing up in Wisconsin, I never spent much time in Milwaukee. We went to Brewers games every few years and drove the bypass everytime we visited family, but otherwise nothing. We had nothing against Milwaukee, but with three kids with three different set of priorities it was hard to find something for everyone. As I grew into my late teens, I made trips to Summerfest, but never stayed much past closing time. Not surprisingly, without any real Milwaukee experiences, I never understood Milwaukee’s draw on folks. Now that my baby sister and her growing family lives there, we have gotten to know some parts of Milwaukee that we never knew existed and have grown to like the city. Continue reading »

Jowl Tasso

10 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by in Cured Meats, Making Charcuterie, Pork, Smoked Meats

≈ 1 Comment

Another Mardi Gras in the books and this year’s jambalaya’s “gras” ante was upped.  While my recipe for jambalaya is somewhat fluid, typically I start with tasso and chicken. This year, I still had some andouille made earlier this winter, but I was fresh out of tasso. Instead of simply subbing in andouille, I goofed on tasso, by coating a cured hog jowl in tasso spices and smoking it. After all, if it can be made with pork, it is probable that it can be made better with a hog jowl. These little pork and pork fat pockets are a treasure not to be missed. Bacon, guanciale, terrine, rillettes, and, yes, tasso. Continue reading »

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