Anyone who knows me, or has known me for any length of time, knows that I have had a nearly lifelong love affair with smoking. I began smoking at 15, pilfered, unfiltered Pall Malls to start with. But now, I have graduated to a whole new level of smoking!

In the hunter-gatherer days, the mighty hunters, whose lives literally depended on a good hunt and fire, hung the meats near the fire to keep OTHER animals from getting a taste. The fire scared the wild ones away and the hunters were able to keep an eagle eye on their precious commodities. What they didn’t realize until much later was that the smoke generated from the fire preserved the meat and they were able to keep it stored, and safe to eat, for much longer. While we all presumably have a fridge at our disposal, these forbears of culinary science did not and storage WAS a problem. Once it was understood that “smoking” the meat was what kept it safe for storage, all kinds of cool things started to happen food-wise. Thus ham, bacon and lox were born….years later of course. And yes, I just put the Kosher and non-Kosher foods together.

Thanks to the folks at Texas Pete, Chef Tim Grandinetti and The Big Green Egg Company I am smoking all kinds of things. In case you didn’t know, I do a little freelance work for Texas Pete via Chef Tim (a friend from High School and an uber-talented Chef of heroic proportions – you can see him in ads for Texas Pete Hot Sauce in Bon Appetit Magazine from time to time). After my last stint with the guys I was gifted with a gorgeous Big Green Egg ceramic grill. It is a thing of beauty and ingenious design. Of course you can grill on it, with natural lump charcoal only thank you very much, but for my more interesting backyard cookery, I am primarily using it as a smoker.

While taking a class in Garde Manger (all the salads, apps, cold sauces, etc.), I found myself really excited about the charcuterie section of the class and was romanced by the idea of making my own bacon. Yes people, you CAN make your own bacon. So I did, with a great deal of trepidation I sought out pork belly, cured it with the appropriate salt mixture and fired up the grill. It took a couple of tries for me to get it JUST right, but I now have it nailed! Well, then I said, “Why stop there?” I have smoked chickens, chops and most recently trout. This week there will be smoked tomatoes and spicy peppers for a sauce I have in mind. Additionally, I learned how to make cured and UNsmoked meats – like pancetta (it’s like Italian bacon – cured with the appropriate salt mixture and dried, not smoked). You can do this too, with enough space, time and desire. And with pork belly at roughly $3/pound and pancetta at $14, I think I’ll make my own.

Some people take classes at their local college to earn a degree and further themselves on a specific career path and I applaud that. I, on the other hand, take classes for personal enjoyment, gratification and to keep my mind spinning in new and fun ways. I only take culinary classes. Well, I was taking classes at the local Community College, but they cut the charcuterie class because it is simply too expensive to do (it’s all meat, remember?). So I am left with a few choices. Hunt down a class at Le Cordon Bleu (and pay a small fortune for one class), go to the Art Institute, a 45 minute drive for a not GREAT program, or teach myself. Guess which one I chose to do? Yep, you guessed it. Like most things I have learned to do in the kitchen, I am self teaching until I can find a class that is worth the taking. In the meantime I am enjoying Chef Michael Symon’s cookbook – Live to Cook – and I eagerly await his next missive, reportedly all about MEAT (my departed friend Kevin would be so proud).

When I tell people I make my own bacon they look at me a little strangely (except friend and radio personality Gonzo, he thinks it is cool). I am not sure if they think it is weird to create your own, or if they think it is bizarre that a woman, clearly someone’s Mom, has the time, patience and desire to do it. What will people say and think when I start making my own sausages? Of course you know that is the next natural progression. And yes, I do have a grinder and sausage stuffing machine that has yet to make its virgin attempt.

As I write I am preparing for a visit from my Dad, a carnivore from WAY back and he LOVES his bacon. Here’s to hoping that I get it right for his visit. Hell, I may even let him “help” me with the smoking….as long as he doesn’t try to take over. It is MY EGG afterall.

This week’s food memories include my first attempt at canning (peaches), a moist and succulent smoked trout, and Sunday Brunch at Simon at Palms Place with sister-in-law Bonnie (David Cho – Sulu in the latest Star Trek – was sitting at the next table).

This week’s pic is my beautiful Big Green Egg.

I woke Sunday at 3:30 in the morning thinking of food. With all the fresh produce in my kitchen and fridge, my mind was a whirling dervish of what to make for dinner, what to do first and what to do next. I knew trying to sleep was waste of time, and it was still dark out for Pete’s sake, so I got out of bed, read Anthony Bourdain for a while, watched the sunrise and went to my kitchen. For many people this would be the last place to go, but for me, cooking is a Zen-like pursuit of calm when I am troubled or in the throes of insomnia.

I started to get some supremely ripe tomatoes ready for concasse and that’s when I started thinking about Nettie. My Step Mom Nettie was a GREAT cook. I swear she could go on Iron Chef and beat the pants off Bobby Flay or Mario Batali in the taste department any day of the week. Her ravioli and tortellini were things of magic and beauty. But Nettie’s food wasn’t fancy. It is what is now called “Farm House Cooking” or “Farm to Table”. And when she saw your eyes close in bliss, a slight moan of pleasure escaping your throat, enjoying what she laid out before you, a gem of a smile lit up her face, pride and passion leaking out around the edges.

After the tomatoes, I moved on to the peaches that had fallen off my tree onto the rock covered ground below. Nettie wasted NOTHING! There’s a bruise on that peach? Cut it out and use the rest. Chicken bones? Make stock. Same goes for beef bones. Eating well on the cheap is a beautiful thing. And Nettie made it look easy. My Mom, Dottie, has never really LOVED to cook, but she appreciates a well made meal. She’ll be the first one to tell you that if she has to be in the kitchen, she’d rather bake, so learning some tricks from Nettie never felt like betrayal or treason to me. She was another woman who LOVED food and cooking like I do. We were friends, and that friendship was built on a cutting board and in a fry pan.

Now that’s not to say Mom didn’t cook or do “Farm Stuff” because she did. I distinctly remember Mom peeling and canning tomatoes (something I have never learned to do) – over an open fire pit – it was the only place big enough for the pot. We went strawberry and cherry picking, she made pies. All grape jelly is forever ruined for me, because Mom’s was the best – not too sweet and really tasting of GRAPES, not sugar. But Mom doesn’t ENJOY it – she did it because it needed to be done. To this day she loves to bake for my nieces and nephews that live down the street.

A lot of what I learned from Nettie WAS a lost art that is now coming back into fashion in even the most unlikely places, but especially in homes. Taking simple ingredients and turning them into the sublimely fantastic. Honest workingman’s food that is basic and delicious, unadorned by fanciful garnishes. People WANT homemade and once you know the skills, doing for yourself becomes a point of pride. Some things I have learned along the way were out of necessity, like anyone else’s learning curve, but then it became a mission. I asked questions (and still do) of anyone who would talk to me about food, and Nettie was one of those people, just as frequently as Mom was. I also learned that some seemingly difficult things are really simple and taste better if you make the time to do it right.

Nettie and I swapped recipe ideas over the phone frequently, talking about food shows, trendy ingredients, heirloom tomatoes, and our gardens. She preferred flowers, while I, living in the desert, only water things I can eat. When I am on the phone with Mom, we talk about restaurants, great take out places and foods we miss from NY (a REAL F-ing Bagel and decent Chinese always top the list). Mom never stifled me in the kitchen, but because she wasn’t passionate about cooking, she couldn’t really inspire me either. She encouraged and cheered, and ate everything I ever made – no matter how ill conceived, including the time she got a rash from dandelions. While Nettie was a coach, Mom was, and is, a cheerleader. Winning teams need both!

Now that Nettie is gone, I talk food with Cousin Christine who loves to cook as much as I do, I talk to Chefs to learn and I share that knowledge with anyone who wants to listen. I share knowledge with Sister Nancy who frequently calls with, “I have a food question for you.” I chat with Sister Tina (Nettie’s daughter) about old timey recipes and cool things we find online and I still talk about restaurants and F-ing Bagels with Mom.

One of my proudest moments was when Nettie, eating banana bread for breakfast on Thanksgiving Day in my San Antonio kitchen, told me my banana bread was the best she’d ever had. I nearly plotzed with glee! Our recipes were nearly identical, but she assured me mine was better – I swear it is the pan I bake it in (Pampered Chef Stoneware). I will never forget it. At that moment, in my mind, I became a contender!

At Nettie’s funeral last fall, her sister Melinda told me when I applied to be on the Next Food Network Star, she was so proud – just as proud as my Mom, Dottie. Well, I didn’t make the cut, but I know they are both proud of me anyway.

This week’s Food Memories are a vegetarian dinner cooked especially for friend Gilbert, a fantastic lunch at a new place (Bar + Bistro) with friend Dani and late night pizza and beer with Hubby John and friend Chris M.

This week’s pic is Nettie and Brother JJ, dancing at his wedding in 2006.

Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories.