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.
