Making your own Smoked Bacon

A recipe that I used for many years and actually have used the same cure for other types of meats. The cure works fantastic for fresh ham. The original recipe was courtesy of In the Charcuterie by Taylor Boetticher and Toponia Miller. They also run a shop in San Francisco and Napa called The Fatted Calf. I am a big fan as you can tell. Not many ingredients but still I modified it..

1) 8 lb skinless pork belly. You don’t have to use all of the cure if you don’t have that much pork belly. I cut the pork belly into equally sized squares that can fit in a baking dish.

2) Cure. 1 lb of brown sugar (I use dark), 12 ounces of fine sea salt (I use ground up kosher), 1 TBSP Curing Salt #1, 1 TBSP cayenne and 1 TBSP freshly ground black pepper. Mix all ingredients well in a bowl. The curing salt can be found online. The salt acts as a preservative and protection against bacteria while the meat is curing.

3) In your baking dish, put down a layer of the cure. Put one of your belly portions on it, meat side down. Rub the cure all over the sides and top. Put a belly on top of this, meat side down and repeat. Put in fridge. I don’t cover but you can if your fridge is full of other odiferous foods.

4) Next day, pour out any liquid in the dish and swap the belly portions around. Put on any additional cure on thin spots. Return to fridge and repeat. Typically by the 3rd day, there isn’t much liquid left. I pull it off by the 3rd day regardless. You can experiment with longer cure times but it may get too salty.

5) Rinse off all cure from the bellies. Pat dry. Get your smoker going and smoke the bellies until they read 140 - 150 degrees internal temperature. Let cool and either keep in slab form or slice. I like to let the bellies cool overnight and use the slicer the next day. I’ll often have a portion that is sliced and a portion that remains in slab form. Some will remain in the fridge and some will be in the freezer. With the curing salt, your bacon won’t spoil until after 3-4 weeks in the fridge and after 6 months in the freezer.

Options: 1) I will do a mix of maple syrup and brown sugar along with a shot of rum. 2) Different kinds of sea salt 3) Applewood, cherrywood or pecan for the smoker 4) Play with an alternative spice vs. cayenne 5) Throw in some herb springs on the smoker fire

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Filet Mignon

If you ever was curious on what to do with the broiler setting for your oven and the broiler pan you inherited with the oven, here you go!! This is so simple and fast. Even my wife, who loathes medium rare doneness on steaks, loves this recipe. Again, if you want to splurge on steak but don’t want the 50 ouncer, this is a great option.

Since it won’t take too long, let’s get your oven rack on the highest setting. Turn your oven on Broil; it will take some time to preheat.

1) Put a little olive oil on 2, 8 ounce, 1 inch thick filet mignons. If you can’t find this, ask the butcher. Or if you are feeling adventurous, buy a whole beef tenderloin and portion it out. You can freeze the rest for another time.

2) Sprinkle with salt and pepper and other savory seasonings that you prefer. Wrap one piece of bacon around each filet and use a toothpick to keep it in place. The bacon has 2 purposes, one is for flavor with the fat but the other is a little protection as filet is rather lean and can dry out easily.

3) Put the steaks on the broiler pan and broil 5 -7 minutes. Flip over. Cook 5-7 minutes. For safety, I’d use an instant read thermometer after 5 minutes. Cook to 130 for medium rare, higher for more doneness

4) I always make a compound butter to put on the top of the steaks after it comes out of the oven and is resting. The butter will melt as it rests. My favorite is a blue cheese and sage butter. Other options for toppings are sauteed mushrooms, onions or gravy.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Roasted Parsnips with Bacon and Rosemary

Parsnips are like a sweeter cousin of the carrot. I enjoy them and really look forward to the spring when they are at their best. This recipe is courtesy of Molly Stevens and my aunt Emilie. I always modify the recipe and I suggest you try as well.

1) 2 pounds of parsnips. Peel and cut into equal size sticks 2-4” long and 1/2 thick. Do you best but just try to keep all the sizes the same so the cooking will be even.

2) In a mixing bowl, mix the parsnips with 4oz of bacon cut into even pieces, 1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary (I like to use a bit more as it gets dominated by the other flavors), 1 TBSP of olive oil and salt and pepper for seasoning. Toss the ingredients well.

3) Spread on a baking sheet, even layer. Cook in a 400 degree oven, 30-35 minutes. Stir now and then. Bacon should crisp up. Add 2 TBSP of sugar (brown, maple syrup, honey) and 2 TSP of vinegar (any type). Roast 5-10 minutes more.

For kicks and giggles, I do a blast of 500 degree heat if I want to add more crisp to the parsnips or bacon.

Eat.Drink.Savor.