Year of the Pig

Bacon Chocolate

February 06th 2008 Posted in Pork, Stoopit

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Alissa got me a bar of this bacon chocolate for Christmas. I have to say I was intrigued and interested. What a combination–everything is better with bacon right? Well, we busted it out at a party not too long ago, and although it was good with tiny crunchy bits of bacon mixed in with the chocolate bar, I was disappointed that it was milk chocolate–it definitely would have been better with a nice dark chocolate. What were they thinking!? Recommended for novelty, but not for repeat business.

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Braised Pork Loin and Peas

February 06th 2008 Posted in Pork, Recipes, Stoopit

Pork and Peas

The following post is dedicated to loyal Y.O.T.P. reader Ben, who got a cast iron dutch oven for Christmas and didn’t know what to do with it. Try this!

All Year-of-the-Pig long, I have neglected one of the best cuts of pork around, the loin. Why would I do this? I guess sometimes I think that pork loin gets a little dull, but that doesn’t have to be true. It’s a great cut and there is certainly no shortage of good stuff to do with this leaner piece of pork.

Awhile ago, my dad pointed out the interesting fact that pork is the only meat where the bony and fatty pieces (like ribs) are more expensive than that meaty lean parts (like the loin). That is an interesting point, and this lean cut should not be neglected.

Since winter started, I have been enjoying braised dishes as often as possible. In the winter when the grill is covered and the heat is on, there is nothing better than a nice braising dish to fill the house with savory smells and to heat my cold basement kitchen! A couple weeks ago I tried the following pork and peas recipe out of the book Pork & Sons which I got for Christmas. This is a pretty great book. It is beautifully laid out, and really fun to flip through. Full of lots a super uber frenchies doing everything under the sun with pigs. Not to mention that the photos and recipes all look great. This book is a must if you have a pile of pig cheeks laying around and you have no idea what to do with them. If you wanna know what to do with your pork, surely you must be able to trust these folks:

This is the recipe from Pork & Sons:

This is a quick simple standard braising recipe. Basically, you take your pork loin and brown it on all sides in a little oil (10 minutes). Then you add the bacon, shallots, onions, garlic and cook until they are a little softened (another 10 minutes or so).

Then you add your braising liquid (white wine) and herbs, cover it and simmer until done, about an hour or so, basting it from time to time.

Of course you need a secret ingredient, so I added a little extra nipular smoky pork flavor by tossing in a smoked pork nipple, for much needed flavor but mostly for effect.

When you are about done with braising the pork, cook up a butt load of peas and the mix them in with with all that delicious braising liquid. Serve.

Makes great leftovers too!

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Schaller & Weber Bacon

February 06th 2008 Posted in Pork

Schaller & Weber Bacon

The other day at the supermarket, I ended up picking some Schaller & Weber premium bacon, at $10.99/lb. I wanted to compare it to the homemade bacon I made a while back. I have to say that do like Schaller & Weber products in general (especially their Gold Medal Liver Pate) and this bacon is a certainly a quality product, noticeably better than any bacon you normally pick up at the supermarket.

This bacon is meaty and smoky and flavorful, but it still pales in comparison to the real homemade stuff. I just makes me want the bacon I made before even more: it’s past time for me to make some more bacon!

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NYTIMES: Let the oven do the work

January 09th 2008 Posted in Pork, Recipes

This looks like a great simple pork shoulder recipe to try. Thanks to Squidocto for the link!

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Jimmy Dean Complaint

December 13th 2007 Posted in Pork, Stoopit

This is gosh darned funny.

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Holiday Gift Ideas: Bacon

November 19th 2007 Posted in Pork, Stoopit

Looking for some good gifts for your favorite bacon lover?

Everyone loves bacon, especially Jim Gaffigan, click here!

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Patriotic Pork

November 18th 2007 Posted in Pork, Stoopit

Bacon Flag

Nuff Said.

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The Ribulator, Entry #31: the Smoke Joint

November 18th 2007 Posted in BBQ, Pork, The Ribulator, Restaurants

Hungry and out in Brooklyn with my friend Shaky Dave, I finally made it over to the Smoke Joint in Fort Greene, a place he has been encouraging me to visit for quite a while now. We parked illegally, and made our way to the restaurant located on Elliot Street between Lafayette and Fulton.

The restaurant is small and low key, giving off a friendly welcoming vibe as soon as you walk in the door. There is a counter with a chalkboard menu above it on the right, and a smattering of seating on the left. Also, there is a nice cozy looking closed-in front porch area with additional seating. We walked up to the counter and despite a menu of items that looked worth exploring on future visits, I knew what was for dinner this evening, ribs of course! I ordered a half rack ($10) and a square of cornbread ($1). The staff were friendly and fun, and I appreciate that.

The ribs came out in short order, and I lit into them. They made for a satisfying meal but lacked the glory of great barbecue. I have to say, this New York Times review is right on the money as far as the ribs go, and more positively, also about the friendly staff:

…the spare ribs are passable once you’ve paired them with a sauce, but great dry rub pork ribs don’t want for sauce or succulence. Smoke Joint’s ribs need the former, because they’re lacking the latter. I suspect that the pork itself could be a problem. It can be tiring to read about pig breeds on every menu in town, but it’s far more tiring to gnaw on the lackluster flesh of lackluster swine. Then again, a mop sauce might clean up the problem entirely.
Hospitality is something they’ve already got down pat. The staff is chatty and self-effacing; any minor missteps — forgetting to pop the top on a bottle of beer, say — are earnestly apologized for. One night a woman in line ahead of me wondered out loud whether she should get the greens with her dinner. Mr. Grossman, who was working the register, boasted about their quality and jokingly bullied her as he produced a tasting portion for her to snack on while she waited for her order.

The ribs were decent, and certainly affordable for a porky barbecue dinner. I would note that they DID have a mop sauce on them, maybe responding to the NYT review, but it didn’t really help. The tomato based sauce I tried, “jointsmoke,” was quite good, and thankfully so as I used it liberally on the ribs. Also, they have a nice selection of decent beers: Dale’s, Pork Slap, and Ommegang, to name a few. Next time, I will have to try the beef short ribs which both Dave and the New York Times recommend, but that probably won’t make it to this blog. Don’t get me wrong, the Smoke Joint is totally worth a visit, and I will be back when I find myself in the area.

I polished off my half rack of ribs without a problem. I saved the sweet, buttered, grilled cornbread for last and had it for dessert like cake. 6 more ribs down for the Year of the Pig. That makes it a nice even 12 squared, 144 ribs. Thanks to all “yous” piggies!

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