Houston, We've Got Sausage

I have a list. It's a list of things I can stop buying at the grocery store because I know how to make them. Sausage is on that list.

Explaining why in the world I bother making my own sausage is difficult. I guess, I'm just a DIYer at heart. I love the feeling of satisfaction knowing I've created something that tastes great and can stand up to anything that is commercially available. Or, as a friend jokingly said, I'm subconsciously preparing myself for the remote chance that, if some cataclysmic event were to wipe out all the grocery stores, my family would still be able to eat well. Hadn't thought of it that way before, but hey, maybe it's true.

But who has the time to track down all the stuff that's needed and do all that work?

I won't lie. As with anything, getting started is always the hardest part, but if you are so inclined and have enough money, everything can be ordered online. If you're not independently wealthy, expect a little more legwork. Really though, after finding a dependable source for raw ingredients and getting everything else together, the process is straightforward and it gets easier every time. What started out as an all day affair now only takes about 2 to 3 hours, depending on how much and how many types of sausage I make. Not bad considering the fruits of my labor last at least a month or two.

If you are looking for a recipe for a particular type of sausage, you will surely find it online. I have a long to-make list myself, but no matter what other types of sausage I make, I usually put about a pound or two ground meat aside to make what I call all-purpose sausage. The seasonings for this all-purpose sausage are simple, just garlic and salt, maybe pepper if I'm in the mood or don't forget. This is the sausage I can pull out if I need a particular type of sausage but don't have it on hand. Want to make a pasta dish but don't have Italian sausage? Use all-purpose sausage and add thyme and/or oregano in during cooking. Want to make an Asian omelette stuffed with sausage? Use all-purpose sausage and add some grated lemongrass and minced ginger. Need breakfast patties? Just add some spices to the all-purpose sausage and you're ready to go! Craving a simple, savory sausage to eat on a bun with all the fixings? Bust out the all-purpose sausage!

Brilliant, isn't it?

Here are the guidelines to make all-purpose sausage: for every pound of pork (I like butt or shoulder), use 1/4 pound back fat, 7 grams kosher salt, 1 clove garlic and 1/4 cup cold stock or water. Grind the meat, season, add the liquid then shove it into a casing...or not. How easy is that?

Easy summer pasta: Slice and sauté 2 pre-cooked links sausage (or use about 1/3 to 1/2  lbs bulk sausage) in a little olive oil. Add sliced bell pepper and 2 cloves minced garlic. After about a minute, add the cooked pasta and about 1 tbs fresh chopped herbs. Add a little of the hot pasta water (maybe about 1/3 to 1/2 cup) to loosen and moisten the pasta. Turn off the heat and add a tablespoon or two butter. Stir thoroughly and serve immediately topped with fresh grated Parmesan and cracked black pepper.

Other sausages you may enjoy:
Fermented Isaan Sausages
Chorizo
Thai sausage (non-fermented)

Chorizo

Last Friday, when I dropped Sonny off at his classroom door, he excitedly told his teacher, "I'm going to help my mom make chorizo after school!"

"The sausage? You mean you're going to eat it after school? Are you having Mexican food for dinner?" His teacher gave me a questioning look.

"We're going to actually make it," I said, doing hand motions to signify sausage making.  What? Didn't you know there are hand motions for sausage making? No? Neither did Sonny's teacher, judging from the look on her face.

Sonny helped me make scrambled eggs with chorizo for Saturday brunch. 

My neighbor, who has 3 boys ranging in age from 18 to 8, asked me how I get Sonny to help with preparing meals. She complained that her older boys just can't be bothered and the youngest will only help if it's baking cookies and brownies.

How do I get Sonny to help out without all the whining and complaining? I'll tell you my secret, just as I told her. Ready for it? Here it is: I make him do it! I was expected to help my mom with the cooking, no ifs, ands or buts. Mom was preparing me to cook for my future family, and although I never prescribed to those old-school beliefs about gender roles, I am thankful she taught me to cook and be self-sufficient.

I know my neighbor doesn't understand my philosophy on kids and cooking. Here's the way I look at it: We make our kids do stuff all the time— go to school, homework, brush their teeth two times daily. Why? Because we know it's good for them and it will pay off later in life. Helping out in the kitchen, like any of the other things we "force" them to do, is also good for them and will pay off later. Besides the obvious benefits of knowing how to cook and being self-sufficient, they'll hopefully be better equipped to make good food choices and develop an appreciation for the food they eat. Indirectly they will be developing their math skills (like working with fractions and percents), fine motor skills, and patience. Then there's the whole creating-warm-and-fuzzy-memories bit.

Just because I expect Sonny to help in the kitchen doesn't mean I don't try to make it fun. I let him choose a lot of the stuff we make and I let him work with the gadgets. That's what makes it fun for him and makes him a willing participant. I don't think he feels like he's being forced to do something against his will. On the contrary, he was quite excited about our sausage-making project. I gave him the choice of sausage to make and he said without any hesitation CHORIZO!  I let him help with the meat grinding and he was more than willing to be the taste tester. Afterwards, I let him choose how we should use it for dinner. He wanted chorizo with pasta in a cream sauce. When Hubby proclaimed it was the best pasta with chorizo he'd ever had, the kid was so proud.

Right. Enough of my parenting philosophy. I should probably just get to the chorizo, huh?




For this sausage, I decided to use chicken instead of the customary pork or pork/beef mix. Since I used skinless thighs, I threw in pork back fat to ensure the sausages weren't too lean. I generally shoot for 25 to 30% fat when I make sausages. Taking advice from Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Kitchen,  in place of chili powder, I used dried ancho and chipotle chilies, which I reconstituted in water. Another alternative would be to use chipotles in adobo in place of the dried chipotles.

This was an excellent sausage and we all loved it. The only thing I'd change for next time is to leave some of the chipotle seeds in to give it heat. I'd also like to make a mole sausage by using Mexican chocolate and changing up the spices a little.

Rehydrated ancho and chipotle chilies chopped to a paste. 

Chicken Chorizo
Makes almost 4 pounds

3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in half
3/4 pounds pork back fat, diced into 1-inch chunks
0.7 oz (21 grams) kosher salt, more to taste
3 dried Ancho chillies
2 dried chipotle chillies
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced
fresh oregano or thyme leaves from a handful of sprigs, chopped fine
1/2 to 1 tbs freshly toasted and ground cumin seed (optional)
1/2 cup cold water or chicken stock
hog casings, soaked and thoroughly rinsed (optional)

Mix the meat and fat together. Before grinding, make sure they are very cold, almost frozen. Grind using the coarse plate. Keep the ground meat under refrigeration until the other ingredients are ready to use.

Soak the dried chilies in warm water for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until they've softened. Discard the soaking liquid. Remove the seeds and discard. (If you want a spicier sausage, then leave the seeds in the chipotles.) Grind in a mortar or chop the chili pulp until you have a uniform paste. Add in the garlic, oregano, cumin (if using), salt and cold liquid.  Chill the paste until cold, about 30 minutes.

Once the paste is chilled, add it to the ground meat and mix. I find doing this by hand gives a better texture.  Take a small bit and cook it to check the flavorings. Adjust if necessary. Chorizo is normally left loose, but I like to stuff it into hog casings. Up to you. Store whatever you won't immediately use properly wrapped in the freezer.

New and Improved Isaan Sausages! Now with 100% More Fermentation!

When I began dabbling in sausage making a few years back, one of the first sausages I ever made was an Isaan-style sausage. At the time, I didn't feel confident enough to ferment it, but I've been working on it for the past few months and I thought I'd share the experience with you. Be forewarned that this is a lengthy read, but hopefully you will find the information useful.

These fermented sausages are usually eaten as a snack or appetizer. I like to wrap them in lettuce leaves with a few matchsticks of fresh ginger, cilantro, Thai chili, and freshly toasted peanuts.  Don't forget the ice-cold beer on the side!

When it comes to Thai food, the first person I always consult is my mom because, well, she's the most awesome Thai food cook ever.  She usually has an answer for me, but if not, Mom will consult her friends, a group of women from her temple I've lovingly dubbed The Aunties.  They are always more than willing to give advice, on anything and everything, solicited or not. Concerning the fermentation of Isaan sausages, The Aunties had plenty to say. One suggestion was to put cooked sticky rice into a container,  let it ferment,  then add it to the ground meat. Another was to put the stuffed sausages into a Ziploc bag and let them ferment on the countertop. Then there's the "authentic" method of letting the sausages just hang outdoors and ferment naturally.

None of the suggestions would be considered safe by today's standards, yet, as Mom pointed out, no one she has ever known has died from consuming authentically prepared Isaan sausages.  I have ignorantly eaten authentically prepared Isaan sausages many times myself and I'm obviously alive to tell about it. Why didn't I ever get sick?  Because, curing meat without food additives, like sodium nitrite or nitrate, can be done. Additives aren't as necessary when the food is going to be thoroughly cooked and properly stored. But with that said,  if there's a way to reduce the risk of making my family ill, it's a no brainer to go that route.

I'll touch a little on food safety because I think it's important and there seems to be so much conflicting information. It's common knowledge that ground pork left out above 40F for any significant amount of time will allow bacteria to flourish. That's not necessarily a bad thing when you're trying to ferment a sausage. The one we don't want flourishing is C. botulinum because it produces the toxin that causes botulism.  Sodium nitrite, which is found in pink salt, will inhibit the growth of this bacterium to a large extent. Thoroughly cooking the fermented sausage will also help kill the bacterium and the heat will destroy the toxin it makes. The problem is, C. botulinum produces spores and these suckers are robust. Sodium nitrite and heat won't kill them. They can still germinate given the right conditions, like those found inside a sausage link, and if the concentration of sodium nitrite becomes low enough, the bacteria will thrive.  Even after food is properly cooked, any remaining spores can still germinate and produce toxin. This occurs most commonly in improperly canned foods, but it also happens with fully cooked cured meat that has been improperly stored. Proper refrigeration helps to inhibit germination of the spores, so it is important to store cooked sausages in the refrigerator.






As I said, I've been working this fermentation for few months. I've done two batches so far. The first time turned out fine. (I survived!) The second time turned out even better.  I was able to do the whole process without a proper curing chamber, but having one will allow me to "standardize" the process. This will be my summer project so stay tuned! In the meantime, here's what I did:

Trial 1:  I simply set the sausages on a rack, which went over a sheet pan and stuck the whole lot in my office. When I checked on them the following day, they seemed to have lost some moisture. By the second day, they had become noticeably drier but when I tested for sourness, they were no where near where they should be. It was clear the air was too dry and I'd need to take corrective measures. I put the rack over a pan of water so that the links were about 3 inches above the water. I also got into the habit of flipping the sausages every once in a while.  I let the process go for a total of 6 days at about 60F. I think the initial water loss compromised the texture a little, but it wasn't bad for a first try.

Trial 2: I set the sausages on a rack set over a pan of water and rigged a loose dome-shaped covering over them to keep the environment adequately humid. I didn't want them to dry out too soon. I checked them everyday and they seemed to be doing fine. Since it took 6 days the first time, I checked for sourness after 5 days. This is when I noticed a small spot of white mold on one of the links. I was a little worried the sausages would be ruined, but since the weren't giving off any weird smells, the meat inside was still pink and otherwise looked fine, I tested one. It tasted fine.  Very good, in fact. I just ended up throwing away the one link and froze the ones I wasn't going to cook immediately.

This is how the sausages looked after 5 days (Trial 2). 

But wait, I'm not quite done yet!

 As I've said before, there is more than one way to skin a cat. One alternative method to ferment Isaan sausage is to use a  commercially available starter culture.  The main advantage seems to be a reduction in fermenting time.  You'll still need to use the pink salt, however.  If you are interested in going the starter culture route, check out A Hunger Artist's post (in collaboration with She Simmers) about fermenting Isaan sausages using Bactoferm LHP.

Another alternative is to use a product called Fermento. Ruhlman mentions this product in Charcuterie.  It's also a starter culture, but unlike the Bactoferm, it imparts a tangy flavor immediately, without requiring any waiting time. If this is true, you theoretically wouldn't need to add pink salt when making Isaan sausages because there would be no significant amount of time when the sausage isn't under refrigeration.  (For any conventionally smoked sausage, pink salt IS necessary since the smoking process creates conditions in which many microorganisms thrive.) I would love to hear if someone has used this product successfully. [Update: It appears Fermento is not a starter culture, despite being marketed as such. It's simply a cultured dairy-based product that imparts a tangy flavor. Thank you to Michael Ruhlman for clarifying.]

If you've read this far, thank you! The end is near! There's a recipe at the end of the paragraph!

Since posting the original recipe, I've played around with it a bit and what I'm giving you now is the formulation I used to work out the fermentation process. The main differences are the addition of  pink salt and a little sugar.  I used 1 gram pink salt per pound sausage. The sugar  helps to kick start the fermentation process as it's the preferred energy source for most bacteria.   Don't go replacing it with a sugar substitute like Splenda.  Just like humans, the bacteria can't break it down.

Fermented Isaan Sausages
2.2 lbs pork butt, diced into chunks for grinding (don't remove fat, but do remove silver skin)
1/3 lb pork back fat (increase to 1/2 lb if pork looks lean), cut into chunks for grinding
freshly ground white pepper, to taste (optional)
3 stalks lemongrass, minced (or grated with a Microplane)
1 large head garlic (about 10 to 12 cloves), minced
minced fresh chili or chili flakes, to taste (optional)
1 cup cold, cooked sticky rice (regular white jasmine rice is also fine)

15 g kosher salt

10 g sugar

pink salt at 1 gram per pound sausage

1/2 cup cold pork stock or water

hog casings, soaked and thoroughly rinsed

Combine the meat with the back fat and grind them together. If you use a meat grinder, make sure both are super chilled, semi-frozen. For these sausages, I like to use the coarse blade. The meat can also be ground using a food processor.

Dissolve the salts and sugar in the liquid and add it to the meat. (If it doesn't go into solution, you can heat the liquid, but it must be refrigerator cold when you add it to the meat.) Add the remaining seasonings and cold rice. Mix the sausage. I recommend doing it by hand because it gives a better texture. Before stuffing into the casings, take a small bit and taste test it (not raw, cooked!). Adjust the taste by adding more kosher salt, if necessary.

When stuffing the sausage, be sure to make the links compact. There should be no air pockets. (BTW, I stuffed my sausages by hand because my KitchenAid stuffer attachment is a total piece of shit. No other way to describe this product. I've tried using it several times, and the result is always the same —I give up,  fists in the air, cursing, and finish the job by hand. Save your money for a proper stuffer.)

If you have a curing chamber, hang the sausage in there. Sixty to 70F seems to be the proper temperature range. As for the humidity, I can't give a number, but the sausages should not dry out too quickly. So if you see this happening after a couple of days, up the humidity a little. After about 3 or 4 days, you should cut a test piece to taste for sourness. If you're happy with the result, you're done.  It's unlikely to take more than 5 days. I recommend freezing what you won't eat immediately.

If you don't have a curing chamber, there's going to be a little more babysitting involved, but nothing too complicated. Put the sausages on a rack and place them over a pan of water. (You might not need the water if you live in a humid climate.)  There should be at least 3 inches of space between the sausages and the water. Place them in a spot out of direct sunlight and away from strong drafts, like an air vent. Do make sure there is ventilation, though. I put the sausages in my office and closed the air vent. That seemed to be enough ventilation. You should inspect the sausages daily to make sure they are not drying out and to inspect for mold. As I said, I found a small spot of white mold on one of my links, but it didn't appear until the last day. I simply removed the offending link.  If you are at all feeling unsure about the quality (safety) of your sausage, just throw it out. This hurts and it's going to feel like a big fat waste, but better to be safe than sorry.

Yay! You've reached the end! So tell me, was this helpful? Have questions, concerns or advice? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.




In addition to Charcuterie and my old microbiology textbook, I found these resources helpful:

Marriott, NG and Graham, PP. 2000. Some Solutions to Difficulties of Home-curing Pork. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech University.

"Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous?" USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. 

Danish Rullepølse

When I came across a post about rullepølse at The Butcher's Apprentice, I knew I had to make it.

What the heck is rullepølse? you're wondering. Why, it's a Danish specialty and probably the best deli meat ever. You think I'm exaggerating— I'm not. To say it's just cured pork belly is an understatement. It's pork belly seasoned and cured with aromatic herbs and spices like thyme, allspice and cloves. The salt and seasonings make it savory while the fat in the belly adds porky decadence. I'm amazed rullepølse has largely remained confined to Northern Europe...until now.  Mark my words, it will take America by storm. Think I'm exaggerating?




I'm not exaggerating when I say there's nothing hard about making rullepølse (except saying it; the Danish R is a killer to pronounce!). It just sits in a brine for a 2 to 3 days,  boiled until tender, then pressed into a rectangular shape.  The pressing bit can probably be skipped if you don't have a way to do it.  It's amazing that something so easy to do can produce such fantastic results.

If there's more than one way to skin a cat, there's also more than one way to make rullepølse. Over at The Butcher's Apprentice, Mosaica used only kosher salt in the brine.*  I decided to go the pink salt and sugar route. I wanted to give the finished product the characteristic light pink color and flavor that pink salt imparts. If you do the math, you'll see the concentration is only 0.55% weight by volume. This is much less than is typically used to make Canadian bacon or pastrami, but if you don't have or don't want to use it,  simply leave it out. I routinely use sugar in my brines as I find it cuts some of the saltiness and gives a more well-rounded flavor.  It does not make the product sweet.  I let the rolled belly brine for 2 days, but I think next time (there will definitely be a next time!) I will do 3 days to let the brine penetrate evenly into the meat.


Danish rullepølse
To prepare the pork belly:
2 to 3 pound slab skinless pork belly
1 shallot, grated or finely minced
3 or 4 springs thyme, leaves only, finely minced
freshly ground allspice, white pepper and clove (about 1 tsp each, more to taste)

For the brine:
190 g kosher salt
100 g sugar
11 g pink salt
1 tbs black peppercorns
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tbs whole allspice
1/2 tbs whole cloves
2 liters (about 8.5 cups) water

For the cooking liquid:
3 bay leaves
1 tbs black peppercorns
1/2 tbs whole allspice
2 tbs kosher salt (optional)
3 liters (about 12.5 cups) water

Prepare the brine by dissolving the salts and sugar in the water. Add the other ingredients and allow to cool completely.





In the meantime, prepare the pork belly by distributing the minced shallot and thyme leaves on the fleshy side of the pork. Sprinkle / press the ground spices on top. Roll and tie the slab into a a tight cylinder. Don't be shy— you want it as tight as possible.  When you add the meat to the brine, be sure it's completely submerged. Brine the meat for a minimum of 48 but up to 72 hours under refrigeration.

When the brining time is up, put the rullepølse into a large pot and cover with the cold water.  (Don't remove the kitchen twine.) Add the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn down the heat and let is simmer for about an hour or so, until the meat is tender. (I did this in my pressure cooker and it only took 30 minutes under pressure. I let the pressure release naturally, which took about another 10 minutes.) Once it's tender, I recommend letting the meat rest in the cooking liquid until it has cooled a bit, say for about a half  hour to an hour.  It's always good practice to let meat rest, whether you're frying, grilling, braising or boiling it. This allows the juices and flavors to settle and redistribute.





If you are going to press the roll, put the meat in the fridge to cool before pressing. According to the original recipe, the meat is to be pressed for 24 hours. I only did it for 2 hours and that was sufficient to create a compact roll.  If you're not going to press the roll, remove it from the cooking liquid once it's cool enough to handle. Wrap it in plastic wrap. It helps if you have a sushi rolling mat or flexible cutting board to secure tightly around rullepølse with rubberbands or kitchen twine. I think this will help the roll form a compact cylinder as it cools. Here's the important bit: the rullepølse needs to be completely cold before cutting into it. There's a fat layer on top and if that's not set, you won't get clean, even cutting.

Serve in sandwiches or on top of Danish-style rye bread with a side of pickled beets or cucumbers. I like mine with a little remoulade on top. Tonight I'm planning on making banh mi.  Doesn't that sound delicious?

*(The recipe came from a Danish language blog called Beretninger from et autentisk landbrug. It's written by a female farmer about life on a Danish farm.)

Smoked scallops and smoked seafood risotto

They say smoking is addictive and I can fully attest to that. I was hooked from the very first time I fired up my Weber smoker.  So far I've just been hot smoking, but I'm channeling my inner MacGyver to come up with a cold-smoking system. I think it might involve my smoker and my regular kettle grill, an accordion-type dryer duct and ice. We'll see. Sometimes my ideas work better in my head than in real life.






My latest smoking project was sea scallops. They are so easy, I've smoked them twice in the last month.  Just brine them for an hour or two and smoke for about 25 to 30 minutes. That's it.  I like to leave them in the fridge to dry out after the brining step, but you could essentially skip this and they will still be fine. Just pat them dry before putting them into the smoker.

The recipe I used came from Coastal Living (via MyRecipes), but the permalink doesn't seem to work. (So much for being lazy and just linking.)  The original recipe calls for 36 sea scallops, which is overkill for a family of three. I usually only buy about 2 to 3 medium-large scallops for each person, so the amounts listed below are 1/6 the original.  Scale up accordingly for your needs.  Also, the first time I did this preparation, I felt the brine could have been a little more concentrated, so I increased the salt and sugar a little.  In fact, I think they could tolerate still more. The alternative is to brine the scallops a little longer, say for two hours.

Smoked Scallops

• 6 large sea scallops
• 1/2 oz  (14 g)  kosher salt
• 1/3 oz (10g)  sugar
• 1 cup (237 ml) water

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water. I do this using my microwave. Cool completely before brining the scallops. The scallops should brine for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hrs in the refrigerator.  Remove them from the brine and quickly rinse with cold water. Pat dry and set on a rack over a plate or sheet pan. Ideally they should sit uncovered in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to dry and form a sticky surface. Hot smoke at 200F (225F max!) for about 25 minutes or until they are just cooked through.  I recommend hitting it with more smoke than you normally would right from the start since the smoking time is short.

You can probably think of tons of ways to use smoked scallops. Served with a fancy salad of baby lettuce? In sushi? Pasta with a splash of cream? I decided to use them in risotto along with smoked salmon. Good call, if I do say so myself.








Seafood risotto featuring home-smoked scallops and salmon
Adapted from Emeril's seafood risotto recipe
Serves 4 to 6

• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 cups (1.4 l) fish stock or vegetable stock
• juice from one lemon (or to taste)
• 1 pound (450 g) Arborio rice
• 4 to 6 large, smoked scallops, chopped into 4 pieces each
• smoked salmon (as much as you'd like), crumbled into large pieces
• 2/3 cups sweet peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) cream (optional)
• 2 to 3 oz (60 to 85 g)  grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 to 2 tbs butter
• chopped chives, for garnish
• salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

In a large sauté pan, heat a little olive oil (1 to 2 tbs)  over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 30 seconds. Add the stock and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, turn down the heat to simmer and continue to cook, stirring constantly. After about 10 minutes, add the peas. When the risotto is just about done, add the fish, cream (if using), Parmesan cheese and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When it's warmed through, it's done! Garnish with the chopped chives and serve immediately.

If you have leftover risotto, you can also try making these wonderful crispy risotto cakes. Or how about these fried rice balls?

Charcutepalooza: the smoking challenge

The Charcutepalooza challenge this month was hot smoking. If you know me, you know I love to use my smoker, but the weather here in the Pacific Northwest tends to complicate things. The day I smoked this tasso ham, it was 40º and grey, but by golly, it was mostly dry! It's funny when I think about how much my standards have changed since we first moved to Portland almost 6 years ago. Just the threat of rain was enough to keep me inside. What can I say? I grew up in Las Vegas where it rains maybe twice a year (and is usually accompanied by flash flooding!) Now it has to be raining on an apocalyptic scale to get my attention. I can't even be bothered to use an umbrella anymore. Mind you, I'm  not saying I like the rain. I've just made my peace with it. I must be turning into an Oregonian.

I went off on a tangent, didn't I? Let's get back on topic.

Making this tasso ham was easy. I just followed the recipe in Charcuterie. Here's the gist of it:  4 hours in a dry cure, quick rinse and dredge in a bold spice mix, overnight rest in the refrigerator then into the smoker. The smoking took about 3 hours. Overall, a very easy and relatively short project. Great way to get your feet wet if you're just starting with the homecuring or smoking.

The ham itself is delicious. It's equally smoky and spicy, which makes it perfect for flavoring stews and such. Our whole family loved it in scrambled eggs. I've sliced it thin and used it in a fried egg, cheddar and tomato jam sandwich. Awesome. I also combined it with peas and served it with homemade pasta in a cream sauce. The combination of sweet peas and spicy-smoky ham in a creamy sauce—what can I say? Super awesome.

I apologize if you were looking for a real recipe. It's so simple, there's no need for one. Here's the basic idea: In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, sauté 1 finely chopped shallot with a couple cloves minced garlic and about 1 cup (or more) of the ham for 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream (about 1 cup or so should do for 1 package of pasta), bring to just a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Add about 1/2 to 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese and stir to melt. A couple minutes before the pasta is done, add peas (fresh or frozen is fine) and salt and pepper to taste. Once the pasta is done, drain and toss in the cream sauce. Serve with additional parmesan sprinkled on top and a few turns of freshly cracked black pepper. How quick and easy is that?

Here are some other cured and/or smoked foods you may enjoy:
Smoked mackerel
Bacon
Canadian Bacon
Smoked Salmon
Pastrami

Peppered Mackerel

Salmon seems to be everyone's favorite smoked fish, but I've always preferred mackerel. I first had it in Denmark, where I lived for nearly 3 years in my early 20's. Whenever I'd get homesick for Mom's food, I'd make a salad of smoked mackerel, chopped onions, chilies and cilantro with a squeeze of lime juice and eat it with rice. (By the way, this is also an excellent way to eat sardines or herring packed in oil.)





I used to feel intimidated by the idea of smoking food in an outdoor smoker, but it turns out to be quite manageable. I bought the Weber smoker a couple of years ago and have been quite happy with it. (P.S. I did NOT pay the list price! Find it on sale somewhere or buy it used.) My neighbor tried to discourage me from getting a "manual" smoker (his is electric) because he said it would be a hassle to maintain the right temperature, but I've not had a problem with that. Normally the smoker will stay within the 200 to 250F range for 2 to 3 hours without much supervision.

I've found the most difficult part of smoking is not letting the heat go to waste. Whether I'm smoking fish (which only takes 30 minutes) or ribs (which take 3 to 4 hours) I have to use the same minimum amount of charcoal. So if I'm doing something quick like fish, I also plan other things to smoke as well. The day I smoked the mackerel, I also smoked scallops and tasso ham (more on the scallops and tasso in later posts), but there was still enough heat if I'd wanted to smoke more.



They don't look so impressive before being smoked, do they?

Right, so you want to know about the mackerel. Very easy. Exact same brine and cure process as smoked salmon. I'll make it even easier for you by doing all the math and converting. You'll have enough for 2 to 3 medium-sized mackerel.

Make the brine by combining 5.5 oz kosher salt + 4.5 oz sugar + 5.75 cup water in a non-reactive pot (no aluminum). Heat to dissolve the solids, then cool completely in the fridge. Add the fish and brine for 1.5 to 2 hours. Rinse the fish with cold water, then pat dry. (Discard the brine.) Place the fish on a rack over a tray and set it uncovered in your fridge overnight. (WARNING: Raw mackerel does not smell like gardenias. In a small space like the fridge, the odor will be quite strong and you'll get a nice whiff every time you open the fridge. Put a small bowl of baking soda nearby to absorb some of the odor. Still, it's gonna stink.) You want the fish to cure and dry out, forming a tacky surface to allow the smoke to better adhere. The following day, gently press some fresh cracked black pepper onto the surface of the fish and smoke for 30 minutes between 200 to 225 F. (I like to hit it with a lot of smoke in the beginning since the smoking time is short.)

If you don't have access to an outdoor smoker, it's possible to smoke food indoors. At the restaurant where I worked, our house-smoked salmon was very popular. We used a stainless steel food pan with lid, a rack to place the salmon on, small wood chips and a stack of heavy plates to hold down the lid. The pan went right on top of two burners. (Of course, once the lid was opened, the kitchen filled with smoke.) Someone took that idea and packaged it up for the home cook. How convenient! It's reasonably priced too.

This is the simplest salad ever. Chopped onions, chilies, cilantro and a squirt of lime juice. A few drops of fish sauce if you're in the mood.

How should you serve smoked mackerel? I recommend the salad mentioned above served with sticky rice. Another option is to make a spread by crumbling the flesh and mixing in some mayo. Or how about rolled up in sushi? Or maybe you have some other ideas? Please share!

Charcutepalooza: Pastrami

The Charcutepalooza challenge this month is brining. The suggestion was corned beef, but as I've already done that, I took it one extra step and made pastrami. As Ruhlman points out, pastrami is just corned beef beneath a smokey crust. And to tell the truth, I wasn't much impressed with the corned beef. It looked fine, but the taste was just okay. (To be fair, I'm not a big fan of commercial corned beef either). It also just crumbled when I sliced it. Not a problem if you're making corned beef hash, but not so convenient when you're trying to slice it to serve in sandwiches or for dinner. I much prefer the pastrami. The peppery crust and smoke just adds that extra som-in' som-in'.

Let me just say, if you can brine a turkey (or chicken or pork chops), you can make your own corned beef. It takes less than a week (still plenty of time till St. Patrick's Day!), and the only special ingredient you'll need is pink salt* (Prague powder #1). If you have a smoker, you're one step closer to pastrami. The suggested cuts for this technique are beef brisket or beef plate, but I used a tri-tip roast.** That's what I had on hand⎯ no point in ordering a whole other cut. You could even use top round, which is what is used to make the pastrami from the deli at your grocery store. You'll just have to play around with the brining times for this thicker cut of beef.



Of course, you can corn and smoke other types of meat too. I've seen turkey pastrami at my local grocery. Never tried it, but I imagine brining and smoking can only improve the flavor of turkey breast. I worked at a restaurant in Copenhagen that served corned duck breast (which is literally translated as exploded duck ☺) with a slightly sweet horseradish cream sauce atop rye bread. Wouldn't say I was a fan of this preparation for duck breast, but it was fairly popular. Maybe I'll revisit the exploded duck, now that my tastes have changed. Heck, I might even smoke it. We'll see.



I originally made a little over 2 pounds of pastrami, but most of it disappeared in short order. Mostly we've been using it for simple sandwiches. I did cut a few thick slices and fried them up to eat with creamy scrambled eggs for Sunday brunch. I've been craving hash and planned to do that, but well, there's no more pastrami. Guess I'll have to make some more.

In other charcuterie news, my duck prosciutto was a disappointment. The texture was fine, but it tasted too gamey for me. (I've experienced this with traditional prosciutto as well.) Interestingly, Hubby and the rugrat liked it. More for them, I guess.

*Just order it. Then you'll be able to make cool things like bacon and Canadian bacon.

**The tri-tip was purchased from Thundering Hooves, located in Walla Walla Washington. Unfortunately, they just very recently stopped delivery to their Portland buying clubs. I hate it when something I like goes away. Ugh.

Charcutepalooza: the bacon challenge

Did you notice the little piggy badge in my right scroll bar?

Yep, I'm doing Charcutepalooza. This is probably no surprise to people who know me. I've been dabbling with sausage making and meat curing since picking up Ruhlman and Polcyn's Charcuterie a few years ago. I know it sounds cheesy, but making my own cured meats is so satisfying. A part of it has to do with watching the transformation. A raw piece of pork loin becomes delicious Canadian bacon, and all it took was a little salt, time and a little smoke. I never new it was so simple.

The other part of it is about doing it myself. Me, with nothing more than a desire to produce food for my family, can do this! It's not magic and I don't need an expensive culinary degree. I can just be plain old me and still create something special! Makes me warm and fuzzy. (Now, how's that for cheese?)

The first challenge was duck prosciutto, but I missed that. No worries. I plan to make that one up, but in the meantime, you get this month's challenge: BACON!

But haven't you made bacon before?

Yes! You can read all about it here. Initially, I didn't think I'd make bacon very often, but I ended up doing it again and again. Usually it's just basic fresh bacon, but when weather permits, I'll smoke it. The smoking is a nice touch, but not necessary. If you skip the smoking bit, making bacon is so incredibly easy, anyone can do it. [Imagine me pointing at you.]

This challenge came at just the right time. I used the last of my stash in December so it was time to replenish. Through my butcher, I ordered 5 pounds of pork belly from Carlton Farms, located in Carlton, OR, about an hour's drive from Portland. Three pounds went to making a regular fresh bacon rubbed with Ruhlman and Polcyn's basic cure, black pepper and all spice. The remaining two pounds went to a little experiment I've been wanting to try. I rubbed the meat with basic cure, copious amounts of garlic, chopped lemongrass, finely sliced kaffir lime leaves and crushed galangal. (What can I say? I'm Thai.) Into the fridge it went for 7 days.

After curing, I rinsed the bacon and allowed it to sit in the fridge for an additional 2 days to dry before divvying it up and throwing it into the freezer. I decided to slow roast a small portion of it (someone had to taste test it, after all) until the internal temperature reached 195F. This method of preparing pork belly (cured or fresh) results in tender, succulent meat. I served the bacon with ajat (Thai cucumber relish) and simple greens. The fat crisped up nicely, so I threw it on top, but crispy shallots would also do.

Garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime and galangal make such a wonderful flavor combination but I didn't know how much of it would come through in the final product. I normally don't add fresh herbs to my bacon because I've found the flavors don't come through very well. In this case, the flavor of the herbs was wonderfully bold. I was reminded of Isaan-style sausage. Served with the cucumber relish, it was salty, sweet, sour and savory— all the flavor components a well-balanced dish should have.

Gosh, I'm going to need to make more of this stuff very soon. There are just too many things I want to do with it . For sure I'll be roasting more to use in banh mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwich). I would like to make meatballs / dumpling filling by grinding it up and mixing with an equal amount of ground pork. This would also be a great filling in an omelet or banh xeo (Vietnamese crispy crepe). Or how about in a lettuce wrap? Of course, I could also fry some up, like regular bacon, and eat it for breakfast with my eggs. There are just too many options!

Well, one challenge down— just 11 more to go. Can't wait to see what the next one will be.


Related posts that may interest you:
Canadian bacon
smoked salmon
turkey confit
cassoulet

Bacon is Healthy. Okay, Not Really. But It's Delicious.

We love bacon in this house, but we don’t eat it very often. I generally don’t feel guilty about most foods, but bacon is not one of them. The fat and salt is enough to induce heart palpitations just thinking about it. When I do buy it, it’s always from the deli counter so I don’t buy more than I need. Those deli guys must think I'm crazy buying two strips of bacon at a time.

Having said that, I must confess that we've already had bacon 3 times in the last 6 days. But before you do that disappointed health freak face, let me explain. We weren't just eating any old bacon. We were reaping the fruits of my labor, if you will. That's right, I made bacon! I'll say it was one of the most satisfying moments when I sat down to breakfast this past weekend and enjoyed my own delicious bacon.



You’re probably wondering why I would want to make bacon? I guess that’s just how I roll. I’m all about demystifying and doing it myself. Many commercial bacons are so salty that one bite is enough to send my blood pressure sky high. The thing I like about this bacon is that it didn't feel like eating a salt lick. Maple and brown sugar gave it a hint of sweetness and helped to cut the saltiness. I also used fresh cracked black pepper to give it a little subtle heat.



Seriously, it was easy. All you have to do is cure it for a week, then hot smoke it for an hour or two. The only difficult thing about it is the waiting. So no, I won’t be making this on a weekly basis, but it is a nice touch if we are having visitors or going to a special function.

This recipe I used comes from Charcuterie. According to the authors, you can use whatever seasonings you like because it’s the cure and smoke that give bacon its wonderful taste. So if you don’t want to use maple but prefer to use cloves or bay leaves or whatever else tickles your fancy, then by all means. The original recipe calls for 5 pounds of pork belly. As big of a fan of bacon as I am, I thought that might just be a wee bit much. So I only started with 2 ½ pounds. However, after the smoking, there was a 20% weight loss (the bacon, not me)! After giving some to my neighbor for letting me use his smoker (thanks again, Dennis!), I was left with only about a pound. Even though that will stretch for 4 or even 5 uses, for the amount of waiting and daydreaming that goes into the process, I want the yield to be a bit more. Next time, I’m going for gold and making all 5 pounds. It freezes beautifully, so none of it will go to waste.



Note: if you want to do the whole 5 pounds, just double the recipe.

Maple Bacon (adapted from Charcuterie)
yields approximately 2 pounds

• 1 oz kosher salt
• 1 tsp pink salt (1/4 oz or 6 grams if you’re doing it by weight, which you should be)
• 1 tbs black peppercorns, coarsely ground
• 1 tbs whole allspice, coarsely ground
• 2 packed tbs light brown sugar (the original recipe calls for dark brown)
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 2 ½ pound slab of pork belly (original recipe says skin on, but I did it with skin removed)

Start by combining all of the dry ingredients. You want to make sure the pink salt is evenly distributed. Add the maple syrup and stir to make a paste. Rub the paste over the entire surface of the pork.

Place the pork in a Ziploc bag large enough to hold it or in a non-reactive container that is just slightly bigger than the pork. During the curing process, liquid will be released and it will work to cure the meat. Keep the meat in the fridge, turning every other day to expose both sides to the brine. It should take about 7 days to cure. It’s ready if you touch the meat and it’s firm. Make sure you’re checking the actual meat and not the fat, because the fat doesn’t get firm.

Once you’ve determined the meat is cured, rinse it well under cold water. You want to get rid of the residual salt. Most of the spices will wash off too, and that’s okay. Their flavor will already be in the meat. Pat the meat dry and air-dry it in the fridge for at least overnight. When you air-dry it in the fridge, it needs to rest on a rack, uncovered, above a container that will catch any juices and allow air to circulate. The next day, hot-smoke the meat to an internal temperature of 150º. For me, this took less than 2 hours (I think) at 275º (the original recipe didn’t specify a smoking temperature). I expected it to take like 3 hours, but when I checked it a little after 2 hours, it was at like 160+. Yikes!!! Yet, the bacon turned out fine.

Once you remove the bacon from the smoker, let it cool a bit. If you started with skin-on pork belly, you should remove the skin before the bacon cools completely. I started with skinless, and the fat caramelized very nicely, so I think I’ll use skinless the next time as well. Do not try to slice the bacon into strips before it is completely cooled to refrigerator temperature. An extra half hour in the freezer might make it even easier. Unless you have Morimoto-sharp knives, you will just end up “squishing” the fat and the slices will be sloppy and too thick. Trust me on this. Once it’s cool enough to slice, you still have to fry it to get it crispy.


If you found this process interesting, you may enjoy making your own Canadian bacon. It’s just as easy as bacon, but requires only 2 days curing. It’s also a lot less fatty because it’s done with pork loin.

Isaan-style Sausages

I made another sausage! This time I made a fragrant, garlicky, spicy sausage using the “Thai trinity” (lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves) as the flavor base. The only thing that was missing was the sour component characteristic of this type of sausage. It is achieved by fermenting the sausage at room temperature for 1 to several days (see note). Wasn’t quite ready to go there, but soon, I promise! Even without the sourness, this fresh sausage turned out very tasty. Good thing too; I made 5 pounds of it!




Isaan-style Sausages
15 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
3 stalks lemon grass, finely minced
1 tbs minced galangal
2 heads garlic (about 20 or so cloves), minced
Fresh bird’s eye chillies, to taste (start with 5 then go up from there)
1 bunch cilantro, minced
4.5 pounds boneless pork shoulder, diced
1/2 pound pork (back) fat, diced
2 cups cooked, cold sticky rice, kernels separated (other long-grain rice will work)
1 ¼ oz kosher salt (more or less to taste)
1 cup very cold water

Note: If you have the nerve to try fermenting the sausage, you'll need to add 1/4 tsp of pink salt per kilogram (approx 2.2 lbs) of sausage. Hang the sausage for 1 to several days at room temperature (approx 70 degrees is optimal). Keep it out of direct sunlight. A cool basement is probably the best choice if you have one. Test the level of sourness by cooking a small piece bit every day. Once you determine the sausage is sour enough, freeze whatever you don't plan to eat right away.
Season the diced meat and fat with the lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, chillies and cilantro. Stick the meat in the freezer for about an hour. The meat should be well chilled, just starting to freeze. Your grinding equipment should be well chilled as well. I like using the coarse die for sausage. It leaves the texture just course enough to know you're eating real meat. Grind the meat into a bowl set on ice. To the ground meat, add the salt and water. Mix well. Lastly add the rice and mix again. Take a small portion to cook to determine if it’s seasoned properly (put the rest in the fridge while doing this). If it’s all good, then stuff the sausage into hog casings and enjoy! It's great served as a snack with ginger matchsticks, fresh roasted peanuts, and chillies. Being the simple person I am, I like to eat mine with sticky rice. I bet it would be yummy as a base for fried rice or noodles too. Remember, freeze whatever you can’t eat within two or three days.

Here are some other sausage recipes on my list that you may like to try: Burnt Lumpia's Longanisa and Mrs. Marv's Thai-spiced chicken sausage.

Homemade is Better Made! (Canadian bacon)

As I’ve said before, I’m intrigued by the idea of making my own cured meats. I feel like it’s really becoming a lost art. Maybe it’s because people think it’s hard or requires expensive equipment. That’s what I thought. Or maybe it’s because people think that they could just as well buy ham and salami at the market, so why bother? What I’m finding is that it’s neither hard nor expensive, and when everything turns out right, it’s better than what I can get at the market. I also like the idea of seeing the process through. Pick out the ingredients, watch the transformation and enjoy the taste. It really is quite rewarding.

For my first attempt at curing, I chose to do Canadian bacon, the recipe for which I adapted from Charcuterie (see the left side bar). It really is so easy. The only special things you’ll need is pink salt (aka Prague powder #1 or Instacure #1 or sodium nitrite curing salt) and a smoker, although the smoker is not really necessary. Roasting in a oven should work just fine. I don’t have a smoker, but my neighbor allowed me to use his (thanks Dennis!).


The results were far better than I expected. I was afraid the pork would be too salty or dry, but the brine salted the meat perfectly and the pink salt gave the finished product a wonderful pink color. Without it, I think the color would have been grey. The texture was right on and it wasn’t dry at all. Smoking the pork gave it the extra touch, as you can imagine.

Canadian bacon
Adapted from Charcuterie
Brine:

• 2 quarts water
• 6 oz kosher salt
• 4 oz sugar
• 0.75 oz pink salt* (see note)
• 1 tbs coriander seeds
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 1 ½ lbs trimmed pork loin

*Note: There seems to be a lot of controversy over pink salt. In some recipes, it’s required as it neutralizes the toxins given off by the botulism bacteria. For this recipe, I think it’s mostly used to give the meat a nice pink color after it’s been cooked. I recommend using it, but use only as directed. Consumed in large amounts, it can be harmful. You’ll probably need to order it online unless you’re lucky enough to know someone who has access to it.

In a large (non-reactive) pot heat the water with the other brine ingredients until all the salt and sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool to room temp before sticking it in the fridge to chill. When it’s completely chilled, add the pork loin. Make sure it’s completely submerged. Let the pork loin brine for 48 hours. I actually left it in for like 60 hours because I forgot about it and it still turned out fine. After that time, remove it from the brine and pat it dry. Let it sit in the fridge, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours. It’s best if you can suspend it on a rack over a tray to let it drip and allow air to circulate around it. Hot smoke the pork loin at 200ºF until it reaches an internal temperature of 150º. This took me about 3.5 hours. If you don’t have a smoker, you can roast the pork in the oven and I’m sure the result will still be tasty. According to the recipe, the Canadian bacon can be kept for up to 10 days after it's cooked, but I'm sure it will be gone well before that time!


Before I "sign-off" I want to direct your attention to the Foodie Blogroll icon in the left side bar. I just joined because I like the idea of having so many food blogs at my fingertips! It's also a great way to network. I encourage you to take a gander.