Notes from the Lab 1 (What is Ed Thinking?)
I have been busy at Weekend Food Projects working on new things to share with you all. I would put this in a notebook, but I really think that people would be interested in the thought process behind the food. I will not post recipes, but simply share what I have learned.
Bacon: Using a dry cured pork belly and adding a coriander/black pepper crust before smoking makes a wonderful fatty meat that is great in sandwiches or by itself. What I am still testing is whether steaming or slow roasting before serving is the best way to present the meat. (See above)
Pizza: I have learned that a 72 hour dough produces the best texture, flavor, and is easier to handle. 8oz of dough to 3oz of shredded cheese also seems to be a good dough/cheese ratio.
Burgers and Sausage: You have to apply Rule #2 from Zombieland to your meat, the double tap. Simply grinding the meat once through the coarse plate does not provide a good texture or distribute the fat well enough. Double grind your meat, coarse plate.
Pastrami: Beef navel is the best cut of beef for traditional pastrami. This is the cut that Katz’s deli in NYC uses. It is not something that you can walk into your local grocery store and purchase. However, I was able to source a four pound piece from Painted Hills Farm in Oregon through a Seattle based store. I will share results this weekend.
Salumi: For the last week I have been putting together a fermentation/curing chamber for dried sausages and salumi. I have a Spanish Chorizo drying right now and in about 2.5 weeks, it should be ready. So much chemistry and microbiology, but so cool.
Making Sausage – Preview
As many readers of this blog know, I am a big fan of “making it yourself” food. I am not talking about the frozen pasta dinner that you throw in the microwave. I am talking about getting the eggs and semolina flour on the counter (or stand mixer) and kneading it yourself type of food. Now I know that some of you are rolling your eyes and calling me a “food snob” and complaining about not having enough time to do all of that. I totally understand. I call this blog Weekend Food Projects because the weekend is the only time I really sit down and focus on making food from scratch. On the plus side, doing it yourself gives you the ability to control the ingredients and the final taste of the product.
Sausage is a perfect example of a product that you may want to have some control over what goes inside of the casing. Some people do not want nitrates in their food, other people are concerned about the meat (or lack of meat) that goes into their sausage. I ultimately care about taste and the sustainability of the meat.
Over the next few months, I will blog about my journey into making sausage and sharing my tips, recipes, and mistakes. The above pictures are the andouille sausage made from Michael Ruhlman’s fine book Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing.
