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Homemade Bacon

They say bacon is a gateway meat for vegetarians, and I can totally see how that is. As a vegetarian I used to eat “Fakin Bacon”, that soy-based alternative meat product, something I wouldn’t touch now.  I enjoyed it then because the smoky, salty taste was highly appealing.  But it’s no comparison to the real thing.

Since I left vegetarianism 13 years ago, I’ve eaten a lot of legit bacon.  I’d recently heard that you could cure your own bacon, which was really intriguing, but a little daunting.  So when I caught wind of bacon curing as part of the Charcutepalooza challenge, I thought that this was the perfect time to dive in.

I looked at my main two sources for pork belly, but neither had them in stock, so I headed to The Meat Hook in Brooklyn.  They sell very high quality local, pastured meat that is extremely tasty.   When I got there, they were butchering what I think was a pig, with some hardcore knives, on a large table behind the counter.  The person that helped me brought out a whole pork belly and deboned it, and also cut off the skin.  I ended up with 2.71 pounds of belly.  It was gorgeous.

I cured it (using this bacon recipe from Michael Ruhlman) with salt and spices, plus I added some smoked paprika to the spice mix – this gave the meat a smoky flavor without having to actually smoke the meat (which I have no idea how to do anyway).  I also opted to not use pink salt.

The end result is some of the most delicious bacon I’ve ever tasted, if not the best I’ve ever had.  And the smoked paprika really worked!  The bacon is both savory and smoky at the same time.  I am just so impressed with how easy it was to cure and how well it came out.  I plan to cure bacon more often.

So, what did I do with the bacon?  Well, I cooked it on its own, in the oven, and had it with brunch. I find that cooking bacon in the oven yields a more pleasant slice of bacon, plus I don’t get spattered with hot fat like I do when I cook it on the stovetop. I also used the bacon in a braised red bean dish that I was really happy with.  I’ve also reserved the fat when cooking bacon on its own, and have used it to cook with.  I’ve been really happy with it, too – it lubricates my cast iron pan like nothing else!

I used the bacon in a dish I put together called a BST (bacon, spinach, tomato) sandwich in open-face form – it’s also a wet version because I used tomato sauce.  It was absolutely delicious – a very simple, homey, and comforting dish with lots of flavor.  Plus it’s really easy to put together.

BST (Bacon, Spinach, Tomato) Sandwich

1 slice sourdough bread (2 slices if they are small slices)
tomato sauce of your choice, hot
baby spinach (organic if possible)
bacon, cooked and broken into small pieces
parmesan cheese (optional)

Toast the sourdough bread and place on a plate. Spoon the tomato sauce over the bread. Top with a handful of spinach and the bacon. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over it if you like.  Eat with a fork.

More images from my bacon curing project can be found in my Charcutepalooza photoset on Flickr.

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Braised Red Beans

One morning this month I put some red beans in a bowl to soak while I was at work.  I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to do with them, but I thought I’d check the internet that day for some inspiration.  Let me tell you – when you do a search on “red beans recipes” about all you’ll find are recipes – endless numbers of them – for red beans and rice.  Now, I like red beans and rice, don’t get me wrong, but I wasn’t in the mood for that dish.

So, I decided to put together flavors that I know work well together – onions and carrots as a base, some thyme and red wine for flavor, extra virgin olive oil for additional richness.  I wanted to use some of my home-cured bacon, too, as beans and bacon are a perfect match.  The following recipe is what I came up with.

I loved these beans so much – they were a fitting winter meal.  Rich and creamy – you could serve them with some kind of whole grain, but they were delicious all by themselves.  They were also extremely tasty as leftovers.

One more detail – I made these on a weeknight after work, so they are doable as a weekday dinner.

Braised Red Beans

2 slices thick cut bacon
1/2 large onion, small dice
1 medium carrot, peeled, small dice
3/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 cup cooked red beans
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
10 springs fresh thyme
salt and pepper
grated parmesan (optional but recommended)

Soak the red beans in water and 1 tsp baking soda for 8-10 hours. Drain and rinse, and boil in fresh water until cooked through. Lightly salt them in the water. Drain and set aside 1 1/2 cups of beans (feel free to cook extra and freeze them for future use).

Set a large saucepan over medium high heat. Dice the bacon and put it in the hot pan with a touch of olive oil. Cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat and has started to become crispy. Add the diced onion and carrot and cook until they soften a bit in the fat. Add the thyme leaves and several pinches or turns of black pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds more.

Add 1/2 cup red wine and deglaze the pan. Add the red beans, olive oil and 1/4 cup red wine. Add the remaining 5 sprigs of thyme – whole sprigs, do not take off the leaves – to the beans. Add the water. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and let everything cook for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Remove the whole thyme sprigs and discard. Season the dish to your liking with salt and pepper.

Serve with grated parmesan.

Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side.

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

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Charcutepalooza and Harmonious Belly

One day in the not too distant past, I was reading Shauna’s blog post about making homemade yogurt, and toward the end she mentioned something called Charcutepalooza.  Now, with a name like that, I had to investigate.  Turns out, it is an extremely cool project.

200+ bloggers are going to explore the art of charcuterie together this year – one recipe per month – led by Cathy Barrow (aka Mrs. Wheelbarrow).  Here’s the list of the Charcutepalooza bloggers.  Impressive!

I’m looking forward to the monthly recipes, but also seriously enthused about the community surrounding the project.  I’ve already connected to people on twitter via the hash tag #charcutepalooza, and can’t wait to see the flurry of activity that will happen on the 15th of each month (when the communal Charcutepalooza posts go up).

When it comes to working with and preparing meat I am somewhat of a meat n00b, thanks to 13 years of vegetarianism, and then many years of general apprehension towards handling animal flesh. Also, I still am deeply connected to meatless meals, as that is where my core cooking skills lie, plus I just really like a lot of vegetarian food (falafel! kale! grilled cheese sandwiches!). Slowly, though, I’m getting more comfortable with the world of meat.  Charcutepalooza should help me with this.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had some troubles cooking meat during the Food Lover’s Cleanse. But by reaching out to my Facebook community, I connected with a friend who took me by the hand and taught me what she knows about cooking a steak. An informative and delicious lesson it was, too, which absolutely boosted my confidence in this area.  I am hopeful to find help with my charcuterie when I need it, too, from the community that has gathered around this project.  I will offer any help I can, as well.

I also mused that this year might be my Year of Meat – sure seems like it.  First it was the steak lesson, then the chicken carving workshop a few weeks ago, and now Charcutepalooza.  Oh, and I’m hosting a meatball making afternoon later in February, too. Fun!

I’ll be posting about the current challenge on February 15 – bacon.  Looking forward to that – now I just have to figure out in which recipe I’m going to use my bacon!