One of the perks of working at a place like the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is that you’re surrounded by highly educated, intellectually curious people; true scientists who question everything to get at the truth in a pure and unbiased way. People unafraid to raise their hand to contradict whatever “consensus opinion” is currently prevailing, even at the risk of running afoul of reductio ad absurdum. And you don’t just find these folks at work, you run into them everywhere.
Read MoreCanadian Bacon
Canadian Bacon is , or perhaps is not, a bacon. While traditional bacon consist of pork belly meat, Canadian bacon is from a pork loin. Traditional bacon is cold cured, while Canadian bacon is hot cured. Normal bacon is mostly fat, while Canadian bacon has little fat; so you decide.
Read MoreCharcuterie – The Meat Curing Process
Charcuterie is a broad term used to define turning fresh meat into meat that can be preserved in a process called curing. If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where you still have neighborhood deli’s making sausage, the butcher would be a Charcuterie. For centuries, …
Read MoreHard Salami
Hard salami is thought to have been developed by Germanic tribes during the Roman era. The Romans had perfected the cold curing of meats, with Genoa perhaps being the most popular Roman era salami still being made.
Read MoreCold Smoked Salmon
Cold smoked food are either already cooked, are intended to be cooked, or are in the process of being cured. This recipe is for cured salmon.
Read MoreHot Cured Meat Equipment List
In French cooking there is an expression called “MIse en Place”, which translates to “setting up”. For our journey into the world of Charcuterie (i.e., cured meats), we start with a review of the equipment needed.
Read MoreBread and Butter Pickles
These sweet and tangy pickles are made sliced and can keep in the fridge for weeks, but best eaten fresh. A trick my Dad taught me when making pickles is to…..
Read MoreHomemade BBQ Sauce
Every got to the last stage of roasting ribs and realized you forget to get BBQ sauce yesterday at the store? Well fret not…
Read MoreButtermilk Biscuits
Here is a western classic, that can be quickly made in the morning for breakfast or when it’s a half hour before your guest arrive and you just realized you don’t have any bread for dinner.
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