3 of the best things in life...Combined

  It has occurred to me that making charcuterie may just be slowly evolving from interest to obsession. I often find myself fantasizing about grinding pork and smoking large quantities of meat, and scheduling days off not for socializing or relaxing but for experimenting with lard and hog casings in the kitchen. The more I dabble in the homemade, the more addicting it becomes. The only things I need now are a few pigs to raise and a bigger meat grinder.
  Lately, everything has been about sausage. The combinations and flavors one can make are endless. While bacon is a divine creation, it is not nearly so varied in styles. So what happens when a beer drinking cheese monger starts crafting sausages? Well, you get a Cheddar Beer Sausage. A power trio of superior foods. I refrained from adding any bacon (the 4th super food) to the mix for fear I might marry it.




The makings of a very good night

   This sausage is a bulk fresh sausage like the others I have made so far, but half is destined to become links after this weekend. I kept the seasonings fairly simple so the cheese and beer could shine through, just a hint of caraway and red pepper. I used an English farmhouse cheddar and an awesome smoked Marzen as the main ingredients. And just so I wouldn't feel completely ridiculous about having sausage and beer for dinner, I threw in a little spinach and spring onions as a green bed for the tender patties to rest on.






  I can think of a certain Mr. Dean who can take a hike.

CharcutePalooza: The Grinding



Good Morning

  Oh the shame! It has been nearly one month since my last post! While I could say that my distractions have consisted of only work and chores, I did manage to sneak in a tiny bit of downtime. A short weekend in the North Georgia mountains can do wonders for the soul. Just look at those wonderful fresh eggs! Those on some crisp toast, a cold beer, and a babbling brook equal the perfect morning (What...you don't drink beer in the morning?).
  Yet one cannot live on beer eggs alone, at least I can't. So, I figured this would be as good a time as any to debut some homemade sausage. Before this challenge, I had never once attempted something as seemingly complicated as ground sausage. The funny things is, once you try it, you feel like a fool for thinking it would ever be hard. I can see how that way of thinking could hold anyone back from handmade cooking. But I can honestly say I have not had that much fun making food in the kitchen at midnight by myself before.
  I decided to take up both challenges and make breakfast sausage and Chorizo. I am very glad I did. I was also surprised to find that fresh sausage was easier than some of the previous tasks of this Year of Meat. It simply consisted of a fresh pork shoulder beautifully marbled with fat, diced and seasoned, thoroughly chilled, and then ground. For the breakfast sausage I added sage, lots of fresh garlic, and dried blueberries. The Chorizo included many different dried chilies, garlic, oregano, and tequila.

Ready for grinding

  The diced meat was then chilled very well, and ground using my new and magical Kitchenaid grinding attachment. It ground quickly and efficiently. So efficiently in fact, that I barely had time to snap a photo. And that was all there was too it. To make links, I could have stuffed the fresh sausage into casings, but this was strictly to test the water, nothing more. I made both sausages the night before leaving for the camping trip.

 
After a night of rum and allergies, nothing was more satisfying than blueberry sausage, toast, and eggs. The Chorizo was reserved for a late night concoction of sausage, onions, garlic, celery, tomatoes, and rice stewed together into a rich improv gruel.

Cure for the common hangover

Meal prior to common hangover

  Before now, I had not given much thought nor appreciation to sausage, as I have always been a bacon freak. But having experienced the joy in making it, as well as the comfort in consuming it, sausage has certainly been elevated to new heights in my book, and I cannot wait to construct my next grind.

CharcutePalooza: The Tasso of the Ham

Tasso Hams

  Well, I'm a little late getting to this, but nevertheless I finally got around to making tasso ham. Now I feel real embarrassed admitting this, being one who spends every day of my life around cheese and charcuterie, but I didn't know what tasso ham was. But that is the beauty of this challenge, to learn about new ingredients, new cooking methods, and new skills.
  So then tasso ham is not really even ham, but pork shoulder that has been cured, rubbed in a spicy aromatic blend of white pepper, marjoram (although I actually used oregano), allspice, and cayenne, then smoked. It isn't meant to be eaten as a main dish (or so they say), but instead used as a seasoning for just about anything you can think of. It is most commonly used in Cajun cooking for jambalaya and gumbo. It is also ridiculously easy to make. It cured in less than 4 hours, and was done smoking in less time than that. By far the easiest of the challenges as of yet.
  Ok, ham lesson over. Since I haven't really had the time lately to use this meaty condiment for things like gumbo or beans or any dish that takes hours to prepare, I turned to my ever trusty standby. Breakfast, it's the most tasty important meal of the day.
  I did nothing more than crisp up a little bit of the ham with a handful of lovely greens from the garden and a couple of eggs from the coop. In cooking, simple is rarely boring.

Spinach, Arugula, & Beet Greens

  Sauteed Greens with Tasso Ham & Fried Eggs


  Ingredients

  2 ounces Tasso Ham, cubed
  1 garlic clove, minced
  1 large handful greens (I used spinach, arugula, and red beet greens, but you can use whatever you want)
  2 eggs
  butter
  salt & pepper

 

cubed & ready for action

  Add ham to pan and crisp, about 5 minutes.
  Add garlic, saute for 30 seconds.
  Throw in greens, season, and cook until wilted, set aside.
  Lightly butter pan, add eggs, and season with salt and pepper. Cook to whatever doneness you like.
  Top greens with eggs, serve.

Breakfast is served