a club worth joining

For Christmas, the man purchased a subscription to Zingerman's Bacon of the Month Club for me. Funny thing, same thing happened as did with the Valentines' Day/Kitchenaid meat grinder debochle of 2009. A few days before the holiday, I forwarded him an article that I found to be exciting. A bacon of the month club! What a great idea.

Husband immediately gets kicked puppy face.

Oh no. Here it comes.

"Christmas is ruined. I discover the perfect gift, and you find it on your own. The surprise is gone."

Well, the surprise was gone. But the bacon... that was not so easily spoiled.

Stay tuned for my praise of the best of the bacons.

things I love:

This week, just to show my cynical side, I'm going to begin with something I don't love-- lab grown meat.

(source)

Although this article raves of the wonders of this product that is being developed in the Netherlands, touting that it tastes like a "soggy form of pork" and is PETA-approved (two things I look for when shopping for meats), I think I'll skip it. Have I mentioned that I also love sarcasm?

Now here's a trend that I can get behind. Last week, the New York Times ran an article about Urban Hunting. Though somewhat disturbed by inevitable mental imagery of shotguns aimed at briefcased businessmen, cheery children with balloons, or maybe an occasional well-fed squirrel, this actually refers to groups who are taking the localvore craze a step further. A handful of ingenious folk are teaching hunting, butchery, and cookery classes to city folk in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Anyone want to start an LA chapter? Though surely not for the faint of heart, the article points out some pretty noteworthy benefits:

Provides food that is as local as you can get--

“If you can shoot a deer in your own backyard, butcher it there, that’s zero food miles,” says hunting teacher Jackson Landers.

Meats are wonderfully far from factory-farmed--

“There’s nothing more organic and free range than meat you hunt for yourself and your family,” says Anthony Licata, editor of Field & Stream magazine.

May be an economical option for budget-crunchers--

Mr. Landers, who tries to take Virginia’s full limit of six deer a year, agreed. For the cost of the necessary licenses, $36.50, he said he can stock his freezer with nearly free protein.

And as anyone who has lived in an area that is populated with deer knows, promoting hunting cuts back on the nasty possibility of deer-related car accidents, which is just a total waste of a poor animal's life, an insurance claim, and many-a-tasty steak.

For your meat-loving friends and family, can I recommend doing some Christmas shopping with Sweet Meats?

They have some clever new products-- DIY plush toys, charms, aprons... Always crafty, thoughtful, and the perfect mix of savory and sweet.

Speaking of Christmas, there are a plethora of bacon candies and treats on the market this year. A stocking stuffer's delight!
Here are some links to get you started:
Bacon Chocolate
Bacon Jelly Beans
Bacon Gumballs
Bacon Coffee
Bacon Beer

something I love:

This item perfectly sums up "things I love" for the week.


Just look at that man and his slab of pork! So wonderful. Not creepy at all.

Maynard Davies' Adventures of a Bacon Curer arrived in my mailbox yesterday . A super thoughtful birthday gift from my parents, this book is not only "the cult book of the year" (what year? Probably every year.) , but was the alleged inspiration for newer titles such as Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon.

I haven't had the chance to crack it open past the table of contents yet, but the chapter list has already got me drooling. Titles such as "Turning Pigs into Bacon" and "Goodbye Daisy" are sure to challenge and inspire.

a poem:

"so you want to buy my cupcakes."

so you want to buy my cupcakes
that i made a few weeks past
twenty bacon maple cupcakes
lazy baking just won’t last

made them for a party
then got kicked out of the bar
chef didn’t like my bacons
so they ate them by the car

now you want to buy my cupcakes
and how much do i charge?
sugar salt sprinkled bacon cupcakes
the fee? oh, it is large!

six dollars for the bacon
for best maple, maybe twelve
got eggs vanilla flour
could use them from my shelf

but you want to buy my cupcakes?
to sell them at your store?
free meat for life, and then we’ll deal
three steaks a day, or four!

(you know you missed my poems.)

beer, bikes, birthday, and bacon maple cupcakes.

Call me cliche for jumping on the bacon bandwagon, but would you turn one of these down?

Yeah, didn't think so.

The man had the brilliant idea to celebrate his 30th in style (and by style, I mean of the trendy hipster-type), with a biking beer tour of downtown LA. Admist the DineLA and Beer Week festivities, he's hosting his own mini-tour, starting at Wurstkuche and ending at Bottle Rock, where I will be serving the ridiculously decedent cupcakes, modified from this recipe from Bacon Today and Vanilla Garlic. And yes, there is bacon, bacon grease, and maple syrup throughout, not just on the top.

Isn't meat fun?

things i love thursdays!

I am currently inspired to do a fun little weekly selection of meat-related things I like. It will probably most often serve as a reminder to myself of exciting dishes to try or products to buy, but who knows? Maybe you will be inspired (or perhaps amused) as well.

First up-- Candied Salted Bacon

(source: the kitchn)

Now I know it has been done, but I just thought this recipe looked particularly tasty. Perhaps because of the nice story about making it in your kitchen at 2am with or without pants on or maybe because of the lack of "process" pictures these recipes usually include (the bacon caked with brown sugar makes me feel too guilty about even thinking of trying this!), but regardless, it looks super tasty and satisfying in a not too sweet or salty kind of way.

Next up, Juice Box-Sized Stock.

I like to make my own stock whenever possible, but sometimes time just doesn't allow for it. The best option for store-bought stock is Pacific Organic Free-Range Chicken Stock (also available in low-sodium). It is organic, doesn't have any crap that I won't eat in it, and comes in the cutest 8 ounce packages. What more could you want?

...How about a Grill Pan?

I know, this is a poor excuse for an actual grill, but we live in a loft and our HOA sends mean letters for creative things like open flames on narrow windowsills...Our bulky cast iron grill pan does the trick most of the time. Currently, we have a Martha Stewart model from a few years ago (I know!! But it was 1/2 off, okay??), but I'm certain it would be ashamed to show its face around this pretty (and pricey) Le Creuset.

And lastly, Butchery as Theater!



Anyone want to sponsor a lady's trip to SF for this?

In a rare U.S. appearance, Dario Cecchini, Italy's master butcher made famous in Bill Buford's Heat and portrayed in Douglas Gayeton’s new book Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town, will give a demonstration on artisan butchery. You are invited to experience Dario up close breaking down a steer and a pig with mastery and flair at the Cowell Theater. Following his 250-year-old family tradition, Dario will share his exceptional skills with chefs, butchers of all levels, and other sustainable food industry professionals who wish to find a deeper understanding of and relationship with meat.

-meatpaper

zingerman's + bacon, or, another reason to miss michigan in the fall.

Came across this post on Serious Eats this morning and was immediately nostalgic. When I was growing up, my dad worked in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His job involved lots of driving, so he happened upon all sorts of amazing spots before they were discovered by most... Antique stores, ethnic restaurants, music shops. And whatever creative tangent I found myself on, he would scavenge up supplies for me. He constructed photography darkrooms, bargained for vintage guitars, rebuildt garbage-picked lamps.. I can't imagine the possibilities had I began my meat pursuits while still living near him in Michigan!

That said, Zingerman's was, of course, a staple (splurge!) restaurant of my childhood. I remember their giant cookies, tasting aged balsamic with plastic straws, and splitting chicken salad sandwiches on dried fruit bread with my mom. They have since become quite an empire and have released several foodie books, including Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating and Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service. Their newest release really grabbed my attention.

Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon

I don't have any bacon-specific memories of Zingerman's, but I think some will have to be made during my next visit to the homeland.

daily burger, number twenty-five.

Bacon Buffalo Burger. Avocado sauce and tomato.

What more could you want??

My kitchen, DTLA, 12:24PM, May 25, 2009.

meat tweets

No guiltier of a pleasure than bacon...
Follow me on Twitter.

wearable meats.

thanks, etsy.

and craftzine.

and etsy, again.

but maybe this is taking it too far, hmm?

recession-proof your meats

a relevent discussion for today may be how to maintain a realistic food budget and still eat good-quality products... here's my eating/cooking/shopping tips of the moment:

eat in! why go out for a steak dinner when you can make a great one at home? even if you buy the best cuts of meat you can find, i guarantee it will be cheaper than paying for a mid-quality restaurant steak. steak cooking is so easy with just a few tools. i usually just marinate it for a few hours in red wine (or 100% cranberry or cherry juice), olive oil, garlic and onions, then sear it in my fabulous cast iron skillet while the oven preheats to 400ish, transfer to a baking dish and cook until the internal temperature reaches about 135 on your trusty meat thermometer for medium rare. while your steak is in the oven, reduce your marinade juices with the meat juices in the skillet for a tasty sauce. don't forget to let your meat rest before slicing! you'll have a perfect steak every time with almost no effort. (and look here! slashfood finally confirms that my dad did teach me the best way to season cast iron.)

stock up on stocks! not the store-bought ones- make your own. much cheaper if you do it frequently, and so much tastier! i buy cheap hunks of meat and boil them to death with onions, garlic, lemon, and whatever fresh herbs i have around. then, i freeze the stock in small containers and use it in soups for weeks-- and you also have lots of low-fat cooked meat to shread on salads or fill sandwiches for days! my favorites are the turkey thighs from whole foods-- huge hunks or organic turkey for less than $3 a pound (or 99-cents a pound if the butcher mischarges you like he did me this week)= yummy food for days. one more plug for whole foods: they also sell additive-free bacon. no nitrates for this lady!

don't disregard "big box" or discount stores completely! costco's meat sells for about a third of the price of grocery store meat- and often is higher in quality. not for the faint of heart- unless you're feeding multitudes of people or shop with meat-loving friends- dividing and freezing that ten-pound pork loin will be necessary. fresh and easy also has decent meats for cheap if you have one in your area-- just make sure to read the labels carefully. their sell-by dates can be tricky, and not all of their meats are happy.

simply eat smaller portions of meat! in meal prep, i try to fill half of our plates with fresh fruits and veggies and cheap, healthy staples like brown rice or sweet potatoes. then, we can be satisfied with little bits of the good stuff without breaking the budget. remember, meat portions need only be about four ounces, or the size of your palm or a deck of cards.

that's all for now! happy (cheap) eating!

now everything can taste like bacon

now, if this was really about bacon, you know i'd be for it.
but no, this is bacon salt, a bacon-free, kosher, vegetarian way to make everything taste like bacon. i'd like to say that i'm happy for all of the diet-restricted bacon lovers out there, but really, why not just eat the bacon? i'll let you investigate the ingredients for yourself- they are a bit tricky to find.
and yes, they are also the proud makers of baconnaise.

this week's cut:

pork!

(image source: www.90meat.com)
kosher? nah, but hey! bacon is worth it!
betcha didn't know this fun fact: pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world, providing about 38 percent of daily meat protein intake worldwide. thanks, wikipedia!
a co-worker suggested crumbling crispy bacon on oatmeal for breakfast. i opt for cream of rice and wow, is it tasty.