Now that we have tackled bacon, let look next to making our own pancetta. Pancetta is sometimes looked at as just being Italian bacon but I believe nothing touches its unique taste. If you love Italian food home made pancetta is not out of the reach of any home cook. Like our bacon we made last time we make our curing mix and spices then cure for a week. With Pancetta we also want to dry cure for an additional week. We can do this by hanging our Pancetta in a cool humid place (between 50 and 60 degrees F) but being summer now I used the refrigerator and a rack. In talking with other chefs I discovered some use a wine refrigerator. Play with the spices to get your own unique taste. Grind some up to make your own authentic bolognese meat sauce or add to your ground beef to make some extra special hamburgers or meatloaf. I used the recipe from my well used version of "Charcuterie" by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn changing it slightly to my taste.

Ingredients:

 5 pounds pork belly

 2 oz. dry cure mix

 1/4 cup light brown sugar

 5 Tbsp. peppercorns

 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

 3-5 bay leaves depending on size

 2 tsp. thyme

 10 juniper berries

 6 garlic cloves minced

 extra 4 Tbsp. crushed peppercorns

Dry Cure Mix

 10 tsp. pink curing salt (instacure #1)

 1 pound kosher salt

 1/2 cup sugar

Procedure:

 1. Mix the dry cure ingredients and store in a glass jar. Grind the peppercorns, juniper berries, red pepper flakes, bay leaves and thyme to the same size as the kosher salt. Mix in 2 oz. of the dry cure mix and add the brown sugar and garlic. Mix well.

 2. Trim the pork belly removing any silver skin and visible fat. Rub the cure mixture evenly over the pork belly and seal in a zip-lock bag. Cure in the refrigerator for seven days turning the bag each day. After a week check to see if the pork has firmed up. Add a couple of days if needed and recheck.

 3. Rinse the pork belly and dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the extra crushed peppercorns over the meat side and roll the belly up tightly lengthwise so the you will be cutting across the grain if you sliced across the roll. Tie the roll every inch with butcher's twine.

 4. Hang in a cool humid place (between 50 and 60 degrees) for an additional week. I used my refrigerator as my home's temperature is in the 70's. After the drying process use within 3 weeks cooking before using.

If you are fortunate to own a smoker or a outdoor grill you can easily make your own bacon. All you need is some pork belly some curing salt, kosher salt, sugar and some spices and a week. After a week long cure we smoke to perfection and we have a bacon that will beat almost any store bought product. All we need to do is to slice and cook. I had a friend that won a local "Iron Chef" competition making chicken fried bacon. I used the recipe from my well used version of "Charcuterie" by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn changing it slightly to my own taste.


Ingredients:

 5 pounds pork belly

 2 oz. dry cure mix

 2 Tbsp. peppercorns

 2 Tbsp. maple flakes

 3 bay leaves

 2 tsp. thyme 

Dry Cure Mix

 10 tsp. pink curing salt (instacure #1)

 1 pound kosher salt

 1/2 cup sugar

Procedure:

 1. Mix the dry cure ingredients and store in a glass jar. Grind the peppercorns, maple flakes, bay leaves and thyme to the same size as the kosher salt. Mix in 2 oz. of the dry cure mix.

 2. Trim the pork belly removing any silver skin and visible fat. Rub the cure mixture evenly over the pork belly and seal in a zip-lock bag. Cure in the refrigerator for seven days turning the bag each day.

 3. Rinse the pork belly and dry with paper towels. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees and let cool. Slice to desired thickness and fry or bake until desired crispness. If you don't have a smoker just cook in a 250 oven until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.

Canadian Bacon can be very expensive so when I saw whole pork loins on sale I ended up buying a few. I found I could make my own for pennies on a dollar. This process takes some time (4 1/2 days) but it is relatively simple to do. Two days to brine, another two days to dry and a hot smoke will produce a product you can be proud of. You can individually choose to brine  the pork longer (or shorter) and change the curing ingredients to you own preference. If you like to smoke your pork longer you can do that or decide to not smoke at all; that's the great thing about doing your own.

Ingredients:

 1 well trimmed pork loin (about 3 to 5 pounds)

 pink curing salt

 kosher salt

 sugar

 6 fresh thyme sprigs

 6 large fresh sage leaves

 12 whole black peppercorns

 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

 3/4 gallon water

 2 cups ice

 2 gallon Ziplock bag

Procedure:

 1. Trim the pork loin removing any silver skin and visible fat.

 2. In a large pot bring the water to a simmer  and add the ingredients. Stir to dissolve and take off heat. Add ice and let cool. Add water to the Ziplock bag and add the pork loin. Refrigerate in a container for two days. After brining drain, rinse under running water and dry with paper towels. Air dry uncovered in the refrigerator for an additional two days, then hot smoke until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Let cool and refrigerate until needed.

I have to be honest that I have not always being fond of pimento cheese until about a year ago. Moving back to the south gave me a new culinary vision to change classic comfort dishes and give them a twist. Pimento cheese is truly an iconic southern staple that I can use to build new and exciting dishes.

Ingredients:

 2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

 1/2 cup mayonnaise

 8 oz. cream cheese

 4 oz. jar diced pimentos

 1/2 tsp. onion powder

 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

 pinch cayenne

  1/2 tsp thyme

Procedure:

 1. Grate the cheese and add the mayo, cream cheese and pimentos. Fold the ingredients together. Add the spices and mix together. Keep refrigerated.

Making your own corned beef may take some time but I believe if you love corned beef you may find it well worth your time to do so. First, it is cheaper and more important doing your own allows you to fine tune the taste to your preference. Each time you make a batch you can fine tune flavors, brining times, cooking times and temperatures along with cooking methods. For example I elected to sous vide my beef at 135 degrees for 48 hours but I might have used a pressure cooker or a covered roasting pan with water. When it was finished I could of smoked it to make pastrami. You are at the helm and call the shots.

Ingredients:

 3-5 pound trimmed brisket

 3 1/2 gallons water

 2 cups salt

 1/2 cup sugar

 2 Tbsp. pink curing salt

 4 Tbsp. pickling spice

 4 minced garlic cloves

 1 small onion sliced

 ice to make up 1/2 gallon

Procedure:

 1. Trim the brisket of any extra fat and any silver skin.  

 2. in a large pot heat the water to a boil then add the salt, sugar, 1/2 (2 Tbsp.) of the pickling spice and other brine elements. When the salt and sugar have dissolved take off the heat and add ice. Allow to cool.

 3. In a 2 gallon zip lock bag add the cooled brine, the sliced onion and the beef and seal removing as much air as possible. Place the bag in a container and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days. Turn the bag over each day.  After the brining time remove the beef and rinse under cold running water to wash away the spices.

 4. To cook you have a couple of options -

  a. add the meat to a pot and cover with water. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. pickling spice and heat to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook 3 hours or until tender.

 b. if you are lucky enough to have an immersion circulator rub the brisket with the remaining 2 Tbsp. pickling spice and seal in a food safe bag. Sous vide at 135 degrees for 48 hours then drain and wash off the pickling spice.

I love both strawberries and blueberries so when I picked up both at my local super market at the peak of season I thought of making some jam. Since I do not need the extra carbs, I wanted to reduce the amount of sugar in my diet so I used stevia. Beside the berries were sweet enough to begin with, so lets keep it simple just adding so lime juice to provide some tartness. Add to plain yogurt or oatmeal for your fruit fix, top your pancakes or French toast or top your favorite bread.

Ingredients:

 2 pounds Strawberries

 2 pints Blueberries

 3 Tbsp. Lime juice

 1/4 cup stevia

 1 envelope Liquid fruit pectin

 Salt to taste

Procedure:

 Clean and stem strawberries and blueberries.

Chicken Fried Steak and Biscuits and gravy share a crucial tasty element, southern style Country Sausage Gravy. Cooking up a batch is so easy and quick that you want to add this recipe to your repertoire. The most important ingredient is a good quality sausage. You can use uncooked sausage in bulk, patties, links or even make your own. If you choose to use links just remove the sausage from the casing first. Remember to taste as you go to season to your taste (some sausage is more salty and spiced so fry up a little to give yourself a base tasting). Also you can optionally add heat by adding red pepper flakes, cayenne or your favorite hot sauce.

Ingredients:

 1 pound good quality sausage

 1 small sweet onion finely diced

 3 Tbsp. flour

 Butter if needed

 Milk

 salt and pepper to taste

 red pepper flakes, cayenne or your favorite hot sauce to taste

Procedure:

 Heat a skillet to medium and break up and brown the sausage and onion. The fat from the sausage will render and you want 3 Tbsps. of fat. If the sausage is really lean you can add a little butter and if there is too much fat pour a little off. Stir in the flour and cook to remove the raw flour taste then whisk in the milk a bit at a time until you reach the consistency you want. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you want to add some spicy heat add your heat of choice until you get it just right. If the gravy starts to tighten up, add a little more milk to thin it out. Keep warm until serving and enjoy!

Why make your own sausage? First and foremost, it simply tastes better when you grind your own pork. Second, you can adjust the seasonings to your own individual taste. I usually make sausage for patties but you can go the extra mile and stuff your own into casings to make links. You can make a larger batch, make patties and freeze them so you can have them anytime you wish. This is when a FoodSaver comes in handy. Buy a whole pork butt, grind it up and portion it into one pound bags which you can freeze. Then you can pull out a bag, defrost it and make different type of sausage.


Ingredients:

1 pound pork shoulder (Boston butt)

 2 cloves minced garlic

 4 or 5 fresh sage leaves finely chopped

 1 teaspoon fresh finely chopped thyme

 pinch of red pepper flakes

 pinch dried rosemary 

 salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

 1. Cut one pound of pork into one inch cubes and partially freeze, Using the course grind plate, rind the sausage and keep cold.

 2. To the ground pork add the minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper and mix gently with your hands.

3. Fry a small bit in a skillet and taste for seasoning and flavor. Adjust the seasoning if required and retest. When you are satisfied with the taste form into patties or stuff into casings if you wish. Makes 4 large patties or 6 smaller patties or 10-12 links.

4. Keep cold until cooked or freeze until needed.

Scrambled eggs are often overcooked, sometimes so much as to be dry and grey. As eggs cook, the proteins combine and create a structure trapping moisture. This is what we want; but continuing to cook, the proteins contract even more, squeezing out the moisture leaving the eggs dry and rubbery. Even after the eggs reach the proper texture, the residual heat continues to cook the eggs. This is known as carry-over cooking. I like my scrambled eggs moist and creamy, which requires me to slightly under cook the eggs and let the carry-over cooking finish cooking the eggs to the perfect doneness. With a little practice to get the timing down you can get consistent superior results.

Ingredients:

 4 large fresh eggs
 4 tsp. skim milk
 3 tbsp. butter
 Salt and pepper to taste

 Equipment:

 10 inch non-stick Skillet
 Heat resistant spatula
 Small bowl
 Fork

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and add the half and half or milk and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs with a fork until they are a solid color. Do not over-beat to keep the eggs tender. 
 
Heat a 10 inch skillet on medium high heat so that when you add ½ of the butter, it sizzles but does not brown too quickly. After adding the first half of the butter, swirl it around the pan to cover the bottom. Add the beaten eggs to the skillet and let heat for 20 to 30 seconds. Using the spatula gently push the egg mixture from the edge to the middle of the pan. Continue over the entire surface of the skillet until egg curds start to form. Reduce the heat to medium low, and start gently folding over the curds. 

Optional: While the mixture is still runny add small pieces of the remaining butter continuing to fold the mixture over to make the eggs extra creamy. 

Pull the eggs off the heat when almost done and let the
residual heat finish cooking the eggs. Serve immediately.