baconhound

Whenever I holiday in the U.S.A., I get excited for one type of cuisine in particular…. BBQ.

At home in Edmonton, BBQ is one of the very few things that we do not copy well. Delicious, authentic Indian food? Sure, we’ve got it. South east Asian delights? No problem. The best in real Mexican favourites? We’ve got you covered there too. Heck, we’ve even got some pretty decent pizzas and a small but vibrant food truck scene.

But BBQ? Not so much. The best we’ve got is Bubba’s BBQ truck, and while very popular and “good for Edmonton”, I’ve had better BBQ in the Houston airport.

So when our friend, and native New Yorker, suggested we head straight from the airport to Rub BBQ, we didn’t argue.

Our flight arrived late, and after a long day of travel (we got up at 3:30 AM), we were anxious for dinner. A little research online was all it took to find out that the slam-dunk favourite thing on the menu is the burnt ends (the fattier tips of the brisket- smoked 18 hours), but they are in limited supply. Luckily we were able to get the last order, so we snapped that up quickly. We decided on a 2 meat platter as well and would share everything between the 3 of us. That would give us a choice of 4 sides as well, so we got the greens, cornbread, beans (with chunks of brisket in them), and potato salad.

The runaway favourite at the table was, of course, the burnt ends.

So fatty, and tender, and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth good; I was considering grabbing the tray and running away with it after my first taste but decided to be a gentleman and share. One bite of these and you’re reminded of just how vastly superior BBQ is south of the 49 parallel.

Even in New York City.

Fatty, meaty goodness- Burnt Ends

The 2 meat platter we selected had BBQ Beef Brisket and BBQ Ham on it. This was one of the better briskets I’ve had, as it wasn’t overwhelmingly fatty but had a beautiful smoke ring and was super tender. The Ham was lean, but was also packed with flavour. With both these meats being more lean, they paired beautifully with the much fattier and sinful burnt ends.

A cow and a pig walked into a bar…

Dessert came highly recommended. So of course we indulged.

Deep fried Oreos!

You know you want it

How have I never thought to batter and deep fry Oreos before? It seems so obvious now. The cookie gets soft and kind of cake like, while the filling adds a little creaminess. Surprisingly, the exterior was crisp but not greasy at all. I enjoyed these much more than another deep fried dessert I’ve had, the sickeningly sweet and gooey, deep-fried Mars bars.

So while maybe New York is not known as a BBQ mecca, it’s still possible to get top quality ‘cue right here in Manhattan. In fact, I may make a big plate of burnt ends a new post-flight tradition whenever we come back to NYC.

The only thing standing between me and making my own sausage has always been laziness. Making sausages always seemed like too much work, too complicated, too tricky to stuff the casings, and altogether not worth the time. Plus, there’s lots of other fun stuff you could be doing instead of sitting inside making sausage, right?

“Other fun stuff”

I was wrong. (I’m sure my wife is going to copy and paste this line somewhere for posterity)

As it turns out, it really isn’t that difficult with the right equipment, and the finished product is so much better than those supermarket offerings that they don’t even belong in the same conversation.

My love of all things New Orleans, and having that love revisited through some conversations with Danielle, of Creole Envie, made me decide on the Louisiana specialty Andouille for my first foray into sausage making.

Since I already make a kick-ass creole-type spice mix (similar to Emeril’s) I figured I’d have a bit of a head start on the seasoning. I amalgamated a bunch of recipes I found online into my own version of the spicy pork links, and though there are some things I’d tweak for next time I was pretty happy with the results.

If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer with the sausage attachment like I do, you’re all set for equipment. If not, a hand crank sausage maker is just as good (some say better, due to how easy it is to control the filling speed by hand) and can be found at your local restaurant supply shop or specialty kitchen stores. If you don’t want to invest in a machine, you can always skip the casings altogether and just make sausage patties instead.

Here’s how I made the magic happen. (Recipe to follow)

Since I had no idea if this would turn out to be heavenly or horrendous, I made a small batch that started with 2.5 lbs of pork butt and 1/2 pound pork fat from my friends Corey and Amanda Meyer at Acme Meat Market.  Making a great sausage means starting with great meat.

Porky goodness

I diced up the pork and fat, and coated with the seasoning mix. Feel free to add a bit of extra cayenne if you really want to feel the heat.

The spice mix

Then I let the meat soak up some of the flavours from the spices overnight in the fridge.

Ready for an overnight stay in the refrigerator

The next day I put the meat in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up before grinding. This will make the grinding easier and less mushy. Grind all the meat with the coarse die (grind it twice if you want it more fine) and return it to the freezer to keep cool while you switch the machine from grinding mode to stuffing mode.

Now would be a great time to test the flavour of your sausage by pan frying a bit and having a taste. Re-season to your own taste and you’re ready for the fun part… stuffing the casings.

Rinse the sausage casings inside and out for a couple minutes to remove any excess salty flavour. (I had them stored in salt and water)

Slide the casing on the filling nozzle of your sausage maker. Sprinkle a bit of water on the nozzle before sliding the casing on to help make the casing slide off easily when filling.

I’m sure this is the part that scares the heck out of most people, but I can assure you it’s not as difficult as you think. I had my wife Robyn help me at this point to make it easier and wanted her to feed the meat into the machine while I formed the links.

Side note: I tried twisting the links as they were extruding from the nozzle, but it was difficult. I found out later from a pretty awesome local sausage maker Allan a method that works much better and that’s what I describe below.

We set the speed to slow to match my wits, and off we went. Robyn fed the meat steadily into the stuffer, and once the meat started to slowly emerge from the tube, I twisted the end of the casing and applied a bit of back-pressure to it to make the sausages the desired thickness. Twisting the end too soon will cause an air bubble that will burst your sausage upon cooking.

Once you get the hang of the correct amount of back-pressure, it’s really just a matter of maintaining that steady pressure and forming a nice, even sausage. Putting too much back-pressure will cause you to burst the casing, and not enough results in skinny, finger size sausages.

If you burst the casing, don’t stress about it; just cut if off at that point and restart.  It’s just sausages…no big deal.

Once you’re finished all the stuffing, determine your desired link length and gently press your fingers together through the sausage and twist in alternating directions to form your links. . This part takes a little practice, but after you do a few you’ll be a pro.

At this point, you’re done. A lot of recipes call for smoking at this point, but since I don’t have a smoker I don’t bother with that. Instead, I added a couple teaspoons of liquid smoke to the mixture for a bit of smoke flavour. Besides, who needs the extra hassle of smoking when the fresh sausages taste so good on their own?

So now that you’ve all had a good peek at my sausage, I encourage you all to try it yourself! Satisfaction guaranteed.

C’mon, you know I had to put at least one “sausage” joke in there, right?

Have you got a favourite fresh sausage recipe? Please share it in the comment section below and maybe I’ll give it a try.

Andouille Sausage

2 1/2 pounds pork butt

1/2 pound pork fat

1/4 cup creole spice

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 tsp salt

3.4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

sausage casings

Dice the meat and add all the spices. Let sit overnight.

Put meat into the freezer approximately 30 minutes before grinding. Grind the meat to the desired consistency and return to freezer while you change over machine to stuffing mode.

Slide well rinsed casings onto stuffing nozzle and stuff sausages slowly, applying back-pressure to fatten the sausages to desired diameter.

When finished stuffing, pinch sausage at desired length and twist into links.

Ronald McDonald House is something most of us have heard of, but how many of us really know what it is, or what they do there?

I know I didn’t.

The "Magic Room"

RMH has 30 rooms that they rent out to families who are in town while their sick children are getting medical care. They charge $12/night for the service.

The families are responsible for their own meals, and after spending full days at the hospital, those meals usually consist of a quick bite out or opening a can of something before crashing into bed.

The dining area

The average time that a family checks in for is about 2 weeks – so that would be approximately 14 straight days of eating out 3 meals a day. That is not only very costly, but probably not the healthiest idea either.

Turns out that RMH promotes something called Home For Dinner; a program where a group of volunteers plan, shop for, and prepare a much needed family-style meal for families as they struggle with endless rounds of hospital visits.

What a fantastic idea!

The crew hard at work-photo by Dong Kim

As soon as I learned about this I rallied a team of kitchen geniuses that would be up for cooking a full meal for 30 families: of course my wife Robyn, and our good friends Carmen and Dongbu. And I just had to scan my friends list on Twitter to fill out the team with Jerry, Eric and his wife Angela, Addie, Chris, and Erin.

The whole crew

We decided on Shepherd’s Pie with coleslaw on the side and cookies for dessert.

When we got to the kitchen, we decided on the ‘divide & conquer’ method…

Robyn and I were the potato masters:

Chris and Erin were “Team Meat” and cooked up all the ground beef* and the accompanying veg to fill out our pie:

Jerry, Eric and Angela took control of the coleslaw:

Carmen threw together some chocolate and caramel cookies:

And Addie kept busy doing whatever else needed doing:

Before long, the smell of our cooking started to bring a few guests wandering around to check out the scene. One of the house-guests introduced himself to me and thanked us for our efforts. We chatted about what brought his family to the house and it became apparent just how much a little bit of normalcy in the form of a home cooked meal meant to these families. He told me that they were teaching in Japan when they discovered a problem with one of their children. They had to fly home for treatment, and they had been staying at Ronald McDonald House ever since-for about 4 weeks already.

Can you imagine the stress of not only having a seriously ill child, but also having your entire life turned upside down in order to facilitate the treatment? Having a more home-like place to stay like RMH instead of a standard hotel room must be a huge relief.

Back in the kitchen, with all the separate ingredients completed, it was time to assemble the final product – Chris found a cookie mould in a drawer and decided he’d make a few potato clovers on one pie. I went with the fork ridged design that my mom used to make all the time growing up. It brings back really good memories for me so It felt good to share that with everyone, even if I didn’t mention that’s why I did it.

Chris' Shepherds Pie- photo by Dong Kim

My version of the Shepherds Pie- photo by Dong Kim

Into the oven the giant Shepherds Pies went, and we finished our clean-up.

Finally, the guests assembled in the dining room and we served dinner.

The whole experience was fantastic from start to finish, and I really enjoyed the immediate feedback from the diners. We got to sit and eat with everybody else, and it was really heartwarming to watch the parents and the kids gulping down what we had made.

Especially the cookies.

Hey, you're not a sick kid!

Robyn and I will definitely be back to do it again, and a lot of the crew expressed interest in another round as well.

Interested in forming your own team and getting involved? Use the link at the top of the page and get the ball rolling! If you’re on Twitter, give Jen Panteluk a follow and I’m sure she would be happy to give you a tour of the facility and answer any questions.

And be sure to check out Carmen’s recount of the day too!

*A huge shout out goes to Corey and Amanda Meyer, owners of stellar local butcher shop Acme Meat Market at 9531-76 ave. The always community minded and unselfish duo donated the 15 pounds of ground beef we used in the Shepherds Pie.

That meat was no small part of why we received compliments such as “that was the best Shepherds Pie I’ve ever had”. Robyn and I get all our meat from there, and there is nothing better than getting fantastic products from a local shop owned by such an awesome young family. I suggest you give them a try.

Saying goodbye is so hard.

On Saturday February 18th, 2012, at 12:30pm, Robyn and I had to say goodbye to our beautiful dog, Maya.

To say I am devastated would be such an understatement. As I write this, it’s been barely more than 24 hours since she’s been gone, and already I am missing her immensely.

I really miss our walks.

Robyn with Maya on her last walk

I miss her following my every move, especially if I’m doing anything in the kitchen.

I miss her running to the pantry cupboard where we stashed her snacks every time she heard the door open.

I miss tripping over her when you’re trying to do anything.

I miss her loving stares while I prepare dinner. (love of food, of course)

I miss her sitting pretty to watch me when I’m eating, and drooling the whole time.

I miss watching her dreaming while she sleeps, her leg twitching while small grunts and groans escape her mouth as I envision her dreaming of chasing rabbits in open fields.

I miss looking into those sweet brown eyes.

I miss coming home and having her meet us at the door, tail wagging.

I really miss the sound of her nails click-clacking across the hardwood floors.

I miss seeing her happy face in the side mirror during one of her favourite activities- the car ride.

But most of all I miss the companionship. Knowing that when I feel kind of down, I can just sit with Maya, pet her, and let her remind me in her own way of what’s really important in life. Your loved ones.

I miss it all.

Except the farts. Those pungent, lingering, room clearing farts. Those, I won’t miss.

When Maya was 8 months old we took her to the vet and we were told that she had the most severe case of hip displasia that this vet had ever seen in a puppy. We were shaken terribly at the news from the vet that we would likely only have 3 or 4 years with Maya before we’d have to put her down.  I remember us both sobbing all the way home, then drowning our sorrows at Tony Roma’s with ribs. We brought the bones home and Maya devoured them while laying out in the snow. Since then, we knew this day would come eventually.  As it turns out, knowing it’s coming doesn’t make it one ounce easier when that time actually arrives.

The following is a short gallery of some of my favourite pictures to celebrate our good fortune to have her in our lives almost 11 years.

This is one of the earliest pictures of my girl.

She loved her yard.

Occasionally Maya and Maverick got their dishes confused.

Soon this…..

turned into this…..

But seriously, they were the best of friends. (and no, Maya wasn’t the cause of Mavericks cone)

She had a phase where she loved the Chubby Chicken.

And just like her daddy, she loved to eat…..

…And sleep.

She also loved the snow.

And she really loved her walks.

The last few days of her life were filled with sadness for me. I had to carry her up the 2 stairs to the back door because she couldn’t make it under her own steam. You could see the pain she was in every time she sat or got up. She could only enjoy the car ride for a short time before her sore hips let her down and she had to sit instead of hanging her head out the window and enjoying life. She knew she was defeated, and it was so heartbreaking to watch.

In the end, we cradled her in our arms and told her for the hundredth time that day that we loved her very much. The light went out with a promise to never forget her and one last, long, tear-filled hug.

Goodbye Maya, my sweet girl. I will never stop missing you.

Here’s what Sunday brunch looks like at our house today.

Beef bacon from ACME meat market

Cooked bacon. Crispy is better

Sunwork Farms Egg in a red pepper ring

Beef Bacon and Eggs with Herb de Provence Potato Cakes

A little pre-dessert dessert from Molly's Eats. Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie

Getting some cinnamon bread oven ready

ready for slicing

bring on the butter!

Suppliers of fine products include:

ACME Meat Market- Beef bacon.

Sunwork Farms- Eggs

Molly’s Eats- Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie

Every now and then a meal rocks your world so completely that it almost defies words.

Almost.

This past weekend I experienced such a meal.

Having tried the lunch at CHARCUT last summer, I was anxious  to come back for dinner. And when the discussion began about where to celebrate my birthday this year, CHARCUT immediately jumped to the top of the list.

ROAD TRIP!

My wife Robyn and I packed up the car and headed down the Queen Elizabeth Highway toward gluttony. But not before Robyn discovered this wannabe stowaway in our bags….

When we arrived, we were shown to our seats at the kitchenside eating bar where Chef/ Co-owner John recognized us from a chance encounter earlier in the day and made us feel welcome. Sitting at the eating bar gave us a perfect vantage point to the sights and sounds of a busy kitchen dinner service. I enjoyed every minute of that.

And then the feasting began.

Right away a welcome gift of Linguica sausage and organic Turkey Tasso, topped with shavings of delicious St. George cheese arrived for our pleasure. And please it did. The turkey tasso was thinly shaved, and deliciously peppery. I could have eaten a pound of it. By the time I worked back around to the linguica, it was almost all gone! I reasoned that a hungry bird must have flown in and liberated us of our sausage, but then I noticed the sheepish grin on Robyn’s face. I did however manage to get a couple slivers, and I can see why it vanished so fast.

Turkey tasso and Linguica

Seconds later, our next dish arrived at the counter. Warm Raclette Cheese with house made brioche rolls. Rich and creamy, this one really satisfied the cheese fiend in me. However, I actually think the highlight of the dish is the brioche rolls. Warm, soft, and oh so buttery, they were gone in an instant. Although very tasty, I did find myself wishing it was a bigger pot of cheese for the price. ($16)

Knowing that  CHARCUT’s strengths are their house made charcuterie items, we were really excited to  check out the charcut board. And it did not disappoint. Especially the Pig Head Mortadella. House made sausage stuffed with pistachios and truffles never tasted so good.

Trying the specials is a must in a good restaurant. With the Octopus Bolognaise stuffed pasta shells with San Marzano tomatoes, chorizo, and basil coming so highly recommended by our server, we had to give it a try. Neither Robyn or I are big seafood fans, and we both would put octopus on the strong dislike list. However, I have to say that this dish really surprised me. The fishy odour and taste dissipated nicely after the first bite, and you were left with that delicious San Marzano tomato sauce.

The meat parade continued with a Duck Rillettes, flavoured with orange and thyme. The pork version was a highlight of our lunch in the summer, and the duck was also very good. It had all the creaminess, but we preferred the milder flavour of the pork. I’m sure duck lovers will go quackers for it though. (haha, very punny)

As we sat digesting, we discussed the fact that neither of us had ever tried bone marrow, and debated whether we’d ever order it. Moments later, an order showed up at the table, compliments of the chefs. What a perfect way to sample something you’re apprehensive about. We scooped the gelatinous marrow onto the crostini and topped with the  escargot au gratin. Rich, and creamy, and rich… did I mention it’s rich? I found it quite tasty, and Robyn found it utterly divine.  

Finally, we got to our main course with sides. I know, I know, it seems like we already ate enough for a family of 5 (and we did), but I guess that’s what happens when you’re excited to sample the whole menu.

We wisely elected to split one entree, and after much debate we settled on the Pork belly with chanterelles, served atop black truffle cheddar grits. Unfortunately, this is the one dish out of the 10 we tried that we both found to be a let down. I enjoyed the flavour of the grits, but they needed to be a bit more tender for my taste. This being my first taste of grits, I was expecting a more porridge-like consistency, but instead these were more of a pellet form. The pork belly itself, while still moist, just lacked some caramelization and that memorable quality of the rest of the dishes. Everything else was making such a bold impression, that the pork belly seemed very bland in comparison. Sitting atop the pork belly was some crispy cracklins. The idea of crispy fried pork skin sounds pretty good to me, but these were more of a petrified state. So I guess this whole dish was a miss for me.

We couldn’t decide between the duck fat fried poutine and the smashed potatoes with sour cream, rosemary, and bacon. So we got both. (pop goes the buttons)

The poutine was topped with enough rich and meaty gravy to satisfy even Dustin Penner, and the duck fat french fries were a perfect vessel for all that gooey gravy and cheese goodness.

The smashed potatoes were packed with rosemary flavour and topped with sour cream and thin crispy bacon. Good luck finding a fault with that!

As usual, I decided to leave the picking of the dessert to the expert, Robyn. Knowing her addiction to chocolate, I wasn’t surprised when she decided on the Valrhona Chocolate Pudding with Chantilly cream and sweet brioche croutons. It ended up being a really nice, creamy finish to a pretty epic meal.

Happy Birthday to me!