It was a little chilly and quite windy today, but otherwise nice; that is to say, sunny. So I smoked the bacon. It smells deliciously sweet and fatty. This madrone wood is really working out well. One side was intended for pancetta, but the dry cure thing is still a little intimidating. It was rubbed with nutmeg, thyme, brown sugar, and juniper. The other half was done with black pepper and garlic. Tomorrow, maybe bacon eggs benedict for brunch?
Here’s what I had for breakfast. The buns I made myself, as I wanted to practice bun technique. The bacon is not from the pig, unfortunately, as the belly is still being soaked in salt. Maybe tomorrow I’ll smoke it.
With the other shoulder I made pulled pork. I rubbed the hunk of meat with ginger, paprika, pepper, and salt and let it sit for a few days. Then I smoked it with madrone wood for about 6 hours, then boiled it until tender, another 10 hours. A lot of cooking! These sandwiches are really good, especially with the pickled cabbage.
Laurie came over and took some photos of my fridge today. She’s a student at PNCA. The project will eventually be a book and website of 30 fridges. (She’s already photographed 15.) I was a little nervous in anticipation. Would she ask me personal questions about my pigs feet, my eggs, my condiments? It was pretty fun though. Now I’m really eager to see everyone else’s fridge. I’ll post the link as soon as I get it.