Farm-to-Table w/ RGE RD & Riverbend Gardens

KevinBeef, Cooking w/ Fire, From Local Farms, Grilling w/ Fire, Kevin TV, Nature's Green Acres, Nature's Green Acres, Pork, Riverbend Gardens, Smoking w/ Fire, Veg5 Comments

The last farm-to-table dinner I attended was a resounding success, and I’m not surprised Blair and his crew have done a few of these since then. By happenstance we ran into each other at the farmers’ market a couple weeks ago and I ended up involved with his upcoming dinner at Riverbend Gardens. He ended up buying the last half … Read More

Smoke-Day and My Current Smoking Setup

KevinCharcuterie, Cooking w/ Fire, From Local Farms, From the Cellar, Ham, Kevin TV, Nature's Green Acres, Pork, Smoking w/ Fire3 Comments

I’ve mentioned that on Pig Day I was slipping ham cuts and hocks into a big stock pot of prepped brine. Turns out that was a good idea. Just finished smoking those items, and they turned out really, really well. Heavily smoky, nice and salty with the classic pink-salt flavor and high-quality pork. Pretty much can’t go wrong there. Turns … Read More

‘Charcuterie Day’ 2011

KevinBack Fat, Charcuterie, Dry Cured Meats, From Local Farms, From the Cellar, Guanciale, Nature's Green Acres, Pork9 Comments

I’m used to butchering pigs on ‘Pig Day‘, and largely leaving charcuterie fun for some point in the winter when I feel like it. Not this year. My cellar’s empty. I feel like it now. I wanted to get started as soon as possible on a few different preparations. I also had to resist going too crazy today. For example, … Read More

Farm to Table w/ RGE RD & Nature’s Green Acres

KevinBeef, Cooking w/ Fire, From Local Farms, From Local Farms - The Series, Grilling w/ Fire, Nature's Green Acres, Nature's Green Acres, Nature's Green Acres, Pork, Poultry, Regional Food, Veg11 Comments

Farm-to-table dining, while commonplace elsewhere, is still an extremely progressive concept in our restaurant scene. When one of the most well-respected chefs in the city, Blair Lebsack, mentioned he was going to tackle serving a multi-course dinner to 30-40 guests out in the cow pasture at Nature’s Green Acres, I wanted to be there. I find in the food service … Read More

Bacon Deserves Some Respect

KevinBacon, Charcuterie, Cooking w/ Fire, From Local Farms, From the Cellar, Nature's Green Acres, Pork, Smoking w/ Fire, Wood Fired Oven Project7 Comments

I know, I write about bacon a lot. And I know, bacon’s so last year, right? Wrong. Putting bacon in all kinds of stupid stuff – that’s so last year. But top-shelf bacon is, and will be so long as man and pork collide, a force of awesomeness to be reckoned with. For those of you who have been paying … Read More

Saucisson Sec Follow Up

KevinBig Game, Charcuterie, Dry Cured Meats, From Local Farms, From the Cellar, From The Wild, Irvings Farm Fresh, Moose, Nature's Green Acres, Pork, Saucisson Sec1 Comment

It’s been 3 weeks since I put up this batch, and the thinnest of them are just starting to become ready to go. The thicker ones – the game ones being especially thick, won’t be ready for another week or two at least. My first successful batch is all but a memory, now long gone. It was lovely. This second … Read More

Saucisson Sec & Dry Curing Calf Moose

KevinBig Game, Charcuterie, Dry Cured Meats, From Local Farms, From the Cellar, From The Wild, Moose, Nature's Green Acres, Pork, Saucisson Sec14 Comments

I put this batch up last weekend – about a 5lb batch of pork saucisson sec, and a similar sized batch of calf moose saucisson sec. I’m also dry curing a piece of sirloin tip from the calf moose to see how that goes. For my first attempt at the game version of saucisson sec, I opted for a higher … Read More