Tag Archives: bacon

The “No Nitrites Added” Hoax

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: May 10, 2011

no-nitrite bacon

Trader Joe's "uncured" bacon/Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

During a recent phone call with the excellent Elise of simplyrecipes, Elise wished aloud that I would address the nitrite issue directly.  “Trader Joe’s carries it!  Go look.  Is there one near you?” Indeed there is, and indeed they sell at least two products pitching themselves as a “healthier” bacon because they don’t add sodium nitrite. This is as odious as those sugar laden granola bars trumpeting “No Fat!” on their label—food marketers preying on a confused consumer who has been taught to fear food because of harmful additives (such as the recent, apparently genuine, Red Dye 40 warnings). Full disclosure if you don’t already know: I am a vocal bacon advocate, and one of my books, Charcuterie, ...

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Posted in Charcutepalooza, Charcuterie, Pork!, Rant, sausage, Seasonings and Spices | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

The Forgiveness of Cured Meat: Bacon

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: February 25, 2011

bacon or pancetta drying

This week's bacon, waiting to be smoked, photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

I've been slammed this week, and now have to travel, if I can get out in this blizzard. But last week I put a whole pork belly on the cure. I'd given it a sweet cure, brown sugar, maple syrup and black pepper, because I wanted to smoke it rather than make pancetta. It was done yesterday but I had no time to smoke it.  Our lives get busy, we don't have time to finish something, sometimes we're too tired or the kids have a snow day. What's so great about charcuterie, as with this bacon, is its preserved.  There's no hurry. I'll smoke it next week, and until then, it's going to sit out, ...

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Posted in Charcutepalooza, Charcuterie, Pork!, Recipes, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed

Home-Cured Bacon

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: October 12, 2010

Photos by Donna Turner Ruhlman (click pic to go to see her posts)

I demoed home-cured bacon at the Blogher 2010 after party Saturday night, with the help of the excellent students of the California Culinary Academy (thanks for the perfect set-up, chef-students!).  I couldn’t do it start to finish, of course.  You need to give the belly a dry rub for a week.  Then you need to cook it for an hour or so.  People drinking bacon martinis on a Saturday night don’t want to stand around watching pork belly cure. I showed the steps though, cooked some up (the folks at CCA had cured it perfectly). I thought everyone was good to go. But the next day, as I waited for the airport shuttle, a woman told ...

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Posted in Charcutepalooza, Pork!, Technique, Uncategorized | Also tagged , | Comments closed

Corned Beef with Braised Cabbage
and Red Potatoes

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: March 17, 2010

Corned beef and cabbage, photo by Donna

This was dinner last night, moments before it was consumed.  Donna said, "This is the best cabbage I've ever had," and, back at the stove, looking for thirds on the corned beef, "This is all you made?" All in all, a success.  I've used this particular preparation several times and it can't be beat, a really smart strategy for cooking and serving and making use of all the flavors and juices and soft textures. First cook your corned beef (simmered for a few hours, braised, wrapped in foil with sliced onions for 4 hours at 250—how I did it—or even cooked sous vide). Only way not to cook this is slow roasting (a perfectly fine strategy but won't give ...

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Posted in Beef, Charcutepalooza, Main Courses | Also tagged , , | Comments closed

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