Pork Bacon - Home Cured

Ingredients
5 kilos or 11 pounds of pork belly
115 grams Kosher salt
12.5 grams InstaCure #1
120 ml maple syrup
120 ml sugar cane syrup
240 ml honey

(Optionally, 8 tbsp of cracked black pepper, divided)

Calculate the exact number of grams of InstaCure #1 needed by multiplying the number of kilos of meat by .0025.

Calculate the exact number of grams of salt needed by multiplying the number of kilos of meat by .025.

Directions

Remove the skin or score the fat side of the pork belly.

Trim the flap off the pork belly before you begin the curing process. The "flap" (often called the brisket flap or loose meat) is a thin, dangling piece of meat on the flesh side of the belly. Because it is much thinner than the rest of the slab, it will absorb salt much faster, making it overly salty, dry, and tough by the time the main belly is finished curing. (See Notes)

After you remove the flap and skin weigh the pork belly and calculate the exact amount of salt and InstaCure#1 needed to cure the meat.

If the slab of pork belly is too large to fit in a single vacuum-sealed bag, divide it into two pieces and two bags.

Mix the salt and InstaCure #1 (and optionally, 4 tbsp of crushed black pepper)

Rub the salt (& black pepper) mixture into both sides of the slab of pork belly.

Massage the syrups and honey into both sides of the meat.

Seal the pork in a Ziploc or vacuum bag(s), and refrigerate for 6 days.

Turn the meat over every day to get an even coating of the honey, syrup, and cure.

Remove the bacon from the refrigerator and rinse the excess honey, syrup, and cure off with lukewarm water, and dry the slab of bacon with paper towels. If using black pepper, massage another 4 tbsp of the crushed pepper into both sides of the bacon. 

Place a rack in a baking sheet, put the bacon on the rack, and refrigerate for an additional 12 hours to develop a pellicle.

Preheat the smoker to 135°F. Hold in the smoker with dampers wide open to dry. 

Then close the dampers to ¼ open, apply smoke, and hold until the internal temperature of the bacon reaches 127-128° F. 

Brats and Cabbage

This comforting sausage and cabbage skillet dish is sure to become a family favorite!

Ingredients:
Bratwurst & Cabbage
2 large cloves of garlic, minced

½ tsp fresh rosemary, chopped  

1 pound/500 grams bratwurst
4 tbsp Butter. 
1 medium onion, diced 
1 large carrot, diced 
1¼ pound/700 grams white cabbage, shredded 
Salt to taste
Pepper mix. 
2 tsp olive oil. 
2 tsp Dijon mustard. 
2 tsp honey. 
2 tsp soy sauce. 
½ cup/150 ml beer.

Rosemary Potatoes

1 pound/500 grams of potatoes, medium diced

1/2 cup of water. 

2 tbsp butter. 

1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder. 

Salt 

Parsley (optional)

Directions

Bratwurst & Cabbage

1. Sauté the onion and carrots in the olive oil and butter until the onions are translucent. 

2. Add the bratwursts and cook until they are lightly browned.

3. Mix in the cabbage and the rest of the ingredients

4. Bake at 350°F/180°C for 25 minutes

Rosemary Potatoes

Simmer the potatoes with all the ingredients over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Combine the Brats, Cabbage and Potatoes

Remove the Brats and Cabbage from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F/190°C.

Drain the potatoes and add them to the brats and cabbage, then bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Mole Sauce

Thanks to RickBayless.com for this delicious and simple Mole Sauce Recipe.

Ingredients

About 1/3 cup vegetable oil or fresh-rendered pork lard (divided use)

2 medium dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 4 pieces

3 medium dried mulato chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 4 pieces

4 medium dried pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 4 pieces

1/2 small (two ounces total) white onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled

About 6 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed (divided use)

1/2 cup almonds (skinned or unskinned)

1/3 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup raisins

2/3 of a 15-ounce can (1 cup) tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted, with juice

2 slices firm white bread, darkly toasted and torn into several pieces

4 or 5 ground cloves (1/8 teaspoon ground cloves)

1/2 inch Mexican canela (½ teaspoon ground cinnamon)

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns (½ teaspoon ground black pepper)

1/8 teaspoon anise seeds (1/8 teaspoon ground anise)

1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) chopped Mexican chocolate

Salt

Sugar

Directions

1. Fry the chiles, onion, and garlic. In a heavy, 6-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch oven, measure about 3 tablespoons of the oil or lard and set over medium heat; there should be enough fat to coat the bottom generously. When hot, add the dried chiles, onion, and garlic. Stir nearly constantly until the onion and garlic are soft and the chiles fill the kitchen with a toasty aroma and have changed noticeably in color (they will be lighter on the inside), 4 or 5 minutes. Scrape all the chiles, onions, and garlic into a blender jar and add 1 ½ cups of the broth.

2. Toast the sesame, almonds, and raisins. Return the unwashed pot to the medium heat and add more oil or lard to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Add the almonds and stir for a minute or two, until you see the first signs of browning. Add the sesame and raisins and stir nearly constantly until the sesame turns golden and the raisins have puffed, about 3 minutes more. Scrape into a bowl and rinse out the pot.

3. Blend and cook the chile base. Blend the chile mixture until as smooth as possible—a minute or so in a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, 2 or 3 minutes in most blenders. Set the pot over medium to medium-high heat and add enough oil or lard to coat the bottom of the pan generously. When hot, set a medium-mesh strainer over the pot and press the mixture through it and into the hot fat (with a high-speed blender, straining is not really necessary). Stir nearly constantly until the chile puree darkens noticeably and thickens to the consistency of tomato paste, usually 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

4. Blend the nut mixture. Scrape the almond mixture into the unwashed blender jar and add the tomatoes and bread. If using whole spices, pulverize them in a mortar and add the ground spices to the blender along with 1 ½ cups of the broth. Blend until as smooth as possible. (This may take longer than blending the chiles because of the sesame’s hardness. Rub some between your fingers to test for smoothness.)

5. Final frying and simmering. Return the pan with the chile paste to medium and medium-high heat, and, when steaming-hot, strain in the nut mixture. (Again, straining is not really necessary with a high-speed blender). Stir for several minutes until the mixture again looks the consistency of tomato paste. Stir in the chocolate and the remaining 3 cups broth, partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring from time to time to ensure nothing is sticking, for an hour or longer (the longer the simmer, the more integrated the flavors).

6. Finishing. If the mole has thickened beyond the consistency of, say, potato soup, thin it out with a little more broth or with water. Taste and season first with salt (usually about 2 teaspoons if you’ve used salted broth) and then with sugar (usually about 2 tablespoons) to bring forward the chile flavor and give the finished sauce a slightly noticeable sweet edge. Mole, like many stews and braises, will always taste a little better the second day, so don’t hesitate to make it ahead, cool it to room temperature, and refrigerate it for up to a week. It may be frozen for several months.