Bacon!

Do you like bacon, applewood bacon?  What about eating the best BLT of your life?  That was my ultimate goal for making my own

Applewood Bacon

Ingredients:

3 lbs skin on or skin off Pork Belly

3 tablespoons Sea Salt1/3 cup Brown Sugar2 tablespoons Black Pepper1 teaspoon pink curing salt(aka Prague Powder #1)
Process:Mix the dry ingredients and rub on all sides of the pork belly.  Place the seasoned pork belly in a gallon size zip top bag.  
Put your packet of pork on a cookie sheet in your refrigerator.  Leave in your refrigerator for 7-10 days.  Flip the packet over each night.
Remove the pork belly when it has stiffened.  Rinse well under cold water.  Put the pork belly on a rack in a cookie sheet.  Allow to dry and form a pellicle in your refrigerator over night.  The pellicle will help the smoke to “stick” to your pork.
Using a pellet grill, offset smoker, kettle grill, whatever you have to smoke meat with  begin heating the smoker with applewood pellets, or applewood chunks and hardwood charcoal. 
Put a temperature probe in your smoker and pork belly.  If your smoker has a built in accurate temperature gauge use that.  
Your smoker temperature should be around 220-225 Farenheight.  The pork belly needs to be smoked to 150-155 Farenheight.  

Remove your pork belly from your smoker, put it on a rack in a cookie sheet.  When it has cooked, use a boning knife to remove the skin if your pork belly was skin on.   Refrigerate over night. 

Using a slicer or a good sharp knife slice your pork belly to your preferrred thickness.  

When you are ready to cook, place slices on a rack in a cookie sheet in a cold oven. Turn your oven on and set the temperature at 350 Farenheight.  This temperature will slowly render the fat, cooking in the oven will also cook the slices flat.  

This will be your favorite bacon, no turning back to grocery store bacon.

Enjoy! 

Feijoada (Brazillian Black Bean Stew, or Chili)

Recently a friend from church had a baby.  I wanted to make a dinner for her and her husband that would be comforting and remind her of her home country of Brazil.  When I was looking up recipes from Brazil, I learned about a Brazilian Black Bean Stew, Feijoada.  Since I had all the ingredients to make the stew, it was a win win.  We had leftovers, so on another night the stew got an upgrade and the recipe below is the upgrade.  This stew was very delicious, so much so, that my husband requested I make it again for a church social.  I made it this afternoon, third times the charm for our church Halloween Party Chili Cook-off.  I added some pepper flakes to the recipe to make it more like chili.  I brought this "chili" and blew away the judges and won first prize.  I think they liked the three kinds of pork, not a traditional chili with beef.  This recipe can be made very easily, and cheaply, depending on your preferences.  At a nearby grocery store, we have blemished discount produce that isn't perfect enough to be sold with the other pretty produce.  On a wonderful whim, I looked at the discounted produce at my local grocery store and struck cheap produce heaven and found bell peppers to use for this recipe.

Look at all that pork, so very yummy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Black Beans
Kosher Salt
Garlic Powder
3 Green Bell Peppers
2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Yellow Onions
1 lb. Chorizo
4 lb. Pork Shoulder
Left Over Ham Bone (with left over ham and fat)
3 Pints Canned Whole Tomatoes
5 slices Bacon
2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Water

Soak black beans over night in water, 3 inches above beans and 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Cut up the bacon into 1 inch pieces, add bacon, ham bone (remove meat and fat), soaked beans
to a pressure cooker pot or a stock pot on a stove.  If you do not have a ham bone, add more bacon.   Pour enough water to cover beans by 3 inches.  Cook beans in pressure cooker on high for
30 minutes or on the stove simmer covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender. 

Rub kosher salt and garlic powder all over the pork shoulder.  Place on spit of rotisserie or put

 on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook for 3 hours. 

My ham bone is leftover so it still has meat and fat on it.  I freeze leftover bones and use them
for other recipes.  Remove meat and fat from ham bone and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. If you do
not have a ham bone with leftover meat on it substitute a ham steak.

Place ham and fat in a stock pot over low heat. We are rendering the fat (melting the fat),
although fat is yummy, it is better melted than having to chew it.  Remove meat when slightly
fried, remove cooked fat when fried.  Leave the melted fat in the stock pot.

Dice the onions, and bell peppers.  Saute the onions and bell peppers in the melted pork fat left
in the large stock pot over medium low heat.

Remove chorizo from the skin.  Break apart with a wooden spoon and cook over medium
 heat in a large 12 inch skillet.

Cut roasted pork into 1/2 inch cubes.  Place ham, fried fat, and pork in the same pan as the chorizo. 

Add the pork to the stock pot with the sauteed vegetables, add drained beans, add whole tomatoes
and cut with a spoon.  Stir and add red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium heat until bubbling.

This is a Brazillian Black Bean Stew, if you omit the pepper flakes, and with the pepper flakes
 it is great as a chili.

Enjoy!

Feijoada (Brazillian Black Bean Stew, or Chili)

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 lb. Black Beans

Kosher Salt

Garlic Powder

3 Green Bell Peppers

2 Red Bell Peppers

2 Yellow Onions

1 lb. Chorizo

4 lb. Pork Shoulder

Left Over Ham Bone (with left over ham and fat)

3 Pints Canned Whole Tomatoes

5 slices Bacon

2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Water

Process:

Soak black beans over night in water, 3 inches above beans and 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Cut up the bacon into 1 inch pieces, add bacon, ham bone (remove meat and fat), soaked beans to a pressure cooker pot or a stock pot on a stove.  If you do not have a ham bone, add more bacon.  Pour enough water to cover beans by 3 inches.  Cook beans in pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes or on the stove simmer covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Rub kosher salt and garlic powder all over the pork shoulder.  Place on spit of rotisserie or put

on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook for 3 hours. 

Remove meat and fat from ham bone and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. If you do not have a ham bone with leftover meat on it, substitute a ham steak.

Place ham and fat in a stock pot over low heat. We are rendering the fat (melting the fat), although fat is yummy, it is better melted than having to chew it.  Remove meat when slightly fried, remove cooked fat when fried.  Leave the melted fat in the stock pot.

Dice the onions, and bell peppers.  Saute the onions and bell peppers in the melted pork fat left in the large stock pot over medium low heat.

Remove chorizo from the skin, break apart with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat in a large 12 inch skillet.

Cut roasted pork into 1/2 inch cubes. Place ham, fried fat, and pork in the same pan as the chorizo. 

Add the pork to the stock pot with the sauteed vegetables, add drained beans, add whole tomatoes and cut with a spoon.  Stir and add red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium heat until bubbling.

Enjoy!

Not Refried Black Beans

I like burritos, I think it all started with a great fast food place in my hometown of Redlands, Cuca's. My California family and friends know what I'm talking about.  You can see what I'm talking about at their site here.  They make homemade refried pinto beans.  My husband does not like pinto beans, he likes black beans, if you really can even say he likes beans at all.  When I make beans for burritos I make black beans.  A few Sunday's ago, my friend Whitney and her husband Johhny came over with soaked red beans and the fixings for tacos/burritos.  We joined forces and I prepared her beans in my pressure cooker.  Her husband had found a recipe and told us the ingredients and we remembered some of them.  Those beans turned out amazing.  Tonight I recreated those beans, but I used black beans instead.  I really like all the flavor in these beans.  

 These beans are great as a side dish or inside a burrito or taco.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

1 lb. Brined Black Beans (recipe found here for brining)

1/2 lb. Bacon (not pictured)

1 Yellow Onion

1/2 a Bunch of Cilantro

1 tablespoon whole Cumin

1 tablespoon Salt

Water

 Peel and dice the onion.

Cut off extra stems of cilantro and roughly chop.

Slice bacon into 1 inch pieces.

Pour beans into pressure cooker pot or a large stock pot.

Add bacon, onion, cilantro, cumin, and salt to beans.

Add enough water to cover beans by two inches.

Add lid to pressure cooker and set to high for 30 minutes. 

After cooking is done and pressure has been released remove lid and serve beans.

Enjoy!

Not Refried Black Beans

Printable Recipe Found Here

1 lb. Brined Black Beans

1/2 lb. Bacon

1 Yellow Onion

1/2 a Bunch of Cilantro

1 tablespoon whole Cumin

1 tablespoon Salt

Water

Peel and dice the onion.

Cut off extra stems of cilantro and roughly chop.

Slice bacon into 1 inch pieces.

Pour beans into pressure cooker pot or a large stock pot.

Add bacon, onion, cilantro, cumin, and salt to beans.

Add enough water to cover beans by two inches.

Add lid to pressure cooker and set to high for 30 minutes.  

After cooking is done and pressure has been released remove lid and serve beans.

Enjoy!

Freshly Ground Pan Fried Bacon Cheeseburger

My hamburger buns needed a ground beef patty on them, which means I get to share a recipe with you. After reading about how to cook a hamburger, sans a grill, I learned a few things, such as, one - freshly ground beef produces a tender moist patty, second - don't mess with the meat too much, third - choose a chuck and or sirloin cut for the beef, fourth - cook the meat cold on a hot cast iron skillet. With my ground beef patty knowledge I am ready to share my recipe with you.

 Look at that magnificent burger.  It has it all.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

2 lbs. Beef Sirloin Roast (Or pre-ground)

2 lbs. Beef Tender Chuck Roast (Or pre-ground)

4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

1 lb. Bacon

Sliced White Vermont Cheddar

Spelt Hamburger Buns

 Cut beef into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

 Push beef through grinder.  Skip this step if you used pre-ground.  If using pre-ground, try to buy
 it the day you will use it and keep it cold.  Starting with freshly ground beef you will notice a more 
moist and tender burger.  Keeping the beef cold right up to the point of cooking will insure you 
don't overcook the beef.

 Lightly mix ground meat with spoon, adding Worcestershire sauce, Salt, and Freshly Ground Pepper.

 Taking a baseball size piece of beef, pat into a flat disk with an indentation in the middle.  When 
beef cooks it puffs up in the middle.  With the indentation already there it will puff up but the
 overall patty will be flat still. 

Pre-heat oven to 425 Fahrenheit

Pre-heat 12 inch cast iron skillet over media-high burner.

 Place patties in pan and brown on both sides.

 Move hamburgers to oven on a cookie sheet if making more than will fit in pan.

Sauté bacon on griddle until brown.

Pile the burger on a bun with cheese, bacon, lettuce, and condiments. We had homemade ketchup 
on our burger, recipe can be found Here.

Enjoy!

Freshly Ground Pan Fried Bacon Cheeseburger

Printable Recipe Found Here

2 lbs. Beef Sirloin Roast (Or pre-ground)

2 lbs. Beef Tender Chuck Roast (Or pre-ground)

4 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

1 lb Bacon

Sliced White Vermont Cheddar

Spelt Hamburger Buns

Optional Toppings:

Mixed Spring Lettuces

Ketchup

Honey Mustard

Cut beef into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

Push beef through grinder, skip this step if you used pre-ground.

Lightly mix ground meat with spoon, adding Worcestershire sauce, Salt, and Freshly Ground Pepper.

Taking a baseball size piece of beef, pat into a 1 inch thick flat disk with an indentation in the middle.

Pre-heat oven to 425 Fahrenheit

Pre-heat 12 inch cast iron skillet over media-high burner.

Place patties in pan and brown on both sides, move hamburgers to oven on a cookie sheet if making more than will fit in pan.

Sauté bacon on griddle until brown.

Pile the burger on a bun with cheese, bacon, lettuce, and condiments.

Enjoy!

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

My sister-in-law Kandi, has a signature dish that my youngest daughter looked forward to every Christmas dinner.  Since we don't live near my sister-in-law, we have to improvise.  This is my own version.   I believe she has a different recipe.  

Bacon and Brussels Sprouts, why yes bacon totally makes this better.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

1 lb. Brussel Sprouts
1/2 lb. Bacon

 Cut dried ends off Brusells Sprouts.  Remove outer layer of the Sprouts, and cut in half length wise.  

Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.

Preheat 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

 Sauté bacon and Brussels Sprouts together.

Cook with lid on until tender.

 All done.

Serve with chicken nuggets (Recipe found Here)

Enjoy!

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Printable Recipe Found Here

1 lb Brussels Sprouts 

1/2 lb Bacon

Cut dried ends off Brusells Sprouts, remove outer layer of the Sprouts, and cut in half length wise.  

Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.

Preheat 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Sauté bacon and Brussels Sprouts together.

Cook with lid on until tender.

Enjoy!

Baked Beans

Every once in awhile my refrigerator surprises me with just the right leftover to make something I enjoy eating, and it didn't even take much effort.  Today was one of those days, a spontaneous recipe came to my mind.  Remember when I made white bean and vegetable soup?  I used only half of the brined beans and put the other half in my refrigerator.  My mind immediately thought of those beans today and decided it was time to make baked beans.   Granted, neither my mind nor my body knows how to make baked beans from scratch.  When I looked up a recipe, I was surprised to find that almost all of the recipes started with a can of pork and beans.  This won't do.  I have uncooked beans and a van frozen on the street.  The buses are not working in my favor (late and sporadic).  Only one answer, make it up, find the ingredients that produce the wonderful flavor of baked beans and make it or fake it. I should mention, none of my family like beans.  So, when I make beans, it is really just for me and so this recipe doesn't feed a family (you'll need to double it if you are feeding more than two people).

 What do you think for my very first totally from scratch baked beans?

 Ingredients for this recipe are: Water, 1/2 lb. white beans(already brined, recipe for quick brining here), 1 small yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper, 12 slices bacon, 1 cup barbecue sauce (I used homemade, recipe found here), 1/2 cup turbinado sugar (brown sugar would also work), and 2 tablespoons
spicy brown mustard.

 Dice onion and bell pepper.

 Saute vegetables in your choice of 2 tablespoons of oil.  I used Olive Oil.

 Cut six slices of bacon into 1 inch pieces.

 Saute bacon slightly, to render some of the fat (reduce the fat).

 Just a little golden brown, and a little less fatty.

 Add all the ingredients (only add 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce) and enough water to cover beans by two inches, to a pressure cooker pot, or a stock pot.  Cover with lid, set pressure cooker to high for 30 minutes.  Cook on stovetop on medium until boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours until beans are tender.

Preheat oven to 325 Fharenheit

 Using a slotted spoon or fine mesh spoon ladle everything into an oven safe dish.  I used a 9 inch
square non-stick metal pan.

 Add 2 tablespoons molasses and 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce.

 Cook the remaining 6 pieces of bacon slightly, until some fat is rendered and golden brown.

 The beans with the extra goodness added.

 Place bacon on beans.  Bake in oven for 1 1/2 hours.

 Do you see the difference?  Oh my goodness does this smell spectacular?

I dished some up for me and my friend Whitney and she said they were even better then her
mom's.  The good news is, you can make baked beans from dry beans to finish and they taste
 amazing.  Whitney's husband love's baked beans so I sent the other half home with her.  Again
this doesn't make very much, so remember if you are cooking for a family, double it.

Enjoy!