½ MED onion (minced fine)
5 cloves garlic (minced fine)
2 MED carrots (minced fine)
4 MED mushrooms (minced fine)
1 C Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 LB ground pork
1 LB ground beef (90/10)
1 egg yolk
1 TSP salt
½ TBS black pepper

Oven: 400

Makes ~48 ¾ OZ (purple-handled portioning scoop) meatballs.

To make things simpler use a food processor to finely mince the onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms (do not mice so fine as to liquefy the veg – panko crumb size). All all ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly with gloved hands, taking care not to overmix as this will make the meatballs dense and tough.

Portion and lightly roll into balls, placing on a lined half-sheet pan, spaced evenly. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until meatballs reach 165˚ in the center. Alternatively, cook to 135˚ – 145˚ in the center, and allow to finish cooking in the sauce of your choice.

12 salami slices – 3½” in diameter
½ C mozzarella cheese (shredded)
½ C cheese blend (shredded – HEB Mexican Blend)
8 LG eggs
½ TSP kosher salt
¼ TSP black pepper
½ TBS parsley (dried)
1 TSP chives (dried)
¼ TSP granulated garlic
¼ TSP granulated onion

Oven: 400

Makes 12 salami breakfast cups.

Liberally apply non-stick cooking spray to the cups of a metal 12 cup cupcake tin. Line each cup with a slice of salami. Distribute the mozzarella evenly into the bottom of each salami cup.

In a large mixing bowl add the eggs and all seasonings and scramble well. Distribute the egg mixture into each salami cup (yes, it’s going to leak out around the salami). Distribute the cheese blend evenly onto the top of each salami cup.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the egg is springy and the salami has crisped around the edges.

Allow to cool thoroughly. Wrap tightly in pairs in cling wrap and store in the freezer until ready to eat.

5 LB marinated fajita chicken
1 LG green bell pepper
1 LG red bell pepper
1½ LG onions
1 C (uncooked) Quinoa
2 C chicken stock
¾ TSP kosher salt
¼ TSP black pepper

In a small saucepan bring the chicken stock and ½ TSP of the kosher salt to a boil. Add the uncooked quinoa, cover the pan, lower the heat to a simmer and cook the quinoa for 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Allow to sit covered for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool thoroughly.

Cut bell peppers and onion into long strips and rings, saute lightly with the remaining salt and pepper until just softened and the vegetables have begun to release their moisture. Move vegetables from the pan into a colander and allow to drain and cool thoroughly.

Cut the chicken into long strips and chill thoroughly. Optimally it can be laid out on a sheet pan and par-frozen.

Grind the chicken using a coarse die, cover and set aside in the fridge. set up a colander over a bowl, then grind the vegetables using a coarse die into the colander and allow to drain thoroughly.

Combine the ground chicken, ground vegetables and quinoa in a large bowl then mix by hand thoroughly. If desired fry off a small patty of the sausage meat to check seasoning, then adjust seasoning accordingly. If possible, allow to chill overnight to allow the texture and flavors to improve.

Stuff sausage into casings using your preferred method taking care to pop air bubbles and not to over-stuff the casings. Twist into links. If using collagen casings, place on a sheet pan and allow to rest in the fridge overnight to allow the casings to hydrate properly. Divide into individual links. If freezing for storage, first freeze individually and not touching on a parchment lined sheet pan, then wrap tightly in foil (or vacuum-seal).

NOTES:

La Michoacana Meat Market has good pre-seasoned fajita chicken. 1080 S Mays St, Round Rock, TX 78664

Prepare the quinoa and saute the vegetables well in advance to allow them to cool completely.

Seasoning method from the following article (worth a read a there is good chemistry info behind using flaxseed oil over other forms of fat): http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

The Recipe for Perfect Cast Iron Seasoning

The basic idea is this: Smear a food-grade drying oil onto a cast iron pan, and then bake it above the oil’s smoke point. This will initiate the release of free radicals and polymerization. The more drying the oil, the harder the polymer. So start with the right oil.

Go to your local health food store or organic grocery and buy a bottle of flaxseed oil. It’s sold as an omega-3 supplement and it’s in the refrigeration section because it goes rancid so easily. Check the expiration date to make sure it’s not already rancid. Buy an organic flaxseed oil. You don’t want to burn toxic chemicals into your cookware to leach out forever more. It’s a fairly expensive oil. I paid $17 for a 17 ounce bottle of cold-pressed, unrefined, organic flaxseed oil. As it says on the bottle, shake it before you use it.

Strip your pan down to the iron using the techniques I describe in my popover post. Heat the pan in a 200°F oven to be sure it’s bone dry and to open the pores of the iron a little. Then put it on a paper towel, pour a little flaxseed oil on it (don’t forget to shake the bottle), and rub the oil all over the pan with your hands, making sure to get into every nook and cranny. Your hands and the pan will be nice and oily.

Now rub it all off. Yup – all. All. Rub it off with paper towels or a cotton cloth until it looks like there is nothing left on the surface. There actually is oil left on the surface, it’s just very thin. The pan should look dry, not glistening with oil. Put the pan upside down in a cold oven. Most instructions say to put aluminum foil under it to catch any drips, but if your oil coating is as thin as it should be, there won’t be any drips.

Turn the oven to a baking temperature of 500°F (or as high as your oven goes – mine only goes to 450°F) and let the pan preheat with the oven. When it reaches temperature, set the timer for an hour. After an hour, turn off the oven but do not open the oven door. Let it cool off with the pan inside for two hours, at which point it’s cool enough to handle.

The pan will come out of the oven a little darker, but matte in texture – not the semi-gloss you’re aiming for. It needs more coats. In fact, it needs at least six coats. So again rub on the oil, wipe it off, put it in the cold oven, let it preheat, bake for an hour, and let it cool in the oven for two hours. The picture above was taken after six coats of seasoning. At that point it starts to develop a bit of a sheen and the pan is ready for use.

If you try this, you will be tempted to use a thicker coat of oil to speed up the process. Don’t do it. It just gets you an uneven surface – or worse, baked on drips. Been there, done that. You can’t speed up the process. If you try, you’ll mess up the pan and have to start over.

The reason for the very hot oven is to be sure the temperature is above the oil’s smoke point, and to maximally accelerate the release of free radicals. Unrefined flaxseed oil actually has the lowest smoke point of any oil (see this table). But the higher the temperature the more it will smoke, and that’s good for seasoning (though bad for eating – do not let oils smoke during cooking).

I mentioned earlier there’s a myth floating around that vegetable oils leave a sticky residue. If the pan comes out of the oven sticky, the cause is one of three things:

• You put the oil on too thick.
• Your oven temperature was too low.
• Your baking time was too short.

It’s possible to use a sub-optimal oil for seasoning, like Crisco or bacon drippings, and still end up with a usable pan. Many (most) people do this. But the seasoning will be relatively soft, not as nonstick, and will tend to wear off. If you want the hardest, slickest seasoning possible, use the right oil: flaxseed oil.

---

Cast iron stripping method from the following article (ignore the “seasoning” section as the above method is her updated process): http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/perfect-popovers-and-how-to-clean-reseason-cast-iron/

How to Strip Off an Old Cast Iron Finish

Removing the Crud

A good method is a self-cleaning oven, but there are some risks. There have been reports of the crud catching on fire inside the oven, which is locked during the cleaning cycle so you can’t open it and put out the fire. There is also a risk of warping the pan at self-cleaning temperatures, which are 900-950°F. Most of the time, neither of these bad things happen and it works great, but I don’t have a self-cleaning oven.

Next best is a lye bath, which cleans off crud and old seasoning, but not rust (that requires a second step). That was also a no-go for me due to the lack of a plastic tub, and my general fear of substances that could explode and kill me. But oven cleaner usually contains lye, and I thought I could handle oven cleaner.

Oven Cleaner Method

I put some cardboard down in the bathtub and laid the pan on the cardboard. Before spraying thoroughly on both sides, I suited up like an astronaut – long rubber gloves (double, thin latex underneath, in case there was a tear), double mask over my nose and mouth (one isn’t enough – you still breath vapors), and goggles over my eyes. This is not excessive precaution. I somehow got a drip of oven cleaner on my upper arm and it burned right through my skin. I flushed it very thoroughly in water and then dabbed on some yogurt since lye is base and yogurt is acid – that soothed it.

After thoroughly spraying the pan with oven cleaner, I popped it into a large, thick plastic bag, closed the bag tightly, and put it in a small plastic wash tub in the general vicinity of my radiator so heat could help it along (not on the radiator, of course, just near it). I waited 24 hours, then donned the gloves again and took a look. A rinse and a scrub told me it needed another dose. I again suited up like an astronaut, sprayed it down again, and put it back in the sealed plastic bag near the radiator.

Twenty-four hours later I looked again, and this time all the crud was gone. But the pan was covered in thick rust that went way beyond my scrubbing ability. I didn’t take a picture of the bottom of the pan, but even the letters on the bottom were encrusted with rust.

Removing the Rust

Removing crud from the pan is dangerous to you but not to the pan. Lye does not damage iron. Removing the rust is just the opposite. You remove rust with a 50/50 solution of distilled white vinegar and water. This is safe for you but can destroy iron if you leave it in there too long. (Electrolysis is a safer method for the pan because it removes rust as well as crud so you can skip this step.)

When you put a pan in a vinegar and water solution, it sort of simultaneously rusts and derusts. The vinegar will cause the excess rust to lift off the pan and bubble up, but when you take it out of the solution it instantly starts rusting because the iron is utterly unprotected. A very thin film of rust is unavoidable – you just oil the pan and wipe it off that way. Don’t leave the pan in the vinegar indefinitely waiting for it to come out perfectly gray. It never will.

You want to leave the pan in the vinegar for the shortest time possible, so check it frequently, and never leave it in the vinegar solution for more than 24 hours. I checked the pan every couple of hours. At about the 12 hour mark I dumped out the rusty solution and put in new, clean solution. A few hours later, no more rust was bubbling up from the pan so I figured it was done.

I removed it from the vinegar solution and scrubbed it down with washing soda (like baking soda, but much stronger) to make sure the vinegar was complete neutralized. Washing soda is base; vinegar is acid. Then I put it in a 200 degree oven to make sure it was bone dry. When I took it out, I oiled it all over with avocado oil. I’ll explain the reason for avocado oil in the next section.

I want to emphasize how important it is at this point to rinse all the vinegar off using washing soda to neutralize, thoroughly dry the pan, and then thoroughly oil it. Do not wait even 10 minutes to do this because the pan is already rusting and you must stop the process.

Roy Choi’s Mojo Pork Cubanos
Try to roast your own pork and buy nice bread for these Cuban sandwiches. But use supermarket-level ham, mustard, pickles and cheese.

6 thin slices baked ham
12 LG, thin slices Roy Choi’s Mojo Pork (recipe follows) or other cooked roast pork
Melted butter, for brushing
2 LG white baguettes, each cut in 3 pieces (about 6 inch/15 cm), split lengthwise
Yellow mustard, for brushing
6 thin slices Swiss cheese
12 long thin slices dill pickles

Heat panini/sandwich press over medium. Add ham and pork. Cook, turning once, until warmed and browned in spots, about 1 minute. Transfer to plate.

Generously butter cut sides of baguettes. Toast on press over medium until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to work surface. Layer bottom of buns with pork, ham, cheese and pickles. Brush inside of bun tops with mustard. Close sandwiches.

Generously butter outside of sandwiches. Place on press. Cook until cheese melts and outsides are browned and crispy, about 3 minutes.

(If you don’t have a press, use a large, cast-iron skillet or griddle. Top sandwiches with a large baking sheet weighed down with heavy cans or cast-iron skillet. Cook over medium for about 3 minutes per side.)

Let sandwiches stand 1 minute before cutting in half. Serve hot.

Makes 6.

Roy Choi’s Mojo Pork
⅔ C (160 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1½ TBS (22 mL) finely grated orange zest
½ C (125 mL) fresh squeezed orange juice
½ C (125 mL) fresh lime juice
7 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
⅔ C (160 mL) lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped
¼ C (60 mL) lightly packed mint leaves, chopped
1 TBS (15 mL) minced fresh oregano leaves
1 TSP (5 mL) ground cumin
1 TSP (5 mL) each: kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 LB (1.8 to 2.7 kg) boneless pork shoulder (butt end)

Butterfly cut the pork shoulder into a single, flat even thickness (½” – 1″ thick) to allow the marinade to penetrate more deeply, and allow for even rolling and tying later.

In large bowl, whisk oil, orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, mint, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Add pork. Turn until well coated all over. Transfer pork and marinade to large, resealable plastic bag. Place bag in bowl. Refrigerate, turning occasionally, 12 to 24 hours.

Discard marinade. Pork may be netted. If not, and if desired, tie with kitchen twine in 4 spots to form tight roll. Set pork, fat side up, on rack set in shallow roasting pan or on rimmed baking sheet.

Roast, uncovered, in preheated 425F (220C) oven 30 minutes; baste with pan juices. Reduce heat to 375F (190C). Roast, basting every half hour, until instant-read thermometer insert in centre registers 160F (71C), 90 to 120 minutes.

Transfer pork to cutting board. Cover loosely with foil. Let stand 30 minutes before discarding net or twine.

You can slice as desired and eat pork as is. Or, to use it for Roy Choi’s Mojo Pork Cubanos (previous recipe), slice as thinly as possible. You can also refrigerate until cold to make it easier to slice.

Makes about 16 to 20 servings.

1½ MED onions (minced fine)
15 cloves garlic (minced fine)
1½ LB carrots (minced fine)
8 OZ mushrooms (minced fine)
370 GR Italian-style breadcrumbs
3 LB ground pork
3 LB ground beef (90/10)
3 egg yolks
1 TBS salt
1½ TBS black pepper

Oven: 350

To make things simpler use a food processor to finely mince the onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms (do not mice so fine as to liquefy the veg – panko crumb size). All all ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly with gloved hands taking care not to over-mix as this will make the meatloaf dense and tough.

Either form one large loaf, or divide into 4 mini loaves of approximately 1½ LBS each (which can be placed in disposable foil bread-loaf trays and frozen, or formed in cling-wrap lined 2 LB bread-loaf pans, frozen, then removed and wrapped tightly in foil).

Bake until loaf reaches 165˚ in the center.

1½ LB jumbo shrimp with heads, unpeeled
½ C Worcestershire
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 TSP ground black pepper
2 TSP cracked black pepper
2 TSP Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s or similar)
1 TSP minced garlic
1½ C (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
French bread

In a large skillet combine shrimp, Worcestershire, lemon juice, black peppers, Creole seasoning and garlic, and cook over moderately high heat until shrimp turn pink, about 1 minute on each side.

Reduce heat to moderate and stir in butter, a few cubes at a time, stirring constantly, adding more only when butter is melted. Remove skillet from heat.

Place shrimp in bowl and pour sauce over top. Serve with French bread for dipping.

Yields 4 appetizers or 2 entrees.

5 LB chicken leg quarters
1-2 LB carrots (sliced)
1 LB mushrooms (sliced) (optional)
4 TBS olive oil
1 MED onion (diced)
12 garlic cloves (minced)
1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 TBS dried rosemary (ground)
2 TSP paprika
1½ TSP kosher salt
1 TSP freshly ground pepper
½ C chicken broth
¼ C white wine

Optional
2 LB fingerling Yukon gold potatoes (halved)
1 TSP olive oil
1 TSP kosher salt
¼ TSP freshly ground pepper

This recipe assumes you can put your slow cooker insert over direct heat for browning and sautéing, making this a “one pot” meal. If not, use a heavy skillet for sautéing and browning, and build the layers outlined below in your slow cooker insert as you go.

Remove the skin from the chicken and trim excess fat. Stir together the dried rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture over the chicken. Set aside.

If using potatoes, toss them with the oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat 1 TBS of olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until soft and clear. Set aside and toss with the carrots.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic until golden brown. Set aside using a slotted spoon, reserving the oil in the pan (which now has a nice garlic flavor).

Allow the pan to pre-heat over medium-high heat, then brown half of the chicken in the reserved oil in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until deep golden brown. Set aside, reserving drippings in skillet. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Do not be tempted to skimp on the browning step.

Add broth, wine and set aside garlic to the reserved drippings in skillet and cook for 1 minute over medium heat, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the skillet. Pour all out and set aside.

If not using potatoes simply add the carrot and onions with the fresh rosemary to the bottom of pot, layer the mushrooms over the carrots, layer the chicken on top and pour the broth/wine/garlic mixture over the top of all. Cover and cook over low for 6-7 hours (4 hours on high if time is a factor).

If using potatoes add them in a layer between the mushrooms and chicken.

1 TBS olive oil
1½-2 LB smoked sausage (diced or cubed)
1½ LB ground beef or turkey
1½ LB ground pork
½ C green onions (~1 bunch) (chopped)
1½ LG onions (chopped)
3 LG bell peppers (chopped)
3 jalapeno peppers (chopped)
12 cloves garlic (minced)
1 LB mushrooms (sliced) (optional)
1 LB carrots (sliced) (optional)
Salt/pepper to taste
2½ TBS chili powder
2 TSP paprika
2 TSP cayenne
1 TSP ground pequin chili peppers
1 TBS dry rub (Barbecue Dry Rub — Lear)
3 TBS dried parsley
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS BBQ Sauce
2 TBS ketchup
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
60 OZ petite diced tomatoes
30 OZ crushed tomatoes
6 OZ tomato paste (1 SM can)
½ LB dried kidney beans (rehydrated before cooking) (or 2 cans cooked kidney beans)
½ LB dried black beans (rehydrated before cooking) (or 2 cans cooked black beans)

In a heavy pot brown the sausage in the oil and set aside. Brown the ground meats and set aside. Sauté the green onion, onion, bell peppers and jalapeno peppers until the onions are mostly clear and soft, then add the garlic and continue to sauté for a few minutes more. Return the meats to the pot along with the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer over medium heat for at least 1½-2 hours… longer if using rehydrated dried beans and they are not tender enough. The chili will be ready to serve at this point, however the longer and slower you cook it, the better it will become. Reduce heat to very low and cook this for several hours, stirring frequently. 6 hours of slow cooking makes a thick, hearty, flavorful chili.

If it is becoming too thick, add chicken or beef broth to adjust the consistency, but not until near the end if possible. If it is too thin, allow to simmer without the lid to cook off some of the moisture. Check seasoning near the end and add salt or other flavors as needed.

Yields 6+ QT – choose cooking vessel accordingly!

Dry Cure
The recipes below make enough for several uses and keeps indefinitely if stored in an airtight container. There are two recipes, one that uses standard sugar and one that uses powdered dextrose (typically found in the bulk/”health” isles of grocery stores, or at a home-brew store). They are both adequate, but the dextrose is preferred as it is less sweet and has a much finer texture, allowing it to dissolve more easily and provide a uniform distribution. The sugar recipe is being provided as a fallback in case dextrose is unavailable. Measurements are provided by weight for greater accuracy. Pink (or “curing”) salt can be found in the bulk/”health” isles of grocery stores, most likely the upscale ones.

These cures are perfect for what is called the “salt box method” of curing. This method means simply dredging the meat in plenty of dry cure on all sides, then gently shaking off the excess so that it has an even coating of cure.

Dry Cure – Dextrose (measurements by weight)
1 LB (450 GR) kosher salt
13 OZ (425 GR) powdered dextrose (aka “corn sugar”)
3 OZ (50 GR) pink salt (aka “curing salt”)

Dry Cure – Sugar (measurements by weight)
1 LB (450 GR) kosher salt
8 OZ (225 GR) sugar
2 OZ (50 GR) pink salt (aka “curing salt”)

 

Tasso

5+ LB pork shoulder butt
~2 C (450 GR) dry cure

Seasoning (measurements by weight)
3 TBS (30 GR) white pepper
1½ TBS (15 GR) cayenne pepper
3 TBS (6 GR) dried marjoram
3 TBS (24 GR) ground allspice
3 TBS (25 GR) granulated garlic

If using a bone-in pork shoulder, remove the bone and save for later use… great for adding flavor to a pot of beans! Slice the shoulder across the grain into 1″ thick slabs.

Add some dry cure to a shallow, narrow pan. Dredge the pork slabs in the dry cure, pressing into the cure to make it adheres to all surfaces, and shake off the excess. The surface of each piece should be coated with an even layer of cure. Add more dry cure to your pan as necessary, but dispose of any unused cure from the pan when done.

Place the dredged slabs into a deeper narrow pan in a single layer if possible. The cure will draw out a lot of moisture, so be sure your pan is deep enough to accommodate that without spilling over. Refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours.

Rinse the pork under cold water, brushing off any remaining dry cure, and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the seasoning ingredients in a shallow, narrow pan, mixing well. Dredge the meat on all sides in the seasoning so that the pieces are uniformly coated.

Hot-smoke the pork at 200°F to an internal temperature of 150°F. The tasso will keep for several weeks refrigerated, and for up to a year if vacuum sealed and stored in the freezer. It is recommended to divide the tasso into ½ – 1 LB portions before vacuum sealing and freezing for ease of use.

Tasso by itself will be very peppery and spicy, but it is not intended to be eaten as is. Instead, it should be used as an ingredient in larger “wet” dishes like gumbo, red beans, etc. Cut into small pieces, added to these dishes and allowed to cook for a while, tasso will give up a nice smoky pork flavor as well as diffuse its pepperyness into the mix, diminishing it to a nice, interesting tingle.

A general guideline for use is 1 LB of tasso per 2 LB of red beans, or 4-5 QT of gumbo.

These recipes are adapted from the book Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing, and are included here for my own personal ease of reference, as well as to add my own notes as I see fit.