Liver is a largely unsung superfood. Modern culture sneers at it as one of those healthy but gross things that a member of the older generation forces kids to eat. Most people know that it’s “good for you,” but even people who readily eat it admit the flavor is an acquired taste. My challenge, due …
Category Archives: MEAT
Bacon made at home
In the very beginning stages of our farm planning and development, my partner and I spent some time free associating about what we wanted from farm life, and writing it all down. The phrase we eventually came up with defines our philosophy perfectly: The Bacon is Here. We were contrasting it to the cliched term …
Some like it raw
Steak tartare, despite its fancy French name, is a dish that consistently appears in food traditions around the world. It’s also, unfortunately, becoming less and less popular as fear of parasites and pathogens in raw meat becomes more pronounced. It’s true that industrially produced beef might make you sick if it’s consumed raw or even …
Creek and Pasture Sauce
If there is such a thing as taste memory, the one I carry from Argentina is of chimichurry sauce with barbequed meat. At the time I didn’t know what it was, but I recall leafy oregano bitterness, spice from large chunks of chilies and whole seeds, and lots of sour vinegar. It’s a wonderful complement …
Enzymes for meat digestion
We are no longer keeping cows. Keeping cows alive, that is. Both of our cows are now wrapped up in neat packages in several freezers. We prefer to slaughter and butcher the animals we raise ourselves. We feel that these are essential skills a person should acquire if they have a chance, and we like …
Organs of plenty
About two months ago we had the first taste of our home grown heritage breed pork. American Guinea hogs are a small, slow growing, black and hairy animal, who graze like a cow. A breed designed for lard as well as meat, they create lots of subcutaneous fat if they eat anything other than grass. …
Brined storage, for flavor and safety
In this day and age, everyone knows that keeping meat very cold is an important part of food safety. Temperatures hovering around freezing dramatically slow the growth of potentially harmful organisms. However, humankind hasn’t had the convenience of refrigerators until extremely recently. Back when most everyone raised or hunted and killed their own meat, salt …
Breakfast, then lunch
I made possibly the best breakfast ever the other morning, and then I took a totally mediocre picture of it right before we devoured it entirely. I make an effort to crow about culinary triumphs only when it is truly something worth repeating. Again and again and again. Basically, it’s stuff layered between crepes, and …
Aged Animal Parts – or – The Joys of Chewable Meat
Very few things smell worse than decaying flesh. It’s the standard by which all other super-gross smells are measured. There’s nothing about the smell of a dead and rotting animal that makes you want to taste it. Unfortunately, this common knowledge leads most to believe that the only thing to do with a carcass destined …