Bad

Bigfoot Barleywine and pork belly

I’ve been wanting to braise a pork belly for a while and couldn’t really find one recipe that looked like what I wanted so I figured what the hell I’ll try my own. I decided on trying some beer for the braising liquid and despite all the warnings I used an ale that was pretty hoppy, namely Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine style Ale. I anticipated the sweetness would reduce down to make a great sauce and hoped the hops wouldn’t overpower the pork. Mostly I was right. You should be able to get pork belly from any decent butcher. Try and pick one that has a nice mix of both red meat and fat and without skin. If there is too much fat you may have to trim a little but do not go crazy, this is pork belly remember. It is going to be fatty. You WANT it to be fatty. Don’t fear the lipids. Fat=flavor

Ingredients

• 1.5 – 2 lbs pork belly – skinless
• 3 med carrots rough chopped
• 3 celery stalks rough chopped
• 1 parsnip rough chopped
• 1 yellow onion rough chopped
• 1 garlic clove sliced
• 2 springs of thyme (plus extra for grits)
• kosher salt and  fresh cracked pepper
• 1 12 oz bottle of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale
• enough chicken stock to fill pot to almost covering pork belly (preferably home made) and for the grits
• 1-2 tbsp honey
• a large enameled cast iron dutch oven
• stone ground grits (however much you want to make
• chevre 1 small round
• Parmesan to taste
• extra thyme leaves for grits

Instructions

• preheat oven to 300
• season pork belly with kosher or sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

seasoned porkbelly begining to sear in the pot

• heat the pot over med-high heat
• sear the pork belly to med/light brown on all sides

mostly seared pork belly

• remove the seared pork belly
• add veg to pot and cook for 4-5 mins to lightly soften the veg

veg ready to cook

• Add the pork belly back to the pot, nestle down into the veg
• add all 12 oz of beer
• fill to just almost covering pork belly

seared porkbelly andveg in braising liquid

• Bring to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid and place the pot in the preheated oven

• cook covered in the oven for around 2 hours. Check after 1 1/2 hours for doneness and reduction of the liquid. If need be add more chicken stock or water
• times may vary but the pork should be cooked through and starting to slightly melt
• do not over cook
• in the last 20 mins cook uncovered
• remove the pork and veg from the pot place on separate heavy plates and cover
• discard the thyme stems

Cook the grits while you reduce the sauce

• place the pot with the braising liquid back on a burner over med heat
• bring to a simmer try and time the reduction to match the cooking time of the grits (about 20 mins)
• prepared the grits according to the package substituting chicken stock for water
• turn the oven to broiler
• place the pork on a sheet pan with a cooking grate or screen and place under broiler to crisp the top of the pork
• if the veg needs to be heated, do so but it should be fine if covered and in heavy container

add the chevre, parm and thyme right before you serve

• once the grits are done  add the chevre in large chunks, parm and thyme leaves. season to taste with salt and pepper
• if the sauce has not reduced full you can add water to grits to keep them while the sauce finishes
• remove the pork from the broiler if you have not already done so
• taste the reduced sauce, if needed season and add honey
• plate with grits, veg and pork belly
• drizzle sauce over the pork then add more to plate

Serve with the grits and the veg and pour sauce over the pork and veg

Overall I think this turned out pretty damn good. The barleywine may be too much to handle for some as it is extremely strong beer. Another choice would be a good stout or porter or some other style that is less hoppy than this particular barleywine. You could also leave the parsnips out as they do impart a certain flavor that my wife immediately picked up and at first wasn’t sure about. Other options could be to not cook the veg as long adding them part way through the braise. Or you could make a veg puree to go with the dish from the softened veg. This is the first time I’ve tried braising porkbelly so take that into account if you want to try this and look up other recipes and techniques they used. The one thing this was missing that I’m going to work on was a good glaze on the pork.

Bacon sandwich really does cure a hangover

Researchers claim food also speeds up the metabolism helping the body get rid of the booze more quickly.

Elin Roberts, of Newcastle University’s Centre for Life said: “Food doesn’t soak up the alcohol but it does increase your metabolism helping you deal with the after-effects of over indulgence. So food will often help you feel better.

“Bread is high in carbohydrates and bacon is full of protein, which breaks down into amino acids. Your body needs these amino acids, so eating them will make you feel good.”

Ms Roberts told The Mirror: “Bingeing on alcohol depletes neurotransmitters too, but bacon contains a high level of aminos which tops these up, giving you a clearer head.”

Researchers also found a complex chemical interaction in the cooking of bacon produces the winning combination of taste and smell which is almost irresistible.

The reaction between amino acids in the bacon and reducing sugars in the fat is what provides the sandwich with its appeal.

Ms Roberts said: “The smell of sizzling bacon in a pan is enough to tempt even the staunchest of vegetarians. There’s something deeper going on inside. It’s not just the idea of a tasty snack. There is some complex chemistry going on.

“Meat is made of mostly protein and water. Inside the protein, it’s made up of building blocks we call amino acids. But also, you need some fat. Anyone who’s been on a diet knows if you take all the fat from the meat, it just doesn’t taste the same. We need some of the fat to give it the flavour.”

She explained that the reaction released hundreds of smells and flavours but it is the smell which reels in the eater. “Smell and taste are really closely linked,” she said. “If we couldn’t smell then taste wouldn’t be the same.”

In your face Women’s Christian Temperance Union!!

Happy Repeal Day

Dear Cecil:

I was sitting at the Montreal Pool Room eating my all-dressed hot dog and suddenly the question hit me: why is there no ketchup in an all-dressed? Is ketchup not as respectable a condiment as relish or mustard? Is there a conspiracy? Does Dirty Harry’s remark about ketchup in a hot dog have anything to do with it? I would be so thankful if you could shine a light on this obscure bit of knowledge for a passionate and perplexed user of ketchup.

— Paul Macneil, Dorval, Quebec

Cecil replies:

Paul, I know you don’t mean to act like an alfalfa-chewing barbarian, but this is like asking why Leonardo didn’t paint the Mona Lisa on black velvet. Ketchup is destructive of all that is right and just about a properly assembled hot dog (and we’re talking about a pure beef hot dog, not one of those things you could serve with dressing on Thanksgiving).

Ketchup smothers the flavor of the hot dog because ketchup makers add sugar to their products. That takes the edge off the highly acidic tomatoes, but it takes the edge off everything else, too. Which is exactly why a lot of parents like it, according to Mel Plotsky, sales manager for the David Berg hot dog company in Chicago. (Chicago is one of the hot dog’s holy cities.) Put ketchup on it and a kid will swallow anything–and from there it’s a straight shot to Velveeta cheese, Franco-American spaghetti, and Deborah Norville.

For that matter, you want to watch the mustard, too. Plotsky says your mainstream brands like French’s put in too much turmeric and whatnot. What you want is some unpretentious mustard like Plochman’s that enhances rather than competes with the flavor of the beef. You should also steam or grill rather than boil your hot dogs–water leaches away the flavor and softens the wiener till it becomes non-tooth-resistant mush.

But–getting back to the original question–you say you like the taste of tomatoes. Fine, then eat tomatoes, as God meant them to be eaten–fresh sliced and piled on top of the hot dog. The recommended ingredients of a hot dog with everything, in order of application, are mustard, relish, chopped onion, sliced tomato, kosher pickle spear, optional peppers, and celery salt. (Many think you have to get kraut in there too, but Cecil wants a hot dog, not Oktoberfest.)

People get pretty emotional over the ketchup question. Mel Plotsky opened our discussion by describing the condiment as a “catchall of garbage.” Over at crosstown rival Vienna Sausage, they refer to ketchup as the “K-word.” If you go into an authentic hot dog joint and ask for ketchup on your hot dog, the counterman will pause and look you in the eye. He may or may not say, “Ketchup?” with a tone of disbelief. But you may be certain what he’s thinking: “Behold this creature that walks like a man. It wants ketchup on its hot dog.”

But hey, if you want ketchup, by all means get it.

— Cecil Adams