Bacon Explosion

Well this is one I can tick off my bucket list! A bacon explosion. After all, last week was bacon week so I felt I owed it to myself and to bacon to do something special.

I can't take credit for this concoction of brilliance as it makes an appearance on few BBQ websites and forums but as far as I can tell most credit goes to BBQ Addicts as the originators.

In short it is a bacon weave stuffed with sausage meat stuffed with crispy bacon and smoked with a BBQ sauce glaze for good measure. I know, what dreams are made of.

Surprisingly it was actually really easy to make and a lot of fun. There's plenty of recipes out there and videos on youtube showing exactly how to make this but if you want my step by step guide, read on.

Espalier Quince Tree

So you think you haven’t got enough room for fruit trees. Think again! Espaliering a tree might be your answer. I’m currently growing a very productive quince tree, but this technique could be applied to almost anything. Apples and pears will take particularly well to this style so if you got a spare section along your boundary give this a try.

This was my first attempt at an Espalier and while I would have done a few things differently if I started over, it still produces quite well and visually, looks very nice if I do say so myself.

The Pig Weekend - Capocollo and Pancetta

Well this is third and final part of the Pig Weekend series and I’ve saved the best for last. The prime cuts from the pig are saved to make capocollo using the pork collars (neck muscle) and the pork loins and the pancetta is made from the pork belly.

 

As is typical in most of these Italian traditions there are many methods in making these and everyone thinks theirs are the best. This is just the way we do it which of course is the best!

 

The Pig Weekend - Bacon Bones and Lard

In our effort to use every last bit of the pig (and my new found passion for smoking meats) we decided to try a couple new things this year.

No not together, that would be gross, but if you don't have a passion for home made goodness and pork you might find this post a little gross anyway.

We used the "good" bones for smoking and made lard with the excess trimmings.

The Pig Weekend - Making Sausages

The pig weekend is one of the food highlights of the year for me which is why I wanted this to be my first official entry. 

Every year we dedicate a weekend to making Italian sausages which we dry cure along with capocollo, pancetta and a number of other delicacies all from the pig. I will detail some of those other processes in other entries and just focus on the sausages in this one. 
 

 

Welcome

Hi and welcome to my page. You can probably guess my name is Joe... but I’m not your average Joe.

This page is about my passions in life which I enjoy sharing with everyone. They usually involve food, but range from production/procurement to preparation and preservation.

I love my fishing, gardening, outdoor cooking and almost anything that involves any stage of the food cycle.

I’m also passionate about maintaining Italian traditions and over the year I will welcome you to be a part of many of those occasions through sharing them here.

But at the heart of it all is my family, my three beautiful daughters and loving wife and doing everything together.

Every weekend is a new food journey and I look forward to sharing those experiences with you.