MINI BACON TASTING

The 'Research & Development' department of Mad Meat Genius got a hot tip of a bacon being created and sold in Redding California. The place called 'Kents Meat & Groceries', did not have a lot of info. They did have an advertisement in the Yellow Pages. I gave them a call and talked to the butcher. The butcher only gave me sparse information about his product. Yes, they do smoke their own bacon. It is smoked with hickory chips and a couple of hundred pounds are made a week. That was enough to set the hook. A quick call to my Metrosexual brother in law, who just so happens to live close to Kents, for a bacon delivery to be set up. You may remember John. He was an integral part of the Cedar Plank Roasted Tofu adventure. John is the best Brother in Law ever. He owns a Harley and is a very dapper and a well accessorized dresser. Best of all he is a good sport.

John arrived with his wife, who We will call Shastina. A couple of cold ones were thrown back. The matter of the Mini Bacon Tasting was brought up. John said He had to leave. As he left, he muttered something under his breath, which I think he said; {"That Chile's out of Kesslers again, I am out here, My bike needs polishing and He will NEVER ride it!!."}. Actually a home emergency needed Johns attention. That left Ms. Goofy, Shastina and myself to taste three bacon's. Let's meet Shastina.

Chilebrown: Hello Shastina, Welcome to Mad Meat Genius!

Shastina: Hi Chile, Its great to be here. What did you say to John?

Chilebrown: Can you tell us a little about yourself.

Shastina: Ms. Goofy and I have know each other for a long
time. In fact we are sisters.

Chilebrown: Does Johnny let you ride his Harley?

Shastina: Yeah, All the time, We love to go for rides.

Chilebrown: Do you think John will let me ride his Harley?

Shastina : NO!

Chilebrown: Do you have any special qualifications for today's
Mini Bacon Tasting?

Shastina: Well, Every time I go to the "All-You-Can-Eat-Big-
House-Buffet", I get a double scoop of 'Bac-o-Bits'
for my salad.

Chilebrown: That is perfect! Let's move on and meet the
Bacon's.
A) Kents Meat & Groceries
8080 Airport Rd. Redding Ca. 96002 530 365-4322
4.98/pound

This bacon is not heavily smoked. The slab was smoked with the rind on and was removed later. There is a good fat to meat ratio.



B) Swingle Meat Co.
12640 Kennedy Flat Rd. Jackson Ca. 95642 209 223-0731
6.19/pound

This bacon was smoked at an Old Fashioned Smokehouse. It has a beautiful color. The first thing you notice is a pleasant smoke odor. This is eye candy bacon. The fat to meat ration leans to the meat side.


C) Chilebrown's 'Maple Bacon Salt' Bacon Experiment.
Mad Meat Genius Kitchen
Rodeo, Ca. 94572
priceless/pound

I am a little biased about this slab of meat. It is very Meaty, NO RIND, great smoke smell.

The tasting was done blind. Our two tasters, Ms. Goofy, and Shastina did not know which bacon they were tasting to the end of the event. The slices were cooked in separate cast iron pans. They were served on paper plates. with only a letter for judging purposes. They were given note pads for tasting notes.

Bacon 'A' was from Kent's Meats. Shastina said this bacon would make great Bac-o-bits. Ms. Goofy thought it was fairly mediocre,it was nothing to write home about.

Bacon 'B' from Swingle's was enjoyed by everybody. It had a smoke flavor that would not quit and was sweet too. Everybody was in agreement that this was quality cured pork.

Bacon 'C' was no surprise. They knew it was my bacon right away. It was very meaty. It was salty just like ham. I am proud to say it was the crowd favorite. Maybe this crowd was a little stacked in my favor.

We had a fun time tasting bacon. We wished Brother John could have stayed. He had to take care of business. I bet he is polishing his Harley right now so I can take it for a spin. Not!

SHORT RIBS

Some beautiful short ribs were picked up at Lakewood Meats in Lodi California. These ribs have a great marbling of fat. This will transform into wonderful flavor.They are going to get the Chilebrown treatment. They will be slow roasted in a Dutch oven with a bath of chile's and vegetables. The chiles will be Ancho and some home smoked chipotle en adobo. Some home smoked bacon will be thrown in for good measure. These ribs were cooked for four hours. They were then cooled and refrigerated over night. This allows the flavors to mingle. It also congeals the excess fat for easy removal.

Short Ribs Braised with Chile

1. 3-4 medium dried ancho chiles
2. 1 medium onion chopped
3. 2 carrots chopped
4. 4 garlic cloves chopped
5. 2 tablespoons of chipotles en adobo plus 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce
6. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
7. 2 tablespoons molasses
8. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
9. 2 cups of water
10. 2 slices of bacon chopped
11. 1 cinnamon stick
12. 6 pounds of short ribs
13. salt & pepper to taste

Soak the Ancho chile's for 20 minutes in some boiling hot water. Remove stem and coarsely chop. Add to food processor with carrots, onions, garlic, tomato paste, chipotle. Pulse until thick paste is achieved. It is okay to add some water to get everything moving. Reserve this mixture.

Salt and pepper the short ribs. Take an enameled cast iron pot and crank up the heat. Add a little oil and brown the ribs. Reserve.

Fry the bacon in the pan you browned the ribs. When they are almost done add the chile vegetable paste. Be careful, it may splatter a little. Cook paste for several minutes. Add the rest of the water, molasses, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the reserved ribs. Place in 350 oven for 3-4 hours. After this time you can cool and refrigerate the meat mixture. If you cannot wait skim as much fat as possible.

The only thing to do is to wait till tomorrow. The fat should be removed and the mixture reheated. This was served with some basmati rice and some beautiful Jumbo Asparagus. This was one flavorful dish. The meat melted in your mouth. It had a little punch from the Chile's. This was one dish that takes a little time. The rewards were great. I think I will reward myself with a nap!

MEAT ABSORTION?

"Bad Hair Day"

MEAT ADVENTURE

Chilebrown is on Vacation. What is there to do? How about driving 213 miles on a Mini Meat Adventure. This event was a fast paced tour of Northern California. Four Butchers/Meat Markets were visited. One ice chest was filled with cured, smoked meaty delights . Three quarters of a tank of gas was burned. This trip of Mad Meatness took 6 hours from start to finish. I think this may be a new Meat record. Sit back and buckle your Meat Belt. We will take you on a Mad Meat Genius , Mini meat adventure

Mad Butchers Meat was the first stop. This Industrial Cave of Meat was located on the outskirts of Sacramento. There was not to many businesses around this Cavern of prepared protein. They did smoke some sausage and this was procured. Mad Mead Butchers had a lot of Asians working at their facility. They sold a lot of package deals of meat. The clerk was very nice and told me they sold lots of meat deals. This would be a great place to pick up a freezer full of beef.

On to Jackson California. This leg of the trip was around 45 minutes. It was a scenic drive that passed through Sloughouse Ca. They grow a lot corn and at one time grew hops. Jackson Ca. is in the Heart of the Motherlode. That means Gold. Some of the richest Gold mines in Ca. were located here. Now they have some of the best smoked bacon, hams and sausage around. Lots of antique shops and even a ravioli factory are here. I was on a Mission. A Meat Adventure mission. Swingle's was my destination.

Swingle's has been around for a long time. This is a one stop Meat Emporium. If they do not have it, You have been watching Bizarre Foods to much. They smoke bacon, hams and sausage. They process game, livestock and have a lot of animals on the wall. Some bacon wrapped chipotle sausage, Jalapeno cheese sausage, bacon and smoked ham was bought and arranged in the ice chest. I would just like to mention their was a Giant revolving Cow that was situated above this Establishment.

On the Road Again

{ On the road again, Just can't wait to get on the road again.The life I love is visiting Butchers with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again.On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been.Seein' things that I may never see again!}

Sorry Willie.

Lockford California is the home of Lockford Sausage. This is a local favorite. When I say local, I mean all up and down the state. It is a local favorite,because , this is the only place to get this sausage that I know of. My favorite is 'Dakota'. This sausage is a mild combination of veal pork and turkey.I bought 20 dollars worth. It probably will not last long, because it is Ms. Goofy's favorite too.

Dakota Sausage

Lodi California. Do you want to be stuck again? (Creedence Clearwater Revival) You may be if you are at 'Lakewood Meats". Lakewood Meats is in very nondescript small strip mall in Lodi. The windows are even tinted to make this 'Last House' of 'Sausage Lore' a little more mysterious. Once you walk in, this a meat house of Love. This is an 'Old School' of sausage making. I was greeted by very friendly employees. They got a chuckle of me taking a picture of the front. All of a sudden I had the privilege to travel to the back of this sausage factory. I met the sausage maker and saw the scary smoker room. This is what Meat Adventure's are all about.!!!!

Scary Smoker

We have an Ice Chest of Meat. The next adventures are what to Cook with all this Goodness! Got any Meatsuggestions?

MAD MEAT EXPERIMENT II

The bellies have been marinating and soaking in a brine of their own juices for 7 days. This brine was a combination of 'Maple Bacon Salt', Kosher and pink salt. These Love Vessels of raw pork were rinsed and put in the refrigerator over night on a cookie rack. This is to form a pellicle. What is a pellicle, I have no friggin idea. It does dry out the slab and lets the smoke absorb.

The Weber Bullet was used. A Hot smoke was brought up'(225-250 degrees). The slabs were cooked to an internal temperature of 150 degrees.. They were brought in the house and cooled on a cookie sheet. One of the best parts of this process was the smell. The smell of these smoked bellies was intoxicating. It smells like, Bacon with the 'Love of a Burning Fire'. A Burn, Burn, Burn, A Ring of Fire, A Ring of Fire.

The question is? Is bacon salt with maple flavor the Bomb. This is one good bacon. I will give this bacon a very good review. It was salty with out the maple flavor. The best part of this experience is that We have Bacon.

BACON CAMP

Bacon Poetry, Bacon Art, Bacon dishes, Bacon People comprised the gathering of Bacon Camp. This association of Bacon freaks celebrated everything that had any alliance with cured Pork Bellies. This gathering of the 'Bacon Family' was Wonderful! Chilebrown was there and wants to share a couple PHOTO shots!

BACON FREAKS

My T-SHIRT


BACON BOURBON

TEX-BACON

BACON DATES

BACON SWAG

CUPCAKES

MARCH MADNESS!

It is time to watch "College Hoops". It also the time to smoke some bacon. Tomorrow the "Mad Meat Genius" troup (Clan,kinfolks, and faction of freaks) are heading to the 'City' to Bacon Camp. Hope to see you there!!!

Barbequed Corned Beef

Corned Beef is on the menu for St. Patricks Day. It will have a little Chilebrown twist. This brined brisket that is traditionally boiled and served with cabbage will be charred and slow cooked on a mesquite fire. It must be served with something green to keep up the festivities. The green will be Asparagus in a quiche.

"Real Leprechaun's do Eat Quiche".

There is not much of a recipe for grilling Corned Beef. Some Corned Beef that was on sale at the local Mega-market was picked up. The brisket was rinsed thoroughly of its brine. It was dried and a little a very little salt and pepper was added. A mesquite fire was built in the Weber. All the vents were opened. When the fire was nice and hot, the meat was seared on all sides. The vents were then closed by two thirds. The beef was placed directly over the fire and the lid was secured. For the next two hours, every 20 minutes the chow was turned. After this time period the Barbequed Corned Beef was removed and loosely covered with foil. After 20 minutes it was thinly sliced.

This Barbequed Corned Beef was so tender. There was a smokey exterior that surrounded the salty inner goodness. It was sliced very thin. The juices, even though it had rested, poured on to the cutting board. This barbequed brisket is a tradition at the Chilebrown house. The best part is, We will have sandwiches tomorrow.

There is something about cheese, eggs, asparagus, ham and pie crust that floats my boat. When done right quiche is very comforting and satisfying. This recipe was from a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 60's. This was served with some home made salsa and sour cream.

Whoops, I forgot the Green Beer!

MAD MEAT EXPERIMENT

There is a lot of bacon salt around the house. What to do with this plethora of flavored alkali. Let's make bacon with Bacon Salt. Will the two positives cancel each other out? Like I need an excuse to make bacon. This recipe/experiment will use 'Maple Bacon Salt', kosher salt, pink salt and pork bellies.

The rind of the pork bellies were removed. This can be a controversial maneuver. Some people believe that they need to chew on tire tread and call it cute names like bacon gum. Sorry, I am out of control sometimes. The 6 pounds of bellies were rubbed down with a mixture of:

• 1 2.5 ounce jar of Maple Bacon Salt
• 1.5 ounces of kosher salt
• 4 teaspoons of pink salt

They were then placed in a plastic garbage bag. This bag was placed in a large pan and put in the refrigerator. They will be in the refrigerator for the next 7 days. Thursday I will turn over the package to cure both sides.

When we return, We will start the smoking process.

MAN V FOOD

It is kinda funny that our TV is usually on PBS or the Food Network. Most of our Boob Tube viewing revolves around food. Why is that funny? Because we are food FREAKS!!!! We like to watch a show called, "Man V Food". It is entertaining to us. We like to watch the Host consume a Trencherman's weight of food. He usually finds a local eating challenge and goes for it. He recently went to SmokeEaters and we followed. This challenge was to eat 12 chicken wings doused in a "Crazy Stupid" amount of pepper and Habanero powder. You have to eat the 12 wings in 10 minutes with no liquid refreshments, no napkins and no brains. After you consume this throne of pain, you have to lick your hands and wait five minutes. If you still have a pulse, You will receive a T-shirt and get your picture on the wall.

That is no problem for Ms. Goofy. She was game and was ready to rumble. We were on a Meat Adventure to Dittmers anyway. This place was right around the corner. Well it was 12 minutes away by the Shinken Speck.

GPS. We arrived to a full house. SmokeEaters is right next to the campus of San Jose State University. This is the perfect location for Wings , Big Screens, Beer and Chicken Wings. There were so many T.V. screens that you actually had to pay attention sort of. There were no monitors on the Food Network.

We had to focus on the Wings. We were not ready for the challenge that SmokeEaters offered. We tried the 'Most Hottest' that they offered on their menu. These wings had crazy names such as "Inferno", "4 Alarm", "Traditional Death". "Nuclear", "Atomic". "Traditional".and"Mild".

Our choice of wings was Inferno and Atomic. The Atomic wings were syrupy sweet. Ms. Goofy did not like them. They were too full of honey with a little hint of Tabasco. They should be classified maybe as gateway wings. We were a little hesitant to try the Inferno Wings.

The Inferno Wings looked like the Atomic wings. Were these wings the promise of their name.? Would we be gasping for air? I took a bite. They were not as sweet as the Atomic wings. Whoops, the back of throat needed a cough to be cleared. Is this the End ? Yes, at first bite the Inferno wings do grab your attention. This burn did not last. It was tasty. I think maybe I tasted some Habanero. Ms. Goofy was able to stomach the Inferno, and actually did enjoy these wings. If you happened to watch this episode of 'Man V Food', Adam looked like he was ready to meet the Grim Reaper. This was not our experience.

We later found out that the Wings for the Hellfire Challenge have a ton of habanero powder added.They have to be specially ordered. You do not need to take the challenge to order this death warrant of wings. We had fun visiting and tasting the wings and refreshments offered at 'SmokeEaters'. You need to take the Challenge. Your taste buds and sanity will be aroused. I will leave that up to You!