I just filled up my car with gas. These poor guys are making nothing and everyone's bitching at them when they pull up to that ol' pump. So, do it with glee and kindness - you'll get an amazing response! We have a unique opportunity in Oregon, my friends to make someone's day just a little bit nicer. Spread it, people!

So my friend Ross convinced me to take a class at Foster & Dobbs a couple of weeks ago on making your own bacon. Yep, from scratch. Using real pork bellies. I thought, "why the heck would I want to go to that much work for something that I can easily buy at Costco for pretty cheap and it's really darn good?"

Well, I found out.

Yep.

Turns our that homemade bacon (and pancetta, which we also learned how to make) tastes totally different, and it's really amazing. The flavor, the texture! And it's really, really easy! If you think about it - industrial bacon is made from pigs that are, well, industrial, right? And the pigs that we have access to here in our neck of the woods are raised in Carlton. Oregon. Just an hour away. And they're treated well, and fed right and just better!

So, I ordered 17 pounds of pork bellies from hottie butcher Benjamin Dyer at Viande Meats (who taught the class), rounded up a few friends and we spent a night last week rubbin' those bellies with all sorts of amazing spice concoctions. Oh, right - the other thing about it is once you've got the basic ingredients (kosher salt, brown sugar and sodium nitrite) down, you get to add whatever spices your little heart desires. So it's personalized. Hmmmm. Can't find that at Costco!

Into the fridge went 8 slabs o' bellies, all rubbed and wrapped up. After curing for about five days, I rinsed the spices off the bacon and here's what they look like now. This weekend or sometime next week we'll smoke these for about five hours at 130 degrees, and then we'll have HOMEMADE BACON! The three slabs o' pancetta will sit in the fridge for another week or so to finish their cold cure and then they'll be ready, too.

We may never go back to packaged bacon again. Oh but then of course there are those times (often enough it seems) when we need to make bacon for 100. Maybe not all the time, then. :-)

We interrupt this irregularly posted blog to honor one of the best cats ever. Blackie died suddenly yesterday, shocking us both and bumming us out entirely. He was a party cat and always wanted to be in the middle of the action. He'd hang out in the shop, the kitchen, the basement. He'd always snuggle on the sofa and welcome us home. He could jump to the top of the shop in a single bound and guarded our yard all day and night. Thank you, Blackie - on to your next life!

You are always in my freezer
and in my heart

Ready for savory or sweet
and as easy as a prom date

You make me always look good
And never complain when I handle you roughly

And, you - that little package of pre-cut squares
I love you most of all!

My friend and pro chef Jai recently returned from a trip to New Orleans, where she took some classes at the New Orleans Cooking School on St. Charles. So, girls night last week she hauled over--ON HER BIKE no less--boudin, andoullie, alligator, crawfish and all sorts of other goodies! We had fried alligator with a fantastic dipping sauce, I made crawfish ravigote (learned that in New Orleans, too), and Jai made a fantastic sausage and chicken gumbo.

Love the guest chefs! Bring 'em on!