Recipe
Bangers and mash. Homely as it may be, I love this British classic -- especially when the sausages are homemade. I made these from venison, but you can use pork, beef, or really whatever. Here's how to make them.
Wild Game
This is the "little black dress" of salami. It's meat, fat, salt, black pepper and garlic. Nothing else. A basic salami is a measure of its maker. Master this and then add all the fancy spices. Or not. After all, the spare, simple black cocktail dress is a classic for a reason.
Salmon and Trout
Smoking a lake trout (a/k/a mackinaw) is a lot like smoking a salmon, but I recently had the chance to smoke a couple fish in Manitoba, Canada with some Cree Indians and learned a lot about the process.
Recipe
Boudin, the ultimate Cajun comfort food. Not quite a sausage, boudin is more like jambalaya in a hog casing. You eat it on crackers or just by hand, right out of the casing. I learned how to make it at Legnon's in Lafayette, and here's my version.
Fish
It's time to catch black cod, a/k/a sablefish or butterfish out here in the North Pacific. If you've ever eaten this fish, it's like eating silk -- mild, velvety and just a little oily. This means it's perfect for smoking.
Charcuterie
Exactly 20 years ago I found myself in South Africa, alone and afraid. An act of kindness and bravery helped me through that scary night, an act I repaid in the only way I knew how. By cooking.
Charcuterie
I'd heard about this for a few years: Salt curing egg yolks, then drying them and grating them over pasta. But I finally got around to it after reading a new charcuterie book. And lemme tell ya, if there's anything better than grated cheese over pasta, this is it.
Charcuterie
Wild turkey meat can get dry if you don't do things just right. But a long brine and a cool smoke does wonders for the breast meat. Trussing improves things even more, and the result is a primo sandwich meat for your lunches!
Charcuterie
It's tough to cure a whole ham on a wild pig: You'd need to scald and scrape it in the field, and that ain't happening. But you can make a traditional Easter ham with a skinless piece! Here's my version, smoked and glazed with honey.
Charcuterie
Fromage de tete. Coppa di testa. Presskopf. Brawn. Anything but "head cheese." Only that's what this is. This is the head of a wild boar I shot, cooked and pressed into a terrine pan. It's actually damn good. No, really.
Fish
It's sturgeon time here in the West, and whether you catch your own or buy farm-raised fish, smoked sturgeon is one of the great smoked fish of the world. Here's how I make it.
Charcuterie
Why it's taken me years to post a recipe for sweet Italian sausage is beyond me. I make this sausage all the time, too. Maybe it's just because I thought it too basic for HAGC? Whatever. Here it is, my version of the classic Italian favorite.
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