Sausage making

The Big Tip....Death To Kind Gestures

So I am sitting here in the hospital with  the wife and I put the tv on Food Network.

First commercial they show features Food Network demigod Rachel Ray and her new show called "The Big Tip".

The show has Rachel traveling the country and leaving giant tips (10 large) for deserving servers.

I think that this show is a crappy idea. I think it pisses on all the good news reports we heard over the last year of random people who left killer tips for hard working servers out of the kindness of there hearts.

Rachel Ray giving money should help Food Network ratings..

EAT INK-Recpes, Stories, Tattoos

Here are some of my favorite profiles found in favorite Eat Ink

EAT INK- Recipes, Stories, Tattoos

I have been meaning to get around and writing a review about"Eat Ink" but the job has been keeping me busy. So here we go!!

I am a cookbook nerd and collector of tattoos so this book was going to be an obvious purchase. Having a history in the kitchen where all my friends who are cook, dishwashers and back of house staff all being tattooed this book was a no brainer.....This book was a great idea.

"Eat Ink" is broken up into 5 chapters...Hoofed, finned, winged, rooted and sugar. So you guessed it each chapter is going to feature a chef that is a top in his field.

"EAT INK" features chefs from all over the country and from different backgrounds. There book features former Top Chef contestants, Contestants from Hell's Kitchen, James Beard Foundation nominees and more.

There is a common thread between many of the chefs in this book and that is they did not start in the kitchen. There are plenty of them (chefs) that knew this (career as a chef) was what they wanted.

The more I read the book the more I actually like it.My first glance through it had chefs with one or two tattoos and I was like "Really, this is what your going to cover in a tattoo cookbook?"

As I read the recipes the great thing is that most of them are really approachable. That is important because so many cookbooks come out and are not easy for the daily at home cook.

I will be honest I was hoping to see more guys like rhe Voltaggios, Aaron Sanchez, Jamie Bissonnette and a few other bigger named and heavily tattoo chefs.

Starting To Get It

So as you see in the pictures I have been working on another
batch of pork belly/bacon. I am going to be honest trying to find quality products to make a good bacon is not easy. Here in the Central Valley there are very few places to purchase pork belly.

I have one meat market that only sells is cryopacked and frozen. I have found another that does not sell it unless you are buying bulk. I have found a mexican market that I am able to buy belly but the only problem is you do not know how good the quality of the meat is going to be.

The first time I purchased 4 pounds of it and the quality was not bad. This last purchase where I purchased 8 pounds the quality was not as good as I would of liked. A lot more fat and a lot less meat which gives you a mediocre bacon.

There is a meat market I still need to pay a visit to and see what they off if anything at all.

When I was younger in Madera,Ca there was a place called the Meat Locker which was where my dad had our pigs butchered after there were slaughtered. It was a meat market and butcher shop and when I was in high school it was where we would go to get all or our deep fried goodness for lunch (deep fried burritos and potato wedges rule)!

You really do not realize the importance of quality over quantitiy until the time comes for you are trying to learn and make your own food. Meat that is raised well is better then meat that is "industrially" raised.

As I learn more about bacon and get ready to start learning how to even make my own sausage my goal is to used some of the best products I can. I want to give my family good food and if I plan to make food available to the public I want to know that I am giving the public a quality food that I can be proud of!

Super Bowl Sunday At Peeves In Fresno,CA

So this Super Bowl Sunday we dropped the kids off at the Fresno Convention Center so they could go see Disney On Ice and the wife and I went to Peeves Public House to watch the game.

This is the first time we had been to Peeves and they really have not been open very long. Peeves Public house & Local Market is new to downtown Fresno but is making there home in a spot on the Fulton Mall with a lot of history.

So lets start with the beer. Peeves has a great selection of beer in cans, bottles and on tap.They have local staples from the fine folks at Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company which is only a few blocks away from Peeves. I had the barley wine from 21st Amendment and a Smoked Scotch Ale which was bloody awesome. When I asked about the taps they were telling me that they swap them out regularly.

The menu on this day consisted of one item because they had partnered with a local church who provided a bunch of appetizers so on the menu they were doing a pulled pork sandwich. Normally the have several items on the menu that rotate based on what local farmers, vendors/distributors bring them. They do a full breakfast on the weekends (which I look forward to paying a visit for).

Now for the one thing I was looking forward to checking out....there market in the space next door. All kinds of cool stuff from locals. Canned/pickled foods, milk from Rosa's Dairy, a few meats from a couple of local farms. The truth is it has got me thinking about working on some bacon recipes/

In the end this is a business that I am hoping to see be successful in Fresno,Ca. And more importantly I hope that this trend of farm to table and local purveyors does not go away anytime soon!!

Chef Charlie Trotter

So it has been quite some time since I posted but todays post is sad news for the city of Chicago.

Chef Trotter passed away today at age 54. His family, friends and a lot of big names in the food game have done nothing but pay respect to a man who really in the end helped shape some of Chicago's food culture.

Chicago chef Graham Elliot (Master Chef judge) tweets: "CHARLIE TROTTER: chef, mentor, trailblazer, philosopher, artist, teacher, leader. He now belongs to the ages."

The first time I heard the name Charlie Trotter was because of Anthony Bourdain and "No Reservations"

Cities with major food culture there are men and women who have helped shape the face of food in there cities and what I have read and learned about Charlie Trotter was he was one of these men

I am not sure what to say but here at FoodXCore we offer our condolences to his family, friends and to all those chefs influenced by him in one way or another do not forget what he taught you because someone has to pass it on!!

Cheers!