Foie Gras Torchon

2# loab of Foie Gras

Carefully pull the loab apart

While still cold, break apart the foie being careful not to tear the large veins

Cleaned foie nuggets and the extracted veins that are garbage

Salt and pepper the cleaned foie nuggets

Cover with plastic and let foie cure for 24 hours

Red wine and balsamic vinegar

Sugar

Reduce till thickens and the flavor is sweet and sour

Pour over cleaned and cured foie

Mix till foie nuggets are fully glazed

Cheesecloth

Lay torchon mix on cheesecloth

Tie and twist tightly till foie starts to come threw

Tie torchon very tightly and let sit in fridge for 2 hours

Remove the knots and extra cheesecloth, roll into a old apron or serviette

Tie again with someone assisting you while tying the torchon as tight as possible

Go back in fridge for another 24 hours

Place the torchon into simmering water for 20 seconds

Flip and let simmer for 20 seconds more

Ice down torchon

Remove the previous serviette and roll tightly in a new apron or serviette

Tie as tight as possible and refrigerate for 24 hours

72 hours from start to finish and ready to go

Cut into any shape you want when it is fully chilled

 

Rabbit Head and Lengua Terrine

Fresh head

Start by cutting the face off below the chin were the neck was

Carefully remove the face with a sharp knife trying not to damage the fur

While removing the fur leave as much meat on the skull as possible

The fur on the tip of the ears is very fine, remove the top part of the ears

Lightly season the heads and necks, let cure overnight

Leeks, thyme, carrot, garlic, ginger bring to a simmer and maintain for 2 hours

Remove and pick the meat, tongue, brains and anything else edible

Keep skulls for decoration or Christmas presents for friends and family

Weigh the clarified Rabbit braise

Rabbit braise and gelatin

Add bloomed gelatin to the clarified Rabbit head braising liquid

Beef tongue, parsley onion and Rabbit head meat

Chanterelles mushrooms

Plastic lined terrine mold

All ingredients mixed in a bowl and slightly chilled so gelatin starts to set

Yuba lined terrine mold

Add all into mold and pound bottom on a table top to remove all air bubbles

Wrap yuba up to cover filling

Lightly press with a towel and cast iron lid, not to much weight

After terrine has been refrigerated overnight, slice with hot knife

Having the terrine wrapped in yuba really helps keep it together and adds a crunchy texture

Head and tongue terrine, brioche, mustard, and rabbit jelly

Rendering Back Fat

 

Lard is something you always need on hand, especially if you are breaking down whole animals and you need to use all the fat.  Here is step by step of rendering back fat.  You can also render back fat by grinding and cooking it down in a pot with a little bit of water. 

If there is still water or impurities in your lard bring it to a simmer and let it cook till it is fully clarified.

Chunks of back fat

Grind the cold fat with a super cold grinder

Ground back fat

Bake the lard in the Cvap or a oven on low

Pull when fully rendered and fat is clear

Pass threw a chinois with a coffee filter or fry filter in it

Keep in the fridge til ready to use

Viva la Turducken!

Turducken is something I do every year for Thanksgiving.  This year I did the more traditional Turducken with the whole birds and cornbread stuffing.  I have a lot of fun with it cause I think it is really cool to stuff it into the shape of an actual turkey… but with no bones (except the leg and wing).  

I made this one for all my friends at Orson on my last supper. The turkey itself was a 25 pounder to start.   The Turducken was about 38 pounds before going into the oven.  The massive bird happly feed 25ish waiters, cooks, dishwashers, wives and we had leftovers for late night snacking.

I am sold out of Turduckens for Thanksgiving, but I am already taking orders for all your Holiday parties.  Click on the picture of the Turducken above for more info.

Turkey, Duck, Chicken

Pull the neck skin up and remove the wishbone

Dry the wishbone

Plan your attack

Cut around the skeleton cutting threw the hip joints to release the legs

Cut threw the wing joints and free the rest of the meat from the bones

Remove the thigh bones and save all the bones for stock, sauce or gravy

All snug

Deboned birds, apples, cornbread, onions, carrots, thyme, bay and chicken sausage

Corn bread chicken sausage stuffing

Once all birds are deboned… stuff the duck into the chicken. Stuff the birds with the cornbread mix

Stuff the birds into the turkey, then sew her all up, be careful not to tear the skin

Flavor injector

Inject some brine into the meat

Tempering

Half way there

Instead of covering her with foil, I like to blanket her with onions and herbs

6 hours later cooked through and resting

Browned her up in the broil before carving

Cut in half

Top view

I love America!

Carefully remove all strings

Transfer to cutting board, have towels close by

Carefully and slowly pull out thermometer probe

Slice right down the center

Separate the bird into two pieces

Side view, kale, carrots, chicken sausage, garlic and onions

Lay down flat on cutting board

Remove drumsticlk

Remove wing

Start to slice the Turducken in half inch to 1 inch slices

Carefully lay slices down to keep it all together

Make sure your knife is nice in sharp or the Turducken will fall apart

Ready to go

Butchering half a pig 101

 

Here is a quick overview of how I like to butcher a pig.  Later I will go threw a more detailed step by step demo and finishing cuts for portions.

The tools plus a hacksaw are what I like to use while buchering a whole animal

Beautiful Devils Gulch pig

Side view

Remove the head

Cut threw the meat till you get to the shoulder blade and chop threw it

Its important to always keep your product in clean containers on ice

Remove the tenderloin

When removing the leg make sure you make a clean and precise cut

Remove the spine with the hatchet

Remove the ribs

Separate the loin from the belly

Put her all back together

Burn or shave off all the hair before or after

Ready to braise, roast, confit, render or stuff

Suckling Pig Porchetta

 

Babe and Wilber

Here is a method of making your own Suckling Pig Porchetta.  Its real important you get the skin real crunchy!  I chose to deep fry these guys, you can also roast them in a hot oven.   

Babe and Wilber

Side view

Relaxing on the gurney

Cut threw the ribs

Cut the spine free from the scull

Remove the spine

Remove the skull

Remove the ribs

Remove the hips, leg bones and anything else you don’t want to eat

Halloween mask and cape

Face, feet in lard for confit

Half of the pig is shaped into a rectangle

Sausage inside of a sausage… farce

Rolled up in plastic and tied

All tied up

Babe and Wilber

Going into the CVap

Coming out

Resting

Cooled overnight

Middle sausage is 50% face and feet confit and 50% fresh leg and shoulder meat.

Cut into smaller pieces and tied

Suck and sealed and ready for travel

Score the porchetta to have 1 inch squares

Deep fry!

Fry it longer

Perfect

Perfectly crunchy and golden brown

A electric carving knife works best

Lightly flash the meat before it goes on the plate

Yes please