More weird food to make

I have recently been curing and smoking my own bacon. OUTSTANDING. I was wondering if anyone has ever cured pork ribs and made baby back bacon. Stop and Shop has a sale on country style ribs and I am thinking of putting some up to cure just as a curiosity. I should not that my mother (strictly kosher) once made a cured, pickled veal roast. It was a long time ago, but I remember enjoying it.

I have also made fresh cured tongue, which is great, but I can’t find raw ones for less than a King’s ransom these days. Any other ideas on interesting things to pickle or cure?

I don’t think there is enough meat to make bacon out of back ribs. After curing, you are gonna have very little actual bacon, and whole lotta bone.

Give buckboard bacon a try with boneless pork shoulder.

I’ve made duck prosciutto a few times. Easily done with no special equipment, let a duck breast or two cure in salt and pink salt for about a week, rinse it off, wrap in cheesecloth and hang in the back of the fridge for a month or so. Works very well on a charcuterie board. Some recipes say it is done in a week, but I’ve had better results going longer ymmv.

I pickle my own tongue as well. Usually buy it from Mexican groceries - still not cheap, but not as bad as Anglo markets

Jay you mention country style ribs, that might work. I’d look for pork butt country style ribs if you can. They would be fattier than cuts from the shoulder or loin end and would be baconier if that’s a word. I’m thinking you might end up with a cross between conventional bacon and Canadian bacon. I’ve only done belly so just guessing here.

Jay, i figured you were going to talk about making your own gefilte fish from live fish, or some derma .

Thanks, Bill, going to give this a try.

I’ve made fresh gefilte fish, but the rest of my family hates it, so I haven’t done it for many years. My favorite in that genre is what we made as a “state fair food” free give away food at the Long Island BBQ championships. Deep fried matzoh balls.

There’s a restaurant called Industrial Eats in Buellton CA that has a beef tongue pastrami sandwich that they make in house and it’s seriously good. If I had a smoker I’d pick the owner’s brain about his recipe.

guanciale, hands down the most versatile pork product.

on the veggie side, how about trying your hand at kimchi? (doesn’t have to be cabbage) or watermelon rind pickles? delicious.

I’ve got a few beef hearts around. I’m going to try corned heart for St. Patrick’s day this year. Hits two of my son’s favorite foods - corned beef and heart. Strange child.
I also could hook you up if you are interested in a beef heart!

Here’s a Times article

Charcuterie With All of the Smoke but None of the Meat

I’ve never attempted in home because one of the mentions is from a local spot and it’s easily available.

Been wanting to make my own hot coppa, but sourcing the beef middles has been impossible in the pandemic. Made Serrano-style ham several times, which is fantastic if you have the large gatherings to eat a whole ham. Maybe I’ll try one this fall.

Been wanting to make my own hot coppa, but sourcing the beef middles has been impossible in the pandemic. Made Serrano-style ham several times, which is fantastic if you have the large gatherings to eat a whole ham. Maybe I’ll try one this fall.

Love it, will be trying on my venison

Sean, my son has wanted to save his venison heart ever since watching a Meat Eater episode. This year he harvested his doe at sundown and we forgot about the heart.
You’ll have to let us know how it turns out!

i always kabob it but this looks like a great alternative

Slightly off topic but Porter Road usually has beef heart and tongue. Hearts, they trim them and call them heart steaks, are $10. Tongue is on their 20% off sale right now and are a little over $14. Ships frozen. fwiw