Wrap in cheesecloth, into the pot with stock and aromatics, cover with parchment paper, then a lid, and into the oven.
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I love this thread!! Thank you for sharing with us, Sarah!
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What’s in the brine?
Salt, light brown sugar, pork stock, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, parsley, fennel seed, allspice, dried tangerine skin, candied ginger, apple cider vinegar, bay leaf, water. The pot is 60 quarts. We have two this size, just different shapes. When my stepson was an infant, Jonathan bathed him in this pot for giggles. Ex-wife not amused.
Actually the same as our Thanksgiving Turkey brine (we do it in the wood burning oven, best turkey ever) except we used pork stock instead of turkey stock. Cause yeah we got pork stock. 
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So wonderful to see. Appreciate the passion for food shown through the effort you put in the preparation.
Thank you for sharing.
Waiting for the release of the next episode.
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That’s so ambitious! It looks glorious. Well done! So what are you going to drink with it?
Thank you!
For the wine, mature champagne. This is course two of a 6 course wine dinner, with all the guests bringing fantastic bottles. So there could be some shuffling once we get all the wines in hand and make some firm decisions. Right now, the plan is a side by side of two vintages of Comtes de Champagne with age.
The torchon was poached for 6 hours, then cooled, rewrapped in new cheesecloth, and hung in the walk-in.
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Looks like they are hanging out and bonding already!
Love the thread and even if it’s advanced level beyond what I’ll make anytime soon, it’s a joy to follow and learn about the progress.
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Quick question - when you first wrap in cheesecloth do you remove the plastic or leave it on for the poach?
What’s the reason behind re-wrapping?
shit, that’s 2 questions
You remove the plastic wrap. That’s just to help you roll it up in the first place.
When the torchon comes out of the liquid, the cloth is, of course, soaked. The point of hanging it is to dry it, which is easier if you aren’t also trying to dry the cheesecloth. Also, there can be impurities clinging to the outside of the roll, and it’s kinda slimy. Just like I found the handle of the walk-in to be when I went down to take this picture this morning. Shudder to think how much pork fat is currently on Jonathan’s glasses….
Here are pictures of the roll just out of its bath, ans then unwrapped. Photos courtesy of JR as I was asleep. Not its most attractive stage. Maybe I should have told our guests not to follow. 
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Amazing thread Sarah- what’s the purpose of putting parchment paper over the poaching liquid?
When I do winter braises, I put paper like this under the pot lid to seal in moisture, but it doesn’t touch the liquid (much).
Thanks, Steve. Hope you are as amazed by how it tastes on Thursday.
It’s called a cartouche in French cooking. It reduces evaporation while allowing some moisture to escape, helps keep things submerged, prevents the surface from drying out, and helps distribute heat evenly.
Note the TK recipe doesn’t call for it, but JR is like “duh you do this.” Keller does call for tin foil under the lid, but we reject that.
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This has clearly been discussed upthread and I have a vague recollection of it…but walk in fridge? Sounds dreamy.
Hi Mike - yes, both walk-in fridge and freezer. We designed and built the house, and those were non-negotiable, partly because Jonathan needs to store a good amount of sake at fridge temp.
Funny story - when we were moved in, but some things still in progress, including the walk-ins, I wanted to have a dinner party, but Jonathan balked and said he couldn’t possibly do it until the walk-in was done. “Sweetheart,” I said, “Everyone who has dinner parties has them without a walk-in fridge. Not just most people, but Every. Single. One.” 
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Babette’s Feast!
Amazing thread @Sarah_Kirschbaum ! Jonathan is truly a master of his craft (or hobby)!
I’m a lucky girl. 
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I like this guy’s standards
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This is so cool – thanks for documenting it! That TFL recipe is a joke, like two sentences for something that takes all day. Your photos actually show what’s going on. I’ve been wanting to try this forever but always talked myself out of it. Now I’m feeling like I might actually have to go for it.
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