Thai-style Fried Pork Snack

Oh, hi there! Long time no see! What can I say? It's been busy around here...just not in the kitchen. Hopefully that's going to change, now that I don't have to work full time AND take evening classes three days a week. Besides, and I never thought I'd say this, I'm tired of take out. It's fine once or twice a week, but 3 or 4 times a week for a few months just plain sucks. It takes a toll on the waistline and the pocketbook.



Okay, so maybe deep-fried pork isn't good for the waistline either, but at least it's homemade. Not only that, it brings me back to Mom's kitchen. This is type the of stuff I grew up on. Mom still makes this whenever we visit. And in fact, the last time she came to visit me, she brought 2 large Ziploc bags full of it, ready to be fried. The stuff my family will transport in their luggage just makes me chuckle.

The proper way (as Mom would say) to make this is to marinate the pork in garlic and a little fish sauce then set it out in the sun to dry. She does this with both pork and beef. Of course she lives in scorching hot-dry-sunny Las Vegas so it works perfectly. Here in Portland this wouldn't work. It's never hot or dry enough. I shudder at the thought of leaving fresh meat outside to dry here.

Luckily, I stumbled on an alternative that worked beautifully. Earlier in the week I made a brined pork roast and had plenty left over. I sliced the meat and added finely chopped garlic (several cloves), a stalk of lemongrass (finely chopped), a few crushed kaffir lime leaves and sliced shallot. Into the fridge it went overnight. The next day, before deep-frying, I tossed in about 1/2 tbs of rice powder to absorb any extra moisture (this is optional).

I think Mom would approve of the results. The meat was crispy and chewy without being dry or hard. The seasonings really came through and the shallots crisped up nicely. I served sticky rice and dipping sauce (ingredients below) on the side and it was a big hit. Goes great with a nice cold beer too.

We Thais love our dipping sauces and for a dish like this, it is a key component. It's quite easy to make. All you need is fresh lime juice (maybe 1 to 2 large limes), chopped garlic (about 1 to 2 cloves), chopped chillies (as many as you can tolerate), fish sauce and sugar. Everything is to taste so use more or less as you see fit.

Bacon is Healthy. Okay, Not Really. But It's Delicious.

We love bacon in this house, but we don’t eat it very often. I generally don’t feel guilty about most foods, but bacon is not one of them. The fat and salt is enough to induce heart palpitations just thinking about it. When I do buy it, it’s always from the deli counter so I don’t buy more than I need. Those deli guys must think I'm crazy buying two strips of bacon at a time.

Having said that, I must confess that we've already had bacon 3 times in the last 6 days. But before you do that disappointed health freak face, let me explain. We weren't just eating any old bacon. We were reaping the fruits of my labor, if you will. That's right, I made bacon! I'll say it was one of the most satisfying moments when I sat down to breakfast this past weekend and enjoyed my own delicious bacon.



You’re probably wondering why I would want to make bacon? I guess that’s just how I roll. I’m all about demystifying and doing it myself. Many commercial bacons are so salty that one bite is enough to send my blood pressure sky high. The thing I like about this bacon is that it didn't feel like eating a salt lick. Maple and brown sugar gave it a hint of sweetness and helped to cut the saltiness. I also used fresh cracked black pepper to give it a little subtle heat.



Seriously, it was easy. All you have to do is cure it for a week, then hot smoke it for an hour or two. The only difficult thing about it is the waiting. So no, I won’t be making this on a weekly basis, but it is a nice touch if we are having visitors or going to a special function.

This recipe I used comes from Charcuterie (see the right side bar). According to the authors, you can use whatever seasonings you like because it’s the cure and smoke that give bacon its wonderful taste. So if you don’t want to use maple but prefer to use cloves or bay leaves or whatever else tickles your fancy, then by all means. The original recipe calls for 5 pounds of pork belly. As big of a fan of bacon as I am, I thought that might just be a wee bit much. So I only started with 2 ½ pounds. However, after the smoking, there was a 20% weight loss (the bacon, not me)! After giving some to my neighbor for letting me use his smoker (thanks again, Dennis!), I was left with only about a pound. Even though that will stretch for 4 or even 5 uses, for the amount of waiting and daydreaming that goes into the process, I want the yield to be a bit more. Next time, I’m going for gold and making all 5 pounds. It freezes beautifully, so none of it will go to waste.



Note: if you want to do the whole 5 pounds, just double the recipe.

Maple Bacon (adapted from Charcuterie)
yields approximately 2 pounds

• 1 oz kosher salt
• 1 tsp pink salt (1/4 oz or 6 grams if you’re doing it by weight, which you should be)
• 1 tbs black peppercorns, coarsely ground
• 1 tbs whole allspice, coarsely ground
• 2 packed tbs light brown sugar (the original recipe calls for dark brown)
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 2 ½ pound slab of pork belly (original recipe says skin on, but I did it with skin removed)

Start by combining all of the dry ingredients. You want to make sure the pink salt is evenly distributed. Add the maple syrup and stir to make a paste. Rub the paste over the entire surface of the pork.

Place the pork in a Ziploc bag large enough to hold it or in a non-reactive container that is just slightly bigger than the pork. During the curing process, liquid will be released and it will work to cure the meat. Keep the meat in the fridge, turning every other day to expose both sides to the brine. It should take about 7 days to cure. It’s ready if you touch the meat and it’s firm. Make sure you’re checking the actual meat and not the fat, because the fat doesn’t get firm.

Once you’ve determined the meat is cured, rinse it well under cold water. You want to get rid of the residual salt. Most of the spices will wash off too, and that’s okay. Their flavor will already be in the meat. Pat the meat dry and air-dry it in the fridge for at least overnight. When you air-dry it in the fridge, it needs to rest on a rack, uncovered, above a container that will catch any juices and allow air to circulate. The next day, hot-smoke the meat to an internal temperature of 150º. For me, this took less than 2 hours (I think) at 275º (the original recipe didn’t specify a smoking temperature). I expected it to take like 3 hours, but when I checked it a little after 2 hours, it was at like 160+. Yikes!!! Yet, the bacon turned out fine.

Once you remove the bacon from the smoker, let it cool a bit. If you started with skin-on pork belly, you should remove the skin before the bacon cools completely. I started with skinless, and the fat caramelized very nicely, so I think I’ll use skinless the next time as well. Do not try to slice the bacon into strips before it is completely cooled to refrigerator temperature. An extra half hour in the freezer might make it even easier. Unless you have Morimoto-sharp knives, you will just end up “squishing” the fat and the slices will be sloppy and too thick. Trust me on this. Once it’s cool enough to slice, you still have to fry it to get it crispy.


If you found this process interesting, you may enjoy making your own Canadian bacon. It’s just as easy as bacon, but requires only 2 days curing. It’s also a lot less fatty because it’s done with pork loin.

Homemade is Better Made!

As I’ve said before, I’m intrigued by the idea of making my own cured meats. I feel like it’s really becoming a lost art. Maybe it’s because people think it’s hard or requires expensive equipment. That’s what I thought. Or maybe it’s because people think that they could just as well buy ham and salami at the market, so why bother? What I’m finding is that it’s neither hard nor expensive, and when everything turns out right, it’s better than what I can get at the market. I also like the idea of seeing the process through. Pick out the ingredients, watch the transformation and enjoy the taste. It really is quite rewarding.

For my first attempt at curing, I chose to do Canadian bacon, the recipe for which I adapted from Charcuterie (see the left side bar). It really is so easy. The only special things you’ll need is pink salt (aka Prague powder #1 or Instacure #1 or sodium nitrite curing salt) and a smoker, although the smoker is not really necessary. Roasting in a oven should work just fine. I don’t have a smoker, but my neighbor allowed me to use his (thanks Dennis!).


The results were far better than I expected. I was afraid the pork would be too salty or dry, but the brine salted the meat perfectly and the pink salt gave the finished product a wonderful pink color. Without it, I think the color would have been grey. The texture was right on and it wasn’t dry at all. Smoking the pork gave it the extra touch, as you can imagine.

Canadian bacon
Adapted from Charcuterie
Brine:

• 2 quarts water
• 6 oz kosher salt
• 4 oz sugar
• 0.75 oz pink salt* (see note)
• 1 tbs coriander seeds
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 1 ½ lbs trimmed pork loin

*Note: There seems to be a lot of controversy over pink salt. In some recipes, it’s required as it neutralizes the toxins given off by the botulism bacteria. For this recipe, I think it’s mostly used to give the meat a nice pink color after it’s been cooked. I recommend using it, but use only as directed. Consumed in large amounts, it can be harmful. You’ll probably need to order it online unless you’re lucky enough to know someone who has access to it.

In a large (non-reactive) pot heat the water with the other brine ingredients until all the salt and sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool to room temp before sticking it in the fridge to chill. When it’s completely chilled, add the pork loin. Make sure it’s completely submerged. Let the pork loin brine for 48 hours. I actually left it in for like 60 hours because I forgot about it and it still turned out fine. After that time, remove it from the brine and pat it dry. Let it sit in the fridge, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours. It’s best if you can suspend it on a rack over a tray to let it drip and allow air to circulate around it. Hot smoke the pork loin at 200ºF until it reaches an internal temperature of 150º. This took me about 3.5 hours. If you don’t have a smoker, you can roast the pork in the oven and I’m sure the result will still be tasty. According to the recipe, the Canadian bacon can be kept for up to 10 days after it's cooked, but I'm sure it will be gone well before that time!


Before I "sign-off" I want to direct your attention to the Foodie Blogroll icon in the left side bar. I just joined because I like the idea of having so many food blogs at my fingertips! It's also a great way to network. I encourage you to take a gander.