Yes, I am still alive!

Though I thought during my hospitalization that I would never again have such a long time without any posts, I have again slipped. I finally got back to work after my motorcycle accident, though it is a new job. Rebecca and I have also found a new, larger place to live and are in the process of moving in two weeks. So with the moving, I haven't really the capacity to start anything that would be safe to be moved a few miles at move time. I am however mentally scheming as to how I might be able to create a space dedicated to my meat pursuits in the new place. So if you are kind enough to bear with me, good things are sure to follow. In the meantime, I will try to post more about the things that have already taken place though I have not yet written about them (pig-roast for example)!

Until then, check out the Facebook page I created for Low on the Hog, it can be found here ...

http://www.facebook.com/LOWontheHOG

or by clicking on the badge in the right column, towards the bottom!

Getting cheeky, or What I did with 5 jowls

On a recent trip to the farm and processing plant of Slagel Family Farms and Slagel Family Meats, I picked up a bag of jowls: five in all. During the drive back I thought about my plan of attack. I hadn't done much since the 'nduja and bresaola I started long before the wedding, so I had a few ideas, to say the least. At some point I realized that I was in no way committed to a single idea. Do I need 5 whole cheeks of any one style anyway?

Review of recent goodies!

As it is about 12 weeks since my motorcycle accident, my leg is finally allowing me to get around fairly well. I can run errands and sit comfortably in most normal situations (I could barely get comfortable sitting in a restaurant chair for even a short meal). I have even gotten back into the home kitchen, too, and I hope to get back to some home meat-curing with some regularity. Thanks for bearing with me while I posted more reviews and great finds in a consecutive manner than I ever planned during the inception of "the Hog." I'm hoping now to get back to some of my own stuff for you all to enjoy and hopefully learn something from.

Some of the last things I had worked on before the accident were actually a couple items I had made for the wedding to use on a meat and cheese platter after the dinner had cleared. These items included some 'nduja, beef bresaola, pickles and some jalapeno jelly. Of course 4 weeks to the day before the wedding I had my accident. But with a ton of help from my wife Rebecca and our good friends Henning & Emily, everything was finished successfully and was thoroughly enjoyed by our party-goers! We were even able to knock-out some homemade favors for our guests like more jalapeno jelly, a smoky spice rub and some dill-pickled green beans.

Great Find: Charcuterie: The Dining Room at Biltmore Asheville, NC

For our last night in Asheville, we decided to stay close to home and have dinner at the Dining Room at the Inn.

(The view during the pre-dinner cocktail)

We had mentioned to the concierge that we were celebrating our honeymoon, so after a pre-dinner cocktail in the bar (me: gin & tonic, Rebecca: Biltmore champagne), we luckily scored a seat by the window overlooking the lush Blue Ridge Mountains. The menu was local and refined, with plenty of charcuterie to please my palette: bison carpaccio, venison bresaola, duck proscuitto, pancetta. I noticed chorizo on a dish we didn't order, so I asked our server if I could try a tiny bite, which led to a lengthy explanation of my love for and experience with charcuterie.

Great Find: Bar-B-Que: 12 Bones Smokehouse Asheville, NC

(continued from my Asheville post)

While we had a great BBQ lunch the day before, I couldn't leave Asheville without another taste. In asking for recommendations, 12 Bones Smokehouse came up repeatedly as being "the best." It usually... ok, always... came with this warning: "The line is always long, but it moves pretty quickly, don't worry." (Probably due in part to President Obama's recent visit there). So we decided to check it out.

Sure enough, at 11:15, there was already a line down one side of the building. It was off the beaten path in an area called the River Arts District, but that wasn't keeping many away. Luckily, the line did move quickly. At the register was one person taking the order and another taking the loot. This place had much more of a typical BBQ joint feel to it. Goofy signs alongside nostalgic advertising, an un-sided Morton shed offering covered outdoor seating, and of course, photos of the current President during his recent visits.