Hello.

Sorry for the break in blogging, but sometimes life just gets in the way. I'm back now, but I really don't have much to say.

When we left off, I was heading out to the Brooklyn Pigfest to butcher some hogs. On Friday morning I met Sam from the Waterfront Ale House and Rob Richter from the soon to be open Hill Country BBQ at the Old Tobacco Warehouse to find four rather large animal carcasses cut in half, hobbled and headless laying on tables. I was disappointed to find that the pigs had been shipped from the Niman Farms already cut in half. I was hoping to really get into butchering the animal.

To get the pigs to fit into the cookers, Sam had already removed the feet and lower part of the legs. When I arrived, he handed me a knife and told me to lift the ribs from the carcass. Sam is a very trusting man, first handing me a knife, then letting me loose on the pig without any supervision. Basically, I watched what Rob Richter was doing on one body and proceeded to do the same to my little Betty. (Don't tell anyone, but I named my pig half Betty.)

What we did was to cut the ribs off, but leaving them attached to create one large flap. Under this flap of ribs, Sam spread his secret seasonings of spices and then injected each little piggy with a secret solution of flavor that would help keep the pig moist. Sam seasoned each pig differently which I thought was interesting as the Pigfest attendees wouldn't know that each pig had different flavors.

And with some help from Big Lou, Betty was wrapped in foil and placed on one of the cookers for her 24 hour roast. More later.

BBQ Events: Pig and Chili

First the BBQ event, I'll be helping out the fine folks from Waterfront Ale House, Hill County BBQ BBQ, and Atom's Ribs at the Brooklyn Pigfest.

I'm really looking forward to it, as on Friday morning we'll be gathering to butcher some hogs. I know it sounds weird, but it's something I've never done and I'm dying to learn. I believe that too many cook's don't really understand the animal that they're cooking. The cyrovac packed meat is very far removed from the actual animal and allows too great a gulf between man and the food stuffs he eats.

From their website...

Don't miss the 7th Annual Pigfest at the Tobacco Warehouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Indulge in a day of cold beer, live music, and pork and chicken slow-cooked by Waterfront Ale House's own Sam Barbieri and his champion BBQ team. Beer and food included with admission.
Proceeds from this year's event will go to benefit the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy.
Advance tickets: $75
Tickets at the door: $85
Tickets available at: www.brooklynbrewery.com

And on Long Island, there's gonna be chili a cookin' at Long Island's First Annual Chili Cook-off. I might head out there, but Patchogue is such a long way from Brooklyn. It's for a good cause, so if you're on the island, be sure to check it out.

On a personal note, I may not be able to keep up with my promise to post every day this month. As I already mentioned, I'll be out butchering pigs on Friday and helping out on Saturday. I will take pictures and I will report on all the happenings, but it might not be this week.

Also, I promised you guys I'd get back to basics. I'm working on that as my daughter and I just planted our vegetable garden today. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, corn, and a few other things. Many of these vegetables will be served along side the BBQ all summer. I'm also so tired of the politics of the barbecue world. I just want to stay home and cook.