Basic Sausage Production Class at LCI

In august I had the opportunity to attend a leisure class at the Louisiana Culinary Institute.  Jeremy Wells from FairelesCourses.net joined me in Chef Dave Tiner's Basic Sausage Production class.  I have long been a fan of grilling, smoking, and eating sausages, so I was really excited about the opportunity to learn about different sausage making tips and ingredients.

The results from my Basic Sausage Production class at LCI

The class size for the class was limited to 12 so everyone could get their hands dirty and receive plenty of attention from the certified chef instructors.  We made four different types or raw sausages: Breakfast, Italian, Bratwurst, and Chorizo.

Chef Dave instructs the class about cleaning and testing the sausage casings

Each member of the class started their sausage recipes with one and half pounds of ground pork shoulder.  From there they all differed based on the unique seasonings and ingredients of each sausage.  For the Italian sausage we toasted our own fennel seeds before mixing them with the meat.  We also cased all of the sausages other than the breakfast sausage which used sage as a key ingredient.  I wanted to form that one into patties.

Jay's mixing bowl for homemade Chorizo with just enough paprika!

At the end of the class Chef Dave had some different sausages for us to try and we also got to go home with about six pounds of sausage that we hand-mixed and cased.  I learned a fair amount about the basics of sausage production and it only made me want to take some more advanced charcuterie classes so I could really get into curing meats and smoked sausages.  If any of you are interested in taking a Saturday leisure class at LCI, make sure to check out their schedule here: http://www.lci.edu/site36.php.  And remember, never stop learning, especially when it comes to eating and drinking!

Jay shows off some of his homemade sausage!

September is Hunger Action Month!

As much as I eat and drink, it is hard sometimes for me to imagine what it is like to truly be hungry.  When I'm hungry, it usually means that its time to light up the grill or frequent one of my many go-to restaurants in our very foodie-friendly city.  To think about a life where firing up the grill wasn't an option or paying for someone else to produce the food needed more nourishment, let alone pleasure, is just mind-boggling.  I know that I've never been "starving" in my life, no matter what I might have said when waking up on a Sunday afternoon after forgetting to eat the night before and needing to find somewhere to go for brunch.  So, with all of that being said, I think it is only naturally that somebody like me supports a cause like hunger action month.  Nobody should have to go hungry in the true sense of hunger.  Not in Baton Rouge.  Not in Louisiana.  Not in the United States.  Not in the world.

September is Hunger Action Month- a national movement to raise awareness and take action to help the 50 million Americans who experience hunger. Throughout the month, Feeding America’s nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, including the Greater Baton Rouge Food Banks and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, is working to engage citizens to take action and help spread the word about how pervasive hunger is in every community.

Hunger is closer than I would have thought. Nationwide, 50 million Americans suffer from food insecurity. In Louisiana 1 in 8 people is struggling with hunger. 1 in 5 children in Louisiana is at risk for hunger. In any given week, nearly 42,000 people receive food through Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana.  The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank distributes nearly 10,000,000 pounds of food annually.

Hunger impacts child development, health and wellness, education, workforce development – our general welfare as a nation. It is an issue in every community – and food banks work tirelessly to combat hunger and aid those living with the everyday disaster of hunger. In contrast to what many believe, hunger does not only affect the homeless. Hunger is a daily struggle that can impact anyone. Many families are just one paycheck away from needing to rely on a food bank, food pantry or soup kitchen.

Local food banks are on the frontlines of the battle against hunger. It is only through the food, funds and time donated by members of the community that food banks can lead the fight. September is your opportunity to get involved with the fight against hunger as each individual has the power to fight hunger. There are many ways to help including hosting a food drive, volunteering, sharing hunger facts through social media, preparing food for an elderly neighbor or visit the 30 Ways in 30 Days calendar for more ideas on daily ways you can take action.

Throughout the month of September follow the hashtag #fighthunger to hear how members of our community are taking action and to hear about other ways you can help Second Harvest Food Bank. For more information on the Power to Fight Hunger campaign visit www.no-hunger.org.

For more information:

Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana 

Greater Baton Rouge Area Food Bank

Feeding America

Hunger Action Month

Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Visits Louisiana Tonight!

Tonight at 8 PM Central our television sets will transform into a beacon of culinary imagery and language that will transcend cultures and time.  Okay, maybe that is being a little too verbose on purpose, but if you are watching Hurricane-postponed Monday Night Football, then you have your television tuned in to the wrong channel.  Anthony Bourdain's hit show "No Reservations" airs tonight in the season finale from Cajun Country.  The chef, author, and TV host will surely have some wise remarks about his visit to our fine state.

Anthony Bourdain visits Lakeview Park in Eunice, LA (photo courtesy of travelchannel.com)

His journey on the Travel Channel show will begin in New Olreans where word is that he'll check out a drive-through daiquiri shop and swing by Willie Mae's Scotch House for some fried chicken.  From there it'll be off to Breaux Bridge for a crawfish boil and then to Eunice where Tony will participate in a boucherie (literally translated: butcher shop, Cajun Dictionary definition: A community butchering which involves several families contributing the animal(s) --usually pigs -- to be slaughtered. Each family helps to process the different cuts of meat, like sausage, ham, boudin, chaudin, chops, and head cheese. Each family gets to take home their share of the yield. This process was done in late fall to provide meat throughout the cold months.).

Anthony Bourdain and his hosts in Eunice prepare the hog for the boucherie (photo courtesy of travelchannel.com)

This is sure to be an exciting episode of "No Reservations" and I'm very happy to see Louisiana's culinary trails getting more attention and respect from national television programming.  Make sure to tune in (or at least set your DVR) to the Travel Channel tonight at 8 PM Central.  I don't think you'll regret it.

Viking Cooking School Outdoors Cooking Class Giveaway

By now I hope you've heard about the Viking Cooking School Outdoors that is coming to Baton Rouge.  If you've been paying any attention to the Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket, Bite and Booze itself, or my Twitter or Facebook pages, you would know that I'm actually going to be one of the chef instructors for the first-of-its-kind outdoor cooking experience!  I'm pretty excited.

So with that, I'm giving away an awesome prize package through Bite and Booze.  The package includes:

Admission for 2 into the Viking Cooking School Outdoors class of your choosing,
A one-night stay at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center (where the cooking school is), and
A $100 gift card to the Kingfish Restaurant at the Hilton

So how do you win this prize that is valued at up to $500?  Simple.  Make sure you like the
Viking Cooking School Outdoors - Baton Rouge Facebook page.

Once you've done that, post on the page's wall saying something clever about how you want to win the Bite and Booze prize package.  Bonus points (AKA extra entry) if you also like the Jay D's Bite and Booze Blog page and tag it in your post! I'll keep tabs of everybody who likes the page and posts on the wall, and then we'll randomly select one lucky winner!!  Couldn't be much easier... unless you don't use Facebook.  If that's the case, have a friend enter on your behalf!  Make sure to do this by Labor Day (Monday, September 5th).  I'll announce the winner on September 6th.

For more ways to win a $100 gift card to the Kingfish Restaurant, tune into the Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket on Saturdays at 5 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.  I give one away every week!

Cheers and good luck!

Vote for Bite and Booze in Draft Magazine's Annual Great Grill-Out Recipe Contest!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm at it again.  This year, a recipe of mine has been selected as a Top 10 finalist for Draft Magazine's Annual Great Grill-Out Recipe Contest.  The theme of the contest was right up Bite and Booze's alley: "recipes are limited to 10 ingredients or less - one of them must be beer - and your dish should be made on the grill."  The only pantry ingredients we were allowed to include that didn't count as our ten were salt, black pepper, and olive oil.  This contest was a no-brainer for me to enter and I'm thrilled that my recipe has been chosen as a finalist.  If I win, I could get another Big Green Egg Smoker/Grill Package, a dual faucet kegerator from BeverageFactory.com, Omaha Steaks, a beer club membership, and more!

Please help me vote.  This contest has a 1 vote per IP address per day limit and only lasts until September 9th.  Give it all you've got and help me win another grilling contest!!  Share this link of Facebook, Twitter, message boards, etc. or email it to all your buddies!  Thanks so much everybody!

Vote here: http://draftmag.com/recipecontest/vote/
My recipe, which is also seen below, is the "Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney."  Click on it and it'll show you the recipe... then click on the vote button and you'll cast your ballot for me.  Come back daily until September 9th to vote again!

Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney

Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney

Ingredients:
6 bottles of slightly fruity wheat beer
2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp Allspice
2 Tbsp Cinnamon
4 thick cut pork chops
1 stick of butter
2 shallots
2 jalapenos
1 garlic clove
2 peaches
salt
pepper

Step 1: Make a beer brine.

Pour 2 bottles of beer into a grill-safe pot. Heat the beer until simmering or slowly boiling. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1 Tbsp of allspice, 2 tbsp of cinnamon, 2 tbsp salt and 2 tbsp ground black pepper. Heat keep over heat until all ingredients have dissolved into the beer and come together as one. Remove from heat and chill.

Once at room temperature, add the pork chops to the brine and allow to soak for at least an hour or two.

Step 2: Drink a beer while the brine is cooling and the pork chops are in the brine. Okay, drink two beers.

Step 3: Make spicy peach chutney.

Once the pork is getting close to coming out of the brine, finely chop the shallots, jalapenos, garlic and peaches. Melt some butter in a pan over the grill. saute the shallots in the butter. Once soft, add in the jalapenos and garlic. Saute until cooked down and soft, then add the chopped peaches. Continue to cook down. Add about half of a beer (drink the other half), the 1/2 cup of brown sugar that remains, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook it down while moving on to step 4.

Step 4: Cook the pork chops.

Remove the pork chops from the brine. Place on the grill over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, then flip. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of the chop and temperature of the grill. Probably 5-10 minutes per side. Cook to a medium temperature.

Remove the pork chops from the grill. Allow them to rest for just a few minutes. Top each chop with the spicy peach chutney, and enjoy with your last beer from the six pack.


I have made this with Bayou Teche Brewing Company's Grenade, which is a Louisiana Passionfruit beer. I suggest something with some fruit characteristics but nothing overly sweet. Pork and fruit work really well together, and a lot can mix with peach, so perhaps a raspberry beer, strawberry beer, or even a pumpkin spiced beer could work.