Pork Fest
My annual Pork Fest get-together had its successful ninth edition this past Sunday. I think it was the largest event yet, so it was fortunate that the weather was ideal and we could use the deck. I was able to share some new recipes and cook up some old favorites. This year was co-hosted by Aiday, so needless to say, the menu expanded even further, with a vastly improved selection of non-meat dishes.
From a personal perspective, it was great to see so many friends and have them share an afternoon and evening of food, drinks and company. Ironically, with as much food as we cooked, both Aiday and I went to bed a little hungry - she because of hosting and talking with everyone; me because this is the nadir of the treatment cycle. I actually lost some weight despite cooking 40 lbs of meat plus all the sides and ice cream (actually at my lowest weight since the treatment started). I expect to gain it back this week, though. My energy was boosted by seeing everyone, and I didn’t get sick, so all positive.
A Brief History
Pork Fest started in 2010, after I placed a winning bid at a silent charity auction for “45 pounds of premium pork.” This was a bit of an unexpected victory, as I know a good deal when I see it, and was a little surprised that no one outbid me. In any case, I was given the option to pick up the prize at a later date, so I chose a time later in the summer. I figured I could learn to cook a few things and share this prize with friends, as even for an aspiring porcine connoisseur such as myself, eating 45 lbs of meat in any concentrated time frame would not be advisable.
So, the cost of this prize turned out to be a lot higher than just my bid. I convinced myself that a Big Green Egg was necessary in order to maximize the enjoyment of meats. This started me down the path of smoking meats and grilling over a live flame. I figured if I was going to cook so much pork, I needed to have both a propane grill and a BGE, right?
The first few years were dominantly pork-focused, featuring pulled pork, grilled pork chops, smoked and grilled ribs, chocolate covered bacon, bacon peanut brittle, and the bacon explosion. For those unfamiliar, this is a pork on pork on pork dish - cooked bacon wrapped in sausage wrapped in a lattice of bacon, seasoned with BBQ sauce and then smoked or baked. Sides and non-pork dishes were more of an afterthought. Here are photos of my earlier cooking of the bacon explosion.
Pork still remains a staple item, but the menu has since expanded to include more options for non-pork eaters, both in terms of meat and vegetarian items. During the year, we note which recipes were especially tasty, and some make the cut for Pork Fest. We do our best to make everything from scratch, so only a very limited number of pre-made or store-bought items (e.g. chips and crackers). Here are some notable debuts:
Pork Fest II: home made ice cream
Pork Fest III: first printed menu
Pork Fest IV: beef brisket
Pork Fest V: pimento cheese with Ritz crackers; smoked ice cream flavors
Pork Fest VI: sauces, e.g. fenugreek cream curry, chili sauce (from Hainanese chicken rice)
Pork Fest VII: homemade sourdough bread
Pork Fest VIII: chicken in chili oil; banana bread; curry puffs
Pork Fest IX: chicken tikka masala; borek; mercimek köftesi (lentil and bulgar balls)
Each year of Pork Fest is a learning experience, so hopefully the event has gotten better over time. For example, in my first year, I remember giving away raw pork at the end, as I had no place to store it. We still try to give away any excess but at least it’s cooked. I’ve also learned to include items that can be prepared in advance, since cooking during the event takes away time from hosting and talking with friends (and it can be hot to stand in front of a grill for a few hours). Next year, we’ll work on better explanations for letting people know what’s available and pairs well, as well as making sure all the ice creams (over 20 flavors this year) get a chance to be sampled, amongst others.
Pork Fest IX
This year’s event was different from previous years in several ways. First, Aiday co-hosted, which had several benefits. The condo looked a lot better and was cleaner than ever. Friends who have been here commented on the improvement right away. She also made many dishes (borek, lentil balls) that people loved by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Her knife skills are superb, so all of the sauces and prep work were better and faster. Importantly, she taste tested everything. Most of the dishes we made had some level of spice to them, so in my current condition, I could not test them before serving. I knew in advance that I wouldn't eat much during the event, but may be able to try some dishes later this week during a recovery part of the cycle.
The big hits this year featured some staples like the the pimento cheese and sourdough bread. The brisket turned out really well this year, so I had to take to reserving (hiding) a few slices for me and Aiday to enjoy later. We put the brisket on a 7pm Saturday and took it off at 10am Sunday, so it got around 15 hours of smoke at ~225F. I was not so quick in securing the chicken tikka masala, which was consumed quite quickly after being presented. Except for the ice cream, which has to be made well in advance, all of the cooking was done Thu-Sun, with the bulk on Saturday. As usual during the event, I forgot to take pictures, so I didn’t capture all the dishes.
Here are some pictures of me and Aiday at the party with our friends. In some of these pictures, I’m wearing a kalpak. It is hat native to the Kyrgyz Republic and Central Asia. It’ll keep one warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Some thought I looked like a native Kyrgyz with that on.
Recipes
If your mouth is watering and you’re wondering about the recipes, here are some links to get you going. I’ve noted a few modifications when I’ve made them. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.
Momofuku Bo Ssam: originally from David Chang, reprinted in NYT. This link also includes recipes for the ginger-scallion and ssam sauces. I usually make at least 2x the ginger-scallion sauce since it goes with lots of other things, e.g. noodles, fried eggs and rice, chicken, etc.
Chicken Tikka Masala: this comes from Rasika, the restaurant in Washington, DC. The ingredients are available at Indian grocery stores (very accessible in Chicago). For this recipe, you can add up to 3 lbs of chicken (instead of 2) to the mix. I also substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream to make it a little lighter
Bacon Explosion: originally from BBQ Addicts and helped popularized by NYT. I haven’t made this in a little while, though. See the photos above
Chicken in Chili Oil: based on a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe (reprinted in Serious Eats), with some modifications. I’ve noted those on the PDF. This recipe scales very well and I usually make double (1.5 lbs chicken). I sous vide and then shred the chicken instead of roasting it. Also, it’s much cheaper (and relatively easy) to make your own chili oil vs. buying it
Lamb popsicles with fenugreek cream curry (referenced in a previous post): this comes from Vij’s in Vancouver. The curry sauce is like the ginger scallion sauce as it goes well with a lot of things. I do half the recipe for the sauce and there is plenty leftover
Pimento Cheese: Garden & Gun magazine. I make slight modifications to this recipe, including adding some of the pickling juice from the roasted red peppers and substituting sriracha for Tabasco (though the version I made for Pork Fest did not have this additional heat)
Moroccan Carrot Salad: from Alon Shaya place in New Orleans. As he notes in the book, it’s best to use smaller, heirloom carrots, which are sweeter and add color to the dish. This can be made in advance
Mercimek Köftesi (Lentil Balls): NYT recipe. Made with lentils and bulgur. This recipe also scales very well
Teff Banana Bread: from Miraval Resort & Spa. This makes a gluten-free and dairy-free version that is very moist and tasty. We will make this and bring it as a snack when we travel
That’s about it for now. Hopefully my eating will improve and I can eat the saved brisket and pulled pork later this week. I need to at least try some things from the BBQ!