Recent Posts
Duck Bacon Carbonara
Duck Bacon Carbonara
Carbonara is one of my favorite pasta dishes. This is my personal take using homemade duck bacon and farm fresh duck eggs, instead of using pancetta and chicken eggs. My carbonara takes about 10 minutes of prep work and 10 minutes cooking time to create a dish that tastes like a million bucks.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 oz duck bacon diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 duck eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1 lb linguine
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Mix together the beaten duck eggs, parmesan, and black pepper. Set aside.
- Add the pasta to a large pot of salted boiling water. Prepare according to the package instructions; cooking 1 minute shy of being done. Drain, saving 1 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
- Brown the duck bacon in a large sauté pan over medium heat until crispy; about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon; reserving the duck fat.
- Add in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the peas. Cook for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat. Add in the pasta, coating in the garlic and peas.
- Stir in the duck egg mixture and the reserved pasta water.
- Stir in the duck bacon.
Honey-Glazed Duck Bacon
Honey-Glazed Duck Bacon
This might be the most luxurious bacon you will ever eat. I purchased 4 duck breasts, about 8 oz each, and cured them the exact same way as regular pork belly bacon. In addition, I brushed honey across the skin side of the breasts right before smoking them; giving the bacon a slight sweetness. The entire process took 8 days before I could eat it, so patience is key. You can eat the duck bacon as is or use as a replacement for pork bacon in numerous recipes.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- ziplock bag
Ingredients
- 4 duck breasts about 8 oz each
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp pink curing salts
- honey
Wood Chips
- hickory wood chips
Instructions
- Mix together the dry rub ingredients.
- Place the duck breasts in a large ziplock bag. Pour in the dry rub ingredients and massage into the duck breast. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal. Cure for 5-6 days; flipping the bag everyday.
- Remove the duck breasts from the bag. Rinse off any excess dry rub. Pat dry with paper towels and allow to dry out in the refrigerator for 1 day.
- Let your duck breasts rest at room temperature for 2 hours before smoking. Brush on a thin layer of honey on the skin side of the breasts.
- Preheat your smoker to 225°. Place the duck breasts in the smoker. Add in your wood chips to the tray and smoke for 2 hours.
- Pull the duck breasts from the smoker and let cool at room temp. Refrigerate for 1 day before slicing and cooking.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the duck breasts no more than 1/8” thick.
- Warm up a griddle or sauté pan over medium heat. Add in slices of the duck bacon.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes a side until crispy.
Biala Kielbasa (White Polish Sausage)
Biala Kielbasa (White Polish Sausage)
Sausage is a staple of Polish cuisine. The word “kielbasa” happens to mean sausage in Polish. Sausage is so popular in Poland that the government has official guides of classification based upon size, meat used, ready-to-eat, and raw varieties. This particular recipe is for biala kielbasa(Polish white sausage). This garlicky tube of meat is made out of pork shoulder and bacon, ground together; flavored with salt, pepper, marjoram, sugar, and the aforementioned garlic. The sausage is found raw, not smoked; typically used in soups, boiled in beer, or grilled.
Equipment
- meat grinder
- sausage stuffer
Ingredients
- 4 lbs boneless pork shoulder cut into small cubes
- 1 lb bacon diced
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tsp marjoram
- 3/4 cup ice water
- pork sausage casings
Instructions
- Mix together the spices. Set aside.
- Mix together the pork shoulder, bacon, and whole garlic cloves.
- Grind using a medium ground plate.
- Thoroughly mix the spices and ice water together.
- Pipe the sausage into the casings with your sausage stuffer.
- Twist to 6” in length. Let rest in the refrigerator overnight before cutting to dry out the casing.
