Recipe: The Beast

Known lovingly as the "Bacon Explosion", we dubbed this mound of deliciousness 'The Beast'. Basically pork on top of pork on top of pork with a few of Ted's additions & smoked, this thing was amazing (pictured to the right with some smoked sausage).

Lem's new smoker made short work of this delicious little bundle of porky goodness.

1. Weave 12 slices of thick cut bacon into a lattice. It should measure about a square foot.

2. Flatten out 1 lb of Italian sausage meat & lay flat out on the bacon.

3. Add 2-3 slices of cooked, chopped bacon. Dousing in BBQ sauce is optional.

4. Add cheese. Again, this was optional, but I thought it could have used more cheese.

5. Roll up the Italian Sausage.

6. Roll the Beast into a tight package.

7. Season lightly & add to your smoker with your favorite lump wood. Smoke for 2-3 hours, slice & enjoy!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the finished, sliced product as it was devoured pretty damn quickly. I'm not sure what type of wood was used for the smoking, but the bacon had a really sweet flavor that I loved. Nice work Ted!

This was a nice change in both taste and texture to most of the other foods were were eating on this year's Man Camp (full culinary coverage to follow!)

Porchetta (110 East 7th St.)

After reading NY Mag's review of this new 'pork-centric' gem in the East Village, I decided to go try some for myself. According to the 'omnipresent' Wikipedia, porchetta is; 'a savory, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition'. A pretty accurate description if you ask me.


The location is small, offering maybe 6 seats at counters, so I think it really lends more to takeout, but I still ended up eating there. The menu is small & concise, offering vegetarian options & a few sides, but I was really only interested in the pork, so I ordered the porchetta plate (who needs bread anyway?)which came out to about $13. Before I left my house, I did a bit of research & found mixed reviews & some complaints, mainly about price, portion size & what some whackjob described as 'inedible gristle'. I found none of the above to be true.

Served with beans & greens, I found the pork to be incredibly moist & flavorful. I particularly enjoyed the spice rub on the pork - the fennel added so much to this dish. Being a pork aficionado, I ate every bit of the succulent fat before polishing off the rest of the meat. I'll have to admit though, that the sides really didn't do anything for me - I was all about the pork. Now if only they would sell it by the pound!

The decor is minimalistic, the staff are engaging & friendly & the food is top notch. I'd recommend Porchetta to anyone who likes pork, or just good food in general. Rest assured that I'll be going back there.