Suckling pig in the ugly drum

Here's some shots of my new drum in action for the first official "cook" Suckling pig hams. Legs were brined in apple juice wine and spices/salt for 3 days. Smoked for 5 in a half hours at 230 for a final internal temp of 169f. I used three kinds of willow as well as alder for smoke. One of the best if not the best "little ham" ever!

The porchetta's were cooked sous-vide for 6 hours at 138f, then charred on the que. I would definitely do that again. The picnic was slow roasted over white beans garlic and plenty of onions and rosemary. Eventually they were married together. I made a huge panzanilla salad to go with everthing.

The head was made into coppa di testa. Marinated in garlic, smoked paprika, chipotle, fennel seeds, rosemary, parsley, salt and sugar. Cooked sous-vide at 180f for 8 hours, pulled it apart, added some fresh lemon zest, fried shallots and parsley. Trotters on steroids! So good, I had it at 8am with some fried eggs. My dishwasher was freaking out a bit! lol

Pictured above- Coppa di testa

Breaking S@#T down to molecules

Cbc Radio one, a suckling pig and 2 hours of the morning with a nice cool breeze coming through my window.

1 Suckling pig =

2 x cider and molasses brined cold smoked hams to be.....

2 x whole picnic shoulders for the drum smoker

2 x chili, rosemary and fennel "porchetta's" (I know your supposed to use the whole pig for the porchetta but, I feel I can better utilize all the parts to get more out of my hog)

1 x coppa di testa

1x big pot of delicious pork stock

Looking forward to some gomphus clavatus "pigs ear mushroom" to have with the next hog! Cranberry mission is set in Dawson City for September with Brice the Rappie Pie Guru! Ive promised to bring some of Grand Dowdell's amazing beets that I will pickle for the pie. There's some talk around the lodge of getting some Dall sheep this fall as well. Sounds good to me! Salmon are running in full swing now and my currents are starting to ripe 'n up. What great treasures will august have in store?

Still a mushroom marathon in the Yukon. We are still a couple weeks from the actual season!

Yukon Porcini Season!

Pictured above: a handsome boletus edulis! (click me!)

In the Yukon if we get funky weather like we have been getting this summer. Hot, cold, dry, wet combinations we can get a early fruiting of Boletus Edulis. Typically they start towards the end of July and fade out by the second week of august. Then re appear for 2 more weeks in September. This year looks like we get about a week and a half of extra picking! Wild strawberries are ripe, currents are still green and wild onions are as tough as wood now. Time to pick shrooms!!!!

I went out on a scouting mission today in a pretty much straight white spruce forest and out of the corner of my eye I saw a huge flag (mushroom cap). Sure it was Edulis, I tapped in on the cap.. Hard as a rock. I got butterflies. I crouched down, scanned the area and I could see little troops all around. %$#MUSH RUSH&^% Needless to say, what a start to the season. I was happy eating various species of Leccinums until I saw the king! It could be a good year.

Im heading up to Dawson City for Music festival weekend. I will be checking in on the kitchen crew at Klondike Kates restaurant to taste there latest creations. Mabe even plan a low brush cranberry picking trip in sept with my good buddy Brice. Not to forget my ole stomping ground for the Edulis. I sense a bbq, laughter and some great company in the near future!

Just emerging from the ground, a young leccinum insigne

A handsome and delicious Leccinum

I'm eating LOTS of boletus edulis tonight :p