I know this is a wine blog, but I also love cooking on the Big Green Egg and when I do a new recipe, I feel obliged to share it with you all.  In fact, my most visited pages are for Lamb on the Big Green Egg, you should see the stats around Easter!

Anyway, I saw this Pork Belly at the local supermarket, and knowing my 16 year old son loves belly I decided to try something new.  I slit the fat cap every 1/4 inch, rubbed it with a dry rub and placed the meat on a bed of carrots and onion.  The whole ensemble was bathed in a can of beer to keep it moist and give flavor.  I started the charcoal and let ‘er rip up to 500F with just two small chunks of wood amongst the lump.  I was not going for a smoky slab, preferring the taste of the rub and some crispy bark instead.

Once the meat was placed over the heat diffuser, I let it cook at 500F for an hour.  The vents were closed and the temp steadied at 350F for another hour before the meat registered 195F internally.  That was my target so I had to remove it, before the skin was the right consistency that I was looking for.  In order to finish it the way I wanted, I then broiled it in the oven very briefly to get the skin just right.  I sliced the meat in thin strips and had a winner on the table!  I would serve a dry white or even rose’ with it to help cut the fat somewhat.  Red would overpower I think.  Try it and let me know what you think.  Salut….

It’s been a while since I have written, several things have kept me busy and I wanted to save up for the big #600 post.  It started when I decided to take my youngest son with me to San Francisco and then on to Hong Kong, a kind of ‘bring your kid to work day’. I booked the tickets, made plans for a day of touristy stuff in the bay area and confirmed that one of my friends was going to be there so we could take the kids to an ice skating rink.  You see, my #3 boy and daughter (he is 12, she is 10) skate competitively, synchronized teams, theater on ice and ice dancing.  His goal was to skate San Fran and Hong Kong.  I was happy to oblige.

The problems began a month before the trip when I ended up with a stress fracture in the my left foot, from too much gyming.  My trainer is a beast and had my old body doing jumps and squats and other inhumane forms of torture.  Why, oh why do I pay him for such treatment?  Anyway, I initially thought all would be fine by the time the trip rolled around.  I left my somewhat stinky boot at home, boarded our flight and headed west.  That night upon our arrival we were met at the airport by my friend and we headed downtown to take in some pizza before our public skate.  On the way I felt the need to have an emergency bottle just in case we got thirsty, a stop at the local quick mart yielded a decent Malbec for $12.  I carry a corkscrew at all times and some red plastic cups took care of the rest.  Jet (my son’s nickname) got to the ice and we opened the vino.

Day two was preplanned with a tour of Alcatraz followed by a Segway tour, by far the highlight so far. It’s amazing how natural those things are!  Funny thing is that my son rode the same exact Segway his brother rode nearly two years previous, out of 100 units that’s pretty weird.

Then it dawned on me that my foot really was not better.  A visit to the urgent care confirmed my fears.  Our Asian adventure was now going to be a Cali adventure.  A few calls, some internet time, map gazing and I had secured a car, hotels and a few sightseeing ideas for the next 4 days.

Our trip started with a drive to Santa Rosa so that Jet could visit the Charles Schultz museum followed by skating on Snoopy’s Home ice, he was so excited!

Our next day was insane…. We drove to the Sonoma airport and took a look around.  We made enquiries and ended up driving over to the Alexander Valley Vineyards, where we got a tour and I got to taste some very delicious wines.  I brought some home and will be reviewing them soon.  The people there were super nice and the free tour of their property and cellars was well worth the drive.

We returned to the Sonoma airport and toured the museum, which was stuffed full of old gems.  Next up was a 45 minute tour of the Russian River in a Cessna.  I made sure Jet got some stick time and he loved it!  Our pilot was a retired firefighter and was super cool.

We drove through the petrified forest to Calistoga where we ended up at Cosentino Winery.  Moxie and I had visited previously but I was unable to partake as I was working that afternoon.  This trip was different!  Cosentino makes outstanding wines that I have enjoyed for several years, tasting the full range was certainly a treat.  I ended up on the mailing list and just got my first shipment.

We trekked south from there to Santa Clara to spend the night enroute to the Monterey Peninsula.  We stared out the day at the aquarium nad did some sightseeing. Our hotel had a pool and jacuzzi so Jet got to buy a swimsuit and get wet.  That night we had dinner in Carmel and a friend’s restaurant, Lugano Swiss Bistro.  If you are in the area you must stop by and sample the Schnitzel or Fondue.  Both divine and worth a detour.

Our last full day and we headed back to the bay.  Our two attempts at different go-kart venues proved fruitless, but a trampoline experience was a close second.  Jet was all tuckered out and hungry for dinner.  We met friends in Burlingame for a leisurely evening meal and finished it off with some Nitrogen chilled ice cream, certainly a treat!

Our flight home was uneventful and we were both glad to be in our own beds, yet thankful of the great father/son week chock full of great memories.

 

 

Just a quick post to wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you have a fantastic New Year.  I have been on vacation for three weeks now and have another one to go, bliss. I worked hard for the past 14 months to get this much time off in one go.  I have been able to relax, spend time with the kids and do fun stuff like ride a ferris wheel, dinner with friends, Christmas parties and of course- cellar diving.  I found a Magnum of my own label The Naughty Dragon the other day and opened it for family that came to dinner.  I also served up the most succulent Smoked Salmon to have ever graced this earth.  Memories were made that night as my British aunt was in town and my older brother flew in from Florida.  I cherish these moments as I realize we are all getting older and time is running out for some.  I feel no hesitation to pull out gems to share and look forward to New Years eve, I’m thinking Bordeaux to go along with some delicacies we are serving up.  I also need to start compiling my Best of 2014 list, wish me luck.  Salut….