Tag: Fuge Fine Meat

Recipe: Steve Furgiuele’s Porchetta

Posted on by Sharman

In addition to being a chef and meat artisan, Steve Furgiuele is also an excellent photographer, which helps make his Fuge Fine Meats instagram absolutely drool-worthy.

I recently liked a photo Steve shared of porchetta, which is a savoury, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. Since it is not something that Steve is selling at the markets this summer, I asked if he would share the recipe and his photo, which he graciously agreed to do.

It is no secret that Steve has a passion for Alberta pork farmers, which you can taste with every bite of sausage and salumi he creates. Fuge Fine Meats will be available at the 124 Street Grand Market and occasionally at the City Market this summer. To learn more about where you can buy Fuge Fine Meats visit www.fuge.ca. And if you happen to be a pork-belly addict like I am, you’re going to love his porchetta recipe:

What you’ll need…

1 whole pork belly, skin on

1 coppa, shoulder cut

Handfuls of your favourite herbs (I used thyme & rosemary), fresh garlic and sea salt

Extra virgin olive oil

Baking sheet with rack

Butcher twine

Directions:

Lay down the belly with the meat side down. With a sharp knife, add a series of cuts the length of the belly, just enough to pierce the skin. This will be critical for getting that crispy skin. Flip the belly over and season liberally. Spread minced garlic and fresh herbs all over the belly. Set aside.

Take the coppa cut and proceed to cut it open as you would prepare a roulade. Take your time and carefully cut lengthwise, while allowing the meat to roll open. Generously season the meat on both sides and apply more herbs, garlic and pepper, if you desire. (I marinated mine in hot Calabrese pepperonceno paste, wine and herbs). Roll the meat back up and place in the center of the belly.

Roll the belly over to wrap the coppa cut. Using a butchers’ knot, secure the porchetta firmly. About 6 across the belly and two lengthwise (to create an X) should do the trick. If you need help with this knot, view this YouTube video. 

Once tied up, rub the porchetta with the extra virgin olive oil and apply more salt to the skin. Place on the racked baking sheet seam side down. Allow to rest overnight, uncovered. This step will allow the skin to dry out.

* I cooked mine using a wood pellet smoker, the Louisiana Grills LG900 with Tennessee Whiskey Barrel pellets. With the internal temperature probe set to 140F, this is how I proceeded to cook the porchetta.

550F for 20 minutes

315F until the internal temperature was reached, approximately 3 hours

180F for an additional 2 hours for smoke flavour development

After proper resting, the porchetta probe read about 166F. The skin crackled just right and it made some damn good sandwiches!

Recap: RGC Bench Creek Brewery Swine & Dine

Posted on by Sharman

Last Thursday night, chef Steve Buzak at the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton’s river valley teamed up with Bench Creek Brewing to deliver our first Swine & Dine of 2018. Two years ago, chef Buzak was the first to deliver a beer-paired Swine & Dine to rave reviews, and last week’s event was another Passion for Pork success.

Irvings Farm back wrapped prunes with blue cheese.

I arrived early so I could sneak a peek in the kitchen. Chef Buzak was happy to show off the sous vide Bear & The Flower pork belly, Memphis Style ribs, and devil on horseback appetizer with a prune and blue cheese twist.

Bear & the Flower Farm ribs.
Bear & the Flower Farm Alberta pork belly

Guests were welcomed to the tray passed appetizers of Memphis Style Ribs (a recipe that chef Buzak shared during a previous June is Pork month), and bacon-wrapped prunes were paired with Bench Cree Brewery’s Black Spruce Porter (5.8 %).

After all guests were seated we were greeted by chef Buzak and the Royal Glenora Club (RGC) team, who shared his excitement at hosting another beer-paired Swine & Dine.

After explaining that beer is easier to pair with food than wine – he introduced his first course for the evening – a fennel roasted pork belly served with a sweet potato puree, smoked corn, apricot and orange gastrique.

Our first course was served with  Naked Woodsman Pale Ale (5.2%), which was introduced by our Bench Creek Brewery guru Cassandra. The beer is known for notes of fresh bread and light caramel malt flavours mixed with bright floral, grapefruit and orange hop aromatics. There’s a sweetness to it – apricot and peach hop flavours combine with subdued citrus. It finishes with a star of anise spiciness that makes you think this somewhat fruit-forward brew.

We joked with chef Buzak that my boyfriend’s only complaint with the first course was that it was too small – he could have eaten six more! Chef Buzak warned us there were many courses to come – and our second surf & turf course was sure to fill us up. I loved the seafood chowder chef Buzak served with double smoked Irvings Farm bacon croutons. The potato veloute soup was velvety smooth and served with blackened prawn & scallops and topped with a citrus foam.

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Our soup was served with Bench Creek’s White Raven IPA (6.5%), a robust beer with huge aromatics of orange, grapefruit, passion fruit and mango with a touch of pine. The signature flavours of Munich and crystal malts contribute a complex toffee-caramel backbone that nicely balances the bitterness from the hops.

As our main course was being plated, I snuck back into the kitchen for a preview of our main course.

Once our plates were ready to be served, chef Buzak came back to the dining room to introduce our next dish – the RGC signature spice-rubbed Bear & the Flower Farm pork loin. The tender Alberta pork was served with a cider jus and accompanied by Brussels sprouts and a Fuge Meats chorizo and northern bean cassoulet.

Our main was paired with Bench Creek’s Northern Grace Red Rye India Pale Ale (6.2%), which boasts flavours of rich toffee, dark caramel, dried plum, and spicy, earthy malt notes mixed with juicy orange, passionfruit, geranium, and stone fruit flavours.

For dessert, chef Buzak turned my memories of building fireside s’mores into a flavourful creme brûlée that had my spoon searching for just one more bite.

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Chef Buzak’s s’mores creme brulee & maple candied Irvings Farm bacon was accented with cardamom marshmallows, Peruvian cacao nibs, and an espresso melt away chocolate that chef made with coconut oil.

I’ve confessed it many times while recapping swine & dine dinners – I’m not a fan of chocolate, but I was a huge fan of this dessert. There were so many flavours and textures at play in this playful dessert – I would happily order this dessert again!

Our final Bench Creek pairing of the night was from the brewery’s Villainous Series – with the can showcasing an ode to Drexl Spivey from the movie True Romance. The Drexl Blackstrap Imperial Stout (11%) is barrel-aged, pitch black, dark and I’m told it paired wonderfully with Chef Buzak’s campfire creation.

I’d like to thank the chef Steve Buzak, Derek, and the entire team at the RGC for hosting another incredible Swine & Dine dinner. It was great to learn more about Bench Creek Brewing (I know a few people at my table were more than happy to claim this gluten-free girl’s beers throughout the dinner).

Chef Buzak is a great chef that is consistently hosting unique food events at the RGC that are open to non members. Check out their website or follow their social media feeds to learn more about upcoming events, including their monthly brunch series.

I’m hoping to work with chef Buzak to come up with some way to celebrate June is Pork month at the RGC, so stay tuned! That river valley patio sounds like the perfect place to enjoy some pig & pinot.

Recipe: Smoked Maple Pecan Pie

Posted on by Sharman

Over on the Servus Credit Union food stage at this year’s Porkapalooza in June, Taste Alberta put together a great lineup of chefs and meat masters to share cooking tips and tricks. Chef Steven Furgiuele of Fuge Fine Meat proved that barbeque isn’t only about the meat when he hit the food demonstration stage, sharing a recipe for smoked maple pecan pie that he made using pure Mangalitsa pork lard sourced from Alberta Pork producer Country Accent.

Steve smoked up his pecans as well as his maple pecan pie using a Louisiana Grills; however, for those of us who live in apartment buildings who don’t allow BBQs (insert crying sniffle sound), I’ll just have to make do baking this pie in the oven instead.

Smoked Maple Pecan Pie
Recipe courtesy of Steven Furgiuele, Chef & Salumiere |Owner|FUGE Fine Meat Inc.

Dough (enough for 2 x 9in pies)
1 ½ cup All Purpose Flour + extra for dusting
1 ¼ cup Gold Forest Grains Red Fife (or generic whole wheat)
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
¼ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
½ lb Pure Lard
1 Egg yolk (large)
1 tbsp Vinegar, apple cider
1/3 cup Water (cold)

Combine the first set of dry ingredients and combine thoroughly.
Using a fork (or your finger tips) mix in the lard until it resembles little pellets.
Add the yolk and vinegar and mix slightly.
Add the water, only as needed, until the dough just comes together.
Flatten the dough to a disc shape, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for an hour to firm up.

Constructing the pie
¾ cup Salted Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
½ cup Golden Corn Syrup
¼ cup Maple Syrup 1 Orange, zest (grated fine)
1 tbsp Corn Starch
3 Eggs (large)
2 ½ cup Pecans, toasted (toasted at 250F for 10 minutes w. wood pellet grill)

Melt the butter and sugar until smooth over medium heat.
Remove from the heat and stir in the syrups and zest; allow to cool slightly.
In a separate bowl, whisk the corn starch and eggs until smooth.
Place the pecans into the prepared pie tin. Temper the syrup blend into the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour the liquid mix over the pecans.
Bake at 345F for approximately 45-55 minutes or until visibly set. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

5 sausages to try from Fuge Fine Meat

Posted on by Sharman
Steven Angelo Furgiuele Chef & Salumiere | Owner | FUGE Fine Meat Inc.

A few months back I happily supported Steven Furgiuele through his ATB’s BoostR campaign to raise $20,000 to help buy a walk-in curing fridge to help expand his business – Fuge Fine Meat Inc. – and become a local salumiere and sausage maker.

Steve met his goal, so now I’m patiently waiting for a backpack full of meat to cure, which I will receive later this year as part of my financial support of his campaign. In the meantime, I still want to support Steve, and of course, be able to enjoy some of his ready made product. When I saw that he was going to be back at the 124 Grand Market this week, I made a special trip to pick up some sausage.

 

To make his fresh sausages, Steve sources his Alberta Pork from The Meat Shop at Pine Haven Colony. Here are the five sausage flavours you can pick up at the market:

In addition to the 124 Grand Market on Thursday nights and the French Quarter Farmer’s Market on Sundays, you can also find Fuge Fine Meat sausages at Otto Food & Drink, The Sugar Bowl Cafe, Culina & Dogwood Cafe, Chartier, Tienda Latina, Park Distillery Restaurant & Bar in Banff, and Bonjour Bakery.

I cooked up some of Steve’s Italian Fennel sausages for breakfast on Saturday morning, which I oven roasted along with some duck fat fried potatoes and onions; I really am just a meat and potatoes kind of girl. Connect with and follow Fuge Fine Meat Inc. at:
website: www.fuge.ca
Instagram: @fugemeat