Thread: What's Cooking?

I've actually made candied bacon myself. It is wonderful.

I'd bet a dollar to a dog turd that if that candied bacon was put into vacuum bags it'd last a lot longer than a week in the frig and months in the freezer---

Good idea for longevity but when I say it’ll last a week, that’s theoretical as it’s always gone in 4 days or less. Hehe.
Next time, swapping out the vinegar for bourbon. Think it’ll add a lil sumptin sumptin.

I like to play with different ways of fixing food, I feel that it's a form of learning and a person should never stop learning.

So I've been playing with making 'Hominy' from scratch. While there are specific varieties that are used commercially, I've read that any dried corn can be used.

Thanks to a good friend, I have quite a bit of dried corn from his fields.

Years ago I was reading something that one of the TV Chefs said about using dried hominy produced a superior flavor than the canned stuff from the store just like dried beans. However I couldn't find any. At the time there was a company that brought the odd ball items in (like pickled pigs feet) and I asked the vender if he could get it and he replied; "I've never ever heard of dried hominy and us Hispanics use it quite a bit". So much for buying it.

Anyway, I used lime water to remove the outside coating while the grain was simmered. I've read that this not only allows the kernels to swell when cooked but also make the nutrients more readily available upon consumption.

After I made the last batch, I slow dried it in my oven overnight/that reduced the swelled kernels back to about the same size as when I started . I then took a handful and put some in a container of cold water for a couple of hours. Here's what it looks like--



Basically the soaking brought the hominy back to where it was before drying.

I'll be making some pozole in a day or so and I'll be using some of the homemade hominy

Thanks for looking.

I had an unplanned day off today and decided my mission was to find dried hominy. I have never cooked with it myself and decided I would rather buy it than make it at this point.

We went to the local Mercado that I like and they had 5 choices of dried.

Now to decide what I want to make with it!

I have one cup dry soaking right now. Here is the most agreed upon conversion I can find.

Equivalents
15 oz can hominy = 1 3/4 cups
1lb dry = 2 1/2 cups uncooked
1 cup dry = 4 1/2 cups cooked

Sounds about right. It really swells up! Well at least my homemade does.

I've found a local shop that carries one kind of dried hominy and it's HUGE!

They also had a nice selection of bulk chilies, much more inexpensive than the identical chilies that are pre-packaged

Supper is left over Pozole and some corn tortillas.

I have a hard time spending $3.19 a pound for hominy when corn is $3.79 a bushel. 56 pounds to a bushel.

I know, how much is the cost of wheat in a loaf of bread.....

Originally Posted by 32t

I have a hard time spending $3.19 a pound for hominy when corn is $3.79 a bushel. 56 pounds to a bushel.

I know, how much is the cost of wheat in a loaf of bread.....

Perhaps this will be a bit of a guide--

https://oklahoman.com/article/321655...-in-bread-loaf

The one cup dry equals more like 2 cups cooked. At least by my wife's measurements.

Originally Posted by 32t

The one cup dry equals more like 2 cups cooked. At least by my wife's measurements.

....

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Here’s today’s pork belly.

Hey TC,
Did you brine the pork belly before smoking it?
I did burn ends pork belly a few times before, but this looks really good, let me know when you get a moment.
Cheers.

P.S.
Nice "glamour shot" of your knife!