cvwine.com Blog

With the recent launch of Bacon Jerky at www.baconjerky.com and www.baconfreak.com many of our Bacon Jerky fans have had a renewed love of jerky. We have received all sorts of questions about the Jerky and the primary one is how come no one has thought about this before? Our bacon fans are lining up to get our jerky. We want to start by saying thanks to the Food Emporium of New York. They are the first retailer to step up and say we think this Bacon Jerky product may redefine jerky and have offered to put it in all 16 of there stores that are in Manhattan. They are even considering a launch party that will of course be loaded with Bacon Jerky and Bacon Freak BLT’s.

Thinking about Jerky and with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I know I will have about a ton of turkey left over. So the obvious is Turkey Jerky. Our friends over at www.jerky.com have created a Cranberry Thanksgiving Turkey Jerky recipe for our readers.

Ingredients:
• 2 pounds of turkey (or any meat type)
• fresh cranberries
• brown sugar or regular sugar
• an orange
• water
• salt & pepper (optional)
Directions:
1. Before you touch your ingredients, go ahead and cut your meat into slices about 1/4″ thicks.
2. Next, you can either chop up your cranberries in a blender or food processor to make more juice or line the bottom of a cake pan with the cranberries and smash them with a fork adding just a little water.
3. After you have done that, lay your strips on top of the cranberry juice and salt and pepper both sides, if you like, you do not have to season at all if you’d like to maintain more of the sweet taste.
4. Go ahead and sprinkle on your sugar but not too much if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth and squeeze that orange to zest your meat strips with a light orange flavor. Turn strips over if you’d like to zest both sides.
5. Let marinate in the fridge for as long as you’d like, flipping the meat strips ever so often to soak in that juicy cranberry flavor!
6. Once you have let it sit to your preference, set your oven on the lowest temperature and transfer that cake pan from the fridge to the oven, leaving the door propped open for ventilation. Dehydration takes anywhere from 3-9 hours in an oven but check periodically. Take out if you like it more chewy or leave in longer if you like it more crispy! Hope you enjoy this great Thanksgiving appetizer!

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

In our quest to create the perfect bacon centered meal, we here at www.Baconfreak.com are using our chef connections to do just that.

We contacted Chef Jason who is known for serving up creative recipes from Salt Creek Grille Princeton’s unique natural mesquite wood grill, Executive Chef Jason Hensle specializes in putting a new spin on traditional favorites, like Kobe beef sliders and the restaurant’s famous double cut pork chop. He’s passionate about using fresh, quality ingredients to create simple recipes that bring out a dish’s full natural flavor, without heavy sauces or complex tastes. For more information about Salt Creek Grille Princeton, please visit www.saltcreekgrille.com.

Salt Creek Grille offers sophisticated fare in a casual upscale setting, putting a creative spin on traditional American favorites. Simple, flavorful dishes emphasize the freshness and quality of the ingredients, with all food made from scratch, on-site. Executive Chef Jason Hensle oversees the restaurant’s open, exhibition-style kitchen, featuring a natural mesquite wood grill that adds a subtle, savory flavor to chops, aged steaks, chicken, market-fresh seafood, grilled vegetables, and more.

Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp

“A Salt Creek House Specialty”,
Stuffed with Horseradish & Bacon-Wrapped, Chipotle Honey Sauce for Dipping
Ingredients
5 ea Prep - Bacon Wrapped Shrimp (Prep)
2 fl ounces Chipotle Honey Sauce
1 oz chopped fresh cleaned spinach

1. Pre-cook bacon until translucent.
2. Slightly split shrimp and stuff with Horseradish Mix Stuffing.
3. Wrap with pre-cooked bacon making sure to tuck the end of the bacon under the wrapped part.
4. Deep fry shrimp just before service and store on the line.
5. Bake at 350 degrees until bacon is crisp (approximately 3 minutes).
6. Place sauce in a corner of the square plate.

Visit www.saltcreekgrille.com. to learn more.

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

As the proprietor of the Coastal Vineyards Wine Club I get to taste a lot of different wines to determine which wines go into our wine clubs. We welcome you to our private cellar and our video series called Message in a Bottle. Today we will be tasting the Lomond Merlot 2005.

As a reminder our wine reviews aren’t meant to be a high society snob review. We are just going to drink and talk about the wines that we regularly feature in our wine club. So kick back, relax and enjoy.

Lomond Wines was created in 2004 in South Africa. For those of you who aren’t up on there South African wine and grape growing geography, Lomond is located in the Gans Bayi area in the valley of the Uilenkraal River. Yes I know its hard to pronounce but it drinks very well. – hey if you asked someone about napa 20 years ago, they would say what’s that or where’s that? So I didn’t expect you to know.

At first glance you will see that this merlot is a very Vibrant, lively red color. Its nose is gives off a mulberry aroma. Your palate will pick up some sweet plums and a hint of smokiness.

This wine has a great balance between fruit and wood make it a great wine!

Watch the video to see the rating we give this wine that is apart of the Coastal Vineyards South African Wine Club.

Cheers!
Rocco Loosbrock
www.cvwine.com

As the proprietor of the Coastal Vineyards Wine Club I get to taste a lot of different wines to determine which wines go into our wine clubs. We welcome you to our private cellar and our video series called Message in a Bottle. Today we will be tasting the 2007 Chumeia Vineyards Chardonnay.

As a reminder our wine reviews aren’t meant to be a high society snob review. We are just going to drink and talk about the wines that we regularly feature in our wine club. So kick back, relax and enjoy.

Chumeia has an interesting story, in the Greek, the word alchemy is Chumeia (koo-may-a). Ancient Greeks believed that by applying four basic elements: heat, air, earth and water as well as philosophical beliefs, they could transform basic elements into gold. Wine Maker Lee Nesbitt believes that not only is winemaking an alchemic process, but the grapevine and grapes has its own transformation of basic elements into great juice.

I recently visited this winery on my most recent trip to Paso Robles. The entrance is made of rock and stone and the wrought iron gate has some very impressive metal art work created with vibrant colors like that found on their wine labels. The winery and tasting room is very small, there is a table in front of the tasting room entrance that is a perfect spot for a picnic while you soak in the rolling oak trees.

The juice for this wine was grown in the San Joaquin Valley- specifically Madera. The 2007 Chardonnay was fermented for 26 days at 68 degrees in 100% stainless steel. The wine is loaded with a tropical taste, including pear, apple, pineapple and mango flavors. All of these flavors thrive lead to a solid finish!

Watch the video to see the rating we give this wine that is apart of the Coastal Vineyards Cabernet Wine Club.

Cheers!
Rocco Loosbrock
www.cvwine.com

As the proprietor of the Coastal Vineyards Wine Club I get to taste a lot of different wines to determine which wines go into our wine clubs. We welcome you to our private cellar and our video series called Message in a Bottle and our review of Kahn’s Cab Frank for our Cabernet Wine Club. Today we will be tasting the Cab Frank.

As a reminder our wine reviews aren’t meant to be a high society snob review. We are just going to drink and talk about the wines that we regularly feature in our wine club. So kick back, relax and enjoy.

Today we will bring back a classic wine that we featured a few years ago in our wine club. It is the Cab Frank which is a blend of merlot / cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. This vintage has an interesting story. The wine maker who was a Sinatra fan, played the swining sounds of Sinatra through the entire process, they even put a radio with a Sinatra CD on top of the barrel and looped the CD. Well as it turned out the Sinatra family heard of this project and actually gave approval to use the Sinatra name on the label.

This wine was hand-crafted and bottled with a passion and enthusiasm by Kahn Winery. The wine maker is Andrew Kahn who trained Fess Parker eventually becoming an Assistant Winemaker. During this time he began to experiment with small lots of wine on the side, while he made wine for a half dozen other winemakers who also used the facility.

This wine is a must try for any Sinatra fan. Good luck getting your hands on a bottle, the remaining bottle are now selling for over $150 a bottle. I only have two left my self.

Watch the video to see the rating we give this wine that is apart of the Coastal Vineyards Cabernet Wine Club.

Cheers!
Rocco Loosbrock
www.cvwine.com

As the proprietor of the Coastal Vineyards Wine Club I get to taste a lot of different wines to determine which wines go into our wine clubs. We welcome you to our private cellar and our video series called Message in a Bottle and our review of Beckman Wines for our Cabernet Wine Club. Today we will be tasting the Beckman Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.

As a reminder our wine reviews aren’t meant to be a high society snob review. We are just going to drink and talk about the wines that we regularly feature in our wine club. So kick back, relax and enjoy.

Beckman wines was founded in 1994 by Judy and Tom Beckmen, Beckmen Vineyards is a family-run, estate-grown winery in the Santa Ynez Valley. The Beckmen’s grow grapes on two vineyards, one of which is the Purisima Mountain Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley area. The vineyard represents one of the most ambitious hillside vineyard endeavors in the Santa Ynez Valley. Yet, the high elevation, unique microclimate and rare limestone subsoil make this special vineyard a winemaker’s dream. Beckmen Vineyards has stayed true to the land, and true to its vision. Believing that the wine in the bottle begins in the soil.

The winery now produces a full line of excellent estate grown Rhone varietals including Syrah and Grenache. It also produces small quantities of first-rate Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc made from smaller vineyard lots that are well suited to these varietals.

The 2005 growing season was a great year for the California Cab. The 2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is bold cab with a jammy black cherry smell. You can taste the red berries and fruit flavors and the Wine has a chocolaty flavor to it.

Tom’s son Steve who is the wine maker tells us that this wine will store for up to about 10 years, however it is good to drink right now!

Watch the video below to see the rating we give this wine that is apart of the Coastal Vineyards Cabernet Wine Club.

Cheers!
Rocco Loosbrock
www.cvwine.com

O.k. earlier this week I published a story on Bacon Vodka drink, this has cause a little bit of a controversy as fans of the Bacon Martini say it is a far better drink. So I have done some research on this beverage and found that there is an entire site dedicated to it at www.baconmartini.com.

If you’ve ever had a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, then imagine that flavor but now add a slightly spicy and salty bacon essence, and you are pretty much on your way to getting a feel of what to expect. It’s obviously saltier than a normal martini and it has a bit of tangy “heat” in both the original flavor and lingering aftertaste.

So what exactly is in it you ask? Great question and one that has been just a little bit tricky getting bartenders to fully open up and reveal the mystical magic of their mysterious mixology. It seems each bartender and establishment has their own special, unique twist on their preparation of the drink, but here’s what most of the master mixologists seem to agree on.

It all starts with placing 3 to 5 slices of medium-well cooked gourmet bacon in a decanter, jar or large-mouthed bottle of vodka for 48 to 72 hours.

Now here is where the first controversy is going to begin, as any purist will tell you that the “literal definition” of a martini means you use gin, not vodka. They’re “literally” correct but this martini tastes much better with vodka, so let’s just move on from that point.
This drink is actually made at the www.doubledownsaloon.com in Las Vegas. Make sure you try it on your next trip!

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

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The effort to find the perfect bacon appetizer continues. Restaurants and chefs from all over the country continue to submit their very best dishes and are revealing their preparation secrets to Joe the plumbers like me and you. One of our Bacon Freak Bacon Club customers made the following fact painfully obvious when he called us this week to tell us that the perfect meal containing bacon doesn’t start at the appetizer it starts at the drink. Sounds logical? After all we have been sending you info on drinks such as Mitch Morgan’s and bacon, etc.

We want to thank our customer who shared with us this Bacon Vodka recipe he found at www.browniepointsblog.com. Here is the secret:

Makes up one pint

• Fry up three strips of bacon.
• Add cooked bacon to a clean pint sized mason jar. Trim the ends of the bacon if they are too tall to fit in the jar. Or you could go hog wild and just pile in a bunch of fried up bacon scraps.
• Optional: add crushed black peppercorns.
• Fill the jar up with vodka. Cap and place in a dark cupboard for at least three weeks. That’s right- I didn’t refrigerate it.
• At the end of the three week resting period, place the bacon vodka in the freezer to solidify the fats. Strain out the fats through a coffee filter to yield a clear filtered pale yellow bacon vodka.

Decant into decorative bottles and enjoy.

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

Hello Bacon Fans! I am continuing my quest to find the best bacon recipes. In my effort to bring you the best I am asking some of the top chefs and restaurants in the country to reveal there secret recipes. Klaus Fritsch who is Morton’s Executive Chef sent over his Sea Scallops Wrapped With Bacon with Apricot Chutney.

Morton’s Restaurant Group, is a very upscale steakhouse. They have over 80 locations around the country. I have eaten at their steak houses in Hawaii, Arizona and of course California. I can tell you that they serve you generous portions of meat cooked to perfection.

Morton’s Sea Scallops Wrapped With Bacon With Apricot Chutney
Serves 4
12 Large Sea Scallops (1 – 1 ½ oz. each)
12 Slices Bacon
8 Leaves Spinach, washed and stems removed
2 Tbsp. Melted Butter
1/2 cup Apricot Chutney (see recipe below)
2 Lemons, halved
3 Bamboo Skewers

Place bacon strips on a wire rack in 350-degree oven. Cook until half done, approximately 14 minutes. Remove bacon from oven and wrap each scallop with bacon strip. Slide three bacon-wrapped scallops on each bamboo skewer, leaving a one-inch gap between scallops. Place skewered scallops in buttered pie tin. Brush scallops lightly with melted butter. Place in broiler for 8 minutes, turning once after 4 minutes.

To serve, place two spinach leaves in center of each plate. Place one ounce of apricot chutney on spinach leaf of each plate. Place lemon half on each plate. Remove scallops from broiler. Remove bamboo skewer and arrange three scallops on top of other spinach leaf. Serve immediately

Apricot Chutney
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 cups prepared horseradish (16 ounces)
2 cups apricot preserves (one 18-ounce jar or a little more)

Crush the peppercorns on a cutting board by pressing down on them with the bottom of a heavy saucepan. In a fine-mish sieve or another sieve line with cheesecloth, strain the horseradish with a spoon or squeeze the cheesecloth to extract all the liquid. In a small bowl, whisk the apricot preserves until smooth. Whisk in the strained horseradish and crushed peppercorns.

To learn more about Morton’s, click here to visit their site.

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

On my quest to seek out the best and most delicious bacon appetizer, a fan of bacon submitted a recipe from www.epicurious.com. This particular recipe is a few years old and has probably not received the attention that it deservers. So I felt compelled to contact the PR and marketing folks there and ask if I could republish it. They welcomed the idea as we had a conversation about bacony delicious snacks and treats!

Bacon and Onion Tart:
Ingredients
• 8 bacon slices, chopped
• 5 cups sliced onions (about 3 large)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
Preperation:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly crisp. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings from skillet. Add onions to bacon and sauté over medium heat until onions are very tender but not brown, about 20 minutes. Cool.
Whisk egg, sour cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in large bowl to blend. Stir in cooled onion mixture.
Roll pizza dough out on lightly floured surface to 13×10-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet. Spread onion mixture over dough, leaving 1/2-inch plain border around edges. Sprinkle with caraway seeds.
Bake tart until onion custard is set and crust is golden brown around edges and brown on bottom, about 25 minutes.
Thank you to the folks at www.epicurious.com. <

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com