Wagyu Lardo

smokingal · June 2019

Making lardo was not what I intended for this slab of fullblood Wagyu short plate ribs. Finding a hunk of beef fat would have been a cheaper option, if not harder to procure. A two rib slab is not the usual presentation, but it does fall under IMPS/NAMP specs for this cut. However, they should be cut from ribs 6-8. This one was obviously cut from ribs 9-12, a section not sold to consumers because it is composed primarily of fat. I reached out to the vendor and my issue was resolved to my satisfaction, but I still needed to make use of what could best be described as beef fatback.

There wasn't enough meat to make decent bacon, so a new take on lardo was in play. The bones were removed and the slab cut in half. I went with some strong flavors for the dry cure - ras el hanout and jerk.

The fat slabs were a good three inches thick, so they were left in the cure for a month. Now I know that lardo is typically cured for 6 months or more, but I opted not to given the use of use of a nitrate based cure as opposed to just salt.

After a month, the lardo was rinsed, soaked, dried for 30 hours and cold smoked with a blend of hickory, maple, apple and cherry. After cold smoking, the lardo was racked and left to air dry in the fridge for 6 days.

The ras el hanout seasoned lardo was used first to make a chicken club in order to utilize
leftover chicken from the chicken and shrimp butter masala cook. I cooked the lardo slices until they were nice and crispy.

Slices of an Italian boule were pan fried in chicken fat to toast the bread for the sandwich.

Vidalia sweet onions were marinated in fig infused balsamic vinegar and caramelized.

The last remnants of the butter masala sauce that had been puréed with smoked sweet onions
was mixed with some mayo.

Roma tomatoes and arugula were added and the sandwich was a done deal.

This sandwich played out like a symphony of flavors. The ras el hanout lardo complimented the chicken's notes of butter masala and the sauce. It didn't taste much like beef bacon and I attributed that to the lack of meat. It also smelled like cinnamon raisin bread while it was cooking.

I saw a Burger King ad where they announced new breakfast sandwiches using french toast as the bun. I'm not much for fast food, but I thought it might be interesting to try this at home using the jerk lardo as the 'protein' source.

That was really tasty. Slightly sinful, even. Burger King should be ashamed of themselves.

I'm still making my way through leftovers from the NBD brisket so I used the jerk seasoned lardo to make a brisket melt. It was layered with thinly sliced brisket and steamed while two eggs were poached.

Pure smoky, fatty goodness right there. The jerk seasoning is mellowed out when combined with other things but its presence can definitely be felt. I'm not sure I'll enjoy eating this in its raw form, but I'll bake some fresh bread and give it a shot. For now, what I have tried has all been good eats.

GrateEggspectations · June 2019

I think I’m in love.

JohnInCarolina · June 2019

I think I gained ten pounds just opening this thread. Good Lord and all that. When are you opening your restaurant?

smbishop · June 2019

As always, un-freakin-believable. I often think, wow, I have come a long way in 10 years with the BGE, then I see your posts. Thank you for sharing. Always a masterpiece!

mEGG_My_Day · June 2019

Just incredible as always

lousubcap · June 2019

Friggin amazing as always. I could use some great sailor descriptors but I would get banned and this sunk. Always enjoy opening your threads to see what creative genius work you created. Really moving into the outer limits with this one. Congrats doesn't do the above justice but you get the idea...