Category: Life 101

Pasta lovers here, and one of our favorite meals incorporates spicy Italian sausage! On our quest to prepare more of what we eat from scratch, it felt natural that we pursue a homemade product to satisfy our needs. It was also the very first meal Eric wanted to christen our new kitchen with: homemade pasta… Continue reading Homemade Spicy Italian Sausage

First and foremost, like many things around the shop/homestead, there are dangers with certain activities, and this is no exception. Do your research, and never do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing. We only refill tanks bought new, and have a known history of storage. Refilling random empties adds a margin of risk that outweighs… Continue reading Refilling 1lb Camping Propane Tanks at Home

Artichokes, many folks have a love/hate relationship with this flower. It is spiky, tough, and delicious at the same time. The last time we tried steaming artichokes this size on the stove top took over 90 minutes, and they never made a showing at dinner. So, how do you hack this for the perfect ‘choke… Continue reading Perfect Artichokes Using Instant Pot

When it comes to food portioning and prep, we are lazy efficient with our time. One great protein to sous vide is lobster, but nearly every online recipe says you have to par boil or shell the meat prior to immersion cooking. So what’s the deal, and what is the solution? We have these wonderfully… Continue reading How to: Sous Vide Lobster Tails with Shell

Sharpening cutting tools is imperative for safe and effective performance. The theory is simple: keep the cutting edge sharp, clean, burr free, and at the correct angle. Our preferred method is using a stone, and in this case, a rotary wet wheel. Items needed: an edge to sharpen, a stone of your preference, and a… Continue reading How to: Sharpen Tools/Knives

Eric: I’ve been lagging on adding to our Life 101 series, where we document some basic skills that aren’t readily taught anywhere these days. Today’s lesson is properly mixing two stroke oil and fuel. I needed some fresh mix for my Husqvarna 450 chainsaw to cut down a tree in our backyard. Premix simply means… Continue reading How to: Two Stroke Premix

  Hey there! If you haven’t experienced the lovely world of immersion bath cooking, often referred to as sous vide, which is French for “under vacuum,” this is an excellent place to start. There are more books and blogs than I can count dedicated to recipes, so we will leave those outside of the scope… Continue reading Getting Started with Sous Vide

Yes, you read that right: homemade bacon. It is easier than you think, and tastier than most store bought bacon on the first try. My fifth version is the best I’ve enjoyed to memory, so this is totally worth the effort! Let’s get to it-

TL;DR: Dry rub: 1 part each: Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and ground mustard. Match with 4 parts brown sugar, mix well. Rub racks before bagging, sous vide at 145F for 48 hours. Drain racks, add more rub, and finish on the smoker at 450F for at least 30 minutes.