I had a baco-licious weekend. On Friday, I started the day doing more work on the Perfect Bacon Bowl with staff members from Edison Nation (we'll have more on that story in a couple of weeks). And on Sunday, I stepped up to be a judge at the Bacon & Brews Cruise-In at Atherton Market on South Boulevard. It was a fundraiser for the Piedmont Culinary Guild, a confederation of chefs, farmers and food producers.
Along with my fellow judges Craig Diehl, the chef/charcuterie master of Cypress restaurant in Charleston and Bob Boll of Central Piedmont Community College, we tasted our way through bacon-focused dishes from 16 restaurants, bacon-themed or bacon-matched beers from four breweries, and admired classic cars on display in the parking lot. (I left the car judging to others who are more in tune with what's under a hood.)
Some of my favorite dishes: The bacon cheesecake from 300 East, which used a really clever bacon crust, the Asian-themed glazed pork belly and slaw from the Art Institute, Alyssa Gorelick's fermented strawberry that she served with her dish, and the "whole hog" BLT by David Quintana of Southminster. Quintana applied bacon curing techniques to every part of a pig to make his creation, which showed an amazing amount of work.
In the beers, some of my standouts were the Kings Breakfast Imperial Cream Stout from Sycamore Brewing, and the NoDajito mint-infused beer (much better than it sounds) from NoDa Brewing.
Take a look at my video for more sights and sounds. The winners: Brewer Fonta Flora of Morganton took the Brewer's Cup, and the bacon winners were Heirloom Restaurant (first, for the pretzel "spoon" with honey mustard ice cream and house-cured tesa), food truck Chrome Toaster (second, for the pork belly tostado) and Queen City Pantry (third, for a bacon bruschetta).
Bacon, pork belly, barbeque, pork products, and beer. Didn't someone write a book about this stuff? Something like How to Harden Your Arteries in One Easy Lesson?
ReplyDeleteThis was a great event and really shows how Charlotte is ready to become a leader in the local food movement. Kudos to the Piedmont Culinary Guild!
ReplyDeleteAnon 2:03 - Saturated fat isn't really the enemy, although a daily diet like this probably won't help much. Every once in awhile, no problem.
ReplyDeleteThe real enemy is sugar and other simple carbohydrates which are turned to sugar in your body. Don't believe me? Try getting a blood test, then give up simple carbs (including sugar and alcohol) for a month, then get another test. Eat all the meat and fat you want. You'll not only see your blood sugar level drop, you'll see your cholesterol level, and probably your weight as well, make a big drop also. Strange, but true.
from pcrm.org
ReplyDeleteSo you’ve just finished your high fat dinner of a hamburger, cheese pizza or chicken…
What’s next?
Immediately . . .
• Your triglyceride levels, a measurement of fat in your bloodstream, are rising.
• Your cholesterol levels are increasing, contributing to plaque formation.
• Clotting factors in your blood have been activated.
Two hours later . . .
• Your triglycerides have increased by 60 percent.
• Your blood flow has decreased by half.
Three hours later . . .
• The lining of your arteries has lost elasticity impeding blood flow.
• Blood vessel function has become abnormal.
Four hours later . . .
• Your blood has gotten thicker, flowing even slower than it was 2 hours ago.
Five hours later . . .
• Your triglyceride levels have now increased by 150 percent.
Six hours later . . .
• The anti-inflammatory effect of “good” cholesterol has been significantly compromised.
Consumption of high-fat foods over days, weeks, months, years . . .
• Saturated fat in your diet has promoted the continuous buildup of plaque in your arteries, reducing blood
flow even further.
• Decreased blood flow leads to decreased oxygen supply, which can lead to a heart attack.
• You are in danger of developing fatty liver disease.
So one Pizza and Im guessing 8 hours later your dead?
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