Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2022 21:30:23 GMT -5
AS A YOUNG KID in Washington, D.C., Wendell Allsbrook knew he wanted to build a business of his own.“I grew up on U Street during the crack epidemic,” he said.“I didn’t finish high school, didn’t go to college. But I was determined.” He ended up finding success in pork bellies—literally. He sells them today at his shop, Georgetown Butcher, along with Wagyu beef, organic whole chickens and a range of premium cuts and fish.
Mr. Allsbrook was a fishmonger at the specialty market Balducci’s in McLean, Va., and moved on to learn butchery at the Organic Butcher when it opened in McLean in 2005.“That’s when I knew I found my niche,” he said. Over 15 years there, he cultivated a following and a reputation that propelled him to open his own shop in March 2020—just as the pandemic set in. Mr. Allsbrook persevered, and thanks to shifts in his business plan and a loyal clientele, Georgetown Butcher celebrated its second anniversary this month. Mr. Allsbrook signed a lease on a second location, in the National Landing section of Northern Virginia, to open in 2024.
PRO TIPS
Buy pork belly with the skin on: It will add flavor and help the cut retain its shape. A quality piece of pork belly should have a lot of fat and marbling.
Ask your butcher to score the skin so that the brine will penetrate more easily
If the bacon is chilled when you cut it, it will be easier to slice into strips.
His ultimate goal is to educate consumers on why they should patronize local, independent butchers. In his view, it comes down to quality products and specialty cuts they won’t find at the supermarket. His signature “Georgetown cut”(aka butcher’s cut or bavette) is popular with his own customers. Another ambition of his, to establish a butchering mentorship program, stems from a wish to give back to his community.“If I can help train people, I can help build a stronger workforce,” he promised.
Mr. Allsbrook’s method, laid out below, is simple. He wet-brines the pork belly in apple cider, dry-brines it in salt, then cooks it low and slow in the oven, ultimately producing what he calls an “applewood-smoked essence.” Cut into strips, this bacon is terrific pan-fried or oven-baked. Mr. Allsbrook loves it caramelized with brown sugar and butter. But he encourages you to do it your own way.
Homemade Apple-Cider-Brined Bacon
Wendell Allsbrook’s method requires some planning ahead to account for brining time, but the execution is simple, resulting in intensely porky strips with slightly sweet undertones.
www.wsj.com/articles/make-your-own-bacon-a-surprisingly-easy-recipe-11646920801?mod=life_work_lead_pos1
Mr. Allsbrook was a fishmonger at the specialty market Balducci’s in McLean, Va., and moved on to learn butchery at the Organic Butcher when it opened in McLean in 2005.“That’s when I knew I found my niche,” he said. Over 15 years there, he cultivated a following and a reputation that propelled him to open his own shop in March 2020—just as the pandemic set in. Mr. Allsbrook persevered, and thanks to shifts in his business plan and a loyal clientele, Georgetown Butcher celebrated its second anniversary this month. Mr. Allsbrook signed a lease on a second location, in the National Landing section of Northern Virginia, to open in 2024.
PRO TIPS
Buy pork belly with the skin on: It will add flavor and help the cut retain its shape. A quality piece of pork belly should have a lot of fat and marbling.
Ask your butcher to score the skin so that the brine will penetrate more easily
If the bacon is chilled when you cut it, it will be easier to slice into strips.
His ultimate goal is to educate consumers on why they should patronize local, independent butchers. In his view, it comes down to quality products and specialty cuts they won’t find at the supermarket. His signature “Georgetown cut”(aka butcher’s cut or bavette) is popular with his own customers. Another ambition of his, to establish a butchering mentorship program, stems from a wish to give back to his community.“If I can help train people, I can help build a stronger workforce,” he promised.
Mr. Allsbrook’s method, laid out below, is simple. He wet-brines the pork belly in apple cider, dry-brines it in salt, then cooks it low and slow in the oven, ultimately producing what he calls an “applewood-smoked essence.” Cut into strips, this bacon is terrific pan-fried or oven-baked. Mr. Allsbrook loves it caramelized with brown sugar and butter. But he encourages you to do it your own way.
Homemade Apple-Cider-Brined Bacon
Wendell Allsbrook’s method requires some planning ahead to account for brining time, but the execution is simple, resulting in intensely porky strips with slightly sweet undertones.
www.wsj.com/articles/make-your-own-bacon-a-surprisingly-easy-recipe-11646920801?mod=life_work_lead_pos1