I am sorry it has taken me so long to write a review for this book, but I wanted to read through every page and to be able to absorb all of the content. I can now say that the book and I are best buddies, and I am qualified to tell you about how awesome it is, and why it is so much more than just a cookbook.
Let me start off my saying that Beyond Bacon is beautiful. Even if you bought it just to put on your coffee table, it would still be well worth the price and would be an excellent conversation piece. But buying it just for looks would be a shame, because the content of the book is incredible. It is a book that anyone can enjoy and learn from, not just individuals that follow a paleo lifestyle. There are so many good things I could say about the book, but I will try to keep it brief so you can get to ordering it instead of reading my ramblings.
Here are some highlights from the book:
Let me start off my saying that Beyond Bacon is beautiful. Even if you bought it just to put on your coffee table, it would still be well worth the price and would be an excellent conversation piece. But buying it just for looks would be a shame, because the content of the book is incredible. It is a book that anyone can enjoy and learn from, not just individuals that follow a paleo lifestyle. There are so many good things I could say about the book, but I will try to keep it brief so you can get to ordering it instead of reading my ramblings.
Here are some highlights from the book:
The Inroduction:
Short and to the point, like it should be. Stacy and Matt (AKA the Paleo Parents) have a story like many others who have found the paleo lifestyle, but they also give us their insight as parents and how the lifestyle brought better health to both them and their children. They also explain the motivation to write the book about why we should appreciate and eat the whole hog, not just the oh so popular part we call bacon.
Hog 101:
As I mentioned before, this book is much more than a cookbook. You get an education about sustainable farming and pasture-raised meat and how this benefits both you, the environment, and the animals themselves. You learn how to find (and afford) pastured pork, and what cuts you can choose from when you order. You also get a history lesson on pig cultivation, and a science lesson on saturated fat and why it is no the demon we were once lead to believe it to be. And don’t worry if you are new to cooking with pork, because the book has that covered too, from smoking meat to stuffing your own sausage. And I am a firm believer that everyone should try stuffing their own sausage at least once in their life.
The Recipes:
Lard have mercy!!! The Recipes!!! You wouldn't think you could have so many great recipes in a book dedicated to just one animal, but this book proves that theory wrong. It has a little something for everyone and you will find out you can use pork in ways you never thought possible. It has recipes for those who are adventurous and want to try cooking things like head cheese, scrapple, braised neck roast or pork lengua (tongue) carnitas. And for those who want to start off on the more familiar side, the book has recipes like smoked pulled pork shoulder, piggie pot pie, bacconaise and an amazing lard pie crust. You
wont run out of amazing things to make for a very long time. So far I have rendered my own lard, fried up some “corn” dogs, made crispy lardons, feasted on cracklin’ pork belly and devoured a brownie sundae made from the best brownie recipe, and I am just getting started!
I could go on and one about this book, but the basic message is that this is a must-read for anyone who follows a paleo lifestyle or anyone that enjoys pork (and everyone enjoys pork right?!). So that means that all of you should buy this book. Even if you own every other paleo cookbook in existence, you will want to own this one, because you will have a new found respect for our friend the pig, and you will find many new recipes that are delicious and can be enjoyed the whole family.
The book is officially released on July 2nd, 2013, but you can pre-order the book now to reserve your copy! Praise The Lard!!!
Short and to the point, like it should be. Stacy and Matt (AKA the Paleo Parents) have a story like many others who have found the paleo lifestyle, but they also give us their insight as parents and how the lifestyle brought better health to both them and their children. They also explain the motivation to write the book about why we should appreciate and eat the whole hog, not just the oh so popular part we call bacon.
Hog 101:
As I mentioned before, this book is much more than a cookbook. You get an education about sustainable farming and pasture-raised meat and how this benefits both you, the environment, and the animals themselves. You learn how to find (and afford) pastured pork, and what cuts you can choose from when you order. You also get a history lesson on pig cultivation, and a science lesson on saturated fat and why it is no the demon we were once lead to believe it to be. And don’t worry if you are new to cooking with pork, because the book has that covered too, from smoking meat to stuffing your own sausage. And I am a firm believer that everyone should try stuffing their own sausage at least once in their life.
The Recipes:
Lard have mercy!!! The Recipes!!! You wouldn't think you could have so many great recipes in a book dedicated to just one animal, but this book proves that theory wrong. It has a little something for everyone and you will find out you can use pork in ways you never thought possible. It has recipes for those who are adventurous and want to try cooking things like head cheese, scrapple, braised neck roast or pork lengua (tongue) carnitas. And for those who want to start off on the more familiar side, the book has recipes like smoked pulled pork shoulder, piggie pot pie, bacconaise and an amazing lard pie crust. You
wont run out of amazing things to make for a very long time. So far I have rendered my own lard, fried up some “corn” dogs, made crispy lardons, feasted on cracklin’ pork belly and devoured a brownie sundae made from the best brownie recipe, and I am just getting started!
I could go on and one about this book, but the basic message is that this is a must-read for anyone who follows a paleo lifestyle or anyone that enjoys pork (and everyone enjoys pork right?!). So that means that all of you should buy this book. Even if you own every other paleo cookbook in existence, you will want to own this one, because you will have a new found respect for our friend the pig, and you will find many new recipes that are delicious and can be enjoyed the whole family.
The book is officially released on July 2nd, 2013, but you can pre-order the book now to reserve your copy! Praise The Lard!!!
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