Imagine that you’ve bought a ticket to a private party. The party is at a bar, and the drinks are great (with specialty selections featuring Evan Williams single barrel Kentucky bourbon), the attendees are attractive hipsters, and the vibe is really jumping.
Then imagine that the entertainment for the night was watching a local celebrity butcher break down a 180 pound pig. Then imagine that the nice piggy bits were grilled on the spot over a wood-fired grill in the alley behind the bar and served in a dozen different preparations a-la-minute.
That was my reality tonight.
I came to this event having absolutely no idea what to expect. I learned about it from a casual comment that Ryan at 4505 Meats made on his twitter feed. I was expecting more of a classroom environment where we learned about pig anatomy and how to fabricate the animal into tasty bits. I had no idea that this was a wildly popular social event with dozens of regulars who never miss it. I met Taylor, the butcher for Fatted Calf Charcuterie. I watched him break down the pig, and then got to talk to him for a bit.
Apparently at that last installment Taylor broke down a steer, ground up the best bits, and then grilled it into burgers right on the spot. I hope that I can attend some charcuterie classes with him later this year; although, without a car, getting up to Napa will be a bit of a struggle.
What did we eat? Well, off the grill came pork belly both with a lemon-chili oil sauce, and another batch with a cowboy chimichurri. Both were amazing. There were pigs-in-a-blanket. There were amazing Vietnamese ham sandwiches. There were huge sacks of cracklin everywhere. One surprising treat was bacon shortbread. There were Basque sausages with madrone peppers and little wedges of baguette. Lastly there were the ribs and chops that slow-cooked over the grill.
I would have exploded if I’d eaten another bite. I must have had at least three of everything. It is absolutely guaranteed that I shall attend the next Meat Locker gathering. OMFG yum.
