Review

Coverage by Jeff Smith, Traverse Magazine of the event

Pigstock, a Traverse City Premier Culinary Event

Thanks Jeff
And yes, we're already planning for next year

Menu : Wednesday @ Hagerty with Chef Polcyn

Closing dinner presented by Chef Brian Polcyn
with Chef Bob Rodriguez and Chef Corburn MacNaughton

Chef Polcyn worked up a menu featuring both Old World items and New World approaches

A real tour de force

Old World:

First : Michigan Mangalitsa lardo naturale

Second : Salumi
black pepper Coppa, orange fennel Lomo, Spala (4 month), Prosciutto de Michigan (12 month)

Third : Charcuterie
Pate Grand Mere, dried tart cherry mustard, sweet pickle chips
Chef Bob's Concord grape cumberland Sauce

New World:


Fourth : hand rolled gnocchi with guanciale, cipollini onions and lobster mushrooms

Fifth : Pan seared Trout
Egg & Bacon Palette, Sweet Corn Sauce, Parsley Fat and Spuma

Sixth : Confit of pork shoulder with smoked hunter sausage, fresh bratwurst (made this morning), fennel gratin, fall vegetables and port wine reduction

Desert : honey poached pears, with Greek yogurt, fresh bay leaf and Amaretto

All paired with various wines from Black Star Farms, Chateau de Leelanau, Chateau Chantal and Right Brain Mangalitsa Porter

Charcuterie

Brian getting started on Charcuterie Demo

Menu : Tuesday ... Chef Myles at Stella

Chef Myles Anton said this about PigstockTC 2010

"In my career as a chef, whole animal butchery is the next logical step. It makes sense environmentally, spiritually and financially. Since November 2010, I have handled countless different heritage pigs (Mangalitsa, Duroc-Yorkshires, Duroc-Berkshire), fifteen Suffolk lambs, and four half Holstein cows. Utilizing these whole animals has decreased Stella's footprint on the environment, challenged my creativity as a chef, and exposed our guests to unique cuts & preparations. At the end of the day, it makes my soul feel good to show the ultimate respect to these animals and celebrate them wholly."

Stella welcomes "Pigstock"

fat : lardo, rosemary, crostino

head : house perperonci, fennel, soft onions, lemon

skin : chicharron, currants, opal basil, tomato agrodolce, white potatoes, cracked black pepper

grind : warm county style sausage, Robiola Rocchetta cheese, bibb lettuce, arugula, pistachios, chives

belly : pancetta (al la Chef Brian), garganelli, golden & hothouse tomatoes, Parmigiano Reggiano, cream

loin : lightly smoked, caul fat wrapped & seared, savory & sage, braised red cabbage, five-hour sauce,         Marsala

blood : chocolate blood cake, porcini mushroom & gianduotto gelato, carmel
      

All set

All set to go ... this morning at Hagerty 

Menu : Mission Table

Chef Paul did a full on smack down tonight

"Not so Pigstock Dinner"

scallop: with santucci empire apple, cauliflower, turnip

pasta: with local leeks, eggplant, pigstock 2010 prosciutto

sweet breads: with braising greens, capers, radish, brown butter

chicken: bakers acres with cranberry beans, fig

venison: drettmann ranch loin, santucci chestnut, pear, baby carrot

cake : chestnut chocolate, apple, whisky, chestnut ice cream by jehni olsen

Coverage in Northern Express

TASTEmakers

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PIGSTOCK

Last week’s column on the Pig Roast event at The Cook’s sparked a few e-mails of protest. I guess not everyone is a pig roast fan. Amidst the e-mails against having a Pig Roast I heard from JT Hoagland telling me about Pigstock TC 2011, a second annual event that is all about hogs.

Now in its second year, Pigstock, hosted by Cherry Capital Foods of Traverse City, is a fourday event that starts Sunday October 16 and features an array of events from learning how to slaughter a hog to touring local wineries to how to cook whole animals along with a wine dinner.

“This event is about creating a new industry here in Northern Michigan,” said Hoagland. “My goal in continuing with this is to raise the awareness of issues like charcuterie Ideally, we’ll foster a charcuterie industry with several businesses, not just one, in Northern Michigan. This, in turn can enhance the local ag-economy.”

Pigstock will offer several classes featuring organ cooking and seam butchery (taught by Christoph and Isabel Wiesner, from Austria), as well as Charcuterie with Chef Brian Polcyn who wrote the award-winning book on the topic.

Participants are coming from all over and space does remain for some activities and classes. Chef Myles Anton will host a special Mangalitsa themed dinner on Tuesday night (these are hogs, bred for their fat, not a lean pig). Pigstock will wrap up on Wednesday night with Five-course wine and charcuterie dinner presented by Chef Brian Polcyn. For tickets and additional information check out pigstocktc.blogspot.com --Rick Coates


and

BOTTOMSup

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PIG PORTER

It seems like everything is “going to the pigs” around here. Pig roasts, now this week is Pigstock TC 2011 (see Tastemakers) and how much more pig do we really need? How about Pig Beer?

Yes, leave it to the inventive brew team at Right Brain Brewery to come up with this one. Last month they brewed Mangalitsa Pig Porter, a beer that actually has pig in it. The brewing process included four cold-smoked Mangalitsa pig heads—brains removed,—and bags of bones in each batch of porter.

The beer was a big hit at the 30th annual Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver, where more than 500 breweries presented their brews to over 50,000 participants. The GABF is also a beer competition and the Right Brain Brewery Mangalitsa Pig Porter took home the Gold Medal in the Experimental Beer Category.

Okay so, it is very experimental but is it drinkable. Participants at the GABF thought so voting it was one of the top five beers at the Festival. It’s a virtual pig roast in a pint with a smoky, bacon fl avor and is remarkably very drinkable.

Produced in limited quantities this brew will not last long. It is available only at the brewery.

Speaking of Right Brain Brewery they have outgrown their Warehouse District location and are planning a move (still within the Traverse City limits) near Sixteenth and Cass soon. They are not able to keep up with production at their current location and need to double the size of their production to keep up with demand. No word if they plan to brew a second batch of the Pig Porter so try it while it lasts. --Rick Coates

Wednesday- Last Day for Tickets to Dinners!

Is your mouth watering yet?  Buy your tickets before Wednesday HERE.




Trattoria Stella Dinner Menu with Chef Myles Anton 


Fat
Lardo, rosemary, parsley, crostino

Head
house peperoncini, fennel, soft onions, lemon

Skin
Chicharron, currants, opal basil, tomato agrodolce, white potatoes, cracked black pepper

Grind
Warm smoked country sausage, Robiola Rocchetta cheese, bibb lettuce, arugula, pistachios, chives

Belly
Pancetta, garganelli,  golden & hothouse tomatoes, Parmeggiano Reggiano, cream

Loin
Leaf fat-larded , caul fat wrapped,  & seared, savory & thyme, braised red cabbage, five hour sauce, Marsala

Blood
Chocolate blood cake, porcini mushroom & gianduiotto gelato, balsamic & honey

Charcuterie Wine Dinner Menu with Chef Brian Polcyn


pairings with local wines and beers
Hagerty Center


Michigan Mangalista Lardo



Assorted Mangalista Charcuterie plate with house made Cherry Mustard



Hand rolled potato gnocchi with Spalla, Cippilini, onions and Lobster Mushrooms



Pan Seared Glacier Springs Trout, with white corn mash and Crispy Pancetta Vinaigrette



Mangalista Pork Shoulder Confit with roast garlic Sausage, fennel gratin, Pigs ears and Spuma


Dessert : TBA

We're changing the program

For qualified chefs and food service buyers, we're dropping the program fee.

Contact us for package pricing on rooms at the BayShore Inn.

Want to order a Mangalitsa before the event, contact Cherry Capital Foods 231-943-5010

Tickets for Public Events On Sale Now!

Can't wait to join us for Pigstock TC?

Join us for these events open to the public.

Buy Tickets Now

Not a professional chef or do you just love pork?

Details for the home chef and pork enthusiast will be posted soon.  We'll offer classes for the home chef and Mangalitsa dinners.

Check back soon for tickets and registration.

Pig Porter?

Yes
The word is out

Bacon Beer

Right Brain brewery has come up with Mangalitsa Beer !

We hope to be able to arrange a visit during PigstockTC

"This porter has a smokey flavor with a bacon finish and a big, pig mouth feel. 

This brew is a premium pour"

One more reason to come visit us!

Another feather in our cap!  BootsnAll Travel Network named Traverse City one of the eight Best American Small Towns for Foodies.

See full list here

Don't Wait!

Registrations are rolling in.  Don't wait and miss one of the coveted spots to join us this year!

Sign up today.

Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan Voted Good Morning America's 'Most Beautiful Place' - ABC News

For consideration before or after attending PigstockTC

News just in

Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan Voted Good Morning America's 'Most Beautiful Place' - ABC News

Half hour to 45 min drive from Traverse City.

Registration Open

Registration is now open for Pigstock TC 2011.  Don't miss your chance to snag one of the only 40 spots available for attendees.

If you have questions, please contact Allison Beers, Event Manager.  Allison@EventsNorth.com or 231.883.2708.

Information and the registration form can be found to the right.

Now Taking Reservations

Mmmmmmangalitsa

Culinary world high on this hog - Food & Wine - sacbee.com: "For those craving a world-class version of 'the other white meat,' it might as well be pronounced 'Mmmmmmangalitsa.'

'It reminds me of Kobe beef, or those other pure breeds of Japanese cattle' such as Wagyu, said chef Noah Zonca of the Kitchen, who's offering a course of ravioli stuffed with Mangalitsa pork through June. 'It has flavors that you just don't find in other pigs.'"

If it's good enough for Mark

Should we invite Mark to PigstockTC?

Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook Founder and Animal Butcher - ABC News

"Slaughtering your own food? Mark Zuckerberg "likes" this.

Zuckerberg, the 27-year-old founder and CEO of Facebook, has taken on a new hobby, according to Fortune, which reported that Zuckerberg updated his status on his personal Facebook page: "I just killed a pig and a goat."

Zuckerberg chooses a new challenge each year that helps him get away from all things Facebook.

In an email to Fortune, Zuckerberg said he chooses a "personal challenge -- something to learn about the world, expand my interests and teach myself greater discipline."

In 2009, Zuckerberg wore a tie every day. Last year, he spent an hour each day learning Chinese."

Save the Date

October 17 to 19 for PigstockTC 2011

We plan to make it better than ever

more from Myles on whole animal

Trattoria Stella, a Traverse City Restaurant, Cooks in Whole-Animal Tradition - My North - December 2011

Home on the range

Bakers get some more ink
here

Brian gets some ink

Breaking down the art of charcuterie with Brian Polcyn - Crain's Detroit Business - Detroit News and Information

"It's like a true musician. A truly great musician feels the music instead of just reading notes. The same goes with cooking at this high of a level.

Chefs are craftsmen. Think about a chef like a cabinet-maker. Imagine walking into someone's house and seeing a beautiful cabinet. You begin to notice the intricacies in the wood, the way its fashioned together, the way the grain plays into the design. It can be a work of art.

But in order to get to that point, the cabinet maker has to know a lot about the wood he uses, where it's from and how to work with a specific type of wood.

The same goes with food."