First things first, a few celebratory notes:
- This is our 500th blog post. FIVE HUNDRED BLOG POSTS. Y’all should be set on content for a while, right?
- This week is our 3 year paleo-versary! We lost 200lbs, gained our health and changed our lives… no big deal.
- We were on TV.
- We have a really special podcast coming out on Mother’s Day. In an attempt to recoup some podcasting costs it’s going to be the first of what we hope to be a monthly series which will be $.99 to download each, but we hope it’s worth every penny. No need to buy, but if you’re interested in this deeply personal podcast with The Paleo Mom and I and our mothers chatting on everything from welfare to bulimia, check back on Sunday for more information and links to download.
- We FINALLY sent our 5th baby, Beyond Bacon, off to the printer this week. And now that it’s final, we can show you the inside!
- To celebrate all this jazz, we’re GIVING AWAY an EARLY RELEASE copy at the end of this post
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But, I know what you’re really here for is the FIRST LOOK INSIDE Beyond Bacon!
(don’t forget, we also did a What & Why and FAQ posts you won’t want to miss)
Click on any of the photos below to gain access to larger versions.
It’s more than just a cookbook!
Eating from “nose-to-tail” is not only good for your wallet, it’s good for your health. In Beyond Bacon, Stacy Toth and Matthew McCarry apply this important but lost art to eating the whole hog. They provide practical tips on everything from finding affordable pastured pork, to working with lard, sausages and cured meat, to making flaky and delicious Paleo pie crusts. If you’re tired of the standard Paleo fare, or you’re looking for ways to save money without skimping on flavor, Beyond Bacon should find a place on your shelf (as it has on mine!). — Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac
You’ll notice our layout is very simple. That’s because we were inspired by books like Volt Ink that stunningly use white space in order to make bold statements and gorgeous photos pop off of the page. We hired professional photographers (Aimee Buxton for food and Molly Peterson for piggies) to help that vision come full circle. We’re excited to tell you more about our inspirations and contributors and have future posts and giveaways planned around sharing them with you soon. Today, though, is about the inside of Beyond Bacon.
Before we get to the food, I want to introduce the idea of the front section of the book to you. We learned a lot in writing this book. From lessons learned when ordering a whole pig to our preferred and recommended breeds of pigs. We spend the first 50+ pages of the book sharing that knowledge and teaching you how to procure pastured piggies.
Additionally, we explain why we focus on not only pastured pigs but the use of all the parts. Afterall, there’s more to pig than just the belly (bacon), and with this book you’ll literally be able to order a whole hog and cook your way through – respecting and honoring the entire animal. Additionally, within those 50 pages we tackle some big topics like cholesterol, saturated fat, and if pork is healthy.
You are not alone if you love pork; but, are you worried that it might not be a healthy choice? Beyond Bacon will dispel that myth from the onset, clearly and accurately explaining the science behind the health benefits of pork, especially from sustainably-farmed, healthy pigs. Yes, eating pasture-raised pork will make you healthier! Beyond setting your mind at ease, Beyond Bacon will walk you through the process of sourcing quality pork and show you just how easy it is to enjoy every part of the animal, from snout to tail. This collection of truly spectacular, drool-worthy recipes will astound you, inspire you, comfort you and nourish you–and you will find yourself coming back to these recipes again and again and again! — Sarah Ballantyne, Ph. D.
Bonus in helping to save the planet with sustainable swine? Serious nutritional value for you.
We used design elements to help get the point across, as well as quotes from some of our favorite culinary geniuses and paleo gurus. We really like how each page has it’s own surprise elements, which makes the science of saturated fat, history of pig cultivation and information on “how to” all that much more enjoyable.
A jam-packed resource for fans of sustainable whole beast feasting, Beyond Bacon educates and inspires home cooks with gorgeous photography and eye-popping recipes. Head-to-tail eating has never looked so good. – Michelle Tam and Henry Fong of Nom Nom Paleo
Most of you, however, are going to skip to page 60.
Pictured from top left corner to bottom right: Green Papaya Salad with Poached Jowl, “Corn” Dogs with Potato Crisps, Kielbasa, Smoked Pork Belly, The Best Brownies with Maple Bacon Frozen Custard and Salted Caramel Bacon Sauce, Liver Gravy and Shaken & Baked Pork Chops, Pork Stuffing Casserole, Huntsman Stew, and Grilled Cubed Pork Kabobs.
In Beyond Bacon, Stacy and Matt show you that there is much more to pork than just the belly. Not only are the recipes creative and inspiring, but they also teach the reader that you can enjoy food, while having great respect for the animal. Along with unbelievably delicious recipes, the photography by Aimee Buxton takes you on a beautiful journey that has yet to be seen in the Paleo community. This book is a stunning masterpiece, front to back, nose to tail. -Hayley Mason and Bill Staley, Bestselling Authors of Gather and Make it Paleo
Clearly, the food photography is an upgrade from our blog!
As you can see, by the improvement in Insanely Awesome Meatloaf (shown below) and the same recipe on our site.
This cookbook is elegant yet approachable. There are “Advanced” recipes that will challenge those who seek to advance their culinary prowess, and then there are those “Basic” everyday staples that we enjoy on our dinner table on weeknights. It is a cookbook for foodies, a cookbook for those people in your life that need to see how beautiful and delicious paleo recipes can be, and certainly a cookbook for simple home cooks – since after all, the recipes were all created by a stay-at-home dad of 3 young boys!
This NEW recipe is a classic example. It’s rich and developed flavor will impress guests, while it is simple enough to make on Tuesday night. We paired it with the above meatloaf and roasted asparagus for our TV segment on ABC news. It is one of our most popular recipes with testers, even being tasted and approved by Bill & Hayley of Primal Palate. And you get access to it now!
But the recipe you all voted on, not surprisingly, is one of the very first recipes we developed and teased.Beyond Bacon has two fudge recipes – one classic version that is able to sit at room temperature – and this freezer fudge, which needs to stay chilled. All the better though, as it’s the perfect thing to make and leave in your freezer for weeks or months – taking only a nibble at a time here and there.
As noted, Triple Chocolate Freezer Fudge is one of the most rich and caloric dense desserts we’ve ever created – so please exhibit caution. That said, lard from pastured pigs is rich in Vitamin D and CLA, this seems a much better way to take your vitamins than in a pill… trust us, we figured out some amazingly delicious ways to make lard work for you in tasty ways!
If you anticipate wanting to purchase a copy of Beyond Bacon, now’s the time! Our book increased in size from the anticipated 288 pages to 304 pages. That may cause a spike in price, but Amazon offers a preorder price guarantee with them – so we highly recommend doing so! You’ll also be one of the first to receive your copy when it releases on July 2, 2013 – how else will you have perfect BBQ on July 4th?! With our first book, Eat Like a Dinosaur, we sold enough copies that we needed to go back to print the day before release and there was a delay to some people who waited until the last minute to order. If you pre-order, our publisher will know to print enough copies for you!
If you have yet to experience the true pleasure of nose to tail cooking, or you have just been too intimidated to tackle the venture, this is the book to expand your horizons. Not to mention, the Ninja swine cooking skills you will develop are awesome to have on a rainy day or when executing a dinner party. Fret not if you are already on the pastured whole hog bandwagon or a culinary master, this book will still provide you will new weapons for your amazing culinary arsenal. And honestly, could anyone ever have too much pork? – George Bryant of Civilized Caveman
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To WIN an EARLY RELEASE copy of Beyond Bacon, comment on this post with what you think of the layout and teaser sneak peek... or anything else you’re inspired to share now that we’ve given you the ultrasound to our 5th baby ♥ Winner will be chosen on May 11th at 10pm EST, our actual Paleo-versary. Make sure to register your e-mail with Disqus, or else we won’t be able to contact you!
p.s. yes, we know you want t-shirts, that’s awesome, thank you! we’re working our little hearts out as quickly as we can. they’re coming, we promise. soon, we hope!
