Old Yeller Cornbread & Chili (#15)

Our next film together was Old Yeller. Despite the fact that this film was about a dog, I decided to avoid a dog theme. The reason for this is that I knew I would a Film Dining night for the Shaggy Dog not far in the future. Instead, we focused on the setting of the film, which was old fashioned prairie living.

To prepare for this event and to add to the authenticity of the night, I purchased some fatback and, following a recipe I made online, made some salted pork. It was common in those days to salt meat so that it would last longer. The curing solution that I used contained salt, brown sugar, basil, peppercorn, and cinnamon. This meant that while it was curing, it was also soaking in those rich and strong flavors. The longer it can cure, the better. I did mine for a month. The picture below is from about a week or two into the process.

On the night of our event, I cut it up into small chunks and put it in a chili. Flavorwise, it was not really any better than bacon, but it certainly had an old-timey flavor to it. We also drank moonshine and whiskey and had cobbler for dessert. Overall, I would say this was an extremely successful night.