Looking for the perfect gift for the serious foodie or food professional, or perhaps yourself? Sign up for “Praise the Lard”, a two-day charcuterie class led by Chef Brian Polcyn, a nationally-recognized expert charcuterie instructor at Schoolcraft College and co-author of the James Beard Award nominated Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. Attendees at all levels are welcome. The course is $625 per person.
Visit the link in this event listing or visit https://www.exploretock.com/chefbrianpolcyn/ to purchase ticket.
Polcyn’s goal for the intensive course is to share knowledge about the craft of European seam butchery; to keep charcuterie on modern American menus; and, to help support and preserve the American family-owned, heritage-breed pig farms. Over the two-day class, attendees will learn about the practice of seam butchery, pâté, terrine, rillette making, and all things charcuterie.
Seam butchery is the painstaking process of breaking down by hand a whole animal carcass by muscle groups rather than using the more expedient and widely used bandsaw. The artful craft not only results in better cuts of meat, it is less wasteful. Charcuterie – bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, pate and more – was originally intended as a way to preserve meat before the advent of refrigeration, they are prepared today for their flavors derived from the preservation processes.
“It takes time and commitment to practice charcuterie and we hope to help people continue to develop their skills and grow their knowledge on this invaluable subject,” says Polcyn.
Each attendee will receive a copy of Polcyn’s, Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing co-authored with Michael Ruhlman, who has written and coauthored many bestsellers, among them The Soul of a Chef, The French Laundry Cookbook. Attendees will also get a class booklet with recipes by Polcyn and writings by Ruhlman, and an opportunity for plenty of one-on-one time with Polcyn. All can expect a lot of information in a short period of time, and all knowledge levels are welcome.
From his early twenties onward Polcyn was mentored by one of the first certified master chefs in the country, Milos Cihelka, an old-school Czech. From him, Polcyn learned whole-animal butchery and the ancient craft of charcuterie, but most importantly he learned the necessary discipline it takes to become a successful chef. He went on to operate and own six restaurants in the Detroit metro area including the former Forest Grill and Five Lakes Grill. Through his 40-year career Polcyn has won many awards and educated a significant portion of the culinary population in the area and beyond as an instructor at Schoolcraft College, in Livonia, Michigan, widely known for its culinary arts program.
“This course is perfect for anyone from chef to home cook wishing to enhance their culinary education,” said Chef David Burke. “There couldn’t be a more appropriate site for the old-school method of seam butchery and charcuterie than the century-old Orange Lawn, nor a better instructor than Chef Polcyn. We are excited about offering this unique, top-notch course, and we have several more in the works for David Burke Orange Lawn.”
David Burke Orange Lawn, now open to the public year-round*, is located in the century-old clubhouse on the property of the historic Orange Lawn Tennis Club, which recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. The renovations remain respectful of the property’s heritage and old-world character with beautiful charming details, while including plenty of new-world updates to enjoy. The clubhouse is surrounded by a serene 16-acre campus.
David Burke is one of the leading pioneers in American cooking today. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Burke’s career is marked by creativity, critical acclaim and the introduction of revolutionary products and cooking techniques. He is the winner of France’s coveted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d’Honneur, the only American to ever achieve this honor and he also won the esteemed Nippon Award for Excellence from the government of Japan, for overall skill and technique. He has appeared on several TV shows, including Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, and has received a US patent for his pink Himalayan salt dry-age technique for steaks among numerous other notable accomplishments.
*The restaurant is open to the public with a $10 annual dining club enrollment fee. For more information, please call the restaurant.
