Chow Bella's Gift Guide for the Food Geek

By Ando Muneno Fri., Nov. 30 2012 at 6:26 AM

Categories: Gift Guides 2012, Seasonal

Continued from page 2

Exotic Salt Sampler from Go Lb. Salt

Ando Muneno

Clockwise from left: Hawaiian black, Sel Gris de Guérande and Hawaiian red salt.

While Go Lb Salt is a local company, their salts are sourced from all over the world. You can get delicate sel gris from France or Hawaiian Red that's actually infused with red clay of the islands where it's harvested from. The "Epicurious" gift set is probably your best bet since it offers 12 different kinds of salt which run the gamut of what Go Lb Salt has to offer. They also offer a smoking set which is perfect for someone thinking of getting into their own bacon making.

Camp Brisket BBQ Camp
Summer camp is fun, barbecue is awesome. Together? An unstoppable culinary vacation. Camp Brisket is hosted by Texas A&M's Department of Animal Science and is an intensive BBQ course of study. And by study we mean study, these classes are taught by A&M food science professors who have peer reviewed papers on the intricacies of barbecue. You'll find out what works, what doesn't, and exactly what chemical processes go into forming the almighty smoke ring. As the name implies they focus primarily on briskets but they also provide information applicable to all instances of raw meat being transformed by smoke and heat. It might sound an awful lot like going back to school but you have to admit, lectures that end with smoked meats probably keeps attendance up.