Some have asked how I come up with my ideas. I often joke that I have been drinking but the truth is I have no idea. I don’t have an attention span (let alone a short one) so I rarely give new cooks any affirmative thought, read cookbooks, watch food tv, or do research of any kind. New things pop into my head as images of finished dishes that I reverse into a method, cook, eat, if I like, repeat.

Its that simple.

Having said that, it is hard to imagine that any of us has a truly original idea. I had never seen or heard of a La Bomba Biscotto before I thought of it a few weeks ago, but I am not so arrogant to believe that someone hasn’t put the two together before, so I see new ideas I have as really only new to me. Whatever I cook is usually nothing more than a continuing evolution of things I have already cooked, I just enjoy continuing to walk further down the path rather than stopping.

On the downside, this spontaneity results in chronic inconsistency and an inability to recreate successful cooks because I almost never write anything down or remember exactly what I did. Posting my cooks with instructions has helped me, but I can tell you that they are never 100% accurate due to memory deficits that develop contemporaneously with the cook. Thanksgiving was the 5th year I wanted to do a Mad Max Turkey, but every time I open up that link & start to read it I get almost immediately frustrated & end up doing my same old inferior method (it is good, but I am sure not as good).

Nuffa that nonsense, the Blue Swine Pie (pronounced ‘Blue Swan Pa’) was created a little differently. I was reflecting on how tender & tasty the Hoggzza was when it occurred to me that it could be improved. Multiple sections of paper-thin loin interlaced with toppings stacked into a pie tin, topped with cris-crossed bacon, painted with bbq sauce, smoked, cooled, sliced, & served like apple pie would melt in the mouth... wouldn’t it?

Thusly, this wretched but frigg’n succulent abomination was created.

Thankfully, the last of the original loin from 2 weeks ago (food-savered):



Pounded & overlapping the tin:



Layer of Genoa Salami:




More loin:



Spinach that has been kicked in the sack:


More loin:



Provolone, fire oil & cayenne peppers:



More loin (I was running out):



Prosciutto di Parma:



You guessed it, more loin & the original overlapping sections flipped over:



Bacon (I let it overlap so the fat would drain out of the pie):



On the egg indirect, legs up, on grid over cherry at 400:



About an hour later, paint on the blues (yea, it was rain’n like a mo-ho-f**kidy outside so this was a bit of an ass-ache):



About 15 minutes later:



All done:



Like apple pie & caramel sauce :



Final Notes:
* I originally envisioned this as a Carniswine Pie, although I never tasted Todd’s BBQ Sauce, from all I have read about it on the forum it seems a natural match, but I went with what I had on hand.

* I thought about calling this a Deep Dish Hoggza as well.

* I encourage those of you who are talented in flavor, ingredient & texture combinations to improve the pie, I think it has great potential.