Guest Post: Chef Erik Black of Osteria Mozza

I am very excited to announce the first-ever guest post here at Food Woolf. Next up, a Chef’s Eating Tour from Chef Erik Black of Osteria Mozza!

Chef Erik Black may call himself a humble student of meat, but as far as I’m concerned, the guy is a master. During his long days in the kitchen of Osteria Mozza, the former Massachusetts native coaxes subtle and robust flavors from diverse cuts of meat. He braises beef until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender and creates delicacies from a massive pig’s head or its much-neglected trotters. He cures sides of pork until it becomes silky and soft and tastes like a prayer. He slow cooks oxtail to the point that the chocolate brown meat becomes as soft as oatmeal and tastes of the earth. He crafts succulent sausages from rabbit loin and fresh herbs.

In my world, Erik is an authority. He is the one to talk to when making pork, testa, braised beef, short ribs, barbecue ribs, rabbit sausage, and smoked meats—because he knows how to celebrate the life of every animal he cooks. Erik is a soft-spoken master that rarely steps out of the kitchen. But come into Mozza on any given night, and you will see unmistakable signs of Erik’s talents—there’s his Copa, testa, mortadella, lardo, and barbeque ribs–peppered throughout the menu.

So when I heard Erik say he was planning to take a tour of Texas Barbeque joints, I made a point of asking for lots and lots of details.  Lucky for us, Erik went one step farther, and decided to give us a five-day guide for an ultimate Texas Barbeque Tour.

Coming soon, Chef Erik’s Eating Tour of Central Texas and Hill County!