With a résumé boasting several of Denver’s finest kitchens, Chef Justin Brunson now runs his own gourmet sandwich spot, Masterpiece Delicatessen. The deli, which opened its doors in 2008, offers “fine dining between bread” and a menu that runs the gamut from white truffle egg salad to an Italian sandwich featuring five kinds of pork. In early 2012, he began selling Denver Bacon Company bacon, which he makes locally from 100% Hampshire pork farm-raised in Iowa, his home state. Brunson uses a special slow-smoke process and premium Peach and Hickory Woods to deliver fantastically tasty bacon. If you’re in the Denver area, pick some up at Masterpiece Delicatessen in the Highlands.
We caught up with Justin to talk about his new restaurant concept, his favorite smoke flavors, and of course, his love of pork.
NPB: Justin, tell us about the path that has brought you to own Masterpiece Deli and Denver Bacon Company.
Chef: I started cooking professionally at the age of 18 while I was attending college - then I just fell in love with this crazy business. After college I attended Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale, AZ. After that, I was totally hooked when I began learning about all the cool ingredients and techniques out there. Fresh out of school, I landed my internship at Michaels at the Citadel in Scottsdale, where I really learned to cook. The techniques I learned there are still the ones I use today. It was a great place to learn first hand from great chefs.
I spent three and a half years in that kitchen and then moved to Denver when I was 24. I was new to the city and got my first Executive Sous Chef position at Zengo which was an amazing learning experience. There, I dealt with 50 employees, and totally new and unfamiliar ingredients. I spent about a year and a half learning and teaching as much as I could. I moved on from there into what I like to call my "Bannano Years," which is when I feel like I became the chef I am today. Working with Frank was great, he gave me full control of whatever I wanted put on the menu. When I left, I helped my good friend Alex at his restaurant Fruition for a few months throughout the holiday season when business really picks up. Leading into the spring season, my partner Steve Allee and I opened Masterpiece Deli in 2008 - and its been a huge success.
NPB: Do your Midwestern, Iowan roots play a role in your culinary vision?
Chef: Yes, I think my Iowan roots play a huge role in my food. I grew up eating and cooking with my grandmother Marion. I remember being a small child, and always being around her kitchen trying to stick my fingers in everything; tasting, learning, and just loving to spend time with her. My family and I did lots of hunting, fishing, gardening and foraging - which is just part of life in Iowa. We had family farms that were mostly rented out for grain farming but there were always some cows around for family members to split up. Every summer my family always hosted a few hog roasts, and I was somehow always a part of them, even as a small child. I think that's where my love for the pig started. I butchered my first pheasant when I was eight years old. I shot and butchered my first deer at twelve with a bow and arrow, and by then I was damn near a professional fish cutter. I grew up in an over-populated area for whitetail deer and they gave us as many doe tags as we wanted. Because of that, I became a sniper with a bow - shooting between 10 to 15 deer a year, all of which I would butcher. By the time I was 15, I could break down a whole deer in 45 minutes by myself. With all of that history combined with my learnings, I like to think my food is "sophisticated farmhouse."
NPB: You’ve got an array of fantastic sandwiches from breakfast to lunch, is pork profitable for you across all dayparts?
Chef: Pork is profitable across the board for us, probably the most profitable. Knowing great techniques is what makes it so versatile and profitable. Being able to make my own charcuterie is the best way to turn a profit. By taking lesser cuts and changing them into true masterpieces; salamis, sausages, bacons, terrines, rillettes, prosciuttos, cooked hams. I mean, making these items in-house can save you a lot of money. Also, being able to bring in whole animals is also a way to increase profit margins in any daypart.
NPB: You do your own in-house smoking, which proves amazing results. What have you learned not to do?
Chef: I think with smoking, less is more. By that, I mean that using less smoke, or a lighter smoke, and allowing the smoke to naturally increase the natural flavors of the meat over time is best. Humidity is especially very important here in Denver, the humidity doesn’t get above 20% most of the time, but I'm used to it. But if you’re doing a long smoke on something like BBQ pork shoulder especially, you have to make sure you calculate the timing for lack of moisture.
NPB: Do you have a favorite wood-smoke flavor for certain cuts?
Chef: I’m more into matching what animals go best with what woods, in that sense I’m a bit of a traditionalist. With pork, I love Peach and Hickory blends. The Peach Wood has that soft, sweet smoke that everyone loves with pork and the Hickory gives it more of that smoky punch. I’ve tried tons of different combos but that combo is the favorite here in Colorado.
NPB: Does the altitude in Denver affect the smoking process?
Chef: No, the altitude does nothing at all to the smoking process, but the dry air effects it much more. It's something you really have to think about before doing a long smoke.
NPB: What techniques do you think are essential when smoking pork?
Chef: I think brining and pumping on large cuts, or dense cuts, to make sure the brining gets into the meat is pretty important. It helps to make sure you don’t end up with any unsightly grey pork. Technically, you’re not pumping to add weight, but instead you're pumping to get your brine all the way into the pork. Also when dry curing pork, I’m big on the No-Metal-To-Meat rule. We use cheese cloth instead when working with racks and grates. You have to be patient and give your brine plenty of time to get into the pork. On a whole animal brining, I give it up to a week. You have to let the pellicle form, it’s crucial to let your pork dry and get sticky on the outside. Making sure you do this helps get that flavor transfer and the beautiful smoked color. My bacon is a dry cure, so I use an old traditional method that pulls out moister from the pork and drives up on that porky flavor. To do so, you have to let your meat rest. Although, I think the hardest thing in the world is to not to dive into a cut right out of the smoker, it's almost torture. But don’t give in, don't touch it... just let the juices relax. For the same reason when smoking sausages, bring them up to the desired temperature and give a good cold shower to stop the cooking process.
NPB: You’ve said, “swine is my passion,” can you tell us why?
Chef: I love the pig. It is the coolest ingredient ever, hands down. I love to work with it; curing, salting, brining, fermenting, drying, stuffing, smoking, roasting, searing. I love teaching butchering classes that focus on pork. The pig has the sexist fat on the planet too, there is nothing better in the world than cured pork fat. I’m almost crying think about my last batch of Mangalitsa lardo... so pure and beautiful.
NPB: Word has it, that you’re launching a new restaurant, Lechón, with Infinite Monkey Theorem winery master, Ben Parsons. Tell us about it.
Chef: Actually, we changed the name of the restaurant to OLD MAJOR after the prize winning boar from George Orwell's "Animal Farm." We haven’t signed the lease yet, but we're close to finishing the deal with the building owner.
NPB: What is the concept for OLD MAJOR?
Chef: Our concept for OLD MAJOR is an upscale neighborhood bistro-style restaurant focusing on heritage breed meats and sustainable seafood. We will also have a great wine, beer and cocktail program. It will be a fun atmosphere, but not stuffy, like most of the places with good food in Denver.
NPB: Can patrons look forward to exciting wine and pork pairings?
Chef: Yes there will be some cool wine and pork stuff going on, thanks to my partner Ben. We'll have house wines made exclusively for us, OLD MAJOR red and white. One of the things I can’t wait to make is a red wine, dry cured salami using Ben’s juice.
NPB: Will you cure and smoke your pork in-house there?
Chef: Yes, I'll be installing a dry cure room to make all salami, coppa, lardo and some other items. Pork will be one of the main focuses of the menu, so it’s important to make all of it in house. I also plan on teaching classes to demonstrate some of these techniques to other chefs and the public. I’m looking for the right smoker for the job right now - something that hot and cold smokes, and something that has a humidity control because it’s so dry here.
NPB: When can people expect to see OLD MAJOR?
Chef: OLD MAJOR should be going by September 2012.
NPB: What is your favorite pork recipe? Where does the inspiration stem from?
Chef: Fried Pig Ears With Fried Duck Egg. It's so good, I just had to share the recipe with you guys. Click
here for Justin's recipe.