Eat with Your Hands

Starred review from April 30, 2012
Opening with a recipe for a Frog Leg Clay Pot, it's clear that the debut of Pelaccio, owner and founder of NYC's Fatty âCue and Fatty Crab, will be a radical departure from the norm. A curious mélange of Malaysian, barbecue, and classic cooking, Pelaccio's inventiveness and enthusiasm is infectious and engaging. Dishes like Goat's-Milk-Braised Goat Parts, a roasted pig's head, and Anelli Con Ricci Di Mare (which calls for eight whole, live sea urchins) may be best left to the pros at Pelaccio's restaurants (as well as his iconic Fatty Duck and Fatty Brisket, also included here) but cooks are likely to find his Grilled Langoustines with Bacon Vinaigrette, Pork Fries, Oyster Banh Mi, and homemade bacon approachable and irresistible. Each recipe is paired with drink and music suggestions, though some may balk at his recommendation of two cases of beer, a couple joints, and an 8-ball of cocaine (?!) in order to properly smoke a whole pig. Painfully specific ingredients, such as DIY "lardo" or a bottle of cincalok (a Malaysian ingredient made from fermented krill), may put some readers off, but Pelaccio's passion is difficult to deny in what is easily one of the most creativeânot to mention Falstaffianâcookbooks of the season. Color photos.