Since the Japanese just celebrated the Year of the Boar 4
days ago while the rest Asia waits another 32 days to celebrate the Year of the
Pig, I’ll just be all inclusive and state that this New Year is the Year of the
Porcine. It doesn’t matter if they’re the hairless variety raised commercially
throughout the country mainly for ham, chops and bacon, the artisanal Red
Wattle or Berkshire variety served at upscale restaurants or the black-footed
free-range variety that gorge on acorns to produce that ham of the gods, Jamon
Iberico Bellota. And unless you’re a dedicated vegetarian, I’m sure you have a
favorite pork-based dish. In fact, I’m pretty sure that even certain
self-proclaimed vegetarians are closet bacon consumers in the privacy of their
own homes.
The “Good” Cuts
The cuts that command the best price and usually are
highlighted on restaurant menus are the loin and tenderloin. These are the cuts
featured in pork chops and crown roast of pork. However due to America changing
its dietary habits by reducing saturated fats, most commercially bred pork is a
lot leaner than a generation ago which means that these expensive cuts can
easily dry out and toughen with overcooking. Add Mom’s and Grandma’s old wives’
tale that pork should be cooked until totally brown further ruins these cuts.
Therefore, they benefit from a brine which assists in breaking down the protein
structure of the flesh so it doesn’t suddenly seize and contract when heat is
applied.
I personally look for sirloin at the supermarket as its
price rivals even pork butt and definitely less than half the cost of loin or
tenderloin. It also contains both the light and dark meat – yes, pork does have
light and dark meat – and it’s my favorite cut to marinate then smoke low and
slow. I also thinly slice the sirloin for sir fry dishes like pancit or
fried rice and use the larger pieces for my personal version of “smoke meat”
(in the 50th, it’s smoke meat not smoked meat).
The Trendy Cut
Yes, it’s that previously maligned cut that was shunned
by all but the most diehard pork consumers. The belly. Often with the skin still
attached that ends up rubbery if improperly cooked and never mind marbling, the
belly has more than a week’s supply of saturated fat. Until consumers realized
that bacon was nothing more than cured, smoked then fried pork belly. And every
chef also took note of the public’s perception change and used the belly for
more than bacon. Even today, it’s hard to find any restaurant menu that doesn’t
have a dish highlighting pork belly. In fact, the demand by restauranteurs for
pork belly was so great that former artisanal pork farmers, the Shinsato’s had
a problem selling other cuts of pork as pork belly was the cut in demand.
I’ll admit that I also was hypnotized by this craze
creating a plethora of pork belly dishes from the traditional Okinawan rafute (shoyu simmered pork belly) to a deconstructed BLT with maple and
bourbon simmered belly to porchetta –
whole pork belly rolled with various fresh herbs and either forcemeat (pork
sausage) or loin then slow roasted until it was time to crisp the skin to
create the perfect chicharron.
The Offal Good Cuts
For starters, offal isn’t the same as awful. Offal simply
refers to the organs and entrails of animal that aren’t usually favored by most
diners. Nowadays it usually refers to any cut of the animal that isn’t particularly
desired by the general public. But as you’ve probably realized by now, I relish
these cuts as 1) it takes a lot more skill preparing these often tough and
fibrous cuts which usually means low and slow braising and seasoning and 2) I
feel that we’re obligated to honor and respect the animal we sacrifice by not
wasting anything. Therefore, I previously simmered smoked pork hocks simply for
a broth for my semi-vegetarian Portuguese bean soup simply discarding that
expended shank once the broth was completed. I now pressure cook a mixture of
fresh and smoked hocks then remove everything but the bone to create a luscious
trotter terrine. After setting overnight, thin slices are served with a
ginger-green onion pesto along with a glass of chilled Riesling. The mixture of
Asian spices, slight smokiness and luscious gelatin and crunchy bits makes for
the perfect appetizer! I also created my own rendition of Porchetta di testa which is the Italian version of head cheese.
Basically, half of a boned pork head is cooked sous vide (under vacuum) for 18 hours at 190 degrees after
schmearing with a fresh herb paste. After chilling for 2 full days, the
resulting roll can either be thinly sliced or cubed then breaded and deep
fried. Like the trotter terrine, the final result produces various textures and
because of the fat and gelatin, is an unctuous, delicious delight!
I also have a penchant for fried pigs’ ears which I first
sampled from a vendor at the weekly Windward Mall Farmer’s Markets. Because the
ears are simply skin and cartilage, they have to be cooked for quite a while to
break down the connective tissue. Once this is accomplished, they simply are
thrown in a deep fryer to puff and crisp. And it’s not just my friendly
merchant at Windward Mall who creates these crunchy delights. Chef Teddy Uehara
of Agu Ramen serves mimiga or thinly
sliced fried pigs’ ears at all of his Hawaii locations with a spicy mayonnaise
based ”volcano” sauce.
Future Cuts
Cheeks, necks and shanks anyone? Italians have been salt
curing pork jowls for years and these guanciale
are used interchangeably with their salt cured pork belly or pancetta. Because of the fat content in
these cuts, they are often used for flavoring any dish with its fat and salt
content. The actual cheek meat itself is perfect for braising as it also adds
rich gelatin to the final dish.
I’m sure you’ve seen veal and beef shanks at your local
supermarket but pork shanks aren’t commonly seen at the supermarket. In fact,
the only “market” that I’ve purchased pork shanks are at Chef’s Zone which are
sold frozen in vacuum sealed six packs. I’ve slow cooked them Italian style
with garlic, tomatoes, dried herbs and wine, Asian style with Chinese five
spice, shoyu and awamori and Middle Eastern style with coriander, cinnamon, cumin
and cardamom with loads of garlic and white wine. Because the legs do a lot of
work, the meat is very flavorful and because of the abundance of connective
tissue, the long cooking breaks it down to enrich the sauce.
Finally, a cut that’s popular in the South is pork necks
and neckbones and because they resemble a cut of beef in the 50th
that’s very popular – namely oxtail, I’m not sure why they haven’t caught on
here in the 50th. Again, because of the abundance of connective
tissue (like oxtail), they require long braising but once that happens, the
meat falls right off of the bone.
However, if the aforementioned cuts of pork are still
just a little too adventurous for you, how about a toasted double pork
sandwich? The Cubano or Cuban sandwich supposedly was brought to our shores
back in the late 1800s or early 1900s when travel between Cuba and Florida
wasn't restricted. It starts with a loaf of Cuban bread though any submarine
type of roll is satisfactory. The roll is sliced lengthwise then toasted with
either butter or oil then layered with yellow mustard, roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese
and sliced dill pickles then pressed in a sandwich press. Yes, I'm sure you
still have tour George Forman grill, it'll work the same. You can easily find
almost all of the ingredients at your local supermarket and just have to decide
what type of roast pork to use. I personally like making my own Lechon Asado or pork ham or shoulder
marinated in sour orange, garlic, oregano, black pepper and olive oil overnight
then roasted or smoked the next day. Because the roasted pork will last the
whole week for sandwiches, I use a pork sirloin roast which is a little
healthier option. You can look online for the authentic naranja or sour orange juice, get lucky at Marukai when they
occasionally stock Okinawan shikuwasa
juice (sour lime juice) or simply mix 2 parts orange juice with one part each
of lemon and lime juice.
Lechon Asado
2 to 4 lb pork sirloin roast
1 cup sour orange juice
12 cloves of fresh garlic mashed through a garlic press
½ onion, finely minced
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 & ½ tsp dried oregano
¼ cup olive oil
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