This little piggie went to the market
It’s National Pork Month
See for yourself. October’s National Pork Month.
On a recent sunny Saturday, Jeremy Dunphy greeted shoppers at the Downingtown Farmers Market. Behind him: an eye-catching sign showing a happy pig lounging in the grass.
“Our pigs are pastured,” described the co-owner of Pasture Song Farm. “Old-time farmers say, ‘You finally got smart. That’s the way we used to do it.’”
Dunphy and Clara Osborne raise mixed heritage-breed hogs in South Coventry.
“There is more fat on our pork. It has more flavor,” he said. “It’s the pork the way millennials’ grandparents ate.” And the color may surprise you. “It’s red. It’s not white,” Dunphy added. “It’s not your parents’ other white meat.”
See for yourself. October’s National Pork Month.
“One of my hopes is people start showing pork just a little bit more respect,” said Brian Coble of Carnicopia Meats in Malvern. He and Alexi Alejandro offer locally sourced, pasture-raised, heritagebreed pork (and more) delivered to your doorstep.
“You can get the interesting cuts that you’d never see in stores,” he explained. “We really pride ourselves on custom butchering.”
Try a coppa steak, which “is basically the Delmonico of the pig,” or bone-in pork belly – “essentially pork short ribs.”
“There’s more to pork than just pork chops and bacon,” said Coble. “We’re excited to share that with customers.”
He also shared recipes like braised pork brisket.
Dining out? Savor the “vegetable-forward” pork Milanese at Main & Vine in Villanova.
“It’s very nostalgic because I grew up eating things like this,” recalled executive chef Charles Vogt. “At the same time, it’s different. We put our own little twist on it.”
The dish features cucumber and heirloom tomato salad, shaved Parmesan and 12-year aged balsamic. But the star, of course, is the meat itself – breaded and panfried in grapeseed oil.
“You want to start with that great, beautiful pork,” he said. “There’s a lot of great pork in the area.”
Bone-in Pork Belly
Ingredients
2 (3/4- to 1-pound) bone-in pork belly 2 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika 2 teaspoons chili power 2 teaspoons dried mustard 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorn, ground 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional for heat) 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional for sweetness) 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
Preheat the grill with a castiron pan or griddle to 400 degrees. Be sure the pan is large enough to hold the bone-in pork belly. If possible, put the pan off the flames. Mix all the seasonings together except the rosemary. Rub the bone-in pork belly with the spice blend until evenly distributed. You can season the belly overnight in the refrigerator. Reduce the grill to medium-low heat, about 325 to 350 degrees, and then sear the bone-in belly in the pan or griddle on all sides without any oil. Don’t walk away from the grill or close the lid, the belly will sear quickly! Once all the sides are seared, close the lid and allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the belly every 10 minutes, flipping if one side starts to brown too much. Cook time is about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until fork tender. For the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the rosemary sprigs to the pan. Allow the bone-in pork belly to rest for 10 minutes. Feel free to serve with your favorite barbecue sauce. You can eat with a knife-and-fork or with your hands. Serves 2.
Recipe Courtesy Of Carnicopia Meats
Grilled Coppa Steak
Ingredients
1 (1/2- to 3/4-pound) coppa steak 1 or 2 sprigs fresh thyme Kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
Allow the steak to reach room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat the grill to high. Pat the steak dry and season with the pepper and thyme. Let it sit for 10 minutes so the steak can absorb the seasonings. Season with the salt right before grilling. Put the steak on the hottest part of the grill to get an initial sear and then immediately turn the heat down to medium-low, about 350 degrees. Cook on indirect heat if possible. Watch out for flare-ups if cooking directly over the flame; the fat from the steak will drip! For medium, grill about 8 minutes each side or until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. For medium-well, grill about 10 minutes each side or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees. For well-done, grill at least 12 minutes each side or until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Take the steak off the grill, cover and rest for about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Serves 1.
Recipe Courtesy Of Carnicopia Meats
Braised Pork Brisket al Latte with Rosemary & Sage
Ingredients
3 pounds pork brisket, butterflied so evenly flat 3/4 pound rendered lard, cold, cut in small chunks 2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary 3 cloves roasted garlic, minced 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil Juice of 1/2 lemon, reserve juiced lemon half 1/2 to 3/4 gallon whole milk, grass-fed for best flavor, room temperature 10 to 15 leaves fresh sage, chopped
Instructions
With a rubber spatula, mix the cold lard, roasted garlic, and rosemary leaves until well distributed. Keep the mixture cold. You may need to put in the refrigerator/ freezer while mixing to keep the lard from rendering into a liquid. Season the pork brisket with salt and pepper and then evenly spread about half the lard mixture. Roll the brisket tightly, so it is a long roll (think how you’d want to slice and serve it). Tie tightly and evenly along the roll to keep it compact. Season the outside of the roll with salt and pepper and then spread the remaining lard mixture on the outside.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. On a stovetop, sear all the sides of the brisket in an oven-safe casserole dish or cast-iron pan in a little olive oil. It should be about 5 to 8 minutes per side. Be sure the cookware is large enough for the brisket to fit into! After searing, add a few sprigs of rosemary to the pan along with the lemon juice. Take the used lemon half and slice about a quarter of it and throw that in the pan too. Add enough milk to the pan to reach at least halfway up the brisket. Reduce the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Cover with foil or cookware lid and roast in the oven until the brisket is fork tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Remove the brisket from the pan to a cutting board or dish. Cover and let it rest. Remove the lemon rind and rosemary sprigs and skim any excess fat from the cooking liquid. Boil the cooking liquid until it has reduced to a saucy consistency (should be able to coat a spoon). Add half the sage leaves to the liquid, puree or blend the cooking liquid until smooth and season to taste. Slice the brisket in desirable portions and serve with the milk sauce. Garnish with any remaining sage leaves. Serves 5 or 6.
Recipe Courtesy Of Carnicopia Meats
Pork Milanese
Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) pork chops Breading: 2 cups all-purpose flour 8 eggs, beaten 1 quart panko bread crumbs 1 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup parsley 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Salad: 2 cups organic cucumbers 2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 3 cups organic baby arugula 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Shaved Parmesan cheese Cracked pepper Sea salt 12-year aged balsamic
Instructions
Lightly pound out your pork chops to about 1/4-inch thin, or you could have your butcher do it for you. You will need three containers for breading: one for the all-purpose flour, one for the eggs and the final one for the seasoned bread crumb mix (bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, kosher salt and pepper). Lightly dredge the pork chops in flour making sure to fully coat, shake off any excess and dip into the egg mixture. Again, shake off the excess and dip into the bread crumb. Make sure to press on the bread crumb, so it fully coats your chops. In a large skillet, heat grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add in your pork, working in batches and adding more oil if necessary. Cook until cutlets are golden brown on the bottom (roughly 3 minutes) Flip and cook until cooked through, 3 more minutes. Transfer to a heavily lined plate to absorb any excess oil. In a large bowl, toss your cucumber, tomato, red onion and arugula with your lemon and olive oil. Season generously with sea salt and cracked pepper; top your pork chops with the salad. Then make it snow all over the top with your Parmesan cheese. Drizzle your aged balsamic all over the top and enjoy. Serves 4.
Tip: When breading, always remember to keep one hand dry and one hand for wet.
Recipe Courtesy Of Main & Vine
Just the facts…
You know pork’s high in protein, right? Well, it’s also rich in vitamins and minerals like thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, phosphorus, zinc and potassium. And chew on this: Worldwide, people eat more pork than chicken or beef.
The United States is one of the leading pork producers.
In the nineteenth century, Cincinnati earned the nickname “Porkopolis” as the country’s chief hog-packing center.
Source: Pork Checkoff, www. pork.org