Butcher's Series #1 - Heritage Pork
One of my favorite parts of my job is working with farmers to solve a problem and/or introduce something new. For the last couple years, I've been interetsed in different hogs and their possible uses.
Most of the commercial meat market has very limited genetics. A majority of the hogs raised throughout the US are selected for their long, lean loins (pork chops), large bellies (bacon), and carcass yeild (low price). In the end, you have dry, tough pork.
At Fresh Fork Market, we have paid particular attention to heritage breeds, particularly the Berkshire which has a darker meat, more marbling, and more flavor. It does exceptionally well on pasture as well. But what other hogs are out there?
Well in the spring of 2013, my friends and kitchen accomplices Chef Adam Lambert and Parker Bosley went on a search for different hogs. Adam and I landed at a seam butchery workshop in Danville, Kentucky where we trained with a French butcher from Gascony. We litterally got elbow deep in pork and learned how to cut a pig especially to maximize the yield of cured meats - charcuterie.
My focus at the workshop though was to make connections to folks who had different breeds of pork. That was accomplished and in 2013 Adam and I traveled around with a trailer and picked up hogs. The two in particular for 2013 were Red Wattle and Mangalitsa. For 2014, we have several others on the radar.
This dinner is to celebrate our travels, what we learned, and the hard work of our farmers who helped produce a delicious pork. The meat used for this dinner will be all Red Wattle pork.
What to Expect
At the dinner, we will do a seam butchering demonstration on a half a hog. We'll demonstrate where each traditional cut comes from on the hog, as well as some alternative ways to cut the hog. Finally, we will demonstrate several preparations of the pork.
The event includes demonstration, a heavy tasting menu, and three (3) pours of Market Garden Brewery house beers.
Other beverages, including wine and cocktails, are available from the cash bar. No substitutions will be allowed for the beers paired with the pork.
About the Menu
Chefs Adam Lambert and Parker Bosley are working hard to impress you at this dinner. Without spoiling the surprises, you can expect house cured bacon, testa fritto (face bacon), pate, house cured meats, filet sec, and stuffed pig hearts.
Here is a Flickr Page with some camera phone pictures of our journey with the Red Wattles: http://www.flickr.com/photos/freshforkmarket/sets/72157640310652736/
Here are photos from last year's butcher class: http://www.flickr.com/photos/freshforkmarket/sets/72157633379439097/