simoon
Newbie
- Aug 13, 2014
- 25
- 31
I have been curious about using Iberico pork for quite a while, despite the cost.
For those that are not familiar with Iberico pork, it is raised eating mostly acorns, the meat has a more complex flavor than normal pork, with a nutty flavor. It is darker and a deep ruby red color. It is usually more marbled than regular pork. And last but not least, the fat is as healthy as olive oil due to their diet.
More than 55% oleic acid, approaching the levels found in olive oil.
More than 70% of the total fats in acorn-fed Iberian pork are unsaturated, making it the most heart-healthy animal fat known.
Wild Fork has been out of Iberico for quite a while, but last week, I was in one of their stores, and they just got it in stock.
I was looking for ribs, but they still did not get them, so I grabbed pork belly. Not paying enough attention, I did not really notice it said "rose meat". But they have is rapped, so it looks like a small belly.
So, I got it home, and unwrap it, and it unfolds into a big thin sheet of meat. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? It is obviously too think to smoke.
So then it hit me! Can I make Porchetta out of this?
I google recipes for smoked Porchetta using rose meat, and sure enough, plenty of recipes saying rose meat works great for Prochetta. And since the rolling process produces a thick roll, it will not get over done cooking low and slow.
Quick trip to the store, for fresh: rosemary, parsley, thyme, fennel seeds. Run them through a small food processor with plenty of garlic, lemon zest, chili flakes, salt, pepper, olive oil.
Spread they paste on the less fatty side of the meat (lightly scoring the meat first), roll it tightly and tie it up.
Smoke it using cherry wood chunks at 225 util internal temp reaches mid 190's. Took about 2 hours since it only weighed about 1.6 pounds.
At that point, even though it had a pretty nice crust on it, I put it into a very hot pan to sear the outside for better color and crust.
Sliced thin with some quickly tossed together gremolata on top, to break up the richness.
Porchetta made in the oven is fantastic, smoking it adds layers of flavors.
This pic doesn't do it justice, it looked much better.
For those that are not familiar with Iberico pork, it is raised eating mostly acorns, the meat has a more complex flavor than normal pork, with a nutty flavor. It is darker and a deep ruby red color. It is usually more marbled than regular pork. And last but not least, the fat is as healthy as olive oil due to their diet.
More than 55% oleic acid, approaching the levels found in olive oil.
More than 70% of the total fats in acorn-fed Iberian pork are unsaturated, making it the most heart-healthy animal fat known.
Wild Fork has been out of Iberico for quite a while, but last week, I was in one of their stores, and they just got it in stock.
I was looking for ribs, but they still did not get them, so I grabbed pork belly. Not paying enough attention, I did not really notice it said "rose meat". But they have is rapped, so it looks like a small belly.
So, I got it home, and unwrap it, and it unfolds into a big thin sheet of meat. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? It is obviously too think to smoke.
So then it hit me! Can I make Porchetta out of this?
I google recipes for smoked Porchetta using rose meat, and sure enough, plenty of recipes saying rose meat works great for Prochetta. And since the rolling process produces a thick roll, it will not get over done cooking low and slow.
Quick trip to the store, for fresh: rosemary, parsley, thyme, fennel seeds. Run them through a small food processor with plenty of garlic, lemon zest, chili flakes, salt, pepper, olive oil.
Spread they paste on the less fatty side of the meat (lightly scoring the meat first), roll it tightly and tie it up.
Smoke it using cherry wood chunks at 225 util internal temp reaches mid 190's. Took about 2 hours since it only weighed about 1.6 pounds.
At that point, even though it had a pretty nice crust on it, I put it into a very hot pan to sear the outside for better color and crust.
Sliced thin with some quickly tossed together gremolata on top, to break up the richness.
Porchetta made in the oven is fantastic, smoking it adds layers of flavors.
This pic doesn't do it justice, it looked much better.
