Year of the Pig

The following post is dedicated to loyal Y.O.T.P. reader Ben, who got a cast iron dutch oven for Christmas and didn’t know what to do with it. Try this!

All Year-of-the-Pig long, I have neglected one of the best cuts of pork around, the loin. Why would I do this? I guess sometimes I think that pork loin gets a little dull, but that doesn’t have to be true. It’s a great cut and there is certainly no shortage of good stuff to do with this leaner piece of pork.

Awhile ago, my dad pointed out the interesting fact that pork is the only meat where the bony and fatty pieces (like ribs) are more expensive than that meaty lean parts (like the loin). That is an interesting point, and this lean cut should not be neglected.

Since winter started, I have been enjoying braised dishes as often as possible. In the winter when the grill is covered and the heat is on, there is nothing better than a nice braising dish to fill the house with savory smells and to heat my cold basement kitchen! A couple weeks ago I tried the following pork and peas recipe out of the book Pork & Sons which I got for Christmas. This is a pretty great book. It is beautifully laid out, and really fun to flip through. Full of lots a super uber frenchies doing everything under the sun with pigs. Not to mention that the photos and recipes all look great. This book is a must if you have a pile of pig cheeks laying around and you have no idea what to do with them. If you wanna know what to do with your pork, surely you must be able to trust these folks:

This is the recipe from Pork & Sons:

This is a quick simple standard braising recipe. Basically, you take your pork loin and brown it on all sides in a little oil (10 minutes). Then you add the bacon, shallots, onions, garlic and cook until they are a little softened (another 10 minutes or so).

Then you add your braising liquid (white wine) and herbs, cover it and simmer until done, about an hour or so, basting it from time to time.

Of course you need a secret ingredient, so I added a little extra nipular smoky pork flavor by tossing in a smoked pork nipple, for much needed flavor but mostly for effect.

When you are about done with braising the pork, cook up a butt load of peas and the mix them in with with all that delicious braising liquid. Serve.

Makes great leftovers too!