Today at the farmers market I also picked up a pound of fresh side pork.
As it was explained to me it's bacon without the curing and salt. The
slices/strips are thick and very lean -- almost like carnitas. Bob and I
talked about the things we can do with it (and after googling it, it
seems to be highly sought after) and wondered what others would do. This
guy that we get the pork from seems to specialize in organic, low-fat,
but highly flavorful grass fed pork products. His breakfast sausage is
easily 90% or more lean, but the taste is amazing. He's getting a patent
on his process and seasonings.

Someone in the neighborhood is BBQing and that triggered the fresh side
pork thoughts.

--Lin

Lin wrote:

> Today at the farmers market I also picked up a pound of fresh side pork.
> As it was explained to me it's bacon without the curing and salt. The
> slices/strips are thick and very lean -- almost like carnitas. Bob and I
> talked about the things we can do with it (and after googling it, it
> seems to be highly sought after) and wondered what others would do. This
> guy that we get the pork from seems to specialize in organic, low-fat,
> but highly flavorful grass fed pork products. His breakfast sausage is
> easily 90% or more lean, but the taste is amazing. He's getting a patent
> on his process and seasonings.
>
> Someone in the neighborhood is BBQing and that triggered the fresh side
> pork thoughts.

So far, I've come up with:

Skewered, grilled, and served with peanut sauce
Teriyaki
Stir-fried with bell peppers, then sauced with orange juice, garlic, and
cilantro
Incorporated into paella
Maple-glazed and roasted, with onions[1]
Pan-cooked with parmesan-egg-lemon sauce
Vanilla-brined, cooked on a Silpat, and served as a variation on eggs
benedict, using a cream sauce rather than hollandaise
Sweet & sour

Sounds like we'll need more than a pound!

Bob
[1] The onions I have in mind are cut into thick slices and then cooked over
high heat so that the edges are very brown but the interior is still pretty
much raw. I want them to still be a bit crunchy.

On Sat, 08 May 2010 18:28:24 -0700, Lin wrote:

> Today at the farmers market I also picked up a pound of fresh side pork.
> As it was explained to me it's bacon without the curing and salt. The
> slices/strips are thick and very lean -- almost like carnitas. Bob and I
> talked about the things we can do with it (and after googling it, it
> seems to be highly sought after) and wondered what others would do. This
> guy that we get the pork from seems to specialize in organic, low-fat,
> but highly flavorful grass fed pork products. His breakfast sausage is
> easily 90% or more lean, but the taste is amazing. He's getting a patent
> on his process and seasonings.
>
> Someone in the neighborhood is BBQing and that triggered the fresh side
> pork thoughts.

I wouldn't say it's highly sought afetr, it's just that nobody who
wants to make bacon can find it, and if they do, they're probably
making twice cooked pork, a korean pork dish who's name I fogot, or
bacon. And they're charging $5/lb for it.

I get mine for $2 with the bone or with or without the bone - same
price. At the Chinese markets.

I've got 16 pictures of belly, but not time to post them properly.
Some cured, some smoked, some both. And some sashimi (?). Remind
me tomorrow if you're still interested. I'm going to bed after a
chocolate covered cherry (or three).

-sw

On Sat, 8 May 2010 19:06:39 -0700, Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> Sounds like we'll need more than a pound!

I was going to say that a pound is somewhat small. Usually they
only come in the whole slab (boneless is about 4 pounds). But not
when it's $5/lb I guess.

-sw

"Lin" > wrote in message
...
> Today at the farmers market I also picked up a pound of fresh side pork.
> As it was explained to me it's bacon without the curing and salt. The
> slices/strips are thick and very lean -- almost like carnitas. Bob and I
> talked about the things we can do with it (and after googling it, it seems
> to be highly sought after) and wondered what others would do. This guy
> that we get the pork from seems to specialize in organic, low-fat, but
> highly flavorful grass fed pork products. His breakfast sausage is easily
> 90% or more lean, but the taste is amazing. He's getting a patent on his
> process and seasonings.
>
> Someone in the neighborhood is BBQing and that triggered the fresh side
> pork thoughts.
>
> --Lin

I ate side pork often growing up. It was cheap then and still is around
here, but probably not as good of quality as you found today. We used to
just pan fry it like bacon and serve it with mashed potatoes and milk gravy.
Simple food, but fond memories.

Jinx

Jinx Minx wrote:

> I ate side pork often growing up. It was cheap then and still is around
> here, but probably not as good of quality as you found today. We used to
> just pan fry it like bacon and serve it with mashed potatoes and milk gravy.
> Simple food, but fond memories.

Did you fry it in additional butter with salt? It's what was suggested
to me since it's so lean. Seems to defeat the lower-fact aspects of the
meat.

--Lin

Sqwertz wrote:
>
> On Sat, 8 May 2010 19:06:39 -0700, Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>
> > Sounds like we'll need more than a pound!
>
> I was going to say that a pound is somewhat small. Usually they
> only come in the whole slab (boneless is about 4 pounds). But not
> when it's $5/lb I guess.

At the nearby Asian market, they slice it very thinly
and label it as "black pork for shabu-shabu". You can
buy a half-pound pre-packaged or buy it at the meat counter
in any reasonable size you ask for.

I forgot what they charge for it, but I kept my eye on the
pre-packaged display and saw one package that was priced
unusually low due to a measurement error while weighing.
I tried to use it a few different ways. Fried a little
bit, looked up "shabu-shabu" and tried a similar
process, but I wasn't impressed with it at all.
Bland fatty pork, and if black pigs are any different
from white pigs, I can't tell the difference.
It's like the "Angus beef" scam.

Lin wrote:
>
> Jinx Minx wrote:
>
> > I ate side pork often growing up. It was cheap then and still is around
> > here, but probably not as good of quality as you found today. We used to
> > just pan fry it like bacon and serve it with mashed potatoes and milk gravy.
> > Simple food, but fond memories.
>
> Did you fry it in additional butter with salt? It's what was suggested
> to me since it's so lean. Seems to defeat the lower-fact aspects of the
> meat.

Lean? Side pork? Paraphrasing _The_Simpsons_,
the only thing with more fat is fat.

"Lin" > wrote in message
...
> Jinx Minx wrote:
>
>> I ate side pork often growing up. It was cheap then and still is around
>> here, but probably not as good of quality as you found today. We used to
>> just pan fry it like bacon and serve it with mashed potatoes and milk
>> gravy. Simple food, but fond memories.
>
> Did you fry it in additional butter with salt? It's what was suggested to
> me since it's so lean. Seems to defeat the lower-fact aspects of the meat.
>
> --Lin

Usually there was sufficient fat on it to not need any extra for frying.
I'm curious to know how a super-lean one would taste by comparison. In my
mind, "lower fat" and "side pork" are diametrically opposed. :-) A little
salt and lots of pepper is all we'd use for seasoning.

Jinx

On Sat, 08 May 2010 22:11:35 -0700, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>Lin wrote:
>>
>> Jinx Minx wrote:
>>
>> > I ate side pork often growing up. It was cheap then and still is around
>> > here, but probably not as good of quality as you found today. We used to
>> > just pan fry it like bacon and serve it with mashed potatoes and milk gravy.
>> > Simple food, but fond memories.
>>
>> Did you fry it in additional butter with salt? It's what was suggested
>> to me since it's so lean. Seems to defeat the lower-fact aspects of the
>> meat.
>
>Lean? Side pork? Paraphrasing _The_Simpsons_,
>the only thing with more fat is fat.

Side pork when cured and smoked becomes bacon... some season slices
and fry it in lieu of bacon. I'd not buy it in quantity, fresh side
pork doesn't keep well. Side pork is relatively inexpensive so it's
common to grind it with leaner pork cuts to make sausage... can also
be diced, fried crisp, and added to rice dishes.

http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-t.../side-pork.asp

On 5/8/2010 8:28 PM, Lin wrote:
> Today at the farmers market I also picked up a pound of fresh side pork.
> As it was explained to me it's bacon without the curing and salt. The
> slices/strips are thick and very lean -- almost like carnitas. Bob and I
> talked about the things we can do with it (and after googling it, it
> seems to be highly sought after) and wondered what others would do. This
> guy that we get the pork from seems to specialize in organic, low-fat,
> but highly flavorful grass fed pork products. His breakfast sausage is
> easily 90% or more lean, but the taste is amazing. He's getting a patent
> on his process and seasonings.
>
> Someone in the neighborhood is BBQing and that triggered the fresh side
> pork thoughts.
>
> --Lin

I'm not doubting your pork supplier's idea that hogs eat grass but, in
over thirty years of raising hogs I never saw one eat grass like a
grazing animal. They always rooted up the roots and ate them and left
the grass alone. They will also eat anything they can catch and kill,
including snakes and small mammals, carrion, etc. Free range hogs in
East Texas are called "piney woods rooters" for a reason.

We used to eat fresh bacon when we butchered the hogs in the fall, cut
it thick and fry it in a large cast iron skillet. Pretty good stuff.

George Shirley wrote:

> I'm not doubting your pork supplier's idea that hogs eat grass but, in
> over thirty years of raising hogs I never saw one eat grass like a
> grazing animal. They always rooted up the roots and ate them and left
> the grass alone. They will also eat anything they can catch and kill,
> including snakes and small mammals, carrion, etc. Free range hogs in
> East Texas are called "piney woods rooters" for a reason.

Yes, George you are correct. I've got the words "grass fed" etched into
my mind with all the animals these days. What he says about his
livestock: "Our hogs are on a quality grain nutritionally designed for
hogs."

They are a working ranch and also raise Angus beef, Yorkshire an
Hampshire hogs, and Dorset and Hampshire sheep. He's carried goat a
couple of times.

> We used to eat fresh bacon when we butchered the hogs in the fall, cut
> it thick and fry it in a large cast iron skillet. Pretty good stuff.

Bob and I were just looking at the side pork trying to decide how to
prepare it. Right now bacon and eggs this Mothers Day sounds pretty good.

--Lin

"Sqwertz" wrote

> I've got 16 pictures of belly, but not time to post them properly.
> Some cured, some smoked, some both. And some sashimi (?). Remind
> me tomorrow if you're still interested. I'm going to bed after a
> chocolate covered cherry (or three).

Heheh Interested in the sashimi! I had a dish oin Pohang Korea at a Russian
restraunt. Utterly simple yet divine.

Raw frozen 'cured' bacon, thinly laced with meat but mostly fat.
Belgian endive leaf
Horseradish sauce

Lay slice of still crystaline (frozen) bacon on leaf. Top lightly with
horseradish sauce. Eat.

"Lin" wrote
> Jinx Minx wrote:

>> I ate side pork often growing up. It was cheap then and still is around
>> here, but probably not as good of quality as you found today. We used to
>> just pan fry it like bacon and serve it with mashed potatoes and milk
>> gravy. Simple food, but fond memories.

> Did you fry it in additional butter with salt? It's what was suggested to
> me since it's so lean. Seems to defeat the lower-fact aspects of the meat.

Try using instead some soy sauce, 1/4 cup strong dashi, then with the pan
'juices' added to water, quick cook fresh spinach or other greens of your
choice. I was told this is called 'water frying' where you use basically a
water base in small amount and the natural meat fats do the rest. Then you
save that cooking liquid over to the next dish adding more water if desired.