The Complete Book of Pork
There is something vaguely titillating about the title of Bruce Aidells' latest book, The Complete Book of Pork, cowritten with Lisa Weiss and due out in late October. Perhaps it is some residual Puritan streak, some slight discomfort with the implication that one has so much meat that one needs a tome about it. Perhaps, instead, it is the mere sound of the title, a normal string of words that ends with a near grunt. Or perhaps only I experience this, and you are trying to figure out what I'm talking about.
Regardless of your thoughts on the title, the book is worth checking out. Bruce Aidells can claim a lot of expertise with the topic: his company's sausages are well-known in the Bay Area and many consider his sausage book to be an almost biblical source. Aidells clearly loves this meat and he's fascinated by the way cultures have used it throughout history. His recipes come from all over the world: the obviously Mexican Albóndigas Soup with Chile Broth and Cilantro Salsa, tonkatsu from Japan, and classic Alsatian choucroute garni are just some examples.
There are plenty of good recipes for those who enjoy working from them, but the book aims to teach the reader more than just how to follow a recipe. Most of the recipes are specific instances of a master recipe you can use as a launching point for your own dishes, and a long introductory chapter will give you many fundamentals about cooking pork. Aidells discusses the best techniques for cooking different cuts of meat, explaining the underlying science of his recommendations as he goes. It's not On Food and Cooking, but it gives a good overview of what's going on at a molecular level as you cook your meat.
Despite this wealth of information, I might quibble with the word "complete" in the title. He spends very little time on how to cook pig offal, which is unfortunate since the most famous saying about pigs as food is "you can use everything but the oink." But if you're disappointed by this omission, I urge you to check out The Whole Beast by Fergus Henderson, which hopefully I'll review here soon. In defense of Aidells, though, he does provide information on rendering your own lard (which I recommend), curing your own meat, and of course making sausage. I'd also have liked more discussion about the current state of pig-raising in America. Probably all pork-eaters in this country are accomplices to the crimes committed against pigs by the modern factory farm (and vegetarians needn't look smug: egg factories are probably even worse). But many people aren't as aware of this as they should be, and I think Aidells lost a good opportunity to educate people. He also only touches on more flavorful heritage breeds of pigs. I can imagine his defense of this: his book is aimed at grocery shoppers throughout the country, many of whom don't have access to the frou-frou butchers of the Bay Area. Fair enough, but I maintain it's worth educating people on these topics so they can begin to put pressure on their local suppliers. One doesn't have to rely solely on the factory-farmed pig, but most stores don't think there's any demand so choose not to offer these alternatives.
Overall, though, these are minor complaints, fueled in part by my political agenda. The book gives a great overview of this popular meat, and all but the most pork-savvy readers will probably learn something from it. The recipes I've tried have worked well.
Herbed Pork Rillettes from Bruce Aidells' The Complete Book of Pork- some readers may remember that one of my duumplings for IMBB 7 was stuffed with pork rillettes. This is the recipe I used, more or less. Bring to room temperature before serving as a spread. Or, mix in pistachios and cracked peppercorns after cooking and pack tightly and serve as a terrine (hint, hint) by weighting it down so that the rillettes hold together better.
1 lb. boneless Boston butt
1 lb. pork fat from the Boston butt or belly
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 fresh sage leaves
2 shallots, chopped
3 whole garlic cloves
6 coriander seeds
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Cut the pork and fat or belly meat into 1/2-inch pieces. Put the meat and fat in a large saucepan and add water to cover.
- Add thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, sage leaves, shallots, garlic, coriander seeds, and salt.
- Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is extremely tender, the water is evaporated, and only melted fat remains. Stir occasionally to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove and discard the bay and sage leaves and let the mixture cool for 20 minutes. Using a fork or potato masher, mash and break up the mixture. Add the pepper and stir to combine. Taste for salt.
- Pack the mixture into a 1-quart terrine or soufflé. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the rillettes for at least 12 hours or preferably 2 to 3 days before serving. The rillettes will keep, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
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