Dear Porky:

Thank you for endless amounts of material to write and speak about. A lifetime worth of recipes, you are such a versatile canvas to work on. Endless ideas for days.

Cheers, Michael

I recently did a podcast for Alt-Meat, Meatingplace's sister publication. I spoke about fitting different alt-meats into the center of the plate for consumers. Right now, it is only a small segment of our protein industry, and quickly growing.

After the interview, I thought, "Fair is fair," and I felt compelled to also share my perspective on one of my absolute favorite protein topics: pork, and all things pork.

One of my all-time favorites is smoking pork butt and coming up with innovatively flavored sausages. Yes, I know I’ve been making and cooking them for years. "Butt" recently, I’ve been experimenting and trying to broaden my repertoire, changing it up with a variety of different rubs and marinades, (I must give a shout out to Silk Road Spice Emporium for sharing some tremendous fresh combinations to help me and the cause) attempting various fruit injections and varied cooking methodologies. My thirst for knowledge and understanding of how and why things happen or react is what keeps me cooking and loving what I do. Honestly, sampling the end results isn’t too hard to take either — maybe my favorite part!

Moving on with bacon applications, searching to hit on something new that offers a unique, craveable experience. My focus recently has been on Guanciale and Pancetta. Although they can be interchangeable in some recipes, they offer up very different flavor profiles. For those of you who don’t know about these "bacon adaptations," they are derived from different areas of the hog. The cheek or jowl is used for Guanciale which is traditionally brined, cured with herbs and usually has more fat vs. lean, whereas Pancetta is from the belly and is traditionally salted, peppered cured, rolled and tied. I am changing the traditional flavor profiles up a bit, although it's a work in progress.

Now on to something a little further out there. Arancini is Italian fried and stuffed rice balls. I am tweaking the preparation and changing up its fillings to feature on-trend flavors (sorry, Grandma Rose). I’ve been using variations of pork parts and preparations like Carnitas, boneless chunks of BBQ burnt ends. Tweaking country-style pork paté with fermented vegetables and pickled products maybe for a grab and go appetizers. The possibilities are endless, which is another reason to keep me motivated and hungry for more.

Sometimes what turns out isn’t so great, to be honest, and that’s a good reality check and keeps things interesting. However, be it great, meh or somewhere in the middle we always celebrate the life given for us to consume. Thanks, Mr. Hog.

My query this week: Are you a traditionalist when it comes to pork — like, thick-sliced hickory smoked bacon — or are you willing to walk on the wild side?

Live well.

The marvels of swine

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