Johnnie Mountain - Pig: Cooking with a Passion for Pork

Johnnie Mountain

INTRODUCTION

My greatest childhood memory is definitely my Nana Olgas bacon butty; running to her house after school, mouth watering in anticipation of the hand-cut, smoky, crisp bacon sandwiched between two slices of soft brown, doorstep-thick bread with lashings of melting butter. My love of pork has since grown from a passion to an obsession!

Over the twenty-plus years Ive worked as a chef in kitchens across the globe, Ive always felt that pork has been given the cheap seat on menus, and maybe hasnt been treated with the same respect as other types of meat. I wanted to change this and so I opened a restaurant in the heart of the City of London and called it The English Pig. For me, pork has so much to offer and nows the time to show the pig in all its glory

Pork is now often called the other white meat as breeders produce cuts that are leaner and healthier, but the most fantastic thing about pork is its versatility it provides lean cuts, fattier cuts and cuts for roasting, stewing or braising. Cured, smoked and air- dried pork has become a culinary art in its own right and has led to some of the most sought-after delicacies in the world, such as Iberico, Serrano, Parma and Bellota hams, as well as spectacular sausages and salami. Pound for pound, the pig is amazing.

With todays modern approach to pig farming, unfortunately there are still varying standards of animal welfare. Though Im always pleased to discover that there are still a number of amazing farmers who believe in their product, and finding them is of utmost importance to me. I visit farms at least half a dozen times a year, checking on quality control and whether these wonderful omnivores are being looked after in the right way.

I take sourcing very seriously and my preference is for outdoor-reared pork, as this allows the pig to follow its natural instincts of foraging and burrowing for its own food. A natural and varied diet is crucial to the flavour of pork, and the pig needs to eat almost constantly. This explains its quick growth: at around nine months old the pig has reached its optimum meat-to-bone ratio. Outdoor rearing allows for socializing and this is a very important trait when making sure the animal is happy within its environment and itself. A calm pig is a happy pig, and a happy pig produces the most amazing meat!

BREEDS OF PIG

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of breeds of pig across the globe, with some breeds reared for their fresh meat and others more suited to cured ham.

Of the fourteen rare breeds I love to cook with, my favourite is the Gloucester Old Spot [1] because the beautiful layers of fat on the belly make it the perfect piece for slow cooking. I also look for Saddlebacks [2], which are longer in the body, resulting in stunning loins and tenderloins (fillet). Sandy and Black, Tamworth and British Lop [3] are also worth looking out for due to their great flavour and lean meat content.

In certain parts of Europe, particularly in hilly regions, certain breeds have been chosen for their suitability for ham. All that hill climbing (and acorn eating) gives a wonderful texture and taste to the haunch of the pig. The much-coveted and DOC- protected (Denominacin de Origen) dry-cured Spanish hams Iberico, Bellota and jamon Serrano are some of the most revered. Iberico Black pigs [4] are pure or cross bred with other breeds and mainly come from southern Spain. Bellota is from free-range pigs that roam the Iberian peninsula, and whose diet is made up almost entirely of acorns, while Serrano comes mainly from Landrace pigs, but also from Duroc [5] and Pietrain.

Italian prosciutto di Parma and San Daniele are also fine-quality, popular hams and they usually come from the Large White, Landrace or Duroc pigs. The Tuscan equivalent is the La Cinta Senese or Sienese Banded pig, which is sought after for prosciutto.

Across Eastern and Central Europe, one of the most popular breeds is the Krskopolje, or Blackbelted Pig, which is celebrated for its large size and quality of meat. The Mangalitsa [6] is very popular in Hungary, especially as it has a great fat content with beautiful marbling, making it fantastic for hams and salami. In Germany, the Swabian-Hall is a rare breed that is revered for its fattier flesh and has a geographical status protected by the European Union.

North American breeds are relatively new and mainly bred for their lean meat. The Duroc is probably the most traditional and was bred initially in the states of New York and New Jersey in the 1800s. The breed is unique due to its bright auburn skin.

COOKING WITH PORK

Our mothers were most likely taught to cook pork thoroughly, which often made it quite dry, but now, due to new standards in pig farming, better guidelines on feed and improvements in transport, you really can eat pork slightly pink! Even the US Department of Agriculture has fully embraced this trend. In 2011, it reduced the recommended internal temperature for cooked pork from 74C/165F (thoroughly cooked and possibly dry) to 63C/145F, when it is slightly rosy and still moist.

When cooking with pork, certain cuts suit some dishes better than others. Broadly speaking, the parts of a pig that do a lot of work, such as the legs and cheeks, are muscular and tougher, so need long slow-cooking. Those that do little, such as the tenderloin fillet and loin, are lean and benefit from quick cooking. To make things easy, my suggestions for using each cut of pork will help you to cook this wonderful meat perfectly.

Cooking with pork loin

The loin of a pig is one of the most versatile cuts of pork and it is also one of the most expensive. As with other animals, the muscles in the loin area do very little work and so the meat tends to be lean, and it also has a more subtle flavour than the shoulder or the legs.

A loin joint is one of the most popular roasting cuts and although the meat is fairly lean, it has a good outer layer of fat and skin, which keeps the meat moist and makes fantastic crispy crackling. Conventional roasting at a higher temperature is ideal for pork loin, although it can be oven cooked more gently, if required (see ). Meat roasted on the bone is usually seen as the ultimate way to impart flavour, and a loin rack joint is very manageable for the home cook. If you are concerned about carving, ask your butcher to cut the meat away from the bones, then tie it back on. The meat can be easily lifted away from the bones for carving after roasting.

The fillet, also known as the tenderloin, comes from within the loin area and it is very lean and tender [pictured overleaf, left]. It is a long, thin, cyclindrical cut, around 68cm/23in in diameter with very little fat, though the tenderloin does have a covering of pale white silvery membrane. This is called the silverskin, a type of connective tissue that doesnt break down when cooked. It can be tough, so it is best removed with a sharp knife before cooking. (See Show Me How to Prepare and Cook the Tenderloin, ).