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Where to buy pork belly


Karina G

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Second the choice of Hanna Rose Rodriguez (on Facebook). She has a delivery to us today, in fact. Leg of lamb roast, Pork shoulder roast with fat on, Keilbasa sausage, blade pork chops. She normally doesn't deliver direct to customers but we are on her route home.

You are entering a whole new world with pork bellies. They are extremely popular in Europe and Asia as a wonderful tasting, inexpensive cut. Hanna, and her husband, raise heritage breed pork and lamb. Any local carniceria with a big metal vat in front  is frying chicharones or carnitas. They cut off the skin and a good layer of fat. Hanna does the same (I imagine) but sells the rest of belly in strips of mostly meat. These pieces are grilled three minutes per side, or oven roasted 20 minutes per side, for delicious, super tender strips, which still have a bit a crunchy fat. To cut the skin and fat layer from a fresh pork belly is a lot of work. But skin can become a tooth breaker and bellies cooked this way are also typically overcooked. The carnicerias make a good profit selling chicharones, which are added to the bean pot. Let them have it. They are not consumed like pork rinds.

Get on Hanna's weekly list. There is a central restaurant which she uses for pickup orders.

You are in for a flavor treat if you follow through on this!

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When Hannah gets back to her regular schedule in January,she will have smoked pork belly available intact[with fat]. I  saw a foto on her FB and it was just like what I used to get at the Polish deli in Edmonton. Her lamb is the only REAL spring lamb available here except Baby lamb brand French cut rack at Soriana.

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Her double smoked Keilbasa is really good. It shows a real woman's touch of restraint. All the men I have purchased from, including the Polish Butcher on Hastings St. in Vancouver, use too much garlic salt and salt in general. I haven't asked her, because I am not the one who goes to gate to pay and pickup our order, but I suspect she has a Mennonite background. Her, and her neighbor also raise turkeys, but they were all stolen in early December.

She did mention today that the fat on, Pork shoulder roasts turned out to be huge. She is going to debone them, so ifyou want to smoke, slow cook, a pork shoulder roast for a crowd, contact her soon. Read a funny story on WaPo, this woman cooks a giant pork roast for a family meal. She stays up all night basting the fat every hour. By morning, she is tired, decides to have short nap. She gets up to serve the roast. Someone has ripped off a large piece of crispy fat! She is outraged, suspects one of her sisters. It tastes that good, and one reason I could never become Vegan, especially in Mexico.

Here is the story. Hope it gets through. Subscription $9.99 per year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/11/18/pernil-pork-roast-recipe-thanksgiving/

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On 12/22/2021 at 12:35 PM, CHILLIN said:

Second the choice of Hanna Rose Rodriguez (on Facebook). She has a delivery to us today, in fact. Leg of lamb roast, Pork shoulder roast with fat on, Keilbasa sausage, blade pork chops. She normally doesn't deliver direct to customers but we are on her route home.

You are entering a whole new world with pork bellies. They are extremely popular in Europe and Asia as a wonderful tasting, inexpensive cut. Hanna, and her husband, raise heritage breed pork and lamb. Any local carniceria with a big metal vat in front  is frying chicharones or carnitas. They cut off the skin and a good layer of fat. Hanna does the same (I imagine) but sells the rest of belly in strips of mostly meat. These pieces are grilled three minutes per side, or oven roasted 20 minutes per side, for delicious, super tender strips, which still have a bit a crunchy fat. To cut the skin and fat layer from a fresh pork belly is a lot of work. But skin can become a tooth breaker and bellies cooked this way are also typically overcooked. The carnicerias make a good profit selling chicharones, which are added to the bean pot. Let them have it. They are not consumed like pork rinds.

Get on Hanna's weekly list. There is a central restaurant which she uses for pickup orders.

You are in for a flavor treat if you follow through on this!

Please post the FB link as I did a search and was unable to fine this Hanna, many others. Thanks.

did

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Now I have a new one. Have found the perfect, Char Sui BBQ pork strips recipe from Australian blogger, Nagi, Recipe Eats. She pestered her local Chinese butcher as to the best pork cut to use. The reveal was Scotch Fillet Pork. Hannah is out of town until next year. It looks to me like pork tenderloin with all the fat and meat which surrounds it. Very popular on Aussie Barbies. Anyone bought this? What did they call it in Spanish?

I am getting a custom hanger rack fabricated to hang Char Sui strips over charcoal. It might vertically rotate, might not. The fat , smoke dripping on the coals not only adds flavor but also keeps the flies away and the customers coming in. Maybe eventually a mobile cart, selling Chinese BBQ strips and sausages and duck and - whatever.

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On 12/22/2021 at 9:56 PM, happyjillin said:

Hannah is going to try doing Mundare style smokies. She does boneless butt steaks for me. Best part of blade which is far superior to shoulder which any butcher and big store will sell you and there is no comparison.

images pork butt steak.jpg

pork butt boneless steak zx.jpg

I'd rather eat a pork shoulder steak than a pork chop.  I much prefer the "brown" meat to the white, dry meat of a pork chop.

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9 minutes ago, Yo1 said:

I'd rather eat a pork shoulder steak than a pork chop.  I much prefer the "brown" meat to the white, dry meat of a pork chop.

You are describing PORK BUTT STEAK blade removed or not. The shoulder steak isn't "brown" and somewhat on the tough side and is a cheap cut available at the big stores and small butchers and those will try to sell you that because they don't know the difference between the 2.I stopped dealing with a meat retailer who pawned off shoulder when I had ordered butt after I had spent mucho time including fotos with them to get their butchers to do the right thing. Hannah who is a butcher does it correctly.

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Thank you Pedro.

Here is Nagi's recipe. I have made it and it is good. I tend to use agave syrup rather than honey - because I am cheap! Red food coloring comes as a powder from Asian grocers - imported, but lasts forever.

https://www.recipetineats.com/chinese-barbecue-pork-char-siu/

Here is a Texas supplier of red powder. You could also use Kashmiri chili powder, which is mild with red color added.

https://ranibrand.com/products/rani-red-food-color-25gm-fda-approved-all-natural-non-gmo-vegan-gluten-friendly-indian-origin

 

 

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9 hours ago, happyjillin said:

You are describing PORK BUTT STEAK blade removed or not. The shoulder steak isn't "brown" and somewhat on the tough side and is a cheap cut available at the big stores and small butchers and those will try to sell you that because they don't know the difference between the 2.I stopped dealing with a meat retailer who pawned off shoulder when I had ordered butt after I had spent mucho time including fotos with them to get their butchers to do the right thing. Hannah who is a butcher does it correctly.

Sorry, I have to disagree.  Pork shoulder steak looks redder or darker than regular pork chops .  I have eaten pork should steaks ALL my life.

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We are a long ways from buying pork belly but this is my two cents worth.  I love pork shoulder steak, I like it as good as a fine beef steak and I have raised and had butchered many beefs.  I like the pork shoulder steak grilled or fried, I think the bone gives it a better flavor.  I like it better than the butt portion which is usually boneless with less marbeling.  As for the shoulder roast, I do not like it deboned.  I think it cooks better and has a better flavor if the bone is left in.

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15 hours ago, rafterbr said:

 

Butt vs. shoulder 101. I am merely trying to help y'all getting the best pork steak or roast. The foto I  showed before of a well marbled redish brown butt cut is called the "money" cut for a reason and that's what I request from Hannah. Yes some people call the butt shoulder You as a human have the same anatomy,the flat bone at the top of your back[butt] and your shoulder has a round bone in it[picnic]. Unfortunately the Spanish here refers to both so I  have always taken a foto with me and patted my back to show what I wanted. Never got the money,they always cut the Y bone with the horn meat and no money. Some fotos as explanation.See the dif in marbling butt vs. shoulder? Shoulder is one of the poorest cuts for steak ,not much flavour and mostly tougher but the whole picnic can be a fine roast depending on preparation. feel free to ask what is what. May the pork be with you and a big thanks to Hannah for knowing what to do!

por boston-butt x.jpg

pork butt boneless steak zx.jpg

pork butt money muscle.jpg

pork shoulder steak foto.jpg

pork-butt-vs-pork-shoulder_449e5261-ae5b-46af-8e52-7135c8f0d18b.png

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