Gravy's Cooking Thread

BrutulTM said:

My brother raised some Mangalitsa hogs a couple of years ago. They are a Hungarian breed that has long hair and does well in winter along with being what they call a "lard pig" meaning they have TONS of fat on them. The pork chops, besides having a 1" thick layer of fat all the way around them, are almost as dark colored as beef and actually have marbling. The taste of it is off the charts compared to the sawdust flavored pork you get at the grocery store. You also get pounds and pounds of pure fat that you can render down into lard. The only downside is the bacon is so fatty that it kind of just melts in the pan and it's tough to grill the pork chops without causing a towering inferno on your grill but it's a small price to pay. He's taking a couple years off from raising them while we do some renovations around the ranch but I can't wait until he gets them again.

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Oh my God I would kill to have a couple of those pork chops so throw into a pan or onto the grill. That's a much darker meat than what you typically see. If I'm doing a special pork chop meal I'll typically buy the big tomahawk with the big fat band stuff from the store, and it's good but that's got to be probably a much stronger pork taste.

I'm obviously buying stuff from the grocery store but picking and choosing what I want, and if I buy any pork I go for the darkest.

It's hard to beat fatty pork and there are times where I think I prefer it to beef. But they all have their own place and they're all delicious, but when you're in the mood, you're in the mood, and it's extremely hard to beat crispy pork fat.

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Aldarion said:

Our American Guinea Hog chops are red like that too, but not as marbled. Those look awesome.

Havent bought grocery store pork in years, and every time I look at it I wonder WTF they feed them to make such pale meat.

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I will occasionally see the really good chops at the store, and surprisingly they put the darker red ones on sale because your average person doesn't buy them because they don't associate pork looking like that, and I don't think it's sells as well. I got no problem buying meat on clearance as long as I know what to look for.

You know I don't like magicians, but dark meat is typically better, but I cannot imagine those pork chops probably aren't some of the tastiest I would have ever had.

Gavinmad said:

The cheapness of pork loin is its primary appeal. I grant that it isn't the most flavorful meat off the hog but "great big piece of dry, flavorless protein" is a bit ridiculous, especially since the loin is not a uniform piece of meat. I usually turn two blade ends into a slowcooker full of pulled pork, the center rib and center loin will variously end up as chops and roasts, and the sirloin end will mostly end up cubed.

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Guess it's cheap sometimes because people just don't typically buy it or know how to make it? I don't roasting a little one in a dish with some potatoes onions and carrots or whatever. I'll get a head start on the vegetables and then I'll toss the meat in when I think the veggies are going to be done, but as long as it's 150 internal or about there, you just slice and serve.

It's definitely in the same ballpark as white meat chicken as far as it just being a blank canvas, but you can look at that type of pork like a canvas that has gesso for what it's worth.

I think the best thing to do though is cut it in the thick chunks pounded out and do breaded little chops. Mashed potatoes and gravy or rice and gravy and some nice green steamed vegetables, and it's a very simple and easy meal.

Not everything has to be the most amazing but you can still take something like that and elevate it if you just cook properly.

How many people here jizz all about stupid Chick-fil-A? None of the protein they serve there is anything to write home about, and the only reason is typically tasty is because of whatever brine they're tossing all of their chicken into.

I do like some of their different sauces though.