[David]

Yes you read it right! I was buying some slab bacon for Quebecois baked beans and I saw these chunks of smoked pork jowls so bought a few! I thought they might be an interesting replacement to bacon or salt pork in the baked beans. But I fried up a few slices to see what it was like and while it did render a clear smoky fat I just thought hmmmm nope, just too fatty for even a bacon replacement. So--what do you suggest I do with them. (I have about 400 grams/ about 12 ounces.)
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Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

[KYHeirloomer]

Jowl bacon is popular in the American South, David. In fact, I often use it instead of slab bacon, because it's hard to find slab around here.

Jowl is the pig's cheek, and is cured and used just like bacon. It is slightly fattier than regular bacon, and has to cook down longer. But the end result should be pretty much the same. Or, in some applications (i.e. beans) think of it as a substitute for salt pork.

[David]

Hee hee, I just knew I'd hear from the South on this one. Yeah, it is so fatty though I cannot discern even a vein of meat in it. Nice smoky bouquet though, for sure. I'm thinking the base for a boeuf bourgignon instead of the salt pork--that does make sense. But I just can't imagine actually eating a piece--and this from a lard and fat hound!
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[Debbie]

Don't know a thing about pork jowls..... but the baked beans sounds interesting.

Can you post a recipe for that please David.

I have had baked beans from other areas and loved the smokey, almost sweet, and savoury flavour. A real hit in this household. Would love to try making some at home.

Thanking you in advance

BTW.... how is the snow situation? Any new pics to share of the house and/or the furbabies frolicking in the snow?
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If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

[David]

Ah Debbie! I'll post the baked beans recipe in the Recipe section tomorrow! Meanwhile this winter has not been anywhere near as difficult as last! Much much less snow, haven't had to be pulled out of a snow bank even once so far! And the worst is passed now! Only 2 months until the beginning of golf and 3 months to vegetable planting! The fur creatures haven't been groomed since September and more and more resemble Jim Henson's muppets!
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[srk]

Getting back to the jowls, I wonder if they're similar to guanciale (Italian cured pork cheeks). There was a New York Times article about guanciale a while ago, and I've had phenomenally rich and flavorful pasta dishes with it as an accent.

If you're looking for pig-related inspiration, try searching for some of Oliveto's Whole Hog menus. Oliveto is an excellent Italian restaurant in Oakland, CA that does a whole hog event every February-ish. As you'd expect, they get whole pigs, butcher them, and use all the parts to make an all-pork menu for a few days. Think house-made charcuterie, pate, guanciale, pork belly, you name it...it's the only time I've ever had raw pork, and I quite liked it.

[ExpatSteve]

Hi David,

In Rome, you can find guanciale, or cured pork cheeks, made famous in pasta carbonara and pasta a l'amatriciana. It's not easy to find, and now most everyone uses pancetta or even regular smoked bacon for those dishes, so you might want to experiment. Here's a link:

http://fxcuisine.com/default.asp?language=2&Display=8&resolution=high

Cheers!

[David]

Thanks srk and thanks ExPatSteve! I've had a closer look at the second hung of jowl I have and it does have a better proportion of meat to fat. Could be quite useful given those links. srk--i'd probably come close to killing for one of thos Oliveto feasts!
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