![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/old-convent-4-300x199.jpg\" "\\"James")
<\/p>\nWhen it comes to food and things food related, honesty is important.\u00a0 I love it when someone introduces me to something I\u2019ve never heard of before; a new method of cooking, an interesting ingredient or a great recipe.\u00a0 Not for me is the feigned jadedness of the \u2018know it all\u2019 foodie.\u00a0 I believe that no matter how long we reside on this planet, there will always be something new to learn about food from each other, how to eat it and how to prepare it, and it\u2019s in that wonder, lies the joy.<\/p>\n
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I\u2019m also eternally fascinated by food trends.\u00a0 The things that come in and go out of fashion, the renaissance of certain dishes, and the foods we come to associate with each decade.\u00a0 Again, certain people will maintain the popular were always on their radar, before they reached the great unwashed masses, I don\u2019t believe them.\u00a0 Naturally, I give the benefit of the doubt to those who grew up in different countries and cultures, but for the average Irish person, many things were never on the menu until recently.\u00a0 For those of us of a certain vintage who had even heard of cous cous or bulgur wheat as a child?\u00a0 Or how many times were you served braised lamb shanks or Osso Buco of a school night?<\/p>\n
Pork belly is a good example. \u00a0I don\u2019t know why it wasn\u2019t popular before as it is truly delicious.\u00a0 Once regarded as a fatty, cheap cut of meat favoured by the Chinese and the Spanish, today it sits proudly on many restaurant menus as a beacon of great cuisine.\u00a0 \u00a0Today\u2019s chefs have embraced the pork belly and are providing a great taste experience.\u00a0 It\u2019s now high time we started to cook it at home a little more.<\/p>\n
Essentially pork belly is a layer cake of taste; a layer of meat, followed by a layer of wonderfully, delicious fat (oh yes, the \u2018F\u2019 word again \u2013 and I\u2019m not apologising for it!), then another layer of meat and yet another layer of F., A., T., and, hopefully if you cook it properly, a lovely, crispy layer on the top that crackles beautifully when you tuck in.\u00a0 All in all a superb textured taste, packed with flavour that went unnoticed in this part of the world for ages.<\/p>\n
The thing is that while we weren\u2019t cooking slabs of pork belly, it has always been here in the form of your average rasher, considered a lowlier cousin to the leaner tenderloin or chop and effectively the dowdy, plain girl at the dance. However, in the hands of a chef, the packed and flavourful pork belly becomes a supermodel and the one everyone wants to talk to.\u00a0 Unlike supermodels however, where the animal is from and how it is reared will impact the quality of what you get.\u00a0 To be fair I have had some prepared pork belly from Marks & Spencer and it wasn\u2019t too bad.\u00a0 However if you want a truly elevated experience ask you local butcher for one and cook it yourself. Be warned, pork belly isn\u2019t a fast cook dish.\u00a0 Unlike many other pork cuts, pork belly can withstand long braising.\u00a0 It is also important to find a belly with a good balance of lean and fat.\u00a0 Too much of either will render the experience less than it should be; again talk to your butcher. \u00a0Usually the better balance is to be found in the front belly rather than the back.<\/p>\n The typical method for cooking pork belly is braising.\u00a0 Braising is where you seal the meat quickly at the start on a high heat on the hob and finish cooking in liquid in the oven.\u00a0 With pork belly many chefs return it to the pan after braising to crisp it up before serving but that\u2019s a matter of choice. To cook pork belly properly can take anything from around the 3 hour mark in the \u2018faster\u2019 recipes up to the wonderful 24hour and even 30 hour versions, obviously the slower the time the lower temperature.\u00a0 It will just depend on the recipe that you use.\u00a0 Pork belly is also ideally suited to soaking up spices, from a simple salt rub to the more exotic Asian mixes or the light heat of something inspired by the Latino influence.\u00a0\u00a0 Again I urge you to compare the myriad of recipes and find the ones that appeal.<\/p>\n Finding something to accompany pork belly as a main should be carefully chosen.\u00a0 Personally I love the taste so I like to keep it simple.\u00a0 If my spices and herbs are leaning more towards the Asian side of things then a little rice is just fine.\u00a0 Should I pull it back towards the West then a small amount of mash, polenta or even some fried onions or, if you really want indulgence, small black pudding fritters all served with a little red onion chutney is super.\u00a0 However there are many diverse options, but always remember that while it can look relatively small on the plate it is a rich dish and therefore a little goes a long way.\u00a0 Indeed, you could always serve it as a starter and really get the meal rolling.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re still unsure don\u2019t forget you can pop into James Whelan Butchers anytime and our experienced staff will be happy to answer any questions or contact us through our website or face book page.<\/p>\n This post was written by me, Pat Whelan, owner of James Whelan Butchers and a passionate advocate of local artisan food. My family have been producing quality Irish Angus beef for generations using a traditional dry aging process. This tradition is one that I continue to practice at our abattoir on our family farm in Garrentemple, Clonmel. These posts aim to impart some of the wisdom to readers and help them get the best out of the meat they eat! Our meat is available\u00a0online here!<\/a>\u00a0I welcome your feedback to\u00a0Pat@jwb.ie<\/a><\/p>\n We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of \u00a0James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin.\u00a0Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When it comes to food and things food related, honesty is important.\u00a0 I love it when someone introduces me to something I\u2019ve never heard of before; a new method of cooking, an interesting ingredient or a great recipe.\u00a0 Not for me is the feigned jadedness of the \u2018know it all\u2019 foodie.\u00a0 I believe that no […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25,1],"tags":[566,99,145,269,570,48,47],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"Paprika](\"https:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/paprika-pork-belly.jpg\" "\\"Paprika")
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