This week’s episode of The Tasty Life is a little bit different. I know that heading to a farm in Wisconsin early on a snowy Sunday morning to witness and participate in a pig slaughter may not be on the top of everyone’s list, but it was very interesting to me as a chef and made me appreciate even more the work that farmers put into the food we eat.
Featured recipe: Braised Pig Tongue
Some folks (my sister being the first that comes to mind) might be a bit turned off by the whole process. I thought back to this past Christmas when I bought a whole Red Wattle Suckling Pig to enjoy with my family. When my sister woke up that morning and saw me out by my parent’s pool breaking down the pig (since it was way too big for the grill it turned out), and was a bit mortified as she said, “This is not what is supposed to happen on Christmas morning!” I think it was a great way to celebrate, but I can accept that butchery may not be for everyone.
My friend Dan Fox who is a chef in Madison and his Sous Chef, Jason, get in a number of locally grown whole pigs and artfully turn them into various cured meats and sausages. When they invited us to come join them at the farm for their second slaughter, I was excited to see the process from start to finish (well the Prosciutto will not be done for a year, so I guess from start to almost finish). From farm to table, just as it should be.
The video footage that we put together of course left out some of the process. In part because it seemed being a bit vague was the more appropriate way to go, but also because it is such a lengthy process. I was a little nervous about how I was going to react to seeing the slaughter. I love eating all pork products, but I am also an animal lover and of course think pigs are cute. Though it was a little rough at first, eventually it reached the point where I felt like I was just back in the kitchen, working with food as I always do.
After the pig had been killed in the barn, it was brought out to have the blood drained. The blood can be used for a number of things including, of course, blood sausage. In order to make sure the blood stays fresh, we had to stir our hand around in it for a bit and remove the clots that formed. This was a very interesting first step for meas I was stirring my hand around; it felt like small organs were forming around my fingers. I am going to have to do some reading up on this since I am entirely sure what reactions were going on to make this happen.
Once I was done, I looked up and the pig had been chained to a lift that would then dunk it into a bath of hot water to loosen up the skin so we could scrape it and the hair off easier. We each grabbed a knife and for the next hour we worked hard to clean up our pig. I always picture pigs the way that we get them at the restaurant where they’re skin in pinkish in color and very smooth. Turns out, it takes quite a bit of work to reach that point. It was a windy morning so I was clinching my lips together to avoid any flying bits to get in my mouth. I love every part of this animal, but the outer skin is a bit too much even for me to enjoy.
Once the pig was all cleaned up, he was lifted back up by the crane and his internal organs were carefully removed. I was very impressed by the process as not one organ was punctured and the inside of the pig was completely clean. Dan went through the various parts to pick out what was going to be used at the restaurant. Really all that was left behind were the lungs, which did not look very appetizing.
We headed to the restaurant to break down the pig further and get it ready for curing and such. I decided to tackle the head. Dan wanted to simmer it to make a special headcheese sausage using the blood we had prepped. If you noticed in the episode, there is a shot of me using the meat mallet to get through something, which was actually me, hitting a cleaver to get through the skull. We pulled out the brain and gave it to my friend Roger to cook up. It is treated much like sweetbreads. First we soaked it in salted water to pull out impurities then dusted it with flour and fried it up. It did have a unique texture that may be a bit mushy for some, but it had great flavor. Next I removed the tongue, which I thought could be my little cooking project for the day. Much of the pig was going to be salted for up to six weeks then hung for months but the tongue was something I could complete a dish with in the few hours we had.
I made a braising liquid with some strawberries, mushrooms and pineapple in it. The pineapple was added because it has enzymes that break down the proteins in meats. When added to a braise, it can help the process go a bit quicker. Keep this in mind if you ever try to make pineapple panna cotta (as I have)...the gelatin does not work well when the pineapple is working against it….I had to turn it into a pineapple cream sauce last minute.
Once the tongue was braising, I worked on a little salad to lighten up the dish a bit. I used some sliced shiitakes (since they were also in the braising liquid), some fresh mint, shaved Brussels sprouts (my favorite way to eat them!) and some quick pickled sun chokes. I have always been a fan of the sun choke. They make a great simple soup with just onions, garlic, white wine and chicken stock; or a great puree or mash to serve with meats and fish. Served raw, they offer a great crunch similar to the mouth feel of a water chestnut. I wanted to add a little acidity to the salad so I boiled a little vinegar and sugar to marinate them in for a few minutes, creating a pickled flavor.
I pulled out the tongue after a couple of hours and reduced down the liquid to make a nice sauce. I thought slicing the tongue and sautéing it in a bit of butter would give it a nice richness and also improve the texture a bit. What doesn’t taste better sautéed in a little butter??
It was cool to be eating part of an animal that was alive just a few hours before. It just does not get any fresher than that. That is what ‘farm to table’ is all about…knowing exactly where your food came from, how it was handled and that it is extremely fresh. Even if this experience does not seem like something you would enjoy, there are many other sorts of farms out there to visit. Next time you see a sign for U-pick berries, take a few minutes and give it a try. I guarantee they will be the best berries you have ever eaten.
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