Wooly Pig

Shortly after moving back to Seattle, I started hearing and reading about Wooly Pig, an heirloom variety of swine from Hungary. Also known as Mangalitsa, this pork is hard to find, expensive, and very high in fat content. I'd read all about their history on Woolypigs.com, the website of a local producer, and really wanted to try it.

So we sought out Heath Putnam's stand at a local farmer's market and procured 4 small wooly pig pork chops (say that ten times fast!). They were frozen, vacuum packed, and cost $25/lb. Now, before you say "that's super expensive and a pure luxury item," you need to know that a little of this stuff goes a looong way.

Once we got our chops home I did some research into recipes in the hopes of maximizing the flavor of this treasure. Unfortunately, I didn't really find much guidance. After defrosting, I smelled the raw chops and was very surprised to discover that they had almost no smell! I had expected some deeply fragrant meat, possibly a bit gamey....these just smelled fresh. This left me a bit worried that they might not taste like much, but also gave me a clue that I shouldn't cover them in a rich sauce or add heavy seasoning....the flavor was likely to be delicate. My first instinct was to cook them on my gas grill, but given the high fat content, I worried about flare ups and burning the heavily marbled chops.

After consulting several more cookbooks, I decided to oven roast the chops in a super simple way. Wanting to combine that wonderful fat with a starch, I decided to use jerusalem artichokes (also known as sun chokes) that we had picked up at the market. Just in case, I made a sauce that could be drizzled on after cooking if more flavor was needed.

The result was amazing. The fat melted onto the jerusalem chokes giving them a wonderfully rich, soft texture and flavor. The main event, the chops, were INCREDIBLE! The meat was totally different than any pork I've ever eaten, unbelievably tender with a taste closer to fresh cream than meat. The fat got crispy and had a delicate richness that coated the mouth, but wasn't overwhelming or greasy. We didn't need it, but the combination of the Mangalitsa with small amounts of the sherry gastrique took things to yet another level. I don't think anyone at the table was able to form a complete sentence until halfway through the meal...a fly on the wall would heard Mmmmm..oh wow..ooooo..oh...my this is umm...

Oven Roasted Wooly Pig Pork Chops with Jerusalem Artichokes

• 1 Lb       Mangalitsa Pork Chops
• 1.5 Lbs   Jerusalem Artichokes
• Salt and Pepper

Preparation

1. Wash and cut the Jerusalem chokes lengthwise into quarters
2. Line the bottom of an ovenproof pan or casserole with the chokes
3. Salt and pepper the chops to taste and lay on top of the chokes.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and roast at 375 degrees for 40 minutes
5. Uncover and broil for additional 10 minutes until chops are crispy and browned

Sherry Gastrique

• 1 C      Cheap cream sherry
• 1/4 C  White Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tbs   Sugar

Preparation

1. Combine ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan
2. Boil until reduced to a thick syrup of approximately 2-3 tablespoons
3. Serve on the side with pork chops