On Tuesday, National Pork Board Chef Neel Sahni told AgriTalk host Chip Flory that one of his favorite things to do is to educate people on different pork cuts they may not be as familiar with and helping them experience something new.
Sahni’s cooking videos are popular on YouTube where he shows consumers how to cook pork and where to find cuts of pork that they may not have tried before like the collar.
Versatility Wins Again
Pork’s versatility has been well documented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Even though we went through the disruption of COVID-19 and the stay at home orders, our pork consumption and demand has been surprisingly good here in the U.S.,” Flory said. “What are people doing? What did they discover all of a sudden to work more pork into their meal rotations?”
Although bacon is always a popular purchase because of its ability to go with anything, Sahni said there was also an uptick in pork chops and value-added products like pepperoni, ham and ground sausage. People were looking for delicious, convenient and easy foods that they could fix up fast during the lunch hour.
“There are awesome deals on pork in the meat case right now,” Flory said. “If someone hasn’t worked pork into their meal rotation yet, what would you suggest as a can’t-miss?”
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An easy-to-prepare, bulletproof option is the pork shoulder, Sahni said. Not only does it have great marbling and flavor, but it’s versatile, too. Braise it. Put it in a wok. Smoke it in a smoker.
“You can do so many different things with a pork shoulder,” he added. “Whether it’s a different flavor you’re after or a different cooking technique, go to pork.org/real-pork. You’ll find a lot of international dishes that use pork shoulder and give you some different ideas and ways you can do it.”
Pork shoulder is a great value, too. But most importantly, Sahni said, it’s a really good eating experience.
Get Creative in the Kitchen
The pandemic has also encouraged people to try new cooking gadgets that work really well with pork, Flory said.
Crockpots are being replaced by instant pots in many households. Instant pots take the idea of crockpot cooking and cut it from 8 to 12 hours down to 45 minutes to an hour, Sahni said.
“Instant pots have really revolutionized the slow cooker in a very short amount of time,” Sahni added.
Sous vide cooking is another popular way people are cooking pork these days. Through the use of immersion circulators, wands that go into a water bath to cook meat to a very precise temperature, cooks are now able to get whole muscle pork to that perfect temperature of 145 degrees and not overcook it.
“A lot of times people don’t know how to hit that perfect temperature. So immersion circulators and cooking under the sous vide technique are a great way to get pork cooked to that perfect temperature so you can appreciate what 145 is really supposed to taste like,” Sahni said. “It’s juicy, it’s tender, it’s flavorful.”
He said immersion circulators can be a little more expensive, but if it means you won’t mess up, and you’ll get a good eating experience, it’s worth the time and effort to purchase one.
Another popular kitchen gadget – the air fryer – is allowing consumers to get that crispy texture they love in 10 to 15 minutes. It also eliminates the risk of a deep fryer on the counter, he added.
A Word to Overachievers in the Kitchen
Flory asked how Sahni would challenge some of the more experienced cooks at home. With more people staying at home for special occasions now, he urged cooks to talk to their butcher.
“See if they have something in the back, that maybe isn’t out in the meat case,” Sahni said. “See if you can find a frenched, bone-in chop or maybe a tomahawk chop so you can have the entire rib muscle with the belly attached.”
He also said international butcher shops provide more opportunities to try interesting and new cuts of pork that you may not be able to find at your traditional butcher shop.
“Get to know your butcher,” he said. “Talking to your butcher is a great way to get some inspiration.”
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