Pork cheeks are one of those cuts of meats gaining popularity with the growth of nose-to-tail butchery.  We have some excellent sources locally at such butcher shops as Rosemont, The Farm Stand, Maine MEat and Bleecker and Flam who get in whole animals that are carved onsite.

You’ll find recipes for these novel cuts in the new crop of cookbooks being written mostly by innovative restaurant chefs who either slaughter the animals for use in their kitchens or rely on local farms and producers who offer these esoteric finds.

For a Saturday night dinner party at home last weekend I labored through a fairly complicated menu that revolved around my stash of pork cheeks based on recipes from John Currence in his book “Pickles, Pigs and Whisky.”  He’s a James Beard award winner and has a group of restaurants in Oxford, Mississippi (see review).

Braised pork cheeks in bourbon, veal and ham stock reduction over Anson Mills grits

I say “stash” because they’re not in plentiful supply at the shops because a pig, after all, has only two cheeks.  And unless the butcher is cutting up several animals in the same week you need to order in advance.  For 6 people I needed 12 checks (about two pounds), which meant that the butcher needed to work on 6 carcasses.

But the effort was well worth the tricky logistics.  The cheeks are no bigger than a chunk of meat the size of tournedos.  They were braised in ham and veal stocks fortified with a big splash of Kentucky bourbon.  They braise for several hours in the oven.

Served over creamy garlicky grits, it’s an impressive and delicious main course.  Making the grits was a bit tricky, however, because the directions in Currence’s recipe were vague.  This was annoying and points to another problem of how some publishers produce marginally edited cookbooks without benefit of a savvy editor to make sure recipes read well–and work.

Though he recommended Anson Mills as the source for the grits–the famed granary in South Carolina whose heirloom grains, flours and beans are used widely by chefs–he didn’t specify the type of grits to use.  It wasn’t until I thoroughly understood the method in his recipe that I realized the intention was for quick-cooking grits; it merely instructed to use a coarse grind.

The grits that I had from Anson Mills were their prized antebellum coarse grits that need to soak overnight in water before cooking.  The directions in the recipe called for about 10 minutes of stirring, which meant that the intention was to use the faster-cooking variety.  The Anson Mills site gives preparation directions on how to cook either type of grits.  Refer to that site.

Buying grits locally is not easy.  (The more finely ground corn used for polenta is different.) Pickings are slim other than the moderately coarse-grind grits/polenta product from Bob’s Red Mill (sold at Hannaford and Whole Foods).  Since I’m a stickler for purity of ingredients I took a chance and opted to use the heirloom variety from Anson Mills that I already had and to adjust the recipe accordingly.

I soaked them overnight and kept it in the water bath for most of the day until around midafternoon when I started the prep to assemble the meal.  I cooked the grits in chicken stock and milk and it required, even after soaking, over an hour of slow, steady cooking and frequent stirring until the little kernels became soft but still slightly chewy.

Once cooked, grits will firm up to the point that they’re no longer creamy.  They can be re-constituted by stirring in hot stock over low heat until they become creamy again.

The final touch to the dish is to finish it off with the garlic, heavy cream and Parmesan.  As I try to do with each component of a menu I like to get everything done in advance.  I therefore kept the finished grits left in the pot and put it on the warming burner set to low.  Its textured stayed intact for hours, with occasional stirring.

Cooking notes: Make the two stocks several days in advance, especially the veal stock, which is a two-day operation.  The pork is served over the grits, with a good dousing of the braising liquid, and I accompanied the meat with glazed local carrots and quickly cooked Brussels sprouts, a winter vegetable medley that I make often.

Serve a good bread homemade or one from a good bakery. I made one of my favorite recipes for buttermilk biscuits.  For dessert I made a unique deep-dish pecan pie, the recipe of which I’ll give at a later date.

The following recipes are adapted from “Pickles, Pigs and Whiskey” by John Currence.  I’ve made some changes to the original recipes for ease of preparation.

Ham Stock: In a stockpot, combine 3 to 4 pounds smoked ham hocks with 1 large roughly chopped onion, several stalks roughly  chopped celery, several large carrots roughly chopped, 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped, 3 dried bay leaves, 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, about 10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley and 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns.  Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat.  Decrease the heat immediately and let simmer, covered, for about 5 hours, checking the heat level frequently.  It should only cook at a very slight gurgle.

Strain the stock into another large pot and set the pot just off the center of the heat set at medium; this will allow the fat and residue to circulate to one side, which you should skim off with a large spoon, ladle or skimmer.  This will take about 15 minutes of frequent skimming.  Let the stock cool to room temperature then store in containers in the refrigerator.  You will need 3 cups of this stock for the pork.

Veal stock in the works

Veal stock. (Note:  Pat’s Meat Market generally has veal bones, or order in advance.) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and put 5 pounds veal bones (legs, knuckles or neck or combination) cut into approximately medium large pieces, about 3 inches; have the butcher do this.  Put these into a large roasting pan and roast, turning every 7 to 10 minutes to brown all sides.  This will take about 45 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and brush the tops of the bones with tomato paste from 1 small can.  Return to oven and roast until the tomato paste turns slightly charred, about 15 minutes.

Remove the veal bones and put into a standard stockpot.  Then add to the roasting pan with the fat from the veal 2 cups roughly chopped carrots, 2 cups roughly chopped peeled onions, 2 cups roughly chopped celery and 4 cloves crushed garlic.   Stir the vegetables to coat with the fat remaining in the pan.  Roast for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are gently charred.  Meanwhile prepare an herb pouch (in cheesecloth) by putting in 3 dried or 5 fresh bay leaves, 10 to 15 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, 10 sprigs fresh thyme and 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns.  Wrap the package with kitchen string.

Add the roast vegetables to the stock pot along with the herb pouch.  Degrease the roasting pan over high heat with 2 cups red wine; reduce the wine slightly then add to the stock pot.  Put in enough tap water to cover the ingredients by about 2 inches.  Put over high heat, uncovered, and bring to the boil.  Immediately reduce the heat to its lowest setting and establish the right cooking temperature so that the stock barely bubbles.  It will need at least 8 hours or preferably 12 hours, simmered uncovered, for a well concentrated stock.  Check the heat regularly, and add water if necessary to maintain the water level; it will reduce down somewhat but don’t allow it to go so far as to expose the stock ingredients.

Turn the heat off, cover, and cool to room temperature.  Chill the stock overnight; if it’s cold enough outside (under 40 degrees) you can set the pot, covered, outside overnight; otherwise refrigerate.

The next day bring the stock back to the boil and immediately reduce the heat to the barest simmer and simmer, uncovered, for about 4 hours.

Remove the bones and discard and gently pour the stock through a wire-meshed strainer lined with cheesecloth into another large pot.  Discard the vegetables.  I strained the stock by ladling the contents through a strainer; tilting the pan can disturb the contents but this step is optional. Either way the stock should be strained to just yield the stock liquid.

Bring the strained stock to the boil and immediately lower the heat to medium with the pot pushed off the center of the heat source.  This will allow the fat and scum to circulate to one side of the pot; skim this off with large spoon, ladle or skimmer.  This will take about 15 minutes.

Taste the stock and if you think it needs more concentrating, boil it down by one quarter over high heat.  The stock is now ready to use. It will last about 5 days refrigerated in containers or frozen for several months.

Coming up next week: The Best Pecan (Deep Dish) Pie and other holiday fare