Pig Ears: Good recipes and...

[A Patric]

Hi All,

I am looking for some good pig ear recipes. I have come across fried, braised, and braised and fried. Does anyone have any great pig ear tips?

On another note, I was told by a local pork supplier that the USDA regulations don't allow them to sell pig ears. What??

I've seen people talking about eating pig ears on eGullet, so is this a mistake, or is there some other explanation that someone who is better educated on the USDA and their regulations can explain to me?

Thanks in advance,

Alan

[Chris Amirault]

I can get pigs' ears at Portuguese and SE Asian markets throughout the area, and from what I've learned in chats with butchers they're provided by the big boys like Hormel. I don't think that they're banned; I saw a bunch on Saturday, in fact.

As for recipes, I'm told that the crispy pig ears from Fergus Henderson's Nose To Tail Eating is definitive. Haven't made it, though.

[dougw]

There was a very old man that lived in Memphis back in the early 90's and ran a pit from his home. On the fortunate occasion I gave my friend a ride home to that neighborhood, I would stop by and get something to eat.

His pulled pork was astonishingly good. He made his own bread that was chewy, buttery and garlicky. One day I asked for my usual pulled pork and he offered me a pig ear sandwich for half the price of the pulled pork shoulder. I took him up on it and was thrilled. He braised it first in a big cast iron dutch oven. Not sure what the liquid was. After it was tender, he would smoke it with the shoulders and ribs. It was tender with a smoky crunch. He put his sauce on it and the homemade slaw.

I'm sure he's long since passed away, but I hope he passed on the recipe.

[edsel]

They do a terrific pigs ear appetizer at Michael Symon's Lolita in Cleveland. It's confited in duck fat, deep fried to crisp it up, and served with pickled vegetables. I don't have a recipe, but here's a video of Lolita chef Matt Harlan demoing the process.

[rorycberger]

Henderson's Beyond Nose to Tail has a recipe for a pig ear terrine (actually i think he calls it pressed pig ears) that looks great and very easy. I don't have the book in front of me, but the recipe is roughly: blanch 14 pig ears and a pig's foot or two, skim/drain/rinse, simmer with aromats for 3-4 hours until tender, put ears into terrine mold, strain cooking liquor, reduce by 1/2, pour over ears to fill terrine mold, weight terrine and refrigerate until set, slice thinly and serve with cornichons. I haven't made it yet but it is definitely on my short list to make soon.

Never heard anything about the USDA banning ears, but I have heard before that somehow offal requires separate (or different?) USDA inspection from meat (no idea where they draw the line between the two) and thus some processors don't bother getting the offal inspected (to save money/time?).

[A Patric]

They do a terrific pigs ear appetizer at Michael Symon's Lolita in Cleveland. It's confited in duck fat, deep fried to crisp it up, and served with pickled vegetables. I don't have a recipe, but here's a video of Lolita chef Matt Harlan demoing the process.

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Finally had a chance to take a look. Those ears are beautiful things. Considering my love for Jim Drohman's pork belly confit in Ruhlman's Charcuterie book, I have a feeling that this may be the way to go for me. I'll try using the same overnight cure as in Ruhlman's book and then proceeding the same as in the video. I still haven't managed to track down any ears, but I'll be splitting a Berkshire with some family in about a month, and part of the agreement is that I get the ears. Well, there wasn't really an argument about that point. I think most people see them only as dog treats.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

Alan

[Prawncrackers]

There's a concurrent thread in the Chinese forum about pig ears if you've missed it. Kent Wang has done a wonderful job recreating a dish he once had.