Pork Jowl Bacon, how would you cook it?

[FeChef]

I normally dont come across this in the Grocery. It was cheap. I got a few cheeks. My initial thought was to slice it thick and sous vide it for a long @$$ time and quick fry it on high heat to crisp it up. But after that, im not sure what to do with it, lol.

[Martin Fisher]

There are many ways to use it,

Cut off the skin and fry it like bacon.

Use it to flavor soups and such,

As you said, sous vide it.

Etc., etc., etc.

[jmacnaughtan]

If it's anything like the pork jowls I've seen, it's going to be about 90% fat.  I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable serving a slice of that, even SV and crisped.

 

I'd dice it and use it in pasta sauces.

[Martin Fisher]

8 minutes ago, jmacnaughtan said:

pork jowls I've seen, it's going to be about 90% fat.

 

 Yeah, jowl is jowl.

Fear not the jowl.

[Okanagancook]

Pork jowl:  fat streaked with meat.

I get it smoked whole.  It is sliced reasonably thin.

Used like bacon to accent stuff like soups, pasta, salads, components for pasta especially toasted bread crumbs and Parm.

[btbyrd]

How would I cook it? Drunk carbonara at 2:30am seems likely.  Also good as a ramen garnish. Otherwise, use it as a seasoning meat for vegetables, legumes, and sauces. If you're looking for recipe ideas, search for guanciale. They're not exact substitutes -- bacon is smoked and doesn't typically have spices added to it -- but they're close enough to find inspiration. I prefer smoke anyway.

[rotuts]

why not try the SaltCure ,then drying method noted for DuckBreast :

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k9b6ZwFn-k&app=desktop

 

 

you would essentially be making Lardo

 

said to be delicious 

 

can't say if your jowls are up to it

 

but at least try one.

 

Jowl Largo is said to be a BigTimeTreat

 

it would depend on the ' freshness ' of the Jowls in question.

 

if not so fresh , cold smoke

[FeChef]

I froze them since i didn't know what to do with them and they were a few days from there sell by date which is why they were dirt cheap. But they looked meaty, so i am surprised by the comments of them being mostly fat. Im wondering if they get fattier as you slice them? Kind of reminded me of bacon ends which is like thick pieces of cured pork belly scraps which can also be meaty.

[kayb]

Up home, they were "hog's jaw, "prounounced "hawgjaw."  We cured them like bacon. Used them like bacon. Usually sliced a little thicker. Works wonderfully for seasoning, or for anything for which you'd use cured pork belly.Makes a hellacious sandwich with lettuce and tomato!

[Martin Fisher]

I looked at the smoked jowl at Wegmans, here, a bit ago.

Camellia brand, packed up in Buffalo, NY—skin on, $2.49 per pound.

I have bought them in the past and considered buying one today, but the 3rd ingredient is corn syrup—so I passed.

[FeChef]

One of the best BBQ sauces on the KCBS competition circuit uses corn syrup. Karo w/vanilla to be specific.

[kayb]

I keep a bottle of (light) Karo in my pantry all the time. Don't use it for a lot of things, but there are things in which nothing can replace it. 

 

When I was a kid, I preferred it to pancake syrup for pancakes or French toast.

[FeChef]

46 minutes ago, kayb said:

I keep a bottle of (light) Karo in my pantry all the time. Don't use it for a lot of things, but there are things in which nothing can replace it. 

 

When I was a kid, I preferred it to pancake syrup for pancakes or French toast.

Its also the main ingredient in my self proclaimed famous pecan pie. I just don't get why people make such a big deal about it, like its so much worse then table sugar. Whas going to be the next "bad fad" 5 years from now?

[Anna N]

12 minutes ago, FeChef said:

Its also the main ingredient in my self proclaimed famous pecan pie. I just don't get why people make such a big deal about it, like its so much worse then table sugar. Whas going to be the next "bad fad" 5 years from now?

Perhaps it’s because of the bad reputation of HFCS ( high fructose corn syrup).  I don’t know. But I have found it is usually wise to respect people’s opinions about the food they want to put into their bodies even if one thinks differently. 

[FeChef]

9 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Perhaps it’s because of the bad reputation of HFCS ( high fructose corn syrup).  I don’t know. But I have found it is usually wise to respect people’s opinions about the food they want to put into their bodies even if one thinks differently. 

Well i am not going to pretend to know the difference between HFCS and regular corn syrup. But the product in question is Corn syrup, so your post is a bit off topic, don't you think?

[Anna N]

5 minutes ago, FeChef said:

Well i am not going to pretend to know the difference between HFCS and regular corn syrup. But the product in question is Corn syrup, so your post is a bit off topic, don't you think?

 Whatever you say.

[Martin Fisher]

I usually live a low-carb lifestyle—that's why I usually avoid sugars as much as possible.

 

[FeChef]

1 hour ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

I usually live a low-carb lifestyle—that's why I usually avoid sugars as much as possible.

 

How much could possibly be in a pork jowl though? I can understand wanting to avoid "sugar" completely. I guess the Corn syrup comment took this into a different direction. I try not to look at the type of sugar, rather the amount of sugar per serving.

[Martin Fisher]

Just now, FeChef said:

How much could possibly be in a pork jowl though? I can understand wanting to avoid "sugar" completely. I guess the Corn syrup comment took this into a different direction. I try not to look at the type of sugar, rather the amount of sugar per serving.

 

Probably not much, but there wasn't any nutritional information on the label.

I've found ham and the like that contained as much as a tablespoon of sugar per pound.

It all adds up over the course of a day.

The smoked jowl was much more a want than a need, so I passed.

[Martin Fisher]

Dextrose was also an ingredient.

[FeChef]

44 minutes ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

Dextrose was also an ingredient.

Its funny you mention Dextrose. I use 50/50 dextrose to any dry rub i add to ribs,butts or briskets.

[Martin Fisher]

53 minutes ago, FeChef said:

Its funny you mention Dextrose. I use 50/50 dextrose to any dry rub i add to ribs,butts or briskets.

 

Well, yeah, dextrose has it's place, but I've chose to send type II diabetes into remission. An issues on both sides of my family.

[HungryChris]

I have been looking for a good source of guanciale, which I believe is this same pork jowl, but is  not smoked, but rather cured like pancetta. I first had it in a few dishes of various pastas Amatriciana that were suddenly everywhere on menus in Italy, I believe in tribute to the town that had been recently ravaged by earthquakes just prior to our last visit, and loved it. It is much more tender than pancetta and I think that pasta carbonara would greatly benefit by it's use in place of pancetta as well. Amazon has some, but with mixed reviews.

HC

 

Edited April 21, 2018 by HungryChris (log)