Marbellous pork Article by Matthew Moran

If you had told me ten years ago, that I would feature pork as an entrée and as a main course on the same menu at ARIA, I would have said you were as mad as a cut snake. In fact, I probably would have had you wrapped up in a special designer white jacket, you know the ones with contortionist sleeves. I dare say in no time at all you would have been whisked away before you could say charcuterie. Times have changed, and as a chef I am very excited by the initiative shown by several pork producers. My favourite one being the Bangalow sweet pork company which is producing some of the best pork this country has seen in a long, long time.

The renowned French gastronome, writer and wit of the 18th century Grimod de la Reyniere described the pig as ‘an encyclopedic animal, a meal on legs’. In French gastronomy the pig is seen as having the most indispensable meat, whether it is fresh or salted, it’s rich flavour and fat content mean every part of the animal can be used, from the feet (pig’s trotter), to the lining of it’s stomach, ie caul, think crepinette to even the pig’s blood, ie black pudding sausage. There is a restaurant led revival in pork, and it is fantastic to see this indispensable meat back on restaurant and dining room tables.

The Bangalow Sweet Pork Company was established in 1999 by partners Joe Byrne and Jim Bertling. Mr Byrne has a background in the feed industry, while Mr Bertling is a British born agricultural scientist and a retired pig farmer. Their self appointed mission is to put the flavour (see also fat) back into pork. Before you start counting the kilojoules, the good news is that 63 % of these fats are unsaturated, the safest fats for human consumption. The Bangalow Sweet Pork company has developed a secret recipe for not only the breeds of pigs used but the diet that they are fed. A combination of these two factors and the strict adherence to an antibiotic and hormone free feed and effective stock management, has resulted in the rapid growth of the business in a relatively short period of time. Mr Byrnes says with his tongue firmly in his cheek, “that we are putting the pork industry back 25 years”, by that he explains that “we are avoiding all the ingredients that have been put into pig feed to make pigs leaner.” The other major breakthrough the company have achieved is developing inter muscular fat or “marbling”, through the meat, in a similar way to red meat. This fat is vitally important as not only does it keep the pork moist during cooking it also gives it a sweeter more succulent flavour.

Pork has been consumed as a table meat for centuries, basically ever since man ceased his nomadic ways. Originally pork became a domesticated product living on refuse near human settlements, which is why pork is regarded as unclean in certain religions. Conversely pork is held in very high esteem in other parts of the world. In China and other areas in Asia pork is an essential part of their cuisine and in France, pork has been savoured since the time of the Gauls. According to Roman writings of the period, the Gauls were the best at curing fine hams by burying the meat at seaside, where the salty water lapped over it and kept it saturated with brine, until the hams were unearthed in spring.

Bangalow is a quaint one main street town, 15 minutes west of Byron Bay, tucked in behind Mount St Helena. The town sits amongst many avocado and macadamia nut farms, whose produce features at the monthly food market. For the discerning Sydney epicurean however the word Bangalow is synonymous with unctuous mouth watering tender cuts of pork. No, that isn’t a misprint, I did say pork, you remember that colourless dry and bland meat we were told for years to put on our fork. The same derided meat that most of us usually only eat once a year for Christmas lunch, so dry and lacking in flavour that you end up sending in piles of apple sauce on a rescue mission to stop it permanently fixing itself to the roof of your mouth.

Bangalow pork is indeed on track to achieve one of the primary aims, ie the ironic “setting the pork industry back 25 years, and proud of it.” Joe Byrne’s vision and the support of distributors and people interested in quality produce may also achieve another inadvertent aim and that is to set the pork industry back 300 years, rendering an almost dispensable meat, indispensable once more.

At the moment I am using the Bangalow pork belly in an entrée dish. The confit of pork belly with apple puree, apple chip and apple balsamic vinegar has become a permanent fixture on the menu. I have been told that I would have a pork lover’s mutiny on my hands if I took it off. Often diners who haven’t eaten pork for a long time become addicted to its subtle sweetness, and crisp crackling parchment. The tangy acidity of the apple balsamic glaze is a perfect for the richness of the belly.

I have included a reworked and simpler interpretation of a recipe for main course pork dish that I am serving at ARIA at the moment. The tender slices of pork loin marry perfectly with mustard jus, steamed spinach and the sauce soubise.
So next time you are looking for menu ideas for your next dinner party, seek out some delicious marbled cuts of pork, your mad if you don’t.

Pork matches with
Cabbage, apples, pears, raisins, rosemary, sage, thyme, balsamic and cider vinegar, mushrooms, sauerkraut, star anise, soy sauce, turnips, potatoes, chillies, fennel, mustard, spinach, leeks, spinach, allspice, mace, garlic, prunes and cherries.

Wine match
The wine I would suggest to drink with this pork dish is a medium bodied red wine. Yarra Valley produces some outstanding Pinot Noir and the 2003 William Downie is no exception. The wine maker is the aforementioned Bill Downie who is a talented young winemaker who works for the De Bortoli winery. In his spare time he has put together a wine with great intensity and balance. The wine has pronounced flavours of blood plums and brandied spiced cherries. There is a hint of cinnamon, mace and liquorice, with a lingering, persistent finish.

Pork pointers

1. The meat should be reasonably firm to touch and not look wet.

2. Always look for a good covering of fat on top of the meat and preferably some marbling through the meat muscle itself.

3. Be careful not to overcook pork. Dry pork is terrible. Remember to baste it during the cooking process and let the meat rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes before you serve it.
This will depend on the size of the pork joint that you are cooking.

4. For perfect crackling score the skin. This simply means using a sharp knife make cuts 1 to 2 millimetres into the skin being careful not to cut all the way through. Then rub the skin with salt .The scoring helps the salt to draw out more of the moisture of the skin to produce a crisp, tasty crackling. To give your crackling added flavour try mixing the salt with ground fennel seeds or a little ground star anise.

ROASTED PORK LOIN AND SAUCE SOUBISE
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 pork loin (approx 1kg)
240ml sauce Soubise ( see recipe )
12 pencil leeks
180ml sauce Robert (see recipe)
200g baby spinach
20g butter

Ingredients – Sauce Soubise Ingredients – Sauce Robert
300g eschallots – peeled 80g chicken wings
2 cloves of garlic 25g eschallots peeled
40g cultured butter 1 cloves of garlic
100ml cream 1 sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper to taste 11/2 bay leaf
100ml chardonnay vinegar
400ml meat jus
2tbl Dijon mustard
Olive oil

Method
Sauce Robert: Roast the chicken wings in a pan with a tiny amount of olive oil until golden brown. Add the sliced garlic, eschallots, thyme, bay leaf and pan fry until lightly coloured. Add the vinegar and reduce to a syrup. Add the jus base (please note the jus can be made or purchased from good delicatessens or Simon Johnson Purveyor) and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Pass through a sieve, then add the mustard and pass again.

Sauce Soubise: Blanch and refresh the eschallots to remove the bitterness. Cook in butter with the garlic without colouring, until tender. Then add the boiling cream and then mix in a blender. Pass through a sieve for a smooth consistency.

Crackling: Remove the skin from the loin and with a very sharp knife slice it into thin slivers and rub salt into it and leave for approximately 15-20 minutes. Wash and then dry and fry in a little oil in a fry pan and then place in the oven until crisp and crunchy.

Roast the whole pork loin in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes and then rest for a further 15-20 minutes. Blanch the spinach in hot boiling water for a few minutes and refresh and set aside. Trim the leeks and blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and refresh under cold water. Saute the spinach in a little butter. Slice the pork loin and warm the Soubise sauce and Sauce Robert. Place the soubise sauce on the plate and some sautéed spinach with the sliced pork on top, then place the pencil leeks on top of the pork and finish with Sauce Robert and scatter crackling over the dish.