Are pork cheeks good?

As with all parts of the Iberico pig, the pork cheeks are a succulent delicacy that melts in your mouth and has a delicate nutty flavor due to the high amounts of soft fat. They do best with slow cooking, such as by being braised, or in a stew.

What kind of meat is pork cheek?

Pork cheeks, as the name would suggest, are the little nuggets of flesh found in the cheek of the pig . Not to be confused with the jowl, which is the surrounding area of the face and is more fat (albeit tasty fat) than meat.

What is another name for pork cheeks?

Guanciale (Italian: [ɡwanˈtʃaːle]) is an Italian salt-cured meat product prepared from pork jowl or cheeks. Its name is derived from guancia, 'cheek'.

Is pork cheek like bacon?

Also called pork jowl or pork cheek, this cut of meat resembles bacon in that it's fatty, often gets served thinly sliced, and a little bit goes a long way. Find it on charcuterie boards, wrapped around vegetables, chopped up and tossed with pasta, and served in sandwiches.

Is pork cheek expensive?

Pork Cheeks are more expensive per kilo than regular cuts . Pork Cheeks are a small piece of meat & therefore more expensive to produce than simple heavy Pork Cuts.

What is the most expensive cut of pork?

What is the most expensive cut of pork? It's usually the pork tenderloin (also called pork tender or fillet). A lot of the other loin cuts tend to err on the more expensive side since it has some high-quality meat to offer.

Is guanciale banned in the US?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the importation of guanciale and other cured meats from Italy from the 1970s until 2013 , concerned that they might carry swine vesicular disease.

What is pork cheek equivalent to?

Cheek, when braised, gives you a very similar texture and flavor as shoulder. The only difference is that it's small to begin with. Pork shoulder or Boston butt would work just as well.

Can you eat pork cheeks?

It is thanks to its deep flavour and melting, succulent qualities, that pork cheek will never be out of favour . This culinary delight is ideal for slow-cooking, be it with pulses and wine for a hearty braise, or in the oven for crisp skin with meltingly tender meat beneath.

What is a substitute for pork cheeks?

You can substitute 5 pounds of pork shoulder for the pork cheeks. Cut the shoulder into 2-inch chunks and proceed with the recipe. Add 30 minutes to the cooking time in Step 4.

Is pork jowl unhealthy?

Hog jowls themselves may be high in fat and, therefore, high in calories , notes Carolyn O'Neil, MS, RDN. So use in moderation—you only need a few ounces for the whole recipe to add a lot of wonderful flavors to big pots of vegetables, soups and stews.

Is pork cheek high in fat?

Pork cheeks are characterised by a high proportion of connective tissue and fat , they have long meat fibres and are predestined for braised dishes with red wine and braised vegetables.

Why is cheek meat so good?

Beef cheeks absorb the flavours of the liquid they are cooked in , resulting in a flavoursome meat with a texture that melts in your mouth like butter.

Pork Cheeks (2024)

Last year there was an IKEA commercial about a woman who leaves the store with a number of large bags in her cart. She looks off to the side, as though caught in the act. When she's loaded everything up in the car, she urges her husband to "Drive, drive!," believing that the store has grossly undercharged them. This is the exact feeling I get about going to a butcher shop and seeing a bin of pork cheeks. How is it possible that the cheeks cost less than ground meat? How is it possible than no one else is buying out the whole bin?

The first thing I do is saunter by the butcher counter. I try to play it cool.

"Oh, I see you have cheeks today," I say. "Well, maybe I'll just get two pounds or so."

Pork cheeks are exactly what their name implies: the slip of meat in the hollow of the cheek, underneath the animal's eyes. (Guanciale, the famed Italian bacon, is made sometimes from the cheeks but also from the jowls of the pig.)

What makes cheeks so good? Relatively lean, yet very moist meat. There are few parts of the animal for which this is true. Usually, you need marbled fat to get the same degree of tenderness—say, in the neck region, the shoulders, or in parts of the brisket. But cheek meat is like hock meat—the same kind of lean meat connected by lots of tissues and collagen. Cook it for a long time, and the meat breaks down into hockey-puck-sized nuggets of fork-tender flesh. You might not have the advantage getting bone and cartilage in the mix, but cheek meat is so good on its own If you can get your hands on some, pound-for-pound it's a much better deal.

The cheeks will be good braised any which way. I can never get enough of a Sichuan-style red-braise with chili bean paste (made from fava beans and chili oil), fermented black beans, soy sauce, wine, and sugar. (This is not to be confused with the more commonly known Chinese red braise of soy sauce, wine, and sugar.) The spicy and rich sauce can be spooned over rice or noodles and served with vegetables, roasted or braised. Daikon is the classic Sichuan pairing for red-braised meat, but root vegetables of any kind would be good, as would cauliflower or long-cooked greens.

Or, try an Italian braise with tomato sauce and red wine. The sauce is just one step away from being a complete meal with the addition of pasta, spaetzle, or polenta.

Pork Cheeks (2024)

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