Pork-y Goodness!

This past weekend I was on yet another mission to try a new cut of meat. I perused my farmer's meat list and finally rested my eyes upon: side pork. I did a little research, as is my usual habit, and found out that this cut is similar to pork belly, but is higher up on the side of the pig. It has a fair amount of fat, but not as much as pork belly.

I did some more research on the interwebs to find my inspiration. (I swear I spend hours pouring over online recipes to find which is the best to suit my tastes and skills. I keep telling Justin that I should start a recipe consulting firm. Who needs Google or All Recipes... just use me!) Apparently, side pork can be treated just like pork belly.

I settled on this particular jewel from The Clothes Make the Girl. (Quick aside, Melissa has an awesome recipe site. She also has a great Paleo cookbook called Well Fed.)

Roasted Side Pork

  

Ingredients:

• 2-3 pounds side pork
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
• fresh lemon juice

Method:

• Pat the side pork dry with a paper towel. Using a sharp knife, score the fatty/skin side.
• Combine the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all ober the pork, making sure to rub some into the score marks. Put the pork in a gallon sized plastic bag, try to push out as much of the air as possible, seal and put it the fridge. Let marinate from 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Farenheit. Line a roasting pan with tin foil or parchment paper. Take the pork out of the fridge and place, skin/fat side up, in the pan. Spritz the pork with fresh lemon juice. Put in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and let the meat cook for an additional hour, or until the pork is well browned and the skin is crispy. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. (It should be 10, but Justin and I couldn't wait to dig in...) Cut the meat up and serve with your favorite side.
• Enjoy!

I must say that this is absolutely FANTASTIC! It's like eating a more hearty version of bacon. The skin is perfectly crispy and the meat itself is fatty and delicious. The lemon juice adds just a little bit of acid to cut through the fat. We served ours along with some zucchini fritters.

If you're afraid of fat, than this dish is not for you. However, I encourage you to indulge in this recipe for a wonderful treat! More and more studies are coming out stating that a higher fat diet is good for your. So eat your pork fat!