I can't believe I ate that!

T

traca

Well-known member
Yesterday I was a judge for Cochon555, a cooking competition traveling through 8 cities across America. Yesterday was Seattle. They feature 5 chefs, 5 wineries, and 5 heritage breed pigs.

This is my second year judging and I was super excited b/c there were two James Beard Award winners cooking, another who's been nominated 3x, and two other very good chefs who will be in the same place in a couple years.

Here's how it works. The judges all sit in a room. In comes the chef and carts with the plated food. The chef describes what we're eating, then leaves the room. We have ballots to keep track of the scoring.

I'm busy taking photos as the chefs talk so much of the detail is lost on me. But ringing in my ears are key words: pig's blood, then we used the ear for a salad, in there is heart, liver, and spleen, for this we used the head--cheeks and brains. One chef was extremely dissapointed she didn't get the blood for her pig, "I was going to buy some..."

Let's just say, I was experiencing a major EWWWWWW factor.

Meanwhile, I'm wedged between one of the finest chefs in America on my left, and an enthusiastic Asian chick who squeals, "Finally, someone used the ears!"

What can I say? I took one for the team. And surprised myself. The majority of the dishes were quite delicious. (The pig's blood jello shot that didn't quite jell? No. And I'm still not down with pig ear.)

Ah, another culinary adventure....

 
Reminds me of a dinner....

..... back when we lived in Paris

we went to a restaurant called "Clos des Gourmets", on the 7eme

one of their signature dishes was
'pig's head" and I decided to give it a try. The dish was served as a thick "slice", to mimic a cut all the way through the pig's head, and they used pretty much everything (cheeks, brains, ears) to make the mixture, more or less as a loaf. The ear, fried (or roasted, I'm not sure) until it was extremely crispy, was served along, some cut into pieces and mixed in the "loaf", but a good portion just there to be enjoyed as is. The outer layer of this "loaf" was surrounded by crispy bacon, or maybe some of the pork's skin, I don't quite remember right now (it's been almost 9 years)

I am not sure I would have it again, mainly because it was way too rich and heavy, but I'm sure glad I tried it.

as to a jello shot with pig's blood... I am kind of sorry I read this right after lunch smileys/smile.gif

 
Pig's ears and tails are very big here. At a place called "Animal" I've enjoyed both. Face it, by

the time they're peeled, steamed, braised, deep-fried, sauced and presented, you could be eating almost any part of the swine. One of my favorite dishes there is pig's ear with chili, lime and a fried egg. May sound terrifying in concept but in the mouth it's seriously fit t'eat.

Next time you're in New Orleans, visit Cochon. That'll tighten your wig. (Pig blood shooters? Perhaps they're not entirely kosher but yum!)

 
They use a lot of spare parts here too. Pigs feet are big added to soups to give them body.

I would think ears would be like braised chicharrones.

 
I know a guy who cut off his thumb & forefinger, trying to cut a pig foot in half w/ a machette.

 
I'll never forget my first bowl of genuine Pozole, or my third....

My first was at our housekeeper's party for her daughter's Quincinera. It was sublime--Hominy and pork suspended in a delicious broth, with a garnish of thinly sliced cabbage.

On the third bowl I was told what was in it--pig snouts!

By then I had had enough tequila-and-Squirt that I might have had a fourth bowl, if there were not also carnitas to be had.

 
We have blood pudding here. Many people like it, others hate it.

Let me say, you are a lot braver than me, Traca. I almost dropped my lunch reading your post (- but I brought my new home made müesli to work today along with Gay's blueberry cake so nothing - I mean nothing - can keep me from having lunch today smileys/smile.gif

 
Oh, good, now my breakfast! Keep it up Joe, I need to lose weight.

On the other hand, I love hot dogs! And not the kosher ones or all beef. I like the ones made with the pork "leftovers".

I also love bologna. But you don't want to know what I put on those sandwiches! I had a strange midwest childhood.

 
If your parents lived through the depression they used the whole animal or

bought the cheapest cuts.
I remember blood sausage, spicy spaghetti sauce with chicken hearts and lungs, pigs feet and many others that would leave me sitting at the table long after everyone else had finished!

 
When I was a VERY little girl, around 4 I think. I have a memory of someone bringing a pig's head

to Grandma's house. There it sat on the kitchen table, the fresh head surrounded by the 4 feet. Apparently Grandpa loved the stuff. I am not sure how it was prepared. I just remember my aunt saying to me "let's see if it still has it's eyeballs" and with that she opened up his eyelid and there it was! Not one of my fondest childhood memories but it obviously made an impression!

 
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