🐷 Block 21–22: Pork
← Block 19–20: Shellfish | Block 23–24: Poultry →
"Pork is the most versatile protein in the world kitchen. It scales from a 2-minute chop to a 12-hour shoulder. It responds beautifully to fat, acid, smoke, sweetness, and spice. Learning pork is learning half the world's food traditions."
Block 21 — The Pork Fundamentals
The key principle of pork this week: Pork ≠ tough. The modern farmed pig is different from 30 years ago — leaner, safer at lower internal temperatures. The new standard is 145°F (USDA updated this in 2011), which means medium pork — still slightly pink — is correct. Cooking pork to 165°F the way you might have learned produces dry, grey, flavorless meat.
⏰ Planning Ahead
- Session 106 (Pork Chop): dry-brine the pork chop the night before
- Session 107 (Chashu Pork Belly): 2–3 hr braise; plan it as this session's main event
- Session 109 (Vietnamese Pork Chop): marinate at least 2 hrs ahead; overnight gives best char
- Service 27 (PROJECT: Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder): dry-brine the night before; plan for 6–8 hr low cook
- Session 111 (Pork Ribs): 2 hrs low in the oven before finishing on grill/broiler; start the oven early
- Session 106: Perfect Pork Chop
- Session 107: Chashu Pork Belly: Low and Slow Japanese-Style
- Session 108: Pork Tenderloin: Speed and Precision
- Session 109: Vietnamese Grilled Pork Chop (Thit Heo Nuong)
- ⏰ Service 27: Ultra-Crispy Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder
Block 22 — Belly, Ribs, and Ground Pork
- Session 110: Belly: Pan-Crispy, No 5-Hour Braise
- Session 111: Pork Ribs: Understanding the Two Methods
- Session 112: Porchetta: Italian Pork at Its Peak
- Session 113: Pork Meatballs: Ground Pork Technique
- ⏰ Service 28: Carnitas and the Whole Shoulder Taco Dinner
Optional: Go Deeper
These aren't required reading — but if something from this block sparked a question, here's where to go.
The Pork Map
Pork is the most versatile animal in the kitchen. Understanding the cuts — shoulder vs. loin vs. belly vs. leg — explains why carnitas works but a pork loin doesn't shred.
- 📖 Pork Shoulder Demystified: Boston Butt vs. Picnic — The same cut, sold under different names — here's what the difference actually means for your cooking.
Fat, Salt, and Pink Pork
- 📖 Bacon, Pancetta, and More: Cured Pork Products Explained — A clear guide to all the cured pork products you'll encounter in Italian and French recipes and why they're not interchangeable.
- 📖 The Case for Pink Pork — The USDA updated its pork temperature guidelines. Most people still overcook it. This explains what medium-rare pork actually means for food safety.
A Book Worth Having
- 📚 On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee — Ch. 3 (Meat), pork sections. Fat rendering, collagen in pork shoulder, belly structure. Full reading guide →