Pork Cheek Meat

This is kind of a "secret cut", unknown to the general public and still economical. It is very lean and tough, but with a lot of connective tissue in it, making it moist, tender and very flavorful with long cooking. Ideal for braises and stews. The photo specimens (showing both sides) were 3-3/4 ounces each, measuring 3-3/4 inches long, 3-1/2 wide and 1 inch thick at the thickest part.

Buying:

This is a rarely seen cut here in Southern California, but I have found it at 168 Market, a large Asian market Alhambra, packed in the usual shrink wrapped foam trays. Others have obtained these from specialty butcher shops. I paid 2014 US $2.89 / pound.

Prep:

Rinse, cut to the size you want (1-1/2 inches is usually good). Yield approaches 100%.

Cooking:

These take about 1-3/4 to 2 hours of slow simmering to be nice and tender. They may be stir fried lightly brown before adding liquid and simmering.

ap_cheekz 091210 - www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegaden.com - Photos on this page not otherwise credited are © cg1 - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page permitted