This was a true delight yesterday. I have been working rather hard of late to get a project out, and have been missing the family somewhat. Time for a day off I thought, and to spend it with the two D’s (Drake and Danika). Often when we are out and about all day Danika is rather kind and lets me pick the lunch spot. Choice can be limited when you have a rug rat with you (as mentioned in previous posts) – not because some places don’t like kids there at lunch time (most do), some places are too loud, too crowded, and service takes too long (Drake gets fidgety after a while). We often end up at Baguette Box in Capital Hill.

I really love most of the sandwiches here. They introduce specials occasionally, however the quality and consistancy of their stable menu is fantastic. Danika normally always gets the tofu sandwich, which is great, but I tend to dive around the menu a bit, and I am rather glad I did yesterday.

They had a new sandwich on the board. A Berkshire pig pork belly sandwich, which had been marinaded in Hoisin sauce. As you may know (those that have visited the place), the menu has a slight Asian twist (Vietnamese to be precise), since it is owned and run by the great Monsoon restaurant, also in capital hill.

I couldn’t honestly tell you what else was in the sandwich. I didn’t care. The pork belly was so unbelievably good it just didn’t matter, or maybe I didn’t pay any attention to it.

So what is so great about Berkshire pigs, and pork belly? Well, the Berkshire is a really old English breed (so it already gets a top vote with me ), that more recently got crossed with Chinese pigs which produced the modern day Berkshire. This really is pork at its complete best. The meat has excellent marbling throughout, and such a ridiculous amount of flavor it is crazy. I guess the difference is something similar to eating a regular steak, and then eating Kobe. Berkshires are harder to find these days, since they hold more fat than other pigs, and people are tending to go for leaner cuts of meat these days (good quality pork fat that is naturally raised is actually pretty good for you – a great balance of Omega 3′s and Omega 6′s).  After World War II, the demand was for leaner pork in England, so the Berkshire declined somewhat. Thankfully some breeders are keeping the Berk’s around, which is great news for anyone that likes top quality pork. The Japanese call the Berkshire “Kurobuta”, however some Japanese believe that those Berk’s bread in England have superior flavor.

So why pork belly? Here in the US this is where bacon is cut from. Throughout the rest of the world this is really called “streaky” bacon (because of the fat lines), whereas regular bacon normally comes from the back or side and is somewhat leaner. A pretty cheap cut, mainly I think because of the fat to meat ratio. Shame really, because this should be considered gold. When cooked properly the fat renders down slighty, and produces this wonderful soft ooze when you bite into it. If you ask me, with pork, the belly is where the most flavor is at (er… that would be that fat ratio again!).

At Baguette Box they braise the pork belly which has been marinaded in a hoisin mixture. Throughout Asian cooking Hoisin sauce has long been a staple with pork, and you can see why. So anyhow, they slowly braise this for 3 hours or so until both the meat and fat are ridiculously tender.

There are quite a few restaurants throughout Seattle now that serve pork belly. At Lark it is a signature dish. You can also find it rotating through menus at other top seasonal places like Zoe and Tilth.

I say, don’t be afraid of that fat, and give it a go. As soon as I get my kitchen back I am going to be slow braising some, and I will obviously post the results!