Stockner on How to Use a Loin - Roasting Versus Sous Vide

Manfred Stockner - mentioned in this Gourmet.com article (and shown above) - is the chef that Michael Clampffer and I look to for advice on how to use Mangalitsa in a restaurant setting. He's been using them for several years - and he's learned how to wring the most money out of a carcass in a restaurant setting.

I'm hoping that we can get him over to America soon to teach some classes to culinary professionals. With the expansion of Mangalitsa supply happening in 2009, more chefs will be using Mangalitsa than ever. Chef Stockner can help them to avoid unnecessary mistakes. The more chefs understand how to make money from these pigs, the more demand there'll be.

Here's his tips on how to prepare a Mangalitsa loin (temperatures in Celsius):

I trim the loin (3parts meat, 1 part fat) because it is not so fancy to eat pure fat in Austria. And of course, curing the fat is more profitable and tastes better than roasting it.

Then I cut the fat in thin slices without hurting the meat.

On the meat side I season with fine chopped herbs, salt, pepper and spices, the fat side gets light salted.

Then I put some rendered lard in a pan, not to much heat and slow roast the loin on the fatty side, until it is light brown and half rendered. Then I turn the meat on the other side and roast it short and hot.

Then I give the meat (about 250g) out of the pan (keep the pan- we need the fat later) on and a grill frame in a 180° degree hot oven for 5 Minutes, then I let it rest for 10 Minutes in a 60° warm oven.

Then I heat the pan with the fat and give the meat the grade of colour I want. Then I cut the meat and serve it.


It is also possible to do the loin sous vide in a circulator, but I am not a friend of using this method to cook meat, which is soft and tender enough, like loin and tender loin.

But I did it with a 5 year old mother sow I bought for curing, just to see if it gets tender. It worked really well.

For this I trimmed the meat the same way, but roasted it short on all sides for not losing too much meat juices.

Then I vacuum packed it and put it in the circulator 56° for about 6 hours.

Then I roasted the fatty side until it was brown and rendered, it was tender with a sensational intense Mangalitsa taste, because the hog was so old.