Here's what bauchspeck looks like.
I freeze it and slice it as thin as I can. Doing this a few times makes it clear why every Mangalitsa producer who makes speck seems to have a meat slicer - you can't slice thin enough.
I just have some little blocks left over, explaining why the pieces are so short. Normally they'd be as wide as the pig's belly.
It took the photo just after laying the stuff out. It hasn't had much time to warm up. It starts sweating in minutes.
In Europe, people eat this stuff like this, or put it on bread, or toast, or on top of food. Like many Mangalitsa producers (and chefs) I just eat it straight off the plate.
I must have had something like 20# of this stuff a week ago. I'm running low, and starting to feel a bit desperate. Between sampling, selling and personal use, I'm practically out - despite finding a little piece in a freezer that I'd forgotten about.
2 comments:
Looks great... care to share the recipe?
Basically, it is a dry-cured, cold-smoked Mangalitsa belly, spice with juniper and pepper.
The details of the recipe aren't that important. I'll get it an post it though - it isn't a secret.
It tastes great because I used pigs that had been raised to produce excellent raw material.
If you use inappropriate raw material, your products won't taste as good, regardless of the recipe.
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