When I got into this business, I wasn't a pork fan. I just liked to eat Mangalitsa pigs. I really didn't understand how most chefs and consumers view pork. In the course of selling Mangalitsa pork, I've learned a lot more about this. This article describes typical attitudes quite well.
Given that Mangalitsa pork is so much more flavorful, fatty and expensive than meat-type pork, people marketing Mangalitsa pork typically run into problems, as do chefs who use Mangalitsa pork for the first time. The following may help people selling Mangalitsa pork, or perhaps chefs thinking of using Mangalitsa.
I'll excerpt the article and add my own comments:
The versatility of this favorite meat easily earns it a place on the menu of many restaurants and in the hearts of those who cook it.
Right off the bat, they are talking about meat, not fat. Mangalitsa pigs are great because of their amazing fat. Chefs who buy a Mangalitsa pig and don't understand that will be disappointed and perhaps even outraged.
Great meat, but very, very little of it.
Mangalitsa lean meat is of course the best (study #1, study#2). But unless you can sell the fat, you can't afford to raise Mangalitsa pigs or buy them (or their primals) - because you can't get enough for the little bit of meat to pay for the pig.
Just look at that loin. Take off the fatback, and take off that blade meat (the thin sheet of meet that runs along the fatback, in the lower right corner. Then take off the fat between the blade and the loin eye - and there's almost no meat. The area of the loin eye is only about 1/4 or 1/5 of the cross section of the loin.
If a chef buys that loin and doesn't know what to do with the fat, he'll lose money. If he knows to take that fat off and make lardo - he can make a lot of money. Of course, given that most pigs are so lean, you can't count on a chef to know how to take the fat off and make lardo - because he probably never gets such practice on the lean pigs that dominate the market.
That's why butchery is so important for someone trying to run a Mangalitsa pork business, or a chef who buys Mangalitsa pigs; if you can't cut the pig up right, you'll probably lose money.
Great meat, but very, very little of it.Mangalitsa lean meat is of course the best (study #1, study#2). But unless you can sell the fat, you can't afford to raise Mangalitsa pigs or buy them (or their primals) - because you can't get enough for the little bit of meat to pay for the pig.
Just look at that loin. Take off the fatback, and take off that blade meat (the thin sheet of meet that runs along the fatback, in the lower right corner. Then take off the fat between the blade and the loin eye - and there's almost no meat. The area of the loin eye is only about 1/4 or 1/5 of the cross section of the loin.
If a chef buys that loin and doesn't know what to do with the fat, he'll lose money. If he knows to take that fat off and make lardo - he can make a lot of money. Of course, given that most pigs are so lean, you can't count on a chef to know how to take the fat off and make lardo - because he probably never gets such practice on the lean pigs that dominate the market.
That's why butchery is so important for someone trying to run a Mangalitsa pork business, or a chef who buys Mangalitsa pigs; if you can't cut the pig up right, you'll probably lose money.
“I think pork is the most versatile of meats out there. From sautéing to braising to grilling, it can be prepared so many ways, and it’s receptive to so many flavors ...”
A typical mistake that a chef makes with Mangalitsa pork is that he seasons it too much, assuming it is as bland as most pork. Mangalitsa tastes strongly of greasy meat. That's a very nice flavor. If you add a lot of spices, you can cover up that wonderful taste.
Many first-time pork-loving customers complain that Mangalitsa tastes gamey. Mangalitsa doesn't tastes gamey - it tastes meaty. People are so used to bland pork, they think that flavorful Mangalitsa is gamey. Again, such people seek out pork (and chicken) because it is so flavorless.
People who really like pork (chefs or consumers) probably won't like Mangalitsa, because what they like is bland, cheap meat. Mangalitsa is not bland and cheap.
Many first-time pork-loving customers complain that Mangalitsa tastes gamey. Mangalitsa doesn't tastes gamey - it tastes meaty. People are so used to bland pork, they think that flavorful Mangalitsa is gamey. Again, such people seek out pork (and chicken) because it is so flavorless.
People who really like pork (chefs or consumers) probably won't like Mangalitsa, because what they like is bland, cheap meat. Mangalitsa is not bland and cheap.
Recently promoted to head chef at Croissants, McFadyen has amped up the restaurant’s Pork Tenderloin Française. Tenderloin slices are pounded into medallions, then pan-seared in clarified butter...
If he was a Mangalitsa chef, he'd sear it in Mangalitsa lard. Butter is a lot heavier than Mangalitsa lard (assuming the Mangalitsa is fattened properly), and its flavor isn't as clean. Of course, the fat from the lean pigs that dominate the market is typically gross, so I understand why he uses clarified butter instead.
“I personally like pork. It is a light, flavorful meat with a myriad of uses. It takes all kinds of flavors, from sweet to savory, to everything in between. There isn’t anything that doesn’t go with pork.”
Chefs like pork because it is so bland, they can add flavors to it and create things. That's a lot like tofu - a bland protein that can be used in many creative ways.
Mangalitsa chefs, in contrast, get creative with the whipped lard and lardo - you can flavor your whipped lard and lardo however you want.
Mangalitsa chefs, in contrast, get creative with the whipped lard and lardo - you can flavor your whipped lard and lardo however you want.
Pork is for highlighting seasonal flavors, says Edwards. “In fall and winter, I might flavor pork with a maple-sage brine and then roast it. Come summer, I can pair it with an avocado-mango salsa with lime.”
More of the same.
There are yet more issues that come up with chefs - because of Mangalitsa genetics and because Mangalitsa production isn't near levels that allow for typical economies of scale in logistics and processing.
For example, Mangalitsa pigs produce more unsaturated fat than other pigs. All things being equal, Mangalitsa pigs have softer fat than most other pigs. If someone wants the hardest fat, Mangalitsa pigs won't deliver. They will produce the tastiest fat - but it won't be the hardest.
Suppose someone insists on never-frozen Mangalitsa; perhaps on principle. He better live near a slaughterhouse reasonably close to a Mangalitsa producer (or be willing to pay freight) and be willing to take a whole or half pig - or alternatively, take whatever it is the producer has left over after he sells the desirable parts to others.
Suppose one insists on skin-on product, or product that comes packaged a certain way? Some chefs do this because it makes them feel good about themselves; they can look at themselves in the mirror and feel good that they are fussy. Well, be too fussy and you might not get your Mangalitsa that way - because if the slaughterhouse your produces can't deliver it, he can't give it to you.
If the Mangalitsa producer can find a way to market his parts profitably, and not have to take risks (e.g. chilled meat goes bad, creating huge losses) and work so hard for demanding customers (who are often the worst about paying), he'll do it. That's one good thing about raising Mangalitsa pigs; they are differentiated enough that enough of your customers will put up with your limitations and pay for them that you can stay in business and be profitable.
Remember that pork has more than just versatility in preparation and flavor going for it; it is also amazingly good for you. According to the National Pork Council, a study released in 2006 by the United States Department of Agriculture says that many cuts of pork are leaner today than they were 15 years ago – on average about 16 percent lower in total fat and 27 percent lower in saturated fat.People who eat pork for this reason aren't good Mangalitsa prospects. About all you can talk about is how the fat is particularly monounsaturated, which many people think is good, in the same way that olive oil is supposedly good.
There are yet more issues that come up with chefs - because of Mangalitsa genetics and because Mangalitsa production isn't near levels that allow for typical economies of scale in logistics and processing.
For example, Mangalitsa pigs produce more unsaturated fat than other pigs. All things being equal, Mangalitsa pigs have softer fat than most other pigs. If someone wants the hardest fat, Mangalitsa pigs won't deliver. They will produce the tastiest fat - but it won't be the hardest.
Suppose someone insists on never-frozen Mangalitsa; perhaps on principle. He better live near a slaughterhouse reasonably close to a Mangalitsa producer (or be willing to pay freight) and be willing to take a whole or half pig - or alternatively, take whatever it is the producer has left over after he sells the desirable parts to others.
Suppose one insists on skin-on product, or product that comes packaged a certain way? Some chefs do this because it makes them feel good about themselves; they can look at themselves in the mirror and feel good that they are fussy. Well, be too fussy and you might not get your Mangalitsa that way - because if the slaughterhouse your produces can't deliver it, he can't give it to you.
If the Mangalitsa producer can find a way to market his parts profitably, and not have to take risks (e.g. chilled meat goes bad, creating huge losses) and work so hard for demanding customers (who are often the worst about paying), he'll do it. That's one good thing about raising Mangalitsa pigs; they are differentiated enough that enough of your customers will put up with your limitations and pay for them that you can stay in business and be profitable.
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