Mangalitsa

After nearly two months of a "winter break" from the market, I returned this past week with dubious expectations. Too cold for anything to grow, and certainly too cold for the poor vendors to stand outside for four hours, what would there be besides some squash and a few crazies? Turns out that the market is surprisingly full of life in January, or at least it was on this day. The main difference I noted from the fall market was the lack of produce stands (no big surprise there) which seem to have been replaced by meat. From my grass-fed beef guy to Loki salmon to the pig people on Vashon Island, I'd guess that nearly half of the stalls were selling some kind of meat. However, the biggest delight of all, and the longest line I might add, came from a stand claiming to sell Mangalitsa.

I know, I know, what the hell is Mangalitsa? Previously unheard of by you, me, and most of the Western world, Mangalitsa is a breed of pork more common in Europe. A new company from Eastern Washington called Wooly Pigs imported the breed from Austria, and they claim that they are the first purveyor of Mangalitsa in the New World. "MANGALITSA DEBUT!" proclaimed the sandwich board out front of their stand. Too overcome by curiosity to pass it up, I had to have some of my own to try. The owner (I assume) was incredibly exuberant about his new product. He implored every passer-by to try his product. "PLEASE, try the Mangalitsa! Yes, please! Try the Mangalitsa!"as he cooked up samples of his ground pork. Of the choices (bacon, pork loin, etc.) I decided to go with the pork shoulder, thinking that that particular cut might offer us the most unadulterated taste of its purported unique flavor.

How to cook this expensive cut of pork was my next decision. "Cook Mangalitsa slow and low! Brining, slow roasting and braising work well. Grilling is risky!" read the flyer that came with my purchase. After further research at home, I found even more information on how dry and tough the meat can become if cooked like "normal" pork. It turns out that Mangalitsa, while having plenty of lovely, marbley fat throughout, has a different type of fat than the more modern breed of pig. The Mangalitsa fat is higher in unsaturated fats which, while of course being better for us, might also contribute to a dryer, tougher texture if not cooked properly. I finally decided that braising was my best bet for the "slow and low" approach to my hunk of pork shoulder (see more info on braising in My Quest for the Perfect Beef Short-Ribs). The cut I got had some bones, but not too many, so I just cut it into four manageable hunks, browned it, then partially submerged it in wine, stock, and veggies and cooked it at 225 degrees for several hours. The next night, I reheated it gently and then pulled the meat out of the pan and reduced the juices a bit. In an effort to keep it simple so as to allow the meat to shine, I served it with some Red Russian Kale, my favorite "spud nuts" (mini potatoes), and white beans.

After all of the talk about how different and amazing this meat was, I have to say that I had pretty high expectations. Expectations unfortunately, that it didn't quite meet. Don't get me wrong, the meat was incredible. Super tender, juicy, and full of flavor. And while it did have a slightly different flavor and reminded me of the boar I so loved eating while in Italy, the difference was very subtle. My husband said that he would have assumed it was beef it he hadn't known better. So it definitely was not your average pork taste, but was it worth the $25 a pound? When the Mangalitsa makes it to a market near you, I'll let you be the judge of that.