PigStockTC 2010 Wrap Up from @caterleelanau

PigStock TC was designed as an educational event for professional chefs and was planned and sponsored by Cherry Capital Foods and Michigan Mangalitza. The event focused on a farm to table, nose to tail culinary extravaganza. Andy and I were lucky enough to be a part of the experience as participants. We went through the entire process of slaughtering the pig to cooking and curing all the parts. The event was focused on the Mangalitza pig-a hearty breed originally from Hungary, the Mangalitza are prized for the quality of their fat (less saturated and higher in Oleic Acid) and are a superior breed for all charcuterie applications.

The first day broke clear and cold and was held on the farm at Bakers Green Acres in Marion, MI. Mark and Jill Baker, who raised the pigs for 18 months, assisted Christoph and Isabela Wiesner of the Austrian Mangalitsa Breeders Association. They walked us though the slaughter, cleaning the pig, obtaining and cleaning the organs and initial breakdown of the pig into halves. We were also treated to two delicious meals from Eric and Jen at The Cooks House and given a tour of the farm.

More here: http://caterleelanau.com/blog/2010/11/pigstock-tc-2010-wrap-up/

Myles on "Whole Hog"

From Stella's email newsletter:

Please note that straight cut/paste didn't work well, so a bit of reformatting

From the American Heritage Dictionary:

whole hog Slang
n. The whole way; the fullest extent: went the whole hog and ordered dessert.

…and Myles is going there, quite literally indeed. We have always respected food to such an extent that since we opened our doors 6½ years ago; we have sourced the best quality ingredients, locally whenever possible, and allowed them to express themselves in simple yet imaginative dishes. Our menu continues to change twice daily and over the years we have built amazing relationships with our farmers, their produce, and the land. These deepening relationships have had us thinking about the animals that we serve.

Last winter, Myles started exploring whole animal preparation and you saw some daring dishes grace our menu including trotters and testa! This fall, Myles along with several other chefs from all around participated in the three-day “Pigstock” event that featured the lovely Mangalitsa (MON-go-leet-sa) pig. Among its many attributes, the “Mangalitsa fat is more unsaturated than normal pig fat, so it tastes much “lighter”, “cleaner”, and melts at a lower temperature. The fat is also healthier.”

We took delivery of our first whole Mangalitsa last week. She was 250 pounds total, out of which we had just over five pounds of total waste. Combine that with the fact that the tenderloins topped out at a combined total of just over three pounds. So, once the most desirable and the least desirable parts were gone, we had roughly 240 pounds of top-quality pork remaining; and, it’s really good. We are very happy to be able to reduce waste and honor the animal, while delivering some of the highest quality pork on the market.

Toast the Pig

Bit of Capt Morgan as we toast the spirit of the pig.

Photos

We're continuing to add material to the online photo archive

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Chef David Eger, from Earthy Delights has some good stuff

Exclusive

Cherry Capital Foods and Earthy Delights will be the exclusive distributors of Michigan Mangalitsa

Mark and Jill's Mangalitsa's were declared "the best in North America" by Christoph and Isabell Wiesner after their slaughter and butchery at PigstockTC.

Contact Dave or Lee at Cherry Capital Foods or Chambre at Earthy Delights for your orders.

Coincidence ?

Samhain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Samhain ( /ˈsɑːwɪn/, /ˈsaʊ.ɪn/, or /ˈsaʊn/)^[1] is a Gaelic harvest festival held on October 31–November 1. It was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and was popularised as the "Celtic New Year" beginning in the 18th century.^[2][3][4]

Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half". It was traditionally celebrated over the course of several days. It has some elements of a festival of the dead. The Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain; because so many animals and plants were dying, it thus allowed the dead to reach back through the veil that separated them from the living. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. People and their livestock would often walk between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual, and the bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.^[5]

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