Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Last weekend, I bought my first whole shoulder of pastured pork, and did my own butchery to make many meal sized cuts from it. Hooray!

The first thing I cooked down was all the bones that were in the shoulder with all the meat and cartilage that were hard to remove. The next day, all that lovely 'close tot he bone' meat had come off and I pulled the bones out. I ran all the meat, fat and liquid through a blender and placed it back in the crockpot with spices to become a smooth pork stew/soup.

I added some beef gelatin to the soup to thicken it, but I surprised myself with how well it worked. Too Well, in fact.

I now have a tub of ummm Pork Pudding. The gelatin from the bones + the gelatin powder conspired to set-solid the entire portion I set back for another day. It is the color of cooked pork w/ green flecks from the peppers. I think it is DELICIOUS, and super satifying... but not so great to look at...

So, want some?

The second meal from it was pulled pork (mexican spicy) made over night in a crock pot and it was wonderful and a bit more like what I have already been making.

How can I dress this up to serve to others, or is it just good for Paleo peoples and other adventurous eaters???

edited Jul 28 2011 at 14:44

asked Apr 29 2011 at 22:22

Adam Crafter
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You could always melt it down and then make an aspic with it. You already know that it'll set well! :-) – WordVixen Jul 28 2011 at 17:47

Sara · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-29 23:34:26Z UTC

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Cube it, serve it in a large spoon with a spring of whatever herb you think would best complement it. Call it an amuse bouche. If they like it, put a blob on the plate and let them have at it.

answered Apr 29 2011 at 23:34

Sara
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	lol! call it an amuse bouche! love it! – tartare Apr 29 2011 at 23:38
	I like this idea very much. +1 – Adam Crafter Apr 29 2011 at 23:38
	Give anything a French name, and it suddenly becomes a delicacy. Eh, tartare? ;) – becker Apr 30 2011 at 0:07
	noooo...an amuse bouche is a very silly thing you get at fancy restaurants as a pre-appetizer. A "free" course from the kitchen thats supposed to whet your appetite. It's not something that you order. To slip someone pork gelatin under the guise of being an amuse bouche is pretty funny to me, but i think that's just cuz ive worked in restaurants for so long... Then again, things DO sound better in French. – tartare Apr 30 2011 at 2:13
	Ironically, the french restaurant I worked at (my favorite place I worked at) never served amuse bouches. – tartare Apr 30 2011 at 2:15

Forrest · Answer 2 · 2011-04-29 22:25:37Z UTC

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What temperature is it a solid at? I haven't ever used beef gelatin, but I often have meat jello in the fridge after a nice crock-pot recipe. It liquifies into deliciousness after just a few seconds in the microwave.

answered Apr 29 2011 at 22:25

Forrest
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It is a delicious soup when warmed! – Adam Crafter Apr 29 2011 at 23:35

Shari Bambino · Answer 3 · 2011-07-28 15:14:39Z UTC

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Drunken pig shooters? Warm, add vodka (cause vodka really does go with everything), chill in a pan, cut it up into nice bite sized cubes of giggly pork goodness.

answered Jul 28 2011 at 15:14

Shari Bambino
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Paleo equivalent of a kegger? +1! :-) – WordVixen Jul 28 2011 at 17:45

becker · Answer 4 · 2011-04-29 23:35:48Z UTC

Dude... mail me some. That sounds awesome.

All I can think of is to add something with a lot of lipase in it to digest the gelatin and bring the water out of suspension. Can't think of any foods that do off the top of my head, so you might have to tap your duodenum for some juice.

EDIT with a practical solution:

Heat or a competing solute could help precipitate the gelatin. Add salt and boil it? Not sure if it'll work.

tartare · Answer 5 · 2011-04-29 23:39:37Z UTC

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I'm sure you could portion it and freeze it, if it melts when reheated there are tons of uses for it.

answered Apr 29 2011 at 23:39

tartare
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amanda · Answer 6 · 2011-04-30 00:53:40Z UTC

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Invest in a pig shaped jello mold? "Great for animal lovers - suprise them with a jelly in the shape of their favourite animal." In your case, it would also be made of said animal!

answered Apr 30 2011 at 0:53

amanda
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	or this one! ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com/files/2010/10/… – amanda Apr 30 2011 at 0:55
	I have a half a human brain jello mold... And come to think of it the pork soup is almost the right color grey!!! – Adam Crafter Apr 30 2011 at 20:07

Jan · Answer 7 · 2011-04-30 04:51:08Z UTC

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If you can get good quality pork, you can get trotters sometimes next to nothing. Then you can cook them to what Fergus Henderson calls "trotter gear" :) Here pork is very badly raised and even organic usually includes grain feeding, so i never buy pork, or chicken.

answered Apr 30 2011 at 4:51

Jan
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joannasfood.blogspot.com/2008/12/… – Jan Apr 30 2011 at 4:53

UncleLongHair · Answer 8 · 2011-07-28 15:00:10Z UTC

My mother used to make pig's feet, which involves removing the hair from the trotters and cooking them for a long time either in the oven or braising, then taking the bone scraps out. With all of the small bones and connective tissue, the result is pork gelatin with small pieces of extremely tender meat... similar to what you describe, and totally delicious. She served it in small bowls like Jell-O, at room temperature it was nearly solid, when chilled it was very firm.

I haven't had this for probably 30 years, but would love to have a batch of it now...

Gelatin: Who wants Pork Pudding?

How can I dress this up to serve to others, or is it just good for Paleo peoples and other adventurous eaters???

8 Answers