I've said a lot about the Hawkins Family Farm in the scant week I've been documenting our food. One part of that puzzle is that even if you know who grows or raises your food and how they do it, there's usually domineering else involved. Jeff's had interns and his own kids chip in in addition to his clergy migrant workers. We've met a good part of this workforce. But there's also the people who process our meat.
Above, you see my proprietary pork chops. I use cheap stuffing and canned gravy under the pork chops to integrate the drippings. And there's a lot of drippings. These are rich, fatty, 1 inch thick chops from a Tamworth hog. Because they're so thick, they're in the oven at 225F for four or more hours. I'll keep them covered until the last 30 minutes or so, when I'll also bump the heat up to color the chops a bit.
Why are the chops so thick? Well, in our first year with the CSA share, we got a smoker for cooking the turkey. Of course we tested it and those tests were done with pork chops. The 1/2" chops were great, but they cooked too fast. So a couple years ago I asked them to cut the 1" thick. This makes for fewer chops and they're not standard bbq fare. But cooked nice and slow, they stay moist, tender and flavorful.
We can get this custom service because our hog is butchered at a custom meat locker. Each year I have talked to W & W Locker about any changes I want from last year. They keep the shoulder whole for me as well as keeping some of they belly out of becoming bacon. Braised pork belly can be quite a treat. But we can meet our butchers everytime we we're out there. Usually, they're working on someone's order right at the window. I was even able to get some fat from them to integrate into some rabbit sausage I made last year.
Its good to know who's touching your meat... you know what I mean.
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