Pork Diced - Heritage, Pasture Raised

Heritage Pork Diced

This is pasture-raised heritage pork, from traditional slow-growing breeds prized above almost any other for the quality of their meat. Heritage pigs raised on pasture take their time and marble beautifully, and it shows: the meat is darker, richer and more finely grained than commodity pork, with a fat that carries genuine flavour rather than just moisture. This is pork as it's meant to taste.

The Cut
Our diced pork is cut from the shoulder and forequarter, the hardworking muscles with plenty of connective tissue and natural marbling running through them. That's exactly what you want for a slow cook: the collagen breaks down into a silky richness and the fat keeps every piece juicy. It's diced into generous, even pieces so it cooks evenly and holds its shape through a long braise. Lean diced pork from commodity pigs tends to go dry and stringy in a stew; heritage pork does the opposite, getting better the longer you give it.

How to Cook It
Pat the pieces dry and season well with salt. Get a heavy-based pot hot with a little oil and brown the pork in batches, giving each batch room so it colours rather than steams. That golden crust is where much of the flavour comes from.

Set the pork aside, soften your onions, garlic and aromatics in the rendered fat, then return the meat with your liquid: stock, cider, wine, coconut milk or crushed tomatoes all work beautifully. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on the stovetop or in the oven at 150°C for 1½ to 2 hours, until the pork yields easily to a fork.

It shines in curries, vindaloo, Filipino adobo, ragù, pork and cider casserole, carnitas and pies. For something quicker, thread it onto skewers for souvlaki or char siu and cook hot and fast over the grill.

Tips

• Don't crowd the pan when browning. A few batches takes longer but makes a far richer dish.
• Resist trimming the fat. On heritage pork it's the flavour, and it renders down beautifully over a slow cook.
• Like most braises, it's even better the next day once the flavours have settled.
• If skewering, marinate for a few hours first and pull it off the grill while it's still juicy.

A Little History
Slow-cooked pork pieces sit at the heart of cooking cultures the world over: Goan vindaloo, born from Portuguese carne de vinha d'alhos (meat in wine and garlic); Filipino adobo; Mexican carnitas; the cider-braised pork of England's West Country. These dishes grew up around pigs like these, traditional breeds raised outdoors, with fat and flavour enough to stand up to hours in the pot. Heritage pork brings these recipes back to the meat they were made for.