Smoked pork jowl, what do I do with it?

[spidey07]

Picked up a few pounds at 1 buck a pound. It smells incredible, looks incredible. It looks like bacon actually. I come to find out it's pork cheek. I had a slight taste of it and it's like cured ambrosia. Intarweb says use it in soups/beans like you would a ham hock, but I don't want to neglect what I just tasted.

Finely diced in a warm salad seems appropriate. I can see where it adds to beans/soups but this tastes like a super star and cannot be relegated to such a base role. It's like bacon, but better.

I summon MagnusTheBrewer

 

[jme5343]

Better than bacon? Blasphemy.

 

[spidey07]

Better than bacon? Blasphemy.

The smell and taste says differently.

 

[ponyo]

Stuff is awesome. It is better than bacon. We cut into strips like bacon but smaller and then cook it on the electric grill. Cook it crisp like bacon and dip into hot chili sauce and sesame oil and wrap it with butter lettuce before stuffing it in your mouth. $1/ a pound is ridiculous. Where did you get it for so cheap?

 

[WelshBloke]

Fry onion, celery, garlic.

Add chunks of pork jowl and paprika and fry some more.

Boil some beans for 10 min then add to the pork with some tins of tomatoes and stock.

Stick a lid on it and cook for a few hours.

Eat.

[do various cooky things like seasoning's and herbs as you like]

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You rang?

Smoked pork of any variety is very tasty.

Cubed and sauteed and finished with a good balsamic vinegar would be great for a salad.
I like it atop a tongue sandwich.

 

[gophins72]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2137739

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2137739

Another good use. See? You didn't need my help.

 

[ElFenix]

BLT on brioche

(not sure if you can do that with jowl, but pork belly is awesome for that)

 

[sjwaste]

Use it like bacon or a ham hock - basically, eat it as the protein or use it for flavor. Either way, its delicious. I'm pretty sure whatever you do with it will be good.

I like Magnus' idea. If you have some fresh eggs, make a frisee salad. Cut the jowl into lardons, crisp them up, then use the bacon fat and some mustard to make a vinaigrette. Crack some black pepper and a fresh egg yolk (room temp!) onto the frisee, then top with the warm lardons and dressing.