The Whole Hog (Part I): Pork Broth

By my estimation, there are currently 3 gallons of pork broth parked in my fridge. This heralds the commencement of weeks filled with spring soups, tonkotsu ramen, posoles, all built upon a base of rich, meaty, umami porkiness.

Why pork? Um, hello!! I'm Chinese ... But in case your DNA doesn't come automatically mutated with an obligatory pork addiction, trust me, it's the most delicious stock of meat stocks, and wouldn't it be a shame if you never tried it? Pork bones return the highest savory profile, yielding depth of flavor and texture that outshine chicken and beef (that's a fact, not an opinion). Also, it has the highest ROI (return on investment), cuz pork bones are dirt cheap.

  1. Head to your local ethnic grocery store. Odds are the Stop & Shop or Whole Foods in town aren't gonna be carrying pork bones (but high five if they do).
  2. Give the bones a rinse and place them in the biggest pot(s) you have. I divided my 8 lbs. (that's 8 pork legs sawed in half = 16 pieces) between 2 cast irons.
  3. Cover with water, pop on the lid(s), set over high heat, and bring to a jolly boil.
  4. Once it's been boiling for ~5-10 minutes, you will see grey scum rising to the top. Skim this off with a spoon. You may have to repeat this step if more scum accumulates.
  5. When scum production ceases, lower the heat and simmer. The longer you simmer, the richer the flavor, so let it go as long as you can. I aim for at least 5 hours, but there is no such thing as too long. Honestly, if you could simmer it until the bones literally disintegrated, that would be ideal. Seriously.
    Tip: Cartilage is a good metric for minimum simmer time. When it splits and peels easily off the bone, you know you've rendered some respectable pork essence.
  6. Strain and add S&P to taste. I usually stick to just S. I'll add P as I'm using the stock. It will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge. I parse the rest into 4-6 c. portions before freezing.
  7. Now, the road diverges: You can either just throw out the bones you've strained, OR you can pick off all the tender meat bits and all the gooey, gelatinous soft cartilage and tendon. I know. I'm thoroughly grossing some of you out right now. But, again, I'm Chinese (and thus have been eating this stuff that's actually SUPER tasty and fun all my life), and maybe you're being a little close-minded (just because it's outside the purview of a limited eating history). If nothing else, go digging for the marrow!! I mean, you pay like $16 for a couple of spoonfuls at your local haute haunt, right??!! 

Really, 3 gallons is nothing. Having recently bought a house, it's taken some time to settle in and reestablish routines and habits. By next week, I ought to have ~10 gallons of a variety of stocks in frozen anticipation.  As with so many quirks of mine, it is often impossible to parse out whether they are entrenched, semi-conscious learned behaviors of a Chinese immigrant or simply good sense.

For the better half of my childhood, my mother vigilantly clipped coupons every weekend. For $200 a month, our family of 3 (this is pre-little bro) ate like kings, or at the very least, like grand dukes. By deduction, the diligence with which Mom clipped coupons was an indication that money was definitely tight, but the food we ate ... For pennies on the dollar, she would literally transform bones into dinner. 

In my pantry there are always a few cartons of store-bought stock. After all, you never know when the zombies will come, but homemade stock is a no-brainer for me. It's cheaper and tastier and healthier. No matter how you look at it, it's just better.

Easter weekend, my (very Italian) mother-in-law sent me home with the ham bone, because she knows and loves me so well. Yeah, that's part of the 3 gallons :)