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| The secret: it's not ibérico pork. |
I admit to being a snob when it comes to pork—I only eat meat from ibérico breed pigs. This is the pig from whence comes fabulous ibérico hams, the best of which are those from free-range animals finished on acorns in the Dehesa forestland. Even meat from non-acorn-fed, half-breed ibérico pigs is extremely expensive. It’s succulence makes it worth the price.
The ibérico pork aficionado learns a whole new terminology for cuts. Beyond the usual chuletas, chops, and solomillo, tenderloin, found in regular pig butchery, there are cuts named lagarto (lizard), pluma (feather), presa (prize piece), and secreto (secret).That’s because, once the hams and shoulders are removed for curing, the remaining meat is so highly valued that it gets divvied up into pieces sometimes too small to be worth bothering with ordinary pork.
So I was surprised to find in my local supermarket a package of pork marked “secreto” that was not ibérico. Just pork from ordinary pigs (in Spain, mostly from the breeds Large-White and Duroc). It showed fine marbling of fat, a good sign.
The secreto—so-called because pork butchers often kept it for themselves--is a cut from below the pig’s shoulder (sometimes described as the “armpit”). It somewhat resembles beef skirt steak in that it is a flap of muscle with a lot of marbling. It can be used for slow braising or for quick searing. Seared on a grill pan or over coals and served medium-rare it’s chewy-tender, juicy, and full of flavor. (Ibérico pork is usually served medium-rare.)
I pan-grilled the secreto to medium—still pink in the thickest part—and served it with a sauté of red, green, and chile peppers, part sauce and part side dish. The non-ibérico secreto, while not as succulent as the real thing, was pretty darn good.
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| Pan-grilled to medium, the pork is juicy. |
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| Pepper sauté makes a side dish or sauce for the pork. |
Pork Secreto with Pepper Sauté
Secreto de Cerdo con Fritada
For the pepper sauté, use any combination of peppers—red, green or yellow bell, green Italian frying peppers or chiles. In a pinch, canned pimentos or jarred piquillos could be used. A spoonful of vinegar complements the sweetness of the peppers. The pepper sauté is equally good with pork chops, steak, tuna steaks, or chicken breast.
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| Fat keeps the meat juicy. |
Serves 4.
1 ¾ pounds pork secreto (2 or 3 pieces)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of thyme
Chopped garlic
Lemon juice
Olive oil
For the pepper sauté
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups peppers cut in strips
1 cup julienne-cut onions
2 cloves garlic, slivered
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
Remove some of the exterior fat and membrane or else cut through it so that it doesn’t tighten when cooked and cause the meat to curl. Sprinkle the pieces of pork with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, and lemon juice. Allow them to come to room temperature.
Heat a grill pan or cast iron skillet on medium-high and brush it lightly with oil. Sear the pieces about 2 minutes per side. Remove them to a cutting board. Allow the meat to rest 5 to 10 minutes. To serve, slice the slabs of meat across the grain about ¾ inch thick.
For the pepper sauté. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium. Sauté the peppers, onions, and garlic. Season them with salt and oregano. Cook until the peppers are very soft, 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, cover the pan, and turn off the heat so the peppers steam in their own juices. Serve the peppers hot.
Recipes with other cuts of ibérico pork (they can be used with ordinary pork as well):
Ibérico Ribs with Molasses Barbecue Sauce. (Tip: cook the ribs in water first to eliminate some of the fat which causes flare-ups on the grill.)
