Grilled Pork Manifesto - Secreto, Pluma, Pressa
You’ve likely had a peek inside the freezer at our Farm Market Stand. Some of the pork cuts we carry may not be familiar to you, here’s a quick primer:
Secreto (The Secret Cut, or Butchers Cut): Thick in the center and tapering on the ends, rich in flavor. Very high fat content, cooks similar to a skirt steak
Pressa: Thicker cut, tender, high fat content, can be sliced into steaks
Pluma (Feather Cut): Thin cut, very tender, very high fat content
INGREDIENTS:
Pork for grilling: Secreto, Pluma, Pressa, etc.
Salt (Dickinson Salt Works)
Pepper
Vegetable or Canola Oil
Optional - Italian Herb Blend, Summer Herb Blend, Smoked Ramp Salt, Garlic Salt, J.Q. Dickerson Smoked Bourbon Salt
Italicized items are available at the Carriage House Farm Market. Linked Items are available at our online store.
DIRECTIONS:
Thaw frozen pork (in its original plastic wrapping) in the refrigerator for a few days in advance. Be sure to keep the meat on the lowest shelf in your refrigerator and place on a tray or plate in case any juices might drip.
When the pork has fully thawed, unwrap and place the meat on a large cutting board. Examine to see if it needs any trimming. You’re looking for:
Tough connective tissue called “silver skin” (named for its silvery sheen)
Any tapering ends that are so thin they would likely burn on the grill before the rest of the meat has finished cooking (trim these off and keep them for a quick mid-week sautéed dish)
Any sections with excessive fat (since the fat of organic, pastured pork is delicious and will make for succulent grilled meats, leave as much fat as possible. Trim only what seems too much to possibly render in the amount of grilling time).
Season the meat all over with salt. For the juiciest and most flavorful results, salt and let rest, uncovered, in the fridge overnight (at least 6-8 hours). Even if you forget to plan ahead, it’s still important to salt and rest before grilling, even for a short time.
Take your pre-salted pork out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before grilling. This step is essential to even cooking. If letting raw meat sit out makes you nervous about food safety, we’re so glad that you are keeping food safety in mind! FDA guidelines allow raw meat to rest unrefrigerated for up to 2 hours.
“Never allow raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or produce that requires refrigeration to sit at room temperature for more than two hours; the limit is one hour if the air temperature is above 90 °F.” Source: www.fda.gov)
In the meantime, start working on your side dishes, set the table, or make a sauce to accompany the meat (chimichurri, microgreen goddess, beet hummus).
While your pork is coming up to room temperature, preheat the grill. Create both a medium-high heat and a low heat section on your grill by pushing the wood or charcoal to one side of the grill, or adjust the gas flow accordingly.
Sprinkle on any additional seasonings: Smoked ramp salt, Italian herb blend, Summer Herb Blend, Garlic, Black pepper, etc. Brush the grill grates generously with canola or vegetable oil and place the meat on the hotter side of the grill.
If cooking with wood or charcoal, avoid cooking the meat over direct flames. Wait for the flames to subside after initially starting the fire and then cook over the very hot coals. Grill over high heat until a beautiful brown color has developed on the exterior. Flip to brown all sides.
The art of grilling is to produce as much of that delicious flavor on the exterior of the meat as possible, while at the same time cooking the meat to the appropriate internal temperature. Here is where the use of two different heat levels on your grill comes in handy. Once the pork has developed a good crust on the exterior, move it to the lower heat side of the grill to continue the cooking process.
Pork is medium rare at 145, and medium at 160. For fattier and/or deeply flavored cuts of pork (such as Secreto, Pressa, Pluma, Skirt Steak) we recommend cooking to 145. Tenderloins and Chops have a pleasant texture at 155-160. With practice, you’ll come to learn the signs of meat cooked to your favorite temperature. Until then, a meat thermometer will work just fine!
Meat will continue to cook after you have removed it from heat - just a few degrees for thinner cuts of meat, and up to 10 degrees more for thicker cuts of meat. Be sure to take the meat off the grill before it has reached your desired temperature
Let the meat rest after you take it off the heat. Resting the meat will allow more juices to remain in the meat after slicing, rather than pooling on the plate. The larger the cut of meat the longer it will need to rest - in general, 10-20 minutes is enough time.
When slicing to serve, notice the direction of the muscle fibers and slice “against the grain” of the muscle fibers. This makes the meat easier to chew and gives the impression that the meat is even more tender than it already is.