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Peter Gilmore's Smoked Pig Jowl
Recipe by Peter Gilmore
Peter Gilmore explores numerous meats on a plate – from pork jowl to sea cucumber, this dish includes a variety of textures and flavours from both land and sea
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Sea Cucumber
Pork Jowl
Ham Hock Stock
Raft
Clarified Butter
Jamon Butter
Squid
Scallop
Shitake Mushrooms
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Steps
- To make the Sea Cucumber, place the dried cucumber in a bowl of cold water and set aside, in fridge, to soak at least 12 hours or overnight.
- Remove cucumber from the water and place into a vacuum seal bag and seal. Place in a steam oven or combi oven set at 85C for 12 hours.
- After 12 hours remove the cucumber from the oven and cool down in the bag.
- Repeat the steam oven and cool down process a second time.
- Remove the cooled cucumber from the bag and place in freezer until frozen solid.
- Preheat oven to 66C.
- Place a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Using a fine microplane, grate the sea cucumber directly onto the oiled sheet and spread out in an even layer. Place in the oven to cook until dehydrated, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Break the cooled, dehydrated sheet into large shards.
- Place grapeseed oil in a small saucepan and set over medium heat and heat until 200C. Place the shards, one at a time, into the hot oil and deep fry until puffed, about 8 seconds. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel to remove excess oil. Set aside until serving.
- For the Pork Jowl, following the muscle, roughly trim each jowl piece to about a 20cm x 10cm rectangular shape.
- Place the trimmed jowls and stock into a pressure cooker and pressure cook on high until tender, about 2 hours. Remove the jowl from the pressure cooker and place on a paper lined tray and set aside, in fridge, until serving.
- For the Ham Hock Stock, place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add oil, then carrot, onion and celery and cook until golden. Add oloroso sherry and bring to a simmer to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add the split ham hock, thyme and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and gently simmer, until reduced to about 1 litre, about 1 ½ hours. Skim the surface with a ladle regularly to remove impurities. Remove from heat, strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan and set aside to cool.
- For the Raft, place chicken, celery and carrot in a food processor and blitz until smooth.
- Place egg whites in a bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the pureed chicken and vegetables and stir until combined.
- Place the cooled stock on medium heat. Add the raft and whisk to combine. Continue whisking until broth is at a simmer. Reduce heat and continue to simmer very gently, without whisking, until the raft is solid. Make a hole in the centre of the raft just big enough for a small ladle. Continue gently simmering, pulling up ladles of stock and pouring stock back over the raft regularly until the stock has clarified. Remove from heat.
- Using a large ladle, press down gently on the raft filling the ladle with clarified stock. Pour each ladle of stock through a muslin lined sieve into a clean saucepan. Repeat until all clarified stock has been strained. Set aside, keeping warm, until serving.
- For the Clarified Butter, place the butter in a small saucepan and set over low to medium heat to melt, without stirring. Remove from heat and, using spoon, skim off all of the white foam and solids from the surface and discard.
- Strain the melted butter through a double muslin lined sieve and set aside until needed.
- For the Jamon Butter, place all ingredients in a small saucepan and set over low heat. Heat until just below a simmer then remove from heat and set aside in a warm spot to infuse for at least 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a clean small saucepan.
- Remove 4 tablespoons of Jamon Butter from the saucepan and place in a medium frypan. Set aside both the saucepan and frypan of Jamon Butter until needed for serving.
- For the Squid, clean the squid and remove the skin, membrane, and head. Cut the squid tube to create 1 flat piece then slice widthways into 2-3mm thickness. Place in a bowl and set aside, in fridge, until needed for serving.
- For the Scallops, line a baking sheet with baking paper. Brush the baking paper with oil. Remove the scallops from the half shell, then clean and remove the roe. Slice each scallop horizontally to make 4-6 nice round thin slices and lay out on the lightly oiled baking paper. Set aside, in fridge, until needed for swerving.
- For the Shiitake Mushroom, peel the skin off the top of the mushrooms then remove the stems. Slice horizontally into thin slices. Place in a bowl and set aside, in fridge, until needed for serving.
- To serve, place the reserved small saucepan of Jamon butter over medium heat and heat to 70C.
- Cut each of the pork jowl pieces in half and place in the warm Jamon Butter and cook until warmed through.
- Place the frypan of Jamon Butter over medium low heat. Add the shiitake mushroom slices and sauté gently. Add the squid and scallop slices and just heat through, being careful not to overcook. Season, then remove from frypan and place onto a clean cloth to remove excess butter.
- To plate, divide the Pork Jowl, Shiitake Mushrooms, Scallops and Squid between 4 serving bowls. Add 2-3 tablespoons Ham Hock Stock to each bowl, drizzle with a little Jamon Butter and top with a piece of puffed Sea Cucumber.
