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At Jonathan’s at Gratz Park, pork prime rib is sliced to order and served with Kentucky
hot slaw and pork-jowl cracklings.
black bean purée and pineapple/jicama
salsa served on a corn tortilla with a lime
garnish, and Cochinita Pibil and Tamales,
slow-cooked pork served with house
tamales—masa, lard, salt, guajillo chiles,
cumin, garlic and canella.
PORK PRIME RIB, BURGERS
AND MORE
Pork prime rib is one of the signature dishes
at Jonathan’s at Gratz Park. Lundy takes a
whole frenched pork back and brines it for
1-2 days in simple brine. He removes it, and
sears in a big cast-iron skillet. “I treat it like a
prime rib, roasting it over a low temperature
and being careful not to overcook it. Then,
we slice it to order.”
The pork prime rib is served with Kentucky
hot slaw with pork-jowl cracklings. “The
pork jowls get crispy, but still kind of
meaty,” Lundy says. “And when drained,
you get a substantial amount of fat, and
that becomes the base of the dressing.”
WHOLE PIG
One of the latest trends in pork, and with
proteins in general, is offering a dish for
a group. Whole animals such as suckling
pigs are selling well as a more affordable
option. “The whole roasted suckling pig at
Amada is one of our signature dishes, and
has been on the menu since we opened in
2005,” says Garces.
Amada’s suckling pig, Cochinillo Asado,
features a whole roasted suckling pig for
four or more. It is carved tableside and
finished with coarse salt and arbequina
olive oil, and served with rosemary white
beans and ham, spinach with chickpeas
and smoked paprika, charred green onions
and roasted fingerling potatoes.
At Garces’ JG Domestic, a rotating
Whole Animal menu features several
courses from the same whole animal. The
restaurant frequently prepares pork for
this changing-nightly tasting selection.
FS Food Group’s two Big Daddy’s Burger
Bar locations serve a banh mi burger, a
Vietnamese sandwich made with ground
pork with an Asian soy sauce marinade,
served in a baguette with daikon radish.
Kathryn Kjarsgaard is a freelance food
writer based in Forest Park, Ill.
Cochinillo Asado ( Whole
Roasted Suckling Pig)
Jose Garces
Garces Restaurant Group
Philadelphia
Yield: 4 servings
2 gallons water
2 cups salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ( 10-12 lb.) whole suckling pig
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
2 T. arbequina olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
1) Combine water, salt and sugar in
large nonreactive container; mix until
salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
Submerge pig in brine; refrigerate 48
hours. 2) Set up a Caja China box
following manufacturer’s instructions.
3) Remove pig from brine (discard brine);
pat completely dry. Rub inside and out
with olive oil; season with salt. Place
skin-side down in cooking cage. Place
cage in Caja China; cover. Cook pig
until cooked through, 2½- 3 hours. Turn
cage; continue to cook until skin is crispy,
about 30 minutes. Carefully remove cage
from Caja China; remove pig from cage.
Allow to rest 10 minutes before carving.
Garnish sliced meat with arbequina olive
oil and sea salt.
Alternative method using roasting
pan: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line large
roasting pan with aluminum foil; add
heavy-duty roasting rack. Place pig
on rack, skin-side up; brush skin with
olive oil. Cover roasting pan tightly with
aluminum foil. Roast pig in oven 1 hour.
Reduce heat to 325°F; continue roasting
1 hour. Remove foil; continue cooking
1 hour until skin is crispy. Remove from
oven. Allow to rest, lightly covered with
aluminum foil, 10 minutes before carving.
Garnish sliced meat with arbequina olive
oil and sea salt.
