Cochon555 kicked off in New York City on Sunday. I’m no stranger to the magical animal that makes both ham and bacon, but I was constantly surprised by the level of innovative cooking that me and my arteries witnessed.
Competing chefs included Chef Nicole Gajadhar of Saxon + Parole, Chef Ryan Bartlow of Quality Eats, Chef Greg Baxtrom of Olmsted, Chef Aaron Hoskins of Birds & Bubblesand Chef Chris Szyjka of Chefs Club by Food & Wine. Each put a unique spin on their heritage breed hogs – but Nicole’s dishes won the day.
She was given a Large Black – a breed native to England (by way of China.) She created dish after dish that highlighted her pig’s distinct flavor profiles. Her winning menu was comprised of six dishes: the Bloody Sunday with blood noodles, salt-cured & smoked loin, coconut broth and crispy head; L.E.S. Egg Roll with pork shoulder pastrami, black garlic, ginger cabbage, cilantro and a tamarind sauce; Into the Woods & Out to Sea with smoked-brined butt, mushroom and truffle whipped lardo, uni and smoked trout roe; Belly Full of Goodness with belly and liver mousse, Fuji apple bourbon jelly, smoked pignolia and a black ‘piggie’ pretzel; Let That Tutu Twirl, a cotton candy with pork dust and blood macaron chocolate-caramel jowl ganache; and Porctail with a pork mist, mescal, aji dulce, chicharron, yellow pepper and bergamot.
I didn’t expect to ever hold pork cotton candy on a stick, and when I did I was only surprised that this had never happened before. Everything about the dish made sense. The flavors held together, but it was also perfect for the setting. Imagine a room with 600+ people all stuffing their faces with food and drinks while Public Enemy’s DJ Lord worked a turntable and Kool Keith mingled with the crowd. If I didn’t have pictures I would have assumed it was all a dream. By the time I was eating cotton candy and pork dust it seemed like the dish was an inevitable occurrence.
Even better, this is only the first stop in a nation-wide tour of hog-cookery. Next up is Minneapolis, Minnesota. I can only imagine what I’ll be eating.
