Question about a conversation with a chef at the farmers market

He said my pork shoulder cuts were too uniform for his braise, that I should leave more 'character' in the seam fat. Has anyone else had a chef ask for less precision on a specific cut?

4 comments

4 Comments

ray_williams2mo ago

Sounds like that chef wants his pork to have a more interesting backstory than most people. I guess perfectly even cuts are boring now, and lumpy fat is where the flavor's at. Welcome to the new world of artisanal inconsistency.

alicecraig2mo ago

That chef knows his braise needs texture to break down.

drew_hart42mo agoTop Commenter

Wonder if that chef is just making a virtue out of a mistake... like maybe the texture didn't break down because he rushed it, and now he's calling it a feature. Does artisanal inconsistency just mean you can charge more for uneven cooking?

michael_green441mo ago

Did the chef actually look at the cut before he said that, or was he just running his mouth to sound important?