Hey what is up !?

Some friends asked me last week what I wanted for Christmas. I was really surprised to receive a “Slutty Pig Knuckle” from a friend of mine: a knuckle with a hole for the bone, that you can stick in your mouth instead of wasting any meat!

I actually had no idea what this was! I thought they were actually making fun of me and joking about the fact I had gained weight…

Then they explained that it is this little device to help you eat the animal’s knuckles!

I was like crying of laughter. How funny!

I always love it when you get to know something more about a country’s culture or habits through their humour. Or when you learn something new.

Here in France, people have the same kind of humour as in Germany or Switzerland. We have lots of jokes and puns, lots of silly jokes, etc.

But this “Slutty Pig Knuckle” is something we do not have!

I’m sure this is a very common thing in Texas and probably in other states in the USA. So the next time I’ll spend some time in the US, I’ll be sure to try it!

Ingredients (serves 4):

800g knuckle of pork, cut into 5cm pieces

6 tbsp tomato paste

1 onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, chopped

3 tbsp flour

1 litre of beef broth

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

500g star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

8 juniper berries

250ml brandy

1 onion (a small one), sliced

Handful of parsley

1 small carrot, chopped

1 stick celery

Directions:

Cut the pieces of pork meat in small pieces (you can put them in the freezer and leave them there for 20 minutes).

Put them in a pot with a little oil (I use a non-stick pot, but you can also use one with no non-stick coating) and cook them on medium high heat, until golden brown (if you do not have a non-stick pot, you’ll need to use a bit more oil).

Add the chopped onion

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork shoulder (pork butt)

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1/2 cup cold water

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1/2 cup cold water

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Cut the pork shoulder into 2 inch cubes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the water, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), black pepper, salt and white pepper.
3. Add the pork cubes to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels.
5. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
6. Place the pork cubes in a large pot.
7. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and the cold water. Stir until the cornstarch dissolves.
8. Pour the cornstarch mixture and the remaining marinade into the pot.
9. Bring to a boil over medium heat.