Pork jowl
Pork jowl (alternately called jowl bacon or, especially in the Southern United States, hog jowl) is cured and smoked cheeks of pork. Hog jowl is a staple of soul food,[1] but is also used outside the United States; the Italian non-smoked variant is called guanciale.[2][3]
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Uses[edit]
Jowl bacon can be fried and eaten as a main course, similar to streaky bacon, such as in a traditional full English breakfast. Often, it is used as a seasoning for beans, black-eyed peas or cooked with leafy green vegetables such as collard greens or turnip greens in a traditional Southeastern meal.[4][5] A Southern US tradition of eating black-eyed peas and greens with either pork jowls or fatback on New Year's Day to ensure prosperity throughout the new year goes back hundreds of years.[6]
Jowl meat may also be chopped and used as a garnish, similar to bacon bits,[7] or served in sandwich form.[8]
Pork jowl can be used as a binding ingredient in pork liver sausages such as liverwurst and braunschweiger.
Because pork jowl is cured, like many other cuts of pork, it has been a traditional wintertime food as it is able to be stored for long periods of time without refrigeration.
Health risks[edit]
Like most cured pork products, pork jowls are high in nitrates and sodium, which give the potential for health risks, particularly for those with a family history of heart disease.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Gillespie, Carmen (2009). Toni Morrison: A Literary Reference to Her Life and Work. Infobase Publishing. p. 343. ISBN 9781438108575. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ Fabricant, Florence (September 13, 2011). "Pork Jowl With a Backwoods Whiff". New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- ^ May, Tony (2005-06-01). Italian Cuisine: The New Essential Reference to the Riches of the Italian Table. Macmillan. p. 11. ISBN 9780312302801. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ Hedgepeth, William; Findley, John; Clayton, Al (2008). The Hog Book. University of Georgia Press. p. 23. ISBN 9780820332734. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ Galiano, Amanda (December 31, 2010). "Hog Jowls and Pork: Explaining Southern New Year's Traditions". About.com. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- ^ a b Credeur, Mary Jane (December 30, 2006). "Eating hog jowls may bring luck, at high price". Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- ^ Gold, Jonathan (July 27, 2012). "Counter Intelligence: Next Door by Josie". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- ^ Cox, Greg. "Little Hen's agrarian accent leaves a mouth-watering experience". News Observer. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
