Sous Vide Pork Cheek

Hey everyone,

First time post here and would just like to start off with a big thanks to all the people that make this site and community happen. It has been a joy to read and have learned a lot already and I look forward to taking some courses. But, on with my question. I am looking to tackle the pork cheek Sous Vide recipe. I procured some jowls from my local butcher, who happens to have a lovely selection of Berkshire pig. They do come in a rather large slab with the medallion intact, I have used them whole (skin removed of course) for making Guanciale, and they turned out really well. But as I see in this recipe, the medallion is removed. I was wondering if that is a preferred method? If the medallion is left is that a waste of a cut that could otherwise be used in a better suited recipe.

Thanks so much for any help:

Rian

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mike.minasian

Bump, I am having the same issue. My butcher mentioned they usually sell just the jowel, and they use the cheek meat in their headcheese, but they would pull some out for me if I want it. They usually make jowel bacon, but occasionally they sell it.

Which should I be targeting? Just the jowel? Or what the butcher called the cheek, which I presume Rian was referring to as the medallion?

Unfortunately I don't know enough about pigs head anatomy to make this distinction...

DiggingDogFarm_65362

Good luck!!!!!

Where I'm from the jowl is the jowl and the cheek is the cheek!!!!

Apparently, it's not that way everywhere.

http://forum.chefsteps.com/discussion/comment/9216/#Comment_9216

mike.minasian

Interesting...so what does the chef steps recipe intend? Is it the jowel (outer) part? Or the picture you linked to? Basically, should I be buying the same thing I would use to make gianciale (what I would call jowel), or the meat part inside (the cheek)? Or *both* connected together?

Brendan_Lee_56950

The meaty cheek is what you should be getting. Guanciale would be the jowl.

mike.minasian

How would the inner meat portion have skin on it? That's what's throwing me off...

Brendan_Lee_56950

It's not inner there's a nugget of flesh, just like on your own face only thicker on the cheek that is cut off of the entire jaw and that's what's being used.

So pinch your cheek, that's the part on the pig, just a lot bigger and tastier

mike.minasian

Ohhhh, got it, thanks. Using the same analogy, the gianciale cut is the equivalent of fat around my jaw?

Brendan_Lee_56950

yup, you got it