A Whole Lot of Pig... Cochon 555 Des Moines BABY!

I was really excited when I heard that Cochon 555 had a tour stop in Des Moines. I really wanted to go because I absolutely adored the mission and premise of this event. Cochon 555 stands for 5 Pigs, 5 Chefs, 5 Winemakers. Each chef is given a local heritage breed pig which they then cook from head to tail utilizing the entire animal in order to garner the most votes and be crowned the “King or Queen of Porc.” The event serves as a link to preserving heritage breed pigs by promoting breed diversity in the national community.

To me, this has become very important. To re-educate ourselves on the importance and taste difference of heritage breeds. Heritage breeds are traditional livestock breeds that were raised by farmers in the past, before the drastic reduction of breed variety caused by the rise of industrial agriculture. Today, 75% of our pork comes from 3 breeds of pigs. This is leaving many heritage breeds to become extinct. Now what’s the big deal? With the surge of low fat diets and the false research that saturated fat causes high cholesterol levels leading to cardiovascular disease, our meat, specifically pork has been altered in such a way that it no longer resembles pig meat from the past. We have bred them to be so lean that they lack taste, flavor, and it’s now referred to as “the other white meat.” Pork should be bright pink and when cooked it should still have color. To top it all off, good quality pork meat should have swirls of fat intertwined with the meat. I think of Jamon Iberico from Spain. Slices of cured ham swirled with fat and flavor. (It’s delicious topped with tomatoes on toast.) Another huge difference is the amount of fat that the pig carries. Heritage breeds are known to carry rich pork belly, back fat and leaf lard. Today, industrial pigs don’t carry the fat as they did in the past. I’m really excited as this year my friend Danelle from Stamps Family Farm is raising me a Berkshire hog raised on pasture. I can’t wait!

A couple days before Cochon 555, Foodbuzz contacted Iowa bloggers and were giving away 5 sets of tickets to the event! I jumped at the chance and was able to get a pair for my hubby and I! It really pays to be a featured publisher for Foodbuzz!! What’s even better is that I was finally going to have the opportunity to meet Alicia from Culinary Bliss. A real foodie from Iowa City.

Upon our arrival to the swank Hotel Fort Des Moines in Downtown Des Moines, my hubby grabbed a micro-brew while I sampled some wine.

Jasper County Winery was the only locally produced winery represented at the event. The rest were from the Napa Valley in California. As much as I would enjoy to support local wineries, I hate to admit that I have yet to taste a descent red wine from Iowa. It has to do with our weather and growing conditions. A short season with humid months just can’t produce the grapes that are needed. They seem almost void of tannin. I could be wrong…. but California has it down for sure and I will continue to support the wineries in the Napa Valley or Europe.

As we entered the main ballroom, Aaron King, the butcher, was burning off the hairs of a Berkshire hog in preparation of demonstrating how to break down the animal. I was giddy with excitement. Gross… right?! Well, my hubby and I are planning on breaking down our own pig later on this year with the help of my father in law. So I was definitely taking many pictures for our own records.

Set up around the entire ballroom were 5 tables where the chefs were handing out all of their creations. The five chefs were Cody Hogan from Kansas City who used a Berkshire hog. Local George Formaro from Django and Centro who also used a Berkshire. Howard Hanna, from River Club KC who used a Gloucestershire Old Spots. The reigning King of Porc, Matt Steigerwald from Iowa who used a Red Wattle hog. And last, Hal Jasa also from Iowa who used a Duroc hog.

This was my first time being acquainted with Matt Steigerwald from Mount Vernon, Iowa. His restaurant Lincoln Cafe has garnered national praise for his ideology in local, seasonal and sustainable. This was by far my favorite chef and the one I voted for. Let me show you why!

Preparing Smoked Shoulder Sopes

Ciccioli with pickled ramps and house bread
(Ciccioli is made from compressing, drying, and aging fatty left over pieces of pork.)

My favorite morsel of the evening…
Belly Springroll with house kimchii and avocado yuzu puree

Divine! The springroll was filled with pork belly and as most Asians know to ease in the digestion, chef Matt Steigerwald topped it with house fermented kimchii! He pickles all of his own relishes and is constantly playing with the amount of time he ferments. This was a 3 month old ferment. The finishing touch was the avocado puree. A perfect amount of crunch, spice and the pork belly just melts in your mouth. Perfect and definitely something I will try and recreate at home!

An array of assorted salumi and charcuterie, music to my ears!

LARDO!

I was thrilled to taste his lardo and it did not fail!

For me, Matt had it down!! I was impressed in that everything he served tasted wonderful. A lot of time and energy was put into his meal. From house cured charcuterie to fermented relishes, everything was made in house. It’s in these details that take a simple dish to another level. My friend Alicia is well acquainted with Matt and I had the opportunity to meet him later in the evening. It was so much fun talking ferments, curing and his recent trip to Barcelona! His first time in Spain where he left inspired by the food, the people and the culture. He even had a couple pounds of Jamon Iberico confiscated from him that he was trying to bring back to his staff. Let me tell you it’s in this ham made in Spain that turns peoples lives around!! Yes… it’s that good! I am now excited to visit Lincoln Cafe!

Our next stop was visiting the table of local chef George Formaro from Django and Centro here in Des Moines, Iowa.

I was really excited when I approached his table as he was focusing on Mexican/South American food. He was serving homemade chorizo and pork belly tacos. One of my favorite pork sausages is Mexican chorizo so I was thrilled to taste his. After serving us our tacos we were able to top it with different salsa’s and pico de gallo.

I hate to say this but the chorizo lacked spice and flavor. It was very bland and nothing compared to even the homemade chorizo they sell at our local Mexican grocer, La Tapatia. What my husband and I really didn’t understand is that we were wanting a bit more of a spice and realized we were missing cilantro. If only he would have added that into the pico or on it’s own, it would have brightened this taco up.

My second favorite chef was Howard Hanna from Kansas City.

I really enjoyed that he was using the different parts of the animal including it’s organs. My favorite though were his pickled and carmelized veggies. So great after eating so much fat!

Local chef, Hal Jasa from Des Moines

When Gabe and I approached the table of Hal Jasa from Des Moines, it looked empty. Food is really set by it’s visual appeal. Serving bits of food in paper cups did not help this table attract people. Gabe and I did pick up some beans with sausage which my husband told me reminded him of a Spanish dish. When I tried it I was let down by the lack of flavor and the undercooked legume. I am still excited, however, that this chef will be opening up a restaurant called Homage in Des Moines. It’s said that it will focus on local, seasonal and sustainable agriculture. I hope it works out well as our city is in need of a restaurant like this.

Our last stop was visiting chef Cody Hogan from Kansas City. His restaurant focuses on French cuisine.

This chef also knew what he was doing! Slow cooked pork topped with it’s fat and a side of greens to help our belly digest! This was wonderful!!

By this time, Gabe and I were ready to head home and pick up our boys. We had such a wonderful time at this event. I even snuck in a picture with Alicia!!

Gabe and I were very pleased to hear that Matt Steigerweld from Lincoln Cafe kept his crown and was named the 2010 King of Porc! My only question, how about getting some bloggers involved? I would love to take this challenge on!! A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa at Cochon 555, that would be AWESOME!

Thanks Cochon 555 and Foodbuzz for such an amazing time and in promoting the sustainability of heritage breed pigs!

This post is a part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!

If you haven’t already checked out my latest giveaway, Ebersole Cattle Company is giving away a grassfed beef package! Make sure to check them out and comment for your chance to win!

Comments

Kelli says
April 30, 2010 at 8:07 am
What great ideas presented, and the food looks yummy!
Divina Pe says
April 30, 2010 at 8:28 am
Everything looks great and delicious. I don't eat that much pork because they're different nowadays where I live.
Sweet and Savory says
April 30, 2010 at 8:34 am
I'm so sorry I missed this event…for some reason I never got an email from Foodbuzz? Darn. Looks like a great time! I've had friends eat at the Lincoln Cafe and they rave about it, can't wait to go!
girlichef says
April 30, 2010 at 8:47 am
Amazing Diana!!! I'm so envious…I wish I could have experienced that…how wonderful 🙂
5 Star Foodie says
April 30, 2010 at 9:01 am
What an amazing event, excellent food! I love the picture of the whole pig! And would love to try that lardo!
Lori says
April 30, 2010 at 9:46 am
What an awesome event! How exciting that you got to go! I love that shot of the guys shirt you got in the photo – food is important. I also appreciate the education on heritage breeds. I buy from a farm here who has heritage breeds, but I really didn't understand what all of that meant. Very interesting. Thanks!
Fresh Local and Best says
April 30, 2010 at 10:40 am
OMG! How exciting, this looks like an amazing event! I would have died and gone to piggy heaven! Love that pic of you devouring the lardo!
Bec says
April 30, 2010 at 1:14 pm
I'm so excited to have found another Iowa blogger! My family really likes the Tabor Home Wine and Wide River Wine. I know absolutely nothing about wine, but these are local ones! I look forward to adding you to my blog list 😉
Sophia Ahmad says
April 30, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Beautiful blog! I too was at Cochon 555 and I linked to your post from mine on the Des Moines Register site. http://is.gd/bOZ7H
Foy Update - Garden Cook Write Repeat says
April 30, 2010 at 4:38 pm
I'm so glad you went. And in the end, even though I got the free tickets, I'm glad we didn't drive back to Iowa for it. It would have cost us $70 just in gas. I can't believe now that I live near Chicago, Desmoines is getting cool foodie events.
Cookin' Canuck says
April 30, 2010 at 10:50 pm
What an incredible event and what a pig that is! The photos of you are adorable.
The Local Cook says
May 1, 2010 at 8:05 am
so jealous, that looks like so much fun!
Cocina Savant says
May 2, 2010 at 6:22 pm
What an incredible and worthwhile opportunity. If that message of quality and sustainability was as heralded by everyone. It is fantastic to see the range of curious and creative dishes from the whole animal.
dina says
May 4, 2010 at 9:22 am
Oh gosh… Now all I'm going to be able to think about today is Jamon Iberico – sigh… I miss Spain!
natural selection says
May 4, 2010 at 3:47 pm
This is excellent information on heritage breeds. what a great event! Let there be more "Natural" lardo in the world! delicious!
Sustainable Eats says
May 5, 2010 at 12:52 am
You'll love your Berkshire! I can't wait to read your curing posts this fall…
Fuji Mama says
May 6, 2010 at 5:41 pm
What an amazing evening! I'm dying to go to one of these!
Donna says
May 13, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Did you see this 🙂
http://www.centrodesmoines.com/Heirloom%20Pork%20Dinner%20Poster%204_12_2010.pdf
Judy says
August 14, 2010 at 10:10 am
Cody Hogan is at Lidia's Kansas City – an Italian restaurant.