How to cleanse fresh pork belly properly
Pork has been eaten for thousands of years. Artiodactyl meat is valued for its high taste, and the greasy layer is used for medicinal purposes. One of the internal organs suitable for consumption is the pork stomach. When boiled, it is stuffed with a variety of fillings in many countries of the world. However, the digestive organs need additional preparation. Many housewives are wondering how to cleanse a pork stomach? For this, different pre-processing methods are used.
How to cleanse a pork stomach
Pork stomach in cooking
This offal has long been a traditional part of Slavic cuisine. A large muscular organ is used to prepare dishes such as:
- brawn;
- saltison;
- haggis.
In cooking, such an ingredient is used for stuffing, which is facilitated by its bag-like shape. The pig's stomach rarely serves as an independent dish. Stuffed fresh pork belly is an integral part of the Christmas table in many countries. It is appreciated for its high nutritional value and ease of preparation. This muscular organ contains such useful substances as:
- vitamins A and E;
- B vitamins;
- arachidonic acid, which is part of the cardiovascular system.
The calorie content of the product is 160 kcal per 100 g. Due to its high nutritional value, this dish is very popular in northern countries.
Pork stomach preparation and cleaning process
Before stuffing the pork stomach with minced meat, you need to carefully prepare the shell. Pigs are unclean animals, and their meat contains many toxic elements for humans. For this reason, artiodactyl meat does not have a roast degree.
Pig's internal organs can contain much more harmful bacteria than all other parts of the body. To avoid poisoning or infection with harmful parasites, the heart, intestines, stomach and liver of an artiodactyl require additional cleaning before cooking. Usually, after slaughter, the digestive organ is washed from food debris, but this is not enough for complete disinfection of the product. In addition, industrial cleaning is often of poor quality. The procedure for preparing the digestive organ for stuffing has several stages:
- The outer surface must be rinsed for several minutes under running water.
- After processing the outer skin, the stomach must be turned out and the folds must be cleaned out with a knife.
- The inner side must also be rinsed under running water and the mucus must be cleaned off the walls. To do this, you can clean the surface with a dishwashing brush.
- The product is placed in boiling water for 10 minutes to degrease, after which the protective film is removed from it.
- The muscle tissue is dried using paper or natural tissue;
- The organ is soaked in salt water for 5-6 hours.
To speed up the soaking process, you can put the organ in salt water with a bite added.For 1 liter of water, use 4 tablespoons of 9 percent acid. In this solution, the product should lie for 2-3 hours. The use of vinegar also has a beneficial effect on thick muscle tissue, making it more elastic, so the pork stomach will not break during cooking.
How to clear stomach odor
After treatment with vinegar, the organ should be washed in water, having previously boiled it, otherwise a specific taste may appear due to excess acid. To properly prepare a fresh pork stomach, some chefs rub the organ tissue after soaking it with dry mustard. This gives the dish a special taste and disinfects the meat well. You can also use garlic cloves.
After cleaning, some recommend freezing the stomach for better disinfection. To do this, the organ is packed in a plastic bag and placed in the freezer overnight. However, this method can lead to a loss of taste, as moisture in animal tissue crystallizes and begins to destroy muscle fibers. Dishes come out dry from frozen stomachs.
Sometimes part of the intestine can be purchased with the stomach. To prepare stuffed dishes, this part is cut off and the hole is sewn up. The stomachs of artiodactyls contain many useful components, so the organ should not be overexposed in solution.
Pork stomach during processing at home should be cleaned very carefully. If the integrity of the muscle tissue is damaged, then the minced meat may end up outside the shell. To prevent the filling from coming out, the organ is sewn up with strong threads using a gypsy needle.
Conclusion
The pork stomach has been used for food for a long time. Most often, this organ acts as a shell for stuffing. You can also eat pure boiled pork stomachs. Among culinary experts, this product is appreciated for its high calorie content and good taste.
The stomachs of artiodactyls are used to prepare many national dishes from different countries. The stomach must be thoroughly processed before cooking to minimize the chance of parasite or infection. In its raw form, this product can cause human poisoning.