The animal that I have chosen for this blog is the pig. This animal has always had a big part and inspiration to my goal in pursuing my culinary goals. Ever since I was a kid,  pork has been a staple food for me and my family. Whenever there were special events and family gathering, there would always be a pork dish that i always looked forward to. The pig has always been one of my favorite type of meat, even better than beef. It is an animal that has a special influence to me growing up as a kid.

The pig is an animal that has been domesticated for thousands of years. It has always been a farm animal, used for many purposes but mostly for consumption. The pig has always been famous for its delicate, soft and fatty meat, being an affordable meat. Every country has their own distinct way of making pork dishes. The US is famous for whole-hog barbecue, whereas across the world in China, Char Siu pork is an iconic dish. Pork has always been a staple meat in every culture and country over the past thousands of years.

A well-known underrated part of the pig is the shoulder butt. With a good portion and quantity of lean meat and fat, I believe that the shoulder butt of the pork is a very good cut of meat. Here in Canada, the pork shoulder butt prices at around $2.35/pound.  The shoulder butt, also known as the Boston Butt, is located on the top shoulder part of the pig. In America, pork shoulder is famously used for pulled pork, a staple Southern barbecue. As a kid growing up, the shoulder butt was and still is one of my part of any animal. Growing up in a Korean family, the shoulder butt was used for many dishes. A few well known Korean dishes that uses the pork shoulder are Spicy Pork Bulgogi and Korean Barbecue.

The one cooking method I would choose while using this part of the pig is through marinating the thinly slices of pork shoulder and then cooking them on the grill or fry pan. The Spicy Pork Bulgogi is a dish that uses all these methods and technique. The recipe I will be showing today is something my mother and grandmother have been using ever since and is commonly the same recipe all over Korea.

RECIPE

Dry Ingrediants

• 500g Sliced pork shoulder butt
• 1pc White Onion, thinly sliced. julienne
• 2 stalk Green Onion/Scallion, thinly sliced
• 1pc Hot pepper, thinly sliced
• 1pc Carrot , julienne

Marinate (Wet Ingredients)

• 1.5 tbsp Gochujang
• 2.5 tbsp Dried Chilli Powder
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Korean Rice Wine
• 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2 tbsp Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix all the we ingredients together until wet, silky paste is created.
2. In a large bowl, add both sliced pork shoulder butt and marinate together until fully incorporated. Set in teh fridge for a day before cooking. (This allows the flavour of the marinate sauce to go through the meat.)
3. Set a pan in med high heat with cooking oil. Put in the marinated pork shoulder butt and cook until a dark crust is created.
4. Add in the carrot and cook together for a short period of time to release the flavour of the carrot
5. Add in the Onions and the Chilli pepper and cook until they are translucent and cooked
6. Set on a plate and add green scallion on top with sesame seed for garnish.
7. Serve

This meal is best served with hot white rice, as it will balance out the hot spicy flavor with a plain taste of the rice. Spicy Pork Bulgogi is a staple dish for Korean people and it is well known in North America. This dish has a special place in my food memories and I wish I can create a dish inspired by this one and be able to put it up in my menu in the future.