Where to Find Pork Cheek Near Highland Park (Los Angeles)
November 2, 2019 10:02 AM Subscribe
My friend is looking for a grocer or butcher shop that sells pork cheek near the Highland Park area of Los Angeles.
A friend of mine posted the following on Facebook, and I would like to help him out:
In Italy in August I devoured delicious dishes with "guanciale" which is pork cheek. Looking to recreate those dishes here. I live in Highland Park. Is there any grocery store or market near me that carries pig cheek? Have even tried calling latino markets and specialty markets and so far nobody has it.
Anyone in the hive mind able to help us out on this?
A friend of mine posted the following on Facebook, and I would like to help him out:
In Italy in August I devoured delicious dishes with "guanciale" which is pork cheek. Looking to recreate those dishes here. I live in Highland Park. Is there any grocery store or market near me that carries pig cheek? Have even tried calling latino markets and specialty markets and so far nobody has it.
Anyone in the hive mind able to help us out on this?
Also, FWIW, guanciale is cured, so you will not create Italian dishes using just cheek if it’s not cured Italian style. But again, she will have no issue buying actual delicious guanciale at Eataly.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:31 AM on November 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:31 AM on November 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
I would try butchers at Korean grocery stores, Koreans definitely like to eat pork jowl. It would be uncured, but guanciale has a reputation as one of the easiest meats to home cure, it just takes some time.
Another product that you might be able to find in grocery stores is called "jowl bacon", which is made a little differently, in that it's smoked in addition to being cured, but would be a reasonable substitute otherwise. In US cuisines, jowl bacon and pork jowl are most common in southern and soul food, so probably grocery stores in black neighborhoods are your best bet there.
posted by strangely stunted trees at 11:34 AM on November 2, 2019
Another product that you might be able to find in grocery stores is called "jowl bacon", which is made a little differently, in that it's smoked in addition to being cured, but would be a reasonable substitute otherwise. In US cuisines, jowl bacon and pork jowl are most common in southern and soul food, so probably grocery stores in black neighborhoods are your best bet there.
posted by strangely stunted trees at 11:34 AM on November 2, 2019
I would give Cookbook in HLP a try. Milkfarm in Eagle Rock also seems likely. They both stock fancy charcuterie in some amount.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 1:07 PM on November 2, 2019
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 1:07 PM on November 2, 2019
I’d call first, but try Roma Market in Pasadena or McCalls on Hillhurst.
posted by Ideefixe at 1:44 PM on November 2, 2019
posted by Ideefixe at 1:44 PM on November 2, 2019
if you can’t find actual guanciale it’s almost always perfectly okay to sub it out for pancetta. Guanciale is great, but not drastically different.
But yes, raw pork jowl is not what you want, unless you want to cure it yourself (it’s a forgiving entry to home-curing meat). If you really want uncured pork jowl, lots of Asian markets are gonna be able to help you out.
posted by furnace.heart at 1:59 PM on November 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
But yes, raw pork jowl is not what you want, unless you want to cure it yourself (it’s a forgiving entry to home-curing meat). If you really want uncured pork jowl, lots of Asian markets are gonna be able to help you out.
posted by furnace.heart at 1:59 PM on November 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:28 AM on November 2, 2019