Loose Lips

If loose lips sink ships, what does loose meat do?

Ever since I moved to Australia I have found myself in the position of clearing up some misconceptions and mysteries about America. As I am a chef, most of the material I find myself dealing with involves food. Admittedly, I can't answer all the questions (Why do you guys eat cheese out of a can?” and “What exactly is miracle whip?” etc.). On some topics, however, I can offer a bit of wisdom. For example, there is a general belief here that Monterey Jack is the name for the ubiquitous dyed yellow cheddar cheese, and no one here understands why Americans eat so many peanuts (thank you George Washington Carver).

One question I am repeatedly asked goes like this” “What the hell is a 'loose meat sandwich'? Rosanne, on T.V., owned a loose meat sandwich shop and it sort of sounds disgusting.”

I have to explain that it's a sandwich made of loose ground beef and is a favorite in parts of the mid-west where it was invented. As for sounding disgusting, well, sure, it does have a pretty unappetizing name. I grew up west of the “loose meat belt” and therefore ate and loved sloppy joes – essentially loose meat in a spicy tomato sauce – so I can't tell people much more about loose meat sandwiches.

It did get me thinking about pulled pork, or BBQ as it is sometimes called the the south of the States. Now listen residents of Iowa, I know that pulled pork is not the same as loose meat. Please don't send me angry letters, either of you. It's just that in Australia BBQ is as much of a mystery as loose meat. Besides, since I know how to make pulled pork, and Aussies love bbq sauce, I figured it was a good introduction to the whole "loose" genre.



Originally I had a bit of an issue with pulled pork recipes, or rather, the method. I couldn't believe that in all the recipes I looked at, not one called for the browning of meat or cooking of the onions first. I was dumbfounded. How, in god's name, how could anyone just put raw meat and vegitables into a pot and cook them in a sauce? Every braise I have ever done begins with the searing of meat and sweating of vegetables; it's the step where a great deal of the flavor comes from. I'd never heard of such a thing.

Wait. Something about raw onions, cubed, unseared meat, slow cooking, shredding... Oh. Rillettes. Rillettes! They are one of my favorite meat preserves and are made thus: Place cubes of raw meat in a cooking vessel, add uncooked shallots, garlic, spices, stock, and duck fat. Cook slowly until the meat begins to fall apart. Remove the solids from the liquid, shred with two forks and moisten with the cooking fats/liquid. Voilà! Rillettes.

It might as well be the cooking method for pulled pork. I wonder if the dishes are related.



2 k pork leg, boneless cut into 4 or 5 large pieces.
1 medium onion, chopped
½ c ketchup
½ c cider vinegar
¼ c packed brown sugar
¼ c tomato paste
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1/3 c worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp yellow mustard powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground fennel seeds
1 clove garlic
1 sprig thyme

Put all of the ingredients, except the pork, into a large roasting dish or pot and mix together. Add the pieces of meat and turn to coat. Cover and cook either in the oven at 160ºC or on low heat on the stove top for a few hours until the meat is nearly falling apart.

Remove the meat from the liquid with a slotted spoon and, using two forks, shred into long fibrous bits. In the meantime, simmer the sauce uncovered to thicken slightly. Add some of this reduced sauce to the shredded meat to moisten it. Adjust seasoning.

Serve on buttered buns with vinegary hot sauce on the side.

Be sure to reserve the job of shredding the pork for your favorite member of the household (go on, admit it, you were thinking “that's me!”) as it is the most deeply satisfying of tasks. There is something both soothing and thrilling about destroying one thing to enable the creation of something better.