HOG HEAVEN

Nose-to-tail eating is sweeping the nation. Here’s how local restaurants are going the whole hog.

Ears:
Crudo
Chef Cullen Campbell slowly
braises high-quality
Niman Ranch pig ears to
break down the collagen,
but it's the subsequent
double-fry that makes these
delicious strips so crispy. Tossed in a chile and vinegar sauce, the strips have just enough meat left to add unmistakable porky flavor. 3603 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, 602-358-8666, crudoaz.com

Jowl:
North Fattoria Italiana
Chef Chris Curtiss cures fresh pork jowls from The Meat Shop in sugar and salt blended with garlic, fresh thyme and juniper berries for four days. He slices the resulting buttery-textured, delicately flavored guanciale into rigatoni alla carbonara and uses it to top patata pizza. 4925 N. 40th St., Phoenix, 602-324-5600, foxrc.com

Shoulder:
Davanti Enoteca
Served atop a ragù of heirloom beans, Milale alla Piastra is Chef Peter DeRuvo’s playful take on pork ‘n’ beans. The shoulder blade steak is sliced thin, salt/sugar-brined, then marinated in olive oil and aromatics. After a quick sear on the plancha, the now tender steak gets a glaze of chile-spiced honey. 6316 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, 480-659-1800, davantiscottsdale.com

Feet:
Christopher’s
Unless you speak French, you’d never guess Chef Christopher Gross’s pied de cochon contained pig’s feet. After a long cooking process and bundles of herbs and spices, the trotter meat is wrapped in puff pastry, baked until golden brown and served with mustard-inflected red wine sauce. 2502 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-522-2344, christophersaz.com
 
Ribs:
Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue
St. Louis-cut spare ribs get a generous rub of Chef Bryan Dooley’s spice mix before settling in for a low-and-slow five-to-six-hour smoke over pecan wood. Finished with a dab of tangy, long-cooked barbecue sauce, these meaty ribs are tender but toothsome. 6130 E. Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, 480-575-7155, bryansbarbecue.com

Belly:
The House at Secret Garden
One bite will convince you to keep this “shareable” plate to yourself. With three squares of hot, crisp pork belly topped with portabella mushroom and macerated dried figs, sprinkled with mint and toasted almonds, and finished with maple mascarpone, this belly will no doubt have you rubbing yours. 2501 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix, 602-243-8539, houseatsecretgarden.com

Leg:
Andreoli Italian Grocer & Deli
It takes at least eight months for Giovanni Scorzo to dry cure a pork leg into salty, silky prosciutto. Paper-thin slices go into sandwiches, and thicker cuts flavor dreamy pasta dishes. Of course, you can just buy it by the slice and let it melt on your tongue. 8880 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale, 480-614-1980, andreoli-grocer.com


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