Episode #9: Chump

Episode #9: Chump

‘Chump’ isn’t just a brilliant insult – it’s a fabulous lesser known cut of pork. Treated with care, chump can be a melt in the mouth culinary adventure topped by lashings of crispy crackling. In this episode, James and Sam find out how.

Apricot, Maple and Herb Stuffed Pork Chump

Inspired by BBC Good Food rolled pork belly with herby apricot and honey stuffing.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 2.5kg pork chump, boned, skin on
  • small bunch parsley chopped
  • small handful thyme leaves
  • 10 sage leaves chopped
  • 50g breadcrumbs
  • 140g dried apricot roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp flaky sea salt
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup

Method

  • First make your stuffing. Cut off about 100g of the pork and whizz in a food processor. Set aside.
  • Put half the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and gently sweat the onion until transparent.
  • Add the onions and whizzed pork to a large bowl along with the breadcrumbs, herbs, seasoning and the rest of the oil. Mix well.
  • Place the chump on a chopping board, skin side up. With a sharp knife, score the skin around half a centimetre deep at 2cm intervals.
  • Flip the pork so it is lying skin side down. To fit the stuffing in, you’re going to have to butterfly it. Find a loose seem of meat and slice horizontally, pulling back the meat as you go, taking care not to completely slice the meat off. Repeat this step until your chump is unfolded to a roughly even 5cm thickness all the way across.
  • Place an even layer about 1cm thick of stuffing across the meat, leaving a cm wide border at the edges to make rolling easier.
  • Hold the pork with both hands along one edge and roll to the opposite end, trying not to let the stuffing spill out as much as possible. You can always poke the stuffing back once assembled in if that happens. You should end up with a very meaty looking Swiss roll, with the skin facing outwards.
  • With string, tie a large loop around both ends of the roll to keep the shape secure.
  • Put the kettle on. Place your rolled pork in the sink and douse in boiling water. This will help tighten the skin for the crackling. Once cooled, liberally rub sea sat all over, then place in the fridge uncovered overnight to dry the skin out.
  • The next day, heat your oven to 220 degrees centigrade. Cook the pork at this temperature for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180 degrees centigrade for a further two hours.
  • Remove the pork from the oven and baste the skin in maple syrup. Turn the oven back up to 220 degrees and put the pork back in for a further 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 60 degrees centigrade. Take the pork back out of the oven and rest for 30 minutes.
  • Serve with gravy, roast potatoes and crispy kale.

Freestyle Spanish Pork Chump Pot Roast

Ingredients

  • 1kg piece of pork chump, deboned and skin removed.
  • 2 medium onions, sliced thinly.
  • 2 large (approx 300g) potatoes, cubed.
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cubed.
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced.
  • Tin chopped tomatoes. 400g.
  • 1/2 chorizo dry cured sausage, cut in to bite sized pieces.
  • White wine 300ml
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • Olive oil, 3 tbsp
  • Stock, 1 litre. Pork if you have it but otherwise chicken stock works well.

Method

  • Season your chump all over with salt and pepper while you bring a large cast iron pot up to a medium-hight heat. Add the oil to the pot, then using tongs sear the chump until golden on all sides. Remove the pork from the pot and set aside.
  • Reduce the temperature to medium then sweat the onions until translucent – about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sautee for another minute, then add the carrots, potatoes, chorizo and bay leaves. Gently stir and sautee for a further 5 minutes.
  • Add the wine to the pot and deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan. Let bubble away for a few minutes until the alcohol has burned off, then add the tomatoes and stock. Stir.
  • Nestle the pork in the centre of the pot. It should be just about covered by the liquid. If not, top up with water. Bring the whole thing to a boil then reduce the temperature to very low, cover and let simmer for the next six hours, stirring every once in a while. If the liquid level falls too low, add more water.
  • After six hours, remove the pork from the liquid. Place on a plate and shred. Your remaining liquid should be thicker than soup but looser than a paste. If not, either add water to loosen further, or increase the heat and reduce until the desired consistency. Add the shredded pork back in to the pot.
  • Serve with warm crusty bread.

40 Day Wet Cured Hung Maple Glazed Ham

Inspired by Ginger Pig Farm House Cook Book Wet-Cured & Hung Ham.

Ingredients

  • 1kg pork chump joint, skin on, bone removed.
  • 100g salt
  • Curing salt 2g (Prague Powder No. 1)
  • Maple syrup 150ml
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Water 4 litres
  • 1 tsp mustard seed
  • 1/4 tablespoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cinnamon stick (2 inches)

Method

  • To make the wet brine, in a large pot add 2 litres of water, salt, curing salt, spices, bay leaves and 100ml of the maple syrup. Heat gently until the salts have dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  • Pour the brine in to a large sealable plastic container big enough to hold your pork.
  • Put your chump on a chopping board and stab a few times all over to allow the cure to penetrate the meat. Alternatively you can use a meat injector syringe. Submerge the pork in the brine and seal the plastic container. Place in the fridge and leave for 12 days, turning the meat once daily.
  • After 12 days, remove the pork from the brine, gently rinse with water and pat dry. Wrap in a muslin cloth and hang in the fridge for a further 28 days.
  • When you are ready to cook the ham, preheat your oven to 170 degrees centigrade.
  • Put the ham on a raised wire rack in a roasting tin. Add two litres of water to the bottom of the roasting tin, then using large sheets of foil, make a large tent to cover the ham and the tin, creating a seal. Try to get some good height on the tent, you want to avoid the foil touching the ham where possible. Place in the oven and cook for 40 minutes.
  • Remove the ham from the oven and take off the foil. Carefully peel back the skin using a knife, leaving as much of the fat underneath as possible. Score the skin in a criss-cross pattern, then slather in the remaining maple syrup. Return the ham to the oven for a further 30 minutes until the fat has caramelised and the internal temperature of the pork reaches 62 degress centigrade.
  • Slice and serve with egg and chips.