Demi Palette Fume

[Lori]

I had never bought one of these before, but they were on promo, so I thought what the heck.  It had recommended cooking instructions on it too, so I couldn't go wrong.

It said to soak it in cold water and then place it in a pot with a bouquet garnis (no added salt) and leave it on a slow boil for an hour.  I did that.  I removed it after about an hour and 20 minutes and sliced it up to serve with veggies.  It was good, but it was so salty.  It reminded me of the cured pork meats dished out in North Carolina during my childhood.  Dishes that surely went a long way in placing the South as the number one stroke / high blood pressure region of the U.S.

What do you do with this cut of meat?  What do the French folks do?

 

[Hoddy]

If I'm going to cook a large piece of gammon or bacon, to cut down on excessive saltiness I always put it into a pan of water and bring it to the boil and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. I then pour the water away; it is usually quite scummy and salty. After that I cook according to whatever recipe I'm using.

It might be worth a try with your demi palette.

Hoddy

[JSA Aude]

Hi, when we were in the UK I used to boil a piece of gammon or bacon with onions and carrots, after taking it out to keep warm added a few dumplings for 20 mins or so.  Is this the same cut of meat to use for this recette - if so, hurrah!

[moonraker]

Palette is shoulder and it has the shoulder blade in it. I soak overnight and only add salt when it's cooked if it really needs it. You can buy it salted (soak and rinse several times over 24 hours) or smoked which can also be salty! Nice lean meat if you're like me and don't like fat....

[Lori]

Thanks to all.  Yes, I think next time I will soak overnight and change the water a few times.  It really was good and I will buy it again, just wasn't sure if there were alternatives to cooking it.

Now, LeClerc is having the Foire au Porc (oh boy !) and I bought two Jarettes as they were so darned cheap !  I have no idea what to do with them.  Is it the same principal as the Palette?? 

 

[moonraker]

Same treatment depending on whether it's salt or smoked. Jarret is shin I think.....forgotten all the english names but it's from the bottom of the leg!

[Lori]

Sounds good.  These are not salted.  I like Aude's suggestion of dumplings too.  Will keep that in mind.

For  now, I just stuck them in the freezer so I can figure out what to do with them.

 

 

[moonraker]

Even if they're not salted, don't add any salt until cooking is nearly done.....you might just get a nasty surprise!

[Lori]

Thanks moonraker.  I will remember that.

 

[Cassis]

Here's a site showing more French cuts:

Pig

Lamb

and a nice old poster to download showing cuts:

Poster

[Lori]

That's very helpful Cassis, now if I could only get the English / French translations for things.  I have a hard time knowing what a prime rib is or a prime rib roast is in French (I haven't seen any in the shops that look like what I am used to seeing).  I also have a hard time figuring out what to do with certain cuts of meat as I don't know the English name for the cut.  Some things are visibly obvious, others are not.