Pork Jowl, sometimes referred to as pork cheek, is a cut of pork from the head of the pig, located around the chin and jawline, known for its rich marbling and tender texture. Pork jowl can be cured — like bacon, or pork belly — referred to as “guanciale” in Italy, and either “hog jowl,” or “jowl bacon” in Southern American regions. Pork jowl can also be smoked, braised, seared, or slow-cooked.
Pork jowl is underutilized cut today, pork jowl has a long culinary history spanning years and continents. As chefs and home cooks strive to explore flavorful dishes while reducing food waste, underutilized cuts like jowl are experiencing mainstream revival. Jowl comes from the face of the pig and is sometimes referred to as “pork cheeks.” Some culinary professionals distinguish between the cheek and the jowl — asserting that the cheek proper lies higher up on the head near the eye socket and is more lean than the jowl, which hangs lower around the chin and jaw regions and contains significantly higher fat.
Here is a video on how Chef William Eick from Matsu Restaurant in San Diego, CA cooks pork jowl with Japanese techniques.
Flavor and Texture
Pork jowl is nearly identical to belly bacon in terms of look, texture, and flavor profile. The primary differences are that jowl has a slightly higher meat-to-fat ratio than traditional back bacon and usually comes with a rind of skin around the outside, similar to pork belly. Because pigs place minimal stress on the jowl muscle, the meat contains a smooth, silky texture and naturally sweeter flavor than most other cuts.
History
While the idea of cooking and eating pork jowl seems like a new concept, in reality pork jowl has a long culinary history spanning decades and cultures. Some of the earliest proprietors of pork jowl were the Italians, who cured them just like bacon to produce guanciale (pronounced “gwaan-chaa-lei). Guanciale is an essential ingredient in many classic Itaian pasta dishes including spaghetti alla carbonara and bucatini all’amatriciana, similar to pancetta. Jowl bacon is occasionally swapped out in place of back bacon for the traditional “Full English Breakfast,” alongside fried eggs,sausages, black pudding, baked beans, tomatoes, and either coffee or tea (naturally). Dishes of the American South utilize pork jowls to flavor beans, collard greens, and more. One common practice is serving black-eyed peas and collard greens stewed with pork jowl on New Years Eve, as the jowls’ high fat content and decadent flavor signify wealth and prosperity for the year to come. Non-western food traditions, such as those found in China also utilize pork jowl, though often uncured. These traditions often braised or slow cooked the jowls and serve them in stews, steamed buns, soups, or even on their own with fresh vegetables. Some dishes involve grilling the jowls, their heavy marbling creating a rich, buttery flavor.
Conclusion
While pre-packaged meats have brought convenience, they have also allowed more familiar cuts to eclipse other, equally incredible, if not necessarily obvious meat choices. As chefs strive to solve issues like global hunger and food waste, they find solutions in these fading traditions. By repopularizing incredible cuts of meat like pork jowls, chefs, home cooks, and consumers can work together to reinstate balance in our food sourcing while discovering incredible flavor in the process.
