This Little Piggy Went to the Rusholme Park Supper Club

BySheryl Kirby | February 23, 2012 | sherylkirby.com

It’s probably inappropriate of me, but I’m in the middle of reading a cookbook on Appalachian food, and attending a dinner featuring 9 different pork items on the same weekend meant that there were more than a few quotes from Deliverance being spouted at Jason Rees’ Porknography dinner at the Rusholme Park Supper Club this past weekend.

Jason and sous chef Jamie (aka. The Pork Ninjas) promised us a 3×3 dinner (3 courses with 3 different pork items at each course) and they did not fail to deliver.

We started with the weirdest bit first, as The Pork Ninjas served up pork cheek, something that carries a bit of squick value but is actually very delicate and tasty.

Pork cheek was diced and fried and served as guanciale in bruschetta (top) and in a spaghetti carbonara (left) on an edible Chinese soup spoon (think a spoon-shaped cracker). More fried cheek was added to Southern-style grits that were topped with slices of cheek and roast apples.