Hands up all of you who've had a bad experience with pork. I'm talking tough, dry, flavourless pork. Don't blame the breed, blame the breeder. Commercial pigs have been cross-bred so there's no fat on the poor animal. Combine that with the old wives' tale that pork has to be well done and what you've got is pointless crap. A wonderful man called Joe Byrne died recently. Joe started the Bangalow Sweet Pork company in protest at what pork had become. Joe got some local farmers (naturally, around Bangalow in northern New South Wales) to go back to some heritage breeds of pig. These were breeds that were in danger of disappearing, their places taken by the new lean breeds. Of course others have now followed in Joe's pioneering footsteps. There are several brands of pork available now throughout Australia from great breeds like Berkshires. The extra fat and the natural sugars in the meat of these animals ensures rich flavour. The sugars caramelise when given some decent heat. The other trick to getting a great outcome is to cook the pork only medium rare - medium at most. It should still be pink and juicy inside. I marinated these Bangalow pork cutlets in agave nectar & mezcal. I made a salsa using coriander leaves, watercress, olive oil, lime juice, a little mezcal and some sugar. Pumpkins from the neighbours' farm. Slow-roasted small tomatoes from the markets.
AGAVE-GLAZED PORK CUTLET WITH MEZCAL HERB SALSA
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