Where to find pork cheeks?

[bellesup]

I am dying to try cooking pork cheeks, and can't find them anywhere! Does anyone know where to find them?

Thank you!

[Zeldog]

You also can check Manilla Mart if there's one near you, but you can never be sure they will have them at a particular store. Same with Ranch 99. I've never seen them at their Daly City store.

[jzc]

If you live in the City you can find in Chinatown on Stockton @ Jackson. One is Lien Hing and the other one is across the street on the corner. It's around $4/lb. If you want it already cooked, many of the Chinese delis that have roast pork and duck also have it. It's about $8/lb.

I just boil and dip it in garlic soy sauce (Taiwan style).

-----
Lien Hing
1112 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA

[chefj]

I would check with Mexican carnicerías.

[nattofan]

You can buy pork cheeks at Ranch 99. I've bought some a few times this year at the one in San Jose. I haven't seen the last time I went though.

[Gustavo Glenmorangie]

I bought one a couple of weeks ago at R99 in Richmond. Asked at the butcher counter at a time when they were butchering hogs.; Asked for pork cheeks and the guy behind the counter just looked at me like I was from Mars. When I patted my cheek, he got it. He dug into a cardboard box under the butchering table and pulled one out, cleaned it up a bit and sold it to me for an outrageously cheap price.

It's curing as guanciale right now.

I'd like to find a source from a higher quality, pastured, local, well educated, with all the privileges expected of an upper middle-class, professional, suburban hog, but I haven't found a source.

[wolfe]

Marin Sun Farms has pig jowls on their price list. I believe that is what you want.
http://www.marinsunfarms.com/products/pork/prices_pork.html
http://thepauperedchef.com/2008/05/gu...

[Gustavo Glenmorangie]

'Excellent. Thank you. I will say, however , that the MSF jowls are more than 5 times what I paid at R99. Figure a pig jowl weighs in at about a pound and a half or so. I paid less than two bucks for the whole thing. No surprise, all those upper middle class hog perks don't come cheap.

Seriously, I expect to have my guanciale ready in another week (I'm using the Peter Reinhart recipe as an intro experiment in charcuterie). If it comes out as well as I hope, I'm eager to try another using higher-quality pork. I will definitely look into MSF.

[celeryroot]

I got some at Drew*s about a year ago.... ordered ahead
I think Lucy Pork on Mission would also have

[mrs bacon]

You could call the Fatted Calf's new retail store on Fell. I'll bet they could order you some.

-----
Fatted Calf
320 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102