Local Food : Bledsoe Pork

A trip to the downtown market this Sunday past allowed me the opportunity to buy some pork from John Bledsoe. I've been lucky enough to have his pork once before a couple of years ago but, as he sells at either the Davis market or the downtown Sacramento market, it's not a product that's made it into my regular rotation.

More's the pity!

The Davis Wiki puts Bledsoe Pork in Woodland but a more in-depth article from Edible Sacramento puts the Bledsoes in Woodland and the pork elsewhere (another article places his Durocs in Dunnigan).

Initially, I'd wanted a pork loin roast but, after seeing the size of it (it was the whole loin!), I opted for a pork shoulder instead. The roast I purchased was a shade over 3 pounds and had some skin attached. (How do you spell crackling? Crackling? Cracklin'? Cracklin?)

As I walked away from his stall, John Bledsoe called out "225 for 5 hours".

Those who know me, know that I can't leave well enough alone and so, rather than following the simple instructions, I went out on my own.

The skin was scored and then rubbed with a 1:1 mixture of freshly ground pepper and freshly ground sea salt. The roast was placed on a rack within a roasting pan and allowed to rest while the oven heated up to a balmy 425.



The roast was put in the oven and, after 30 minutes, the temperature was reduced to 250. And there it sat for 4 hours (or until the internal temperature reached 170).