Grant helps students get hands-on with pork - Agri News

Posted: 12 May 2021 12:30 PM PDT

MENDOTA, Ill. — Students in Melissa Sallee's foods classes at Mendota High School are learning more and fearing less about the food they eat. But students aren't just eating foods like ground pork Sloppy Joes, pulled pork and warm garlic bacon pasta, they are learning how to prepare them.

"One of my platforms is that I want students to understand, you don't have to use a mix or something already prepared," Sallee said.

A big part of how they are able to get experience handling and preparing pork, from ground pork to bone-in pork chops to pork butt, is a grant from the Illinois Pork Producers Association.

This is the second year that Sallee has received the IPPA Food Service Grant.

"A great part of the pork grant is that I feel like students are afraid of cooking meat. It seems easier to cook processed things, so I really like that students are able to get hands-on learning," Sallee said.

She teaches a series of foods classes, starting with Foods I, which teaches kitchen safety, from learning how to put out fires in the kitchen to using knives safely, washing dishes and then nutrition and wellness.

"We talk to them about being considerate of what you are putting into your body," she said.

In the Foods II class, students learn about kitchen hygiene, food safety and sanitation, foodborne illnesses and how they are spread.

"We talk about transfer of bacteria, time and temperature for use of food, accidental poisoning through food and food allergies," Sallee said.

The Real World

Even with the coronavirus pandemic, which has greatly changed how teachers teach and students learn, Sallee has been able to keep up the hands-on and experiential learning.

Students take turns coming up to do different tasks in her classroom, which includes a fitted-out lab, with stove, oven, sink and refrigerator and freezer.

With class sizes much smaller and classes divided up, Sallee has adapted her lessons and class time.

"This class is working on sanitation for dishes. They are making a poster for that. Then I call them over, one at a time, to reduce the amount of contact. We do things like how to prep garlic, pulling apart a head of garlic, how to remove the skin," Sallee said.

For Mendota High School seniors in the Foods II class, Ashton Dewey (left) and Chaz Kaufman, learning to cook meals from raw ingredients is a skill that they can use after high school. Students in Melissa Sallee's classes learn about food safety and sanitation and also how to safely store, handle and prepare different ingredients, like raw pork. They also learn how to prepare ingredients and store leftovers, from refrigeration to freezing. (AgriNews photo/Jeannine Otto)

Students prepare food that they then get to eat in class. They also learn how to store ingredients and leftovers.

"We start with simple things, like ground meat or grilled cheese with bacon. I do try to implement healthful recipes, and it gets more complicated as the classes advance," Sallee said.

Many students come to the foods classes with some experience in cooking at their homes.

"I like to make egg dishes, and I like making tortillas with my mom," said Gladys Payan, a sophomore.

Ashton Dewey, a senior, said he enjoys making main-dish meals at home. Along with nutrition, students also learn about food allergies and sensitivities.

"I learned that people can have food allergies and food sensitivities and how to cook with that in mind," Dewey said.

A Cut Above

Sallee plans the different menus and lessons around what she can purchase and that's where the grant, which was pork-specific, helps. She was able to purchase pork from ground meat to pepperoni and bacon to bone-in pork chops and a pork butt.

"My other Foods II class worked with the pork butt. They had to touch it when it had blood on it and feel the bone. I think that kind of exposure helps create less fear," she said.

Students in the advanced Foods III class watched a pig being processed.

"We talk about the different cuts. We had a dinner and we made pulled pork and they made difference sauces for that. They learn about low and slow cooking for the less tender cuts of meat," Sallee said.

Melissa Sallee, Family and Consumer Science teacher at Mendota High School, wants students in her foods classes to get hands-on experience preparing foods from scratch. Helped by a grant from the Illinois Pork Producers Association, Sallee was able to purchase different cuts of pork, from ground pork that was used for Sloppy Joe sandwiches to a pork butt that was used to make pulled pork. (AgriNews photo/Jeannine Otto)

With the grant, Sallee is able to purchase cuts, like the pork butt and the bone-in chops, that she might not get otherwise.

"Meat is expensive and I'm trying to shift away from just doing things that are cheaper, like desserts and sweets, to things that are more nutritional. You think about pork and the B vitamins that it provides. I want them to have more exposure to that so I am so grateful for the grant and being able to purchase the pork," she said.

The foods classes at Mendota High School are part of the Family and Consumer Science curriculum that also includes child development and styles and textiles.

The department is part of the Career and Technical Education Department that also includes agriculture classes, business classes and industrial arts classes.

According to the Illinois Pork Producers Association, the Food Service Grant was created to teach students about pork production and the meat itself.

The grants are made available through an application process and all Illinois high school culinary, food services and consumer education programs are eligible to apply. The grants are made possible through the IPPA marketing committee and Pork Checkoff funding.

You can still make tender, smoky pork ribs without a grill - San Francisco Chronicle

Posted: 21 May 2021 09:03 AM PDT

I have two grills: A hulking oversize charcoal one I got years ago, and a smaller gas grill. I acquired the latter because I thought it would solve the problem of the first, which is that I actually don't really like to grill.

I never plan far enough ahead to get the charcoal grill going in time to make dinner on it before we're all wild with hunger. Or I do get it going in time but then I don't use enough hardwood charcoal and the fire dies before whatever I'm grilling is cooked through. And after thrilling to the convenience of gas grilling, I discovered that it comes at a cost, and that cost is that the food doesn't have the smoky tinge that makes me want to grill in the first place.

This dislike of grilling would not be a big deal were it not for the fact that I really like grilled food. Cheeseburgers, of course, and hot dogs, but also asparagus and garlic scrapes, stone fruit and pizzas. And also ribs. Ribs! What are ribs without a grill?

Completely hassle-free and totally delicious, as it turns out.

To make them, I rub the racks with a simple dry spice mixture, wrap them in heavy-duty foil and bake them low and slow until tender. Then I uncover the racks, slather them with sauce and cook them uncovered for another 30 minutes. A final run under the broiler gives them a little char.

For this recipe, I spike the dry rub with ground ginger and turmeric, then make a tangy tamarind sauce to slather on once the meat is tender, but the basic method works however you want to spin the flavor profile, perhaps adding cumin and smoked paprika to the dry rub and choosing a traditional barbecue sauce to lavish on the racks. The only caveat is that this method requires time, but it's almost entirely hands-off — there is no need to check the fire, no worry of running out of briquettes or propane.

This may be the summer that I overcome my aversion, learn some techniques, master live fire. But if I don't, that's OK, because I'll still have tender, flavorful baby back pork ribs as my consolation prize.

Jessica Battilana is a freelance writer and the author of "Repertoire: All the Recipes You Need." Instagram: Email: food@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jbattilana

Tamarind Glazed Pork Ribs

Serves 4 to 6

For this recipe you'll need seedless tamarind pulp, which is sold in bricks in most Asian and Latin grocery stores. Don't substitute tamarind concentrate, which is both stronger and lacks the body of the pulp. Heavy duty foil is also essential; thinner aluminum foil tears easily, and you want a sturdy package that will contain the juices. If you'd like, you can bake the ribs, reserving the cooking juices, then let the racks come to room temperature and refrigerate for up to two days. Let the cooked ribs come to room temperature and then continue the recipe the next day.

2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (see note)

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1½ teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 racks baby back pork ribs (about 6 pounds total)

½ cup packed (4 ounces) seedless tamarind pulp

6 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

Small handful cilantro leaves

Small handful mint leaves

Juice of ½ lime

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a small bowl stir together the salt, ginger, turmeric, garlic powder, coriander, cayenne and black pepper. Season both racks of ribs with the spice mixture, using more of the mixture on the meatier side of the rack.

Wrap each rack in heavy-duty aluminum foil, sealing it tightly, and place the packets seam-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, carefully unwrap one packet, being mindful of the steam and taking care not to spill the juices that have accumulated in the packet. Insert the tip of a knife between the rib bones; it should meet no resistance, but the meat should not be falling off the bone. If there is some resistance, rewrap the ribs and return to the oven for another 30 minutes, then test again.

Arrange a wire cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and set nearby. Carefully unwrap each package of ribs, and transfer the racks, meaty side up, to the wire cooling rack. Working over the sink, pour the juices that have accumulated in the foil packages into a large measuring cup, fat separator or bowl. Let stand 10 minutes, then skim and discard the fat; you should have about 1 cup of defatted juices. Add water to make 1½ cups of liquid.

Transfer the liquid to a medium saucepan and add the tamarind pulp. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, reserving the saucepan, and pressing and scraping the tamarind to extract as much pulp as possible. Discard the solids remaining in the sieve. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir in the brown sugar and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and burning, until reduced and thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Brush the tamarind mixture liberally all over the racks of ribs (you might not use all of it). Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven. Return the ribs to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. While the ribs cook, prepare the cucumber salad: In a small bowl combine the cucumbers, red onion, cilantro and mint leaves. Add the lime juice and toss to combine, then season with salt. Set aside.

Preheat the broiler to high and broil the ribs until the tamarind glaze is caramelized in spots (the timing will depend on the strength of your broiler). Remove the ribs from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut the racks into smaller sections. Transfer to a platter and pile on the cucumber salad. Serve right away, with any remaining tamarind sauce alongside.

Note: Diamond Crystal kosher salt is lighter and flaker than other kosher salts and far less salty than table salt. If using table salt, reduce the amount to 1.5 teaspoons or less if you're sensitive.

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