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pig’s stomach, butter, white bread, onion, bell pepper, scallions, garlic, yams, cayenne, ground pork, egg, vegetable oil
Category
Main Event
Cook Time
195 minutes
If you’ve ever run across a pig’s stomach and had a burning desire to cook something in it, this recipe is for you. Ponce is a sausage-like dish made from ingredients sewn up in a pig’s stomach. It’s a classic Cajun dish that will always have a place on the table at the most hardcore tailgates outside Tiger Stadium.
Even if you’ve never been tempted to cook up a meal inside a pig’s stomach, you should still give this ponce a try. It’s sooo flavorful, and you’ll be the talk of the town with your adventurous culinary skills.
Ingredients
1 pound pig’s stomach (ponce)
2 tablespoons butter
3 thin slices bakery white bread, cubed
¼ cup yellow onions, finely chopped
¼ cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup scallions, finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons garlic, minced
2 medium-sized yams, peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ pounds lean ground pork
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3–4 cups water
Directions
Soak stomach in cold water for at least two hours. Remove and pat dry.
In a Dutch oven, sauté the bread, onions, scallions, peppers, garlic, yams, cayenne pepper, and salt in butter over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Once the bread mixture is cool, pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add into the bowl the ground pork and the egg. Mix well. Then, stuff it into the pig stomach.
Sew the stomach shut with kitchen twine.
Sear the stomach on both sides over medium-high heat in the Dutch oven using the vegetable oil.
Add in the water, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium-low and cover.*
Steam for 2–3 hours, adding extra water as necessary, 1 cup at a time*.
Remove and transfer to a warm platter and let it rest for 10–20 minutes.
Slice the ponce, and give it one last quick sear before you serve.
Recipe Note
Pro Tip 1:
To cook this recipe in our Hungry Fan 3-in-1 Thermal Bag, add the water and bring to a boil. Hold at a boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat, cover, and then place atop a dish towel or trivet in the thermal bag. Seal the bag and let sit for 3 hours. Resume at Step 8.
Pro Tip 2:
The liquid used to steam the ponce will pick up a myriad of flavors. While the steamed ponce rests for 10–20 minutes, you can opt to boil the remaining liquid in the Dutch oven until it is reduced to a thin gravy. Pour the gravy into a bowl and serve it separately. That’s the cherry on top.