A couple of weeks ago I saw a YouTube video in which something called "secreto" (Spanish for "secret") was being grilled. I had never heard of it, so I did some research. Not a lot of information on YouTube or Google. It is a thin cut of pork from the shoulder that comes from the famous acorn-fed, heritage pigs in Spain ("bellota" is Spanish for acorn). In one video, it was pan fried and in a couple of others it was grilled. Seasonings were just S&P. One video added smoked Spanish paprika and said that's how they do it in Spain. Another source said it was like "Wagyu pork"—very well marbled.
I had to try it and found it for sale at latienda.com, an excellent online source for Spanish products. It is $60 a lb and comes in a 1 lb package,
There were two pieces in the vacuum-sealed package that arrived frozen.
They look a lot like the most wildly marbled skirt steaks you have ever seen.
I did not want to just throw them on the grill, as the thickness varied from about ⅛" to about 1¼". Grilling seemed like a loser unless you like part of your meat burned and part raw.
The only thing I could think of to handle that kind of variation was sous vide, followed by a quick trip to the grill.
Now all I had to to was figure out how to season it. I decided to cut each steak in half and try 4 variations.
Upper left is S&P only. Upper right: S,P,G & smoked paprika. Lower left: S & Meathead's Memphis Dust. Lower right: Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub.
I gave them a 3 hour dry brine in the refrigerator. Note that I trimmed off some of the excess surface fat before seasoning. One of my concerns was that the fat melted pretty easily, even in my hand as I was trimming. Would it all melt in the sous vide? I usually sous vide pork loin or pork tenderloin to 140℉. I dialed down to 135, thinking I'd get more cooking on the grill. I gave them 45 min in the sous vide.
The meat looked great coming out of the water bath. Well, as great as any meat looks coming out of sous vide, which is pretty bad, but it had firmed up and felt properly cooked. On to the grill for about 60-90 sec on each side.
The sections are laid out in the same order as before cooking.
The verdict: this is an amazing piece of pork! It is, in fact, very much like eating high-grade Japanese Wagyu. It is incredibly rich and has an intense pork flavor. Expensive, but much less expensive than genuine Japanese Wagyu.
As to the seasonings, they all worked. It's just a matter of what flavor profile you prefer. Not surprisingly, seasoning with just S&P let the pork flavor really shine through. Just the little smoke it picked up from a short time on the grill was all that was needed.
Added the G and smoked paprika worked great, G was pretty subtle, but the smokiness and subtle sweetness of the paprika added a lot. (This is supposed to be the preferred seasoning in Spain.)
Not surprisingly, Meathead's Memphis dust added whole new layers of savory complexity. Pork flavor still came through, but on more-or-less equal terms with the flavors of the rub.
The Killer Hog BBQ Rub was noticeably sweeter, which was not a bad thing with the richness of the pork.
Sous vide is definitely a great choice for the main cook. I think even a 10th Degree Black Belt Jedi Grill Master would have a hard time dealing with the tremendous variation in thickness. Maybe a very low, slow smoke?
If anyone has more experience and knowledge of this cut, I'd love to hear it. It is definitely a luxury, but I will order it again once in a while. I'd only serve 2-4 oz as an appetizer because of the richness, then maybe some awesome BBQ beef.
I had to try it and found it for sale at latienda.com, an excellent online source for Spanish products. It is $60 a lb and comes in a 1 lb package,
There were two pieces in the vacuum-sealed package that arrived frozen.
They look a lot like the most wildly marbled skirt steaks you have ever seen.
I did not want to just throw them on the grill, as the thickness varied from about ⅛" to about 1¼". Grilling seemed like a loser unless you like part of your meat burned and part raw.
The only thing I could think of to handle that kind of variation was sous vide, followed by a quick trip to the grill.
Now all I had to to was figure out how to season it. I decided to cut each steak in half and try 4 variations.
Upper left is S&P only. Upper right: S,P,G & smoked paprika. Lower left: S & Meathead's Memphis Dust. Lower right: Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub.
I gave them a 3 hour dry brine in the refrigerator. Note that I trimmed off some of the excess surface fat before seasoning. One of my concerns was that the fat melted pretty easily, even in my hand as I was trimming. Would it all melt in the sous vide? I usually sous vide pork loin or pork tenderloin to 140℉. I dialed down to 135, thinking I'd get more cooking on the grill. I gave them 45 min in the sous vide.
The meat looked great coming out of the water bath. Well, as great as any meat looks coming out of sous vide, which is pretty bad, but it had firmed up and felt properly cooked. On to the grill for about 60-90 sec on each side.
The sections are laid out in the same order as before cooking.
The verdict: this is an amazing piece of pork! It is, in fact, very much like eating high-grade Japanese Wagyu. It is incredibly rich and has an intense pork flavor. Expensive, but much less expensive than genuine Japanese Wagyu.
As to the seasonings, they all worked. It's just a matter of what flavor profile you prefer. Not surprisingly, seasoning with just S&P let the pork flavor really shine through. Just the little smoke it picked up from a short time on the grill was all that was needed.
Added the G and smoked paprika worked great, G was pretty subtle, but the smokiness and subtle sweetness of the paprika added a lot. (This is supposed to be the preferred seasoning in Spain.)
Not surprisingly, Meathead's Memphis dust added whole new layers of savory complexity. Pork flavor still came through, but on more-or-less equal terms with the flavors of the rub.
The Killer Hog BBQ Rub was noticeably sweeter, which was not a bad thing with the richness of the pork.
Sous vide is definitely a great choice for the main cook. I think even a 10th Degree Black Belt Jedi Grill Master would have a hard time dealing with the tremendous variation in thickness. Maybe a very low, slow smoke?
If anyone has more experience and knowledge of this cut, I'd love to hear it. It is definitely a luxury, but I will order it again once in a while. I'd only serve 2-4 oz as an appetizer because of the richness, then maybe some awesome BBQ beef.
Attached Files
. Have never tried Spanish pork, I've heard the acorn fed are excellent (I know some of our European members rave about it). Having said that, you lost me at $60/lb. Maybe some day I'll treat myself but in the mean time it's American pig for your's truly.
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