What Is Kasim And How To Use It In Recipes
Did you know that the kasim is known as both pork butt and the pork shoulder, too? Contrary to the name, the pork butt is not located near the butt end of the pig at all (That's the pigue!). It's part of the shoulder joint near the head. When it comes to kasim, it all depends on where on the shoulder the pork meat is taken from. The kasim is the pork shoulder but it's divided into two parts: there's the upper shoulder (butt) and the lower shoulder (picnic). The upper shoulder is closer to the head and nearer the spine. The lower shoulder or the pork butt is closer to the leg.Â
For those who want naturally tender cuts of pork, the kasim supplies plenty of both fat and meat to make your pork barbecue naturally flavorful. The kasim makes great pork dishes since it's both a fatty and flavorful cut.Â
Since the kasim also contains some fatty parts, it's a great pork cut for almost any pork dish that requires some cooking time. This can be cut up in small chunks for menudo or it can be larger chunks for sinigang and adobo. It's a great pork cut, especially for Pinoy-style barbecue! Just remember that the barbecue marination also tenderizes the fatty parts as well as the meat so you get tender barbecue every time without needing to add extra chunks of fat to the bamboo stick.Â
Need recipes that use pork kasim? Here are recipes to try: Â
1 Pork Stew in Aligue RecipeÂ
Aligue, also known as taba ng talangka since this is the kind of crabs that the aligue is harvested from, might be known as "crab fat" but it's not exactly "fat". This bright yellow or orange-yellow stuff inside the crab is a delicacy! It's creamy, tastes like the sea but not exactly salty, and is similar to another seafood delicacy: sea urchin roe. You can even say it tastes a little like caviar!Â
So just imagine this stuff coating each piece of pork and we're sure you'll instantly want unli rice.Â
2 Pork Mechado RecipeÂ
What makes mechado unique and different from menudo? It is a tomato-based sauce and it's seasoned with soy sauce, much like a menudo is seasoned. Vinegar is sometimes added in, too, to emphasize the sourness of the sauce's flavor. While the beef mechado is commonly party fare, make it into a more everyday, ulam-friendly meal by using pork instead of beef so you don't have to cook it longer than necessary.Â
3 Pork Asado Siopao RecipeÂ
This steamed bun is filled with a delicious pork asado filling made from the kasim. By using this cut, it ensures that the asado in the siopao is tender and juicy. Plus, it's a great combo of fatty and meat that is just what you want in your siopao.Â
4 Pochero Recipe with Pork and Beans
What makes this pochero so delicious? It's not the hearty pork chunks but also the chorizo pieces that give this pochero dish a smokiness that is unique. Plus, the sauce is extra chunky, all thanks to a can of the pork and beans that is added to the tomato sauce base.Â
5 Herbed Pork and Mung Bean Patties Recipe
Monggo or mung beans is almost always relegated to Friday meals but we say, it doesn't need to be be that way. Why not use up some of those beans to make these homemade ground pork patties a breakfast meal that you can enjoy any time of the week? The ground pork is especially delicious since it can be made from chunks of fatty and meaty pork kasim.Â
6 Christmas Hamoncito RecipeÂ
The hamoncito is a great holiday main dish menu choice. It's a stunning piece of a whole pork kasim rolled up into a roll, plus it's super delicious and appetizing since it marries two of our favorite tastes: pork and the sweetness of the pineapples. For this recipe, it's not just pineapples that give it extra flavor but the combo of pineapple and orange in the juice combined with some brown sugar that makes it truly special.Â
***Â
Thinking about what to cook next? Join our Facebook group, Yummy Pinoy Cooking Club, to get more recipe ideas, share your own dishes, and find out what the rest of the community are making and eating!
Got your own version of the classic dishes? Pa-share naman! Get your recipe published on Yummy.ph by submitting your recipe here.
