Arthur Schwartz the Food Maven: Pork, Fat, Salt

Arthur Schwartz was the restaurant critic and executive food editor of the New York Daily News for 18 years. Perhaps what he’s best known for is as a chameleon—he’s successfully worked in radio, print media, cookbook publishing, TV, and teaching. Today Arthur talks about: Pork, Fat, Salt

And here is Arthur’s recipe this week!

MARINADE SECHE

A dry rub for pork, adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1

Enough for 8 pounds of pork – chops, tenderloin, ribs

2 teaspoons dried thyme or sage
3 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground bay leaf (see note) (optional)

Rub the thyme or sage between the palm and heel of your hands, to make it powdery.

Combine with the other ingredients and mix well.

Use a rounded teaspoon of mixture for every pound of pork. Rub it in and let stand at room temperature – no more than 2 hours — until you are ready to cook the meat. Or, wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 48 hours.

Note: I use a small Krups coffee grinder (very inexpensive and mine is now 30 years old) to grind spices – put bay leaves in and pulse then let run until leaves are powdered.