organic pork at eveleigh market
In search of pork that has been sustainably and humanely raised, Christopher and I finally made it to Eveleigh market this weekend. I have been looking forward to eating pork again as it has been some time since I cooked my two favourite pork dishes: Tamarind Pork and Slow-cooked Pork Belly.
Pork, particularly free range, certified organic is hard to find in my local area. Whilst organic lamb, beef and chicken are easily available in the supermarkets I’ve been surprised at the lack of pork. There are a few farmers supplying free range pork but does free range mean organic pork?
A few weeks ago, by chance, I was chatting to a recent acquaintance about organic meat in Australia. She informed me there are two girls at Eveleigh market selling organic pork. This was enough motivation to rise early on a chilly Saturday morning and walk twenty or so minutes to Darlington.
The market which kicks off at 8am was lively with people by 9 when we arrived. We found the two girls who sold organic pork and bought a good-looking piece of pork belly and some neck fillet. The pork belly I later found came with ribs. The ribs were separated, marinated in soy sauce and honey then roasted for 30-45 minutes until tender. It made a delicious appetiser whilst we waited for the pork belly to slowly cook in the oven.
I was impressed with this pork. Absolutely no water came out of the meat. The fat tasted beautifully sweet and flavorful, the meat falling apart after 2 hours in the oven. It was pork worth waiting for.
The following day, the neck fillet, my favourite cut for slow stewing dishes, was infused with tamarind and shrimp paste turning the pork a deep brown. This was meant to go in the freezer for days when I will be too busy to cook but Christopher and I couldn’t resist and had a serving for dinner.
Other great finds at the market were eggs from Egganic. Finally eggs that tasted as they should, far better than any organic eggs from other suppliers that I have been using. We bought a couple bottles of thick, earthy and voluptuous stone milled olive oil from Kiewa Estate. So rich and beautiful, we spent lunch dipping freshly baked ciabatta to soak up the oil and eaten with a simple salad. With produce this good, there is little need to cook.
Eveleigh Market
243 Wilson Street
Darlington (Adjacent to Carriageworks)
NSW Australia