Hapa Ramen is getting in on the whole animal game for their ramen and porky side dishes and add-ins.   If it’s can’t be made into it’s own dish, or rolled up in some indulgent charcuterie project, it ends up in the stock pot.

“I’m NOT doing it for love of the whole animal, or any other romantic idea like that.  My price on pork bellies went up.” Richie of Hapa Ramen explained to be as he sawed the pig in half with a giant hacksaw.

Richie’s utilitarian attitude aside, there is something fun about breaking down a whole animal.  I even got in on the action, separating out a loin, stripping the silver skin off, and learning about the differences between a japanese and french boning knife, both of which are on hand and used in the Hapa Ramen kitchen (how is that for an on the nose representation of their cooking?)

So join me won’t you, for a photo-tour through a pig breakdown?  Vegetarians might want to look away, and carnivores might want to be sure to read this on a market day, so you can satiate you porcine cravings.

Meanwhile the Hapa Ramen linecooks, the unheralded secret weapons behind a lot of my favorite Hapa Ramen treats, worked on the head and other nasty bits:

Tags: butchery, haparamen

This entry was posted on Monday, March 21st, 2011 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.