Knife and Pork

First came bacon. Then the belly. But the latest pork product to capture chefs’ hearts and minds is, in fact, the last. Pig tails are cropping up on charcuterie boards, bar menus and even entrée lists across the country. Where? Here are 10 places to find 'em.

We first had pork cooked this way at Alice Waters’ house. The cutlets were sliced thick from a pork loin, given them a flattening pound, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and quickly seared in a hot skillet. Pork used to be much more marbled, but now that it is “the other white meat,” this lean cut needs to be cooked more like a chicken breast.

 I know the Schweinshaxen from a very famous 600-seat biergarten in Vienna, where I studied. They'd serve hundreds of them during Oktoberfest; the waiters would debone the shank tableside, holding it with a cloth napkin, in just a few quick movements.