What’d You Do Last Weekend?
Make your own bitters.
Grilled Pork Kidneys with Chimichurri
Pork kidneys were the most challenging offal that we got last year - and the one we waited the longest to eat. We'd been looking for a decent recipe for kidneys, but for the most part recipes that call for kidneys usually call for beef kidneys.
We decided to dive in deep and make them as simply as we could - grilled over a hot fire with a little salt and pepper and olive oil, and served with a fresh chimichurri. Just in case the kidneys failed, we made plenty of vegetable sides. We boiled some Yukon gold potatoes and tossed them with some Meyenberg goat milk butter and sage blossoms, and then charred some fresh asparagus.
We weren't sure what the internal structure of a pig's kidney was until Todd cut deep into one - and the intimidation factor rose for me a little. There were quite a few vessels and clingy connective tissue holding it all together, so Todd sliced along the outside and got some nice little fillets. We had 4 kidneys in our pack, so there was more than enough to eat.
Once grilled, the texture wasn't that different than a cooked hot dog. A little skin-like membrane on the outside, and then a nice, fine meat on the inside. They were surprisingly mild - something we didn't expect from the liver-like color. We each ate full plates and agreed that if we got kidneys the next time we got our pig, we'd feel a lot more comfortable using them as a substitute in another dish.
Grilled Pork Kidneys
Pork kidneys, cleaned and filleted
Salt
pepper
Olive Oil
- Season the kidneys with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Coat the grill lightly with cooking spray or oil and place the kidneys over high heat. They will likely stick, so treat them gingerly when you're flipping them.
- Turn them once, and remove them from the heat when they're firm. We have no guidance to know if this is overcooked, or if kidneys are supposed to be served medium rare, so we erred on the cautious side.
Chimichurri
1 c flat leaf parsley
3 - 4 cloves garlic (or less if the cloves are large)
2 T fresh oregano
1/2 c olive oil
2 T pili pili vinegar (or any tangy vinegar)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and chop until finely mixed.
