Search Query Mailbag: In Which The Definition Of What Constitutes Mail Is Pushed To A Pretty Far Limit Edition

Credit: GameKeeper @WikiC

Beyond the usual searches for assorted Momofuku/Lucky Peach-related ephemera (pork, it turns out is really, really, really good for effective SEO linkbaiting), some pointed questions occasionally show up when I’m digging through the blog’s viewing metric database.

For instance, one person asked the following question to Google his way towards the site:

“can pork butt be used instead of belly”

If you’re in a pinch?

Maybe, although a lot of it depends on the application. Pork butt/shoulder can get used in a lot of different applications (steaks, pulled pork, etc), but belly’s composition limits its flexibility. The stratified fat/meat layers gives belly a real unctuous flavor profile, but using it in something like a steak would be tougher to pull off. (Not to mention, since bellies usually come skin-on, any application which doesn’t result in chicharrón is a goddamned travesty.)