Going Whole Hog

The first time KO Prime executive chef Josh Buehler saw a pig's-ear terrine stacked in thin, glistening layers of flesh and jelly was at a restaurant in San Francisco. He remembers lusting after the thing: "It just looked sexy as hell," he says. Looks, alas, were deceiving. The texture was tough, and the taste was lackluster.

Buehler, who has long held an affection for off-brand animal parts, knew he could do better. He procured some pig's ears of his own, infused them with Asian herbs, and braised the mixture overnight in a low-temperature oven, slowly coaxing the collagen into a velvety texture that melts in the mouth.

"Nose-to-tail eating," a term coined in the 1990s by British chef Fergus Henderson, has found new momentum at top Hub eateries, where chefs are turning out specials featuring stacked ears, seared hearts, and braised feet. Jeff Fournier of Newton's 51 Lincoln orders two to three 80-pound pigs a week. And at Evoo in Somerville (whose chef-owner, Peter McCarthy, has been cutting up whole pigs since 1998), the house-made headcheese always sells out.

Challenging as such fare may be to the faint of palate, the underlying process is one that's rooted in tradition and informed by a "waste not" ethos. It's also one that requires, well, some serious chops. To that end, local chefs are boning up on butchery skills—not so easy to come by for a generation used to relying on off-site meat purveyors to deliver vacuum-packed ready-to-cook cuts.

"Ten years ago you couldn't find very much information out there," observes Jason Bond, executive chef at Beacon Hill Bistro. But now that more local restaurants are going whole hog, the tables are turning. Which can only mean, of course, that the best parts are yet to come.

The Snout-to-Tail All-Stars

Chef Josh Buehler
Restaurant KO Prime
Favorite Cut The whole head bestseller Pig's-ear terrine ($15), thinly sliced to look like a zebra-striped butterfly wing, making it irresistible on the plate.
Not for the Squeamish  Crispy pig's-head roulade ($13), made from a pig's head that's been boned and stuffed with brains, sweetbreads, and caramelized ham.
90 Tremont St., Boston, 617-772-0202, koprimeboston.com.

Chef Jason Bond
Restaurant Beacon Hill Bistro
Favorite Cut The jowl bestseller Stuffed trotter ($24 entrée, $14 appetizer), a 4-foot leg of pork boned and filled with pâté and whatever's in season, then roasted and served carved and chilled. 
Not for the Squeamish Poached pig lungs ($12), pressed, chopped, and fried like sweetbreads. 25 Charles St., Boston, 617-723-1133, beaconhillhotel.com.

Chef Peter McCarthy
Restaurant Evoo
Favorite Cut The loin bestseller Sirloin roulade ($24), a pork belly wrapped around sirloin and tenderloin, then browned in a skillet until crispy.
Not for the Squeamish Pig's heart ($9), seared in a hot pan, then dressed with coarse salt and chimichurri.
118 Beacon St., Somerville, 617-661-3866, evoorestaurant.com.

Chef Jeff Fournier
Restaurant 51 Lincoln
Favorite Cut The hindquarter bestseller Semolina gnocchi ($25), a disc of pasta enriched with shreds of a whole hindquarter that's been roasted with handfuls of fresh thyme.
Not for the Squeamish Pig's foot ($12), braised in soy and mirin, shredded, mixed with pulled pork, and served atop corn arepas.
51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands, 617-965-3100, 51lincolnnewton.com.