National Pig Day is coming up on Monday, March 1st. While Congress has yet to declare celebrating the other white meat as an official holiday, we think it's a great opportunity to honor the animal that provides a bounty of bacon, trotters, crackling, and lardo.

Joseph Leonard's Cochon Sundays
Every Sunday night at Joseph Leonard, chef James McDuffee creates snout-to-tail specials for his regular menu. Some recent dishes include headcheese, confit of pork shoulder, terrines, and pulled pork pastas.

Cabrito
Chef David Schuttenberg at Cabrito, refers to himself as a "pork nut." His Heritage Foods braised pork belly tacos have a respectable following, including Jake Dickson, the owner of Dickson's Farmstand Meats.

Dickson's Farmstand Meats would like you to taste the different parts of the pig, using their Whole Pig Punch Card. For $100, you can work your way through the various cuts - picking up the parts you want, when you want them.

When it comes to cooking pork, Jake Dickson recommends:

The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating
Noted offal-phile chef Fergus Henderson takes even the most adventurous piggy bits and turns them into something that sounds fancy and delicious. Rolled Pig's Spleen anyone?
[Available at Amazon.com]

Pork & Sons
From head to hoof, French chef Stephane Reynaud celebrates the swine in all its forms, from slaughter to supper.
[Available at Amazon.com]

The River Cottage Meat Book
It's a cookbook, manifesto, and guide brought to you buy a carnivore with a conscience, UK-based TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
[Available at Amazon.com]

JOSEPH LEONARD'S JAMES McDUFFEE

• Fette Sau
  www.fettesaubbq.com
  354 Metropolitan Avenue
  Brooklyn, NY 11211
  T: 718.963.3404
• Taco Mix
  234 East 116 Street
  New York, NY 10029
  T: 212.831.8147

CABRITO'S DAVID SCHUTTENBERG

• Egg
  www.pigandegg.com
  135 North 5th Street
  Brooklyn, NY 11211
  T: 718.302.5151
• Crispy Bamboo Village
  2526 Frederick Douglass Boulevard
  New York, NY 10030
  T: 212.694.5391

JAKE AT DICKSON'S FARMSTAND MEATS

• Cabrito
  www.cabritonyc.com
  50 Carmine Street
  New York, NY 10014
  T: 212.929.5050
• The Spotted Pig
  www.thespottedpig.com
  314 West 11th St # 1
  New York, NY 10014
  T: 212.620.0393

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