Maiale al Latte - anyone tried this?

Hi. I’m pleased to join the Anova community.

As a frequent visitor to Italy, I have often seen their famous Maile al Latte - litterally “Pork in Milk”.
Have any of you Anova heroes ever tried this or anything similar?

I’m far from an expert but from what I see I reckon this would be absolutely ideal for an Anova session.

All comments and suggestions welcomed.
Thank you
Robin Donald
P.S. If google doesn’t keep you right on Maiale al Latte, let me know and I’ll supply some links and/or translation.

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Robin, i think you are headed for a culinary disappointment because your Anova cooks but doesn’t really braise. Yes, SV does cook in a moist environment, but braising is so much more.

I suggest you write down the steps you plan to use for your SV Maiale al Latte technique. It can be done, however it would be such a convoluted process you would likely wonder why you didn’t cook it conventionally.

I cook SV Porchetta with excellent results, but it doesn’t require evaporation to achieve the flavours you are seeking.

Hmm. I think you are probably right here. I suspect I am being a wee bit over enthusiastic about my Anova and I want to sous vide every piece of food.

I’ll go back to the drawing board and plan out the steps For sure, the Anova will get it beautifully tender but, if you are right - and I believe that you are - them it could be a long way round for a shortcut.

Thanks for the info.

Kind regards

Robin, you’re welcome and i think you’ve got it now.

In recipe development we want to first think about our desired outcome which goes beyond just tenderness or texture. Flavour development is a fundamental element in your choice of cooking techniques.

I wish you all the success possible on your flavour journey.

@Robin_Donald Regardless of whether sous vide is the right approach for this dish - thank you for bringing it up! I’ve looked it up and it looks delicious!

Robin and Mike, it is delicious and if you are going to cook it be sure to monitor your oven’s and the pork’s temperatures. You want to achieve a balance of the meat being well cooked without the milk totally evaporating. The cat usually partially covers the Dutch oven for the first half of the cook. As this is a particularly simple cooking technique seek out a cut from a locally pasture raised pig, like a Tamworth or Birkshire, if you can. Like beef, factory raised pork doesn’t have much flavour these days and that’s about all you have to work with in this recipe.

The key to a great outcome is to preserve and use all of the flavourful cooking liquids. The milk will clot and that will bring you to to a fork in your culinary road. Take it. You can strain the liquids and reduce them, if needed, for your sauce. Some cooks add cream at this stage too. The cat doesn’t. Or you can purée the clotted milk and liquids together for a creamy sauce.

If SV cooking it, pre-sear and package with milk, cook, and then reduce the liquids for your sauce.You won’t need the usual post sear.