Sure, We Can Eat Pig's Ears: But Why?!

"The Nasty Bits: Pig's Ears Two Ways"
Serious Eats (August 18, 2009)

" 'Searing the ear in my skillet was the most fun I've had with cast iron in a long time.' "

"One of the greatest things about working with offal is that you and your butcher will never have to worry about miscommunication. Don't know the Spanish or Chinese word for cheeks? Just puff out your own and point to it. Having trouble recollecting the term for tail? Wiggle your index finger an appropriate distance behind your back, and someone will get the picture. Usually, combining such gestures with an oink or a moo can get you further than relying on the English names alone...."

Although my wife assures me that I need not fear being mistaken for one of the more refined and elegantly-mannered men of western civilization, I can honestly said that I've never seared a pig's ear - and that I can think of one or two things I'd rather do over a fire. Three or four, now that I think of it.

Just the same, if you feel that there's been a pig's-ear-shaped hole in your life, if you believe that you will not find fulfillment without dealing with pig's ear on a hot griddle, if your world will lose all meaning and purpose if you do not learn to prepare red-braised pig's ear: have I got a post for you!

There's a bit of dialog that goes along with the recipes - and I suppose the things can be made to taste okay. The post states: "...Like tofu, cartilage may be mild in taste, but it has the ability to take on complex flavors...."

I gotta tell you: comparing a food product to tofu isn't the best way to make it sound appealing to me. But, tastes vary. I like gjetost, for example: goat cheese. Too bad the stuff that's sold in America is cut half-and-half with cows-milk cheese: the closest equivalent to what I remember is something I can't remember how to pronounce that's made in the Middle East.

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A tip of the hat to williamcooks , for the heads-up on this post.