Kamado-Smoked Wagyu, Heritage Pork & Potimarron Parmentier

Prepare your kamado for indirect cooking (Low and Slow) by stabilizing the temperature at 110°C (230°F). Season the chuck and pork collar generously with fine salt. Smoke the meats on the grate for 3 hours. This step allows surface proteins to brown via the Maillard reaction and the nitric oxide from the smoke to create the famous smoke ring, while initiating the breakdown of tough fibers.

Transfer the smoked meats into a cast-iron Dutch oven. Add the sliced onions, crushed garlic, and warmed veal stock. Cover and place back in the kamado (still at 110°C/230°F) for about 4 to 5 hours. The intra-muscular collagen, abundant in chuck and pork collar, requires long thermal exposure above 70°C to unravel into melt-in-your-mouth gelatin without expelling all the moisture from the muscle fibers.

Meanwhile, place the finely diced Wagyu fat in a stainless steel saucepan over extremely low heat. Let it melt slowly for 45 minutes to obtain a pure, clear oil, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. This gentle extraction process prevents the delicate fatty acids from oxidizing.

Wash the potimarrons and bake them whole (with the skin) in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 1 hour. Cut them in half, remove the seeds, and scoop out the tender flesh. Pass it through a food mill. Incorporate the liquid Wagyu fat and warmed heavy cream, whisking vigorously to create a beautiful emulsion. Season. The potimarron skin can be blended with the flesh for a stronger chestnut flavor, or discarded for a smoother mash.

Once the meats are extremely tender (internal temperature around 93°C/200°F), remove the Dutch oven from the kamado. Gently shred the meat using two forks. Mix this pulled meat with the ultra-reduced, gelatinous braising liquid left at the bottom of the pot to guarantee maximum juiciness.

In individual stainless steel plating rings placed on a baking sheet, or in a family-style dish, pack the pulled smoked meats to a thickness of about 3 centimeters. Cover evenly with the Wagyu potimarron mash. Sprinkle the surface with pumpkin seeds previously toasted in a pan.

Place the parmentier under the oven broiler or use a kitchen blowtorch to lightly caramelize the peaks of the mash and release the aroma of the pumpkin seeds. Using an offset spatula, carefully slide each assembly into the center of a warm shallow bowl. Remove the ring. Add a pinch of Guérande sea salt and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.