Pigs feet, also known as trotters, are celebrated for their role in adding velvety richness to stocks and infusing gravies with a delightful thickness – these versatile gems also possess the potential to shine as a distinctive cut of meat.

Trotters are low in fat and abundant in protein. Many experts believe that trotters are beneficial to joint and skin health. As long you understand lengthy cooking times infused with patience and love, then your trotters will be a winner.

^{Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 1 hr 30 min
Serves: 4 - 6}

• 1kg pork trotters, cut into rounds
• 30ml (2 tbsp) oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 30ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste/ thick tomato sauce
• 5ml (1 tsp) paprika
• 5ml (1 tsp) ground ginger
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 15ml (1 tbsp) red wine vinegar
• 250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
• 2,5ml (½ tsp) sugar
• Browned cabbage, to serve

Sadza
• 250ml (1 cup) maize meal
• 375ml (1 ½ cup) cold water
• 500ml hot water

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add onion – cook stirring for 3 minutes or until soft. Add red pepper, garlic, paprika and ginger into a pan, stirring until fragrant.
2. Pour tomatoes, red wine vinegar, stock and sugar into a pan. Bring to a simmer. Add trotters and simmer for 1 hour or until sauce is thickened.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove your trotters from the sauce using a slotted spoon and add to a plate. Blend tomato sauce to a smooth consistency.
5. Return the trotters to the smooth tomato sauce.
6. Sadza Whisk ½ cup maize meal and cold water in a bowl until smooth.
7. Pour maize meal mixture into a pot over medium heat and bring to a hard simmer while stirring. Cover and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
8. Mix hot water and the remaining maize meal together until smooth. Pour the mixture a bit at a time to the pot mixture until all is blended.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered for 15 minutes.
10. Mould sadza using a wooden spoon. Plate sadza, browned cabbage and trotters next to the sadza.

A pork hock, also known as the pork knuckle, can be found just above the trotters and below the shank. The pork hock contains a lot of connective tissue which, when it melts, adds great flavour and texture to the pot. Pork is classified as red meat, which stems from its higher myoglobin content than chicken or fish.

_{Preparation time: 8 hrs
Cooking time: 2hrs 5 min
Serves: 6}

• 500ml (2 cups) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 45ml (3 tbsp) oil
• 2-3 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 pork hocks
• 5ml (1 tsp) red chilli flakes
• 5ml (1 tsp) cumin seeds
• 5ml (1 tsp) paprika
• Handful broccoli leaves/spinach (optional)
• Corn or steamed bread to serve

1. Heat pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft.
2. Stir in carrots, garlic, chilli flakes, cumin, paprika, and soaked and drained chickpeas to the onions. Cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
3. Add pork hocks to the pot and pour water to cover the pork. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 2 hours.   
4. Remove tender pork from the pot using a slotted spoon to transfer it to a plate.
5. Blend the vegetables in a food processor or stick blender in the pot until coarse in texture.
6. Shred the cooled pork roughly and return to the pot.
7. Add the torn greens to the pot if using and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until thickened.
8. Serve pork stew with the bread of your choice.

Using fresh pig knuckles, cured for 24 – 48 hours with a combination of salt and pink salt before eating. Salt-curing pork infuses the meat with salt and removes some of the moisture, concentrating the flavour of the meat.

^{Preparation time: 24 hrs
Cooking time: 2 hrs
Serves: 2 - 4}

• 2-4 pork knuckles, skin on
Brine
• 2L lukewarm water
• 50g coarse salt
• 10g pink salt
• 4 bay leaves
• 100g whole peppercorns
• 100g coriander seeds
• 2 onions, halved
• 2 whole garlic, peeled
• 5 cloves
• Serve with mixed yellow rice, beetroot, coleslaw and sultana salad

1. Add water and salt to a container and stir until all the salt is dissolved.
2. Add bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, onions, garlic and cloves to the liquid.
3. Gently add the pork knuckles and chill the container for 24 - 48 hours in the fridge. The longer you leave it, the saltier the pork will be.
4. Preheat oven to 180C.
5. Rinse and pat the pork dry.
6. Roast the pork for 2 hours.

The texture of slowly cooked pork is tender and almost melts in the mouth. We use a technique called braising and it starts with browning the meat before slowly cooking in liquid. This meal is a perfectly spiced peanut butter sauce with tender pork.

^{Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 2 hrs
Serves: 4 - 6}

• 2 tbsp (30ml) oil
• 4 pork hocks
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic, chopped
• 5cm ginger grated
• 5ml (1 tsp) coriander
• 5ml (1 tsp) chilli powder
• 2 sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 80g no sugar, smooth peanut butter
• 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
• Handful of coriander, chopped
• 30g peanuts, chopped (optional)
• Mealie/maize rice to serve

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté pork for 10 minutes, turning meat as it browns. Pour water to cover your pork and simmer for 1 hour.
2. While pork is simmering, sauté onions in an oiled saucepan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander and chilli, stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in sweet potatoes and peppers. Cook for 10 minutes.
3. Mix 750ml of the pork's hot cooking liquid, stock cube/liquid and peanut butter in a jug until well-blended. Pour the mixture into the sweet potato pot.
4. Transfer the pork carefully from the simmering water into the peanut butter mixture and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Serve pork with buttery mealie rice. Sprinkle chopped peanuts if using over the plate as garnish and finish with coriander leaves on top.

If you're looking for a quick meal, use ready-made, store-bought sauce to make an effortless sweet and sour meal. Trotters which are cut up into smaller pieces by my butcher cooks quicker, as it's easy to manage bite-sized pieces.

New to cooking with pork? Rest assured, when you choose commercial, fresh, and lean pork products, you're embracing a culinary partner free from any harmful parasites.

^{Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 1 hr 30 min
Serves: 6}

• 30ml oil
• 1kg pork trotters, cut into pieces
• 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
• 400g tinned pineapple pieces
• 1 lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2cm ginger, grated
• 1ml (½ tsp) chilli flakes
• 45ml sweet and sour sauce
• Handfuls of spinach leaves
• Handful of coriander, chopped
• Rice to serve

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add trotters and cook for 5 minutes. While stirring, pour in the stock and simmer for 40 minutes or until the pork is tender and the liquid is reduced.
2. Blend drained pineapple pieces, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and sweet and sour sauce until smooth.
3. Pour mixture into the trotters and continue to cook for 30 minutes or until thick and sticky.
4. Stir in spinach and coriander. Cook for 5 minutes more to wilt the spinach.
5. Serve over cooked rice.

 

In our quest to explore the ultimate culinary creativity, we decided to take a leap into the future by enlisting the help of Bard, the Google AI (artificial intelligence) Chatbot. We wanted to infuse a South African influence with authentic flavours – a meal that feeds many tummies, and of course, at an affordable recipe.

The result? A delectable dish that fuses hearty flavours, enjoyed with amagwinya (vetkoek) – all while keeping our wallets in mind.

Overall, the recipe was a bit dry when tested by Chef Hope – so we added some oil. The recipe measurements differed, but it was a fun and tasty experiment. Try it for yourself!

^{Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4 - 6}

• 30ml (2 tbsp) oil
• 500g pork mince
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 15ml (1 tbsp) curry powder
• 5ml (tsp) turmeric powder
• 2,5ml (1/2 tsp) ground cumin
• 0,25ml (1/4 tsp) cayenne pepper
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 60ml tomato sauce
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 250ml chicken stock
• 15ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh coriander
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Magwinya (vetkoek) to serve

1. Heat an oiled large pan over medium heat. Add the pork mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned.
2. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until softened, for about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the curry powder, turmeric powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and potatoes. Cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
4. Add the tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, stock, and coriander to the pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Stuff magwinya (vetkoek) with mince and enjoy.