Kendiukh (кендюх, stuffed pork stomach)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A large stockpot wide enough to hold the stuffed stomach
• •A large needle and strong cotton kitchen thread
• •A roasting tray
• •An instant-read thermometer
• •A board and modest weight for pressing

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the stomach

   Rinse the pork stomach well, turn it inside out, and scrape away any clinging slick membrane with the back of a knife. Rub it hard with the coarse salt and flour until the surface stops feeling slippery, then rinse again. Soak it in cold water with the vinegar or whey for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse once more. It should smell clean and faintly mineral. If it smells rotten, no recipe can rescue it.

   Ask the butcher for a cleaned stomach with no large tears. Tiny holes can be sewn shut; a ragged one will fight you all day.
2. 2

   Cut the filling

   Keep the pork cold while you work. Coarsely mince the shoulder, then dice the pork belly or back fat small enough to show as pale cubes in the finished slices. If you're using tongue, heart, or cheek, dice it the same size. The fat should be visible, not smeared into paste; that mosaic is part of the dish.

3. 3

   Season and bind

   Mix the pork, fat, optional cooked meat, garlic, fine salt, black pepper, allspice, coriander, marjoram if using, and cold stock or ice water. Use your hands and mix until the meat turns tacky and begins to hold together against the bowl. Fry a spoonful as a test patty. It should taste a little bold, because the stomach and poaching water will quiet it down.

   If you change the meat weight, use about 16g salt per kilogram of filling. This is not fussiness; dense meat needs even seasoning.
4. 4

   Fill it loose

   Stitch or tie any small openings in the stomach, then spoon in the filling. Push it gently into the corners, but fill only until the stomach looks plump and still a little slack, no more than two-thirds full. Stitch the main opening shut with strong cotton thread. If you have extra filling, fry it as patties; do not force it in.

   This is the step that does not forgive showing off. The filling swells and the stomach shrinks, so looseness keeps the casing whole.
5. 5

   Simmer gently

   Put the onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, and poaching salt into a wide stockpot, add the stuffed stomach, and cover with cold water. Bring it up slowly until the water barely moves, then keep it there. Turn the kendiukh gently now and then, and prick only the visible air bubbles with a clean needle. Cook until it feels firm under the spoon, the juices run clear when pierced, and the center reaches 74C if you're checking with a thermometer. At first it answers like a wet sack; later it gives a soft solid thud. That's "until it sounds right."

   A rolling boil will split the casing and toughen the stomach. Barely moving water is enough; patience does the work.
6. 6

   Press and dry

   Lift the kendiukh onto a tray and save a cup of the poaching liquor. Put a board on top with a modest weight and leave it for 30 to 60 minutes, or chill it under the weight overnight if you want very neat slices. Pat the surface dry before baking, because wet skin sulks instead of browning.

7. 7

   Bake until bronzed

   Heat the oven to 190C. Rub the kendiukh with lard or unrefined sunflower oil, set it in a roasting tray with a splash of the saved poaching liquor, and bake until the casing turns chestnut-gold, taut, and glossy. Baste once or twice. The smell will change from boiled pork to roasted garlic and fat, and that is when the table starts paying attention.

8. 8

   Rest and slice

   Let it rest at least 20 minutes before cutting. Slice thickly with a sharp knife, spoon over a little tray juice, and serve with pickled cucumbers, pelustka, mustard, grated horseradish, and dill. Hot is grand. Cold the next day, with rye bread and something sharp from a jar, it is dangerous in the best way.

Chef Tips

• •The butcher matters here. Ask for a cleaned pork stomach, whole, with the openings intact enough to sew. If they look confused, tell them it is for stuffing like a very large sausage casing.
• •Do not grind the fat too fine. Small cubes of firm back fat or belly give the slice its old-fashioned speckled look and keep the filling juicy.
• •The stomach cleaning is earthy, not delicate. Clean and faintly mineral is fine; sour, rotten, or slimy after washing means stop.
• •A thermometer is welcome here. Memory and safety can sit at the same table, and a dense pork filling should reach 74C in the center.
• •For a bit more old-style character, replace 300g of the shoulder with cooked tongue, heart, or cheek. For a cleaner modern version, use all shoulder and belly.
• •Boil and press it the day before, then bake it before guests arrive. The resting and chilling make the slices cleaner, and you get to be less dramatic on the day.

Advance Preparation

• •Order the cleaned pork stomach from a butcher 2 to 3 days ahead; it is rarely sitting in the display case.
• •The stomach can be cleaned and soaked the night before, then kept covered in the fridge.
• •The filled kendiukh can be simmered and pressed overnight in the fridge, then baked the next day. Add a little extra baking time if it goes into the oven cold.
• •Leftover slices keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge and are excellent fried in a dry pan until the edges crisp under your teeth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)