‘Know your food’

For months, chefs Brett Robinson and Doug Kocol begged Glenn and Amy Shinsato to let them volunteer on Shinsato Farm. "We couldn’t understand what they wanted," Glenn Shinsato recalled.

So the couple repeatedly offered a polite "we’ll talk about it later" to avoid the subject. But the requests never ceased.

"Finally, I told them to just come already," said Amy Shinsato, laughing. "I was sort of exasperated. Those two don’t give up.

"I wasn’t sure what they were expecting. Farm work is difficult at best. I wasn’t sure they’d get it."

She needn’t have worried.

Robinson and Kocol were dead serious about working with the Shinsatos. They had quit their full-time jobs and could dedicate three days a week at the Kaneohe farm where the couple raises pigs and rabbits, and runs the only on-site USDA-inspected slaughter facility on Oahu.

The chefs do anything and everything, from feeding rabbits and pulling weeds to helping with slaughter.

"Glenn and Amy are the reason we want to be on the farm," Kocol said. "They’re our focus, our mentors, our inspiration."

But the million-dollar question: Why?

The duo, who met while working together at Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar, have many goals, both long term and short term, and all center on Shinsato products. Pop-up dinners under the moniker B&D Butchery are already underway; a Shinsato Farm farmers market booth to open this summer will feature B&D dishes; and a five-year plan to open a brick-and-mortar deli is in the works.

The chefs aren’t interested in simply sourcing Shinsato meats or developing recipes and techniques. They aspire to learn every facet of what goes into creating the product at the core of their culinary dreams. The men go by the motto, "Know your food from conception to consumption."

The point, they say, is that every aspect of the farm, from animal care to slaughter, reflects the Shinsatos’ high standards.

The core, they say, is that the pigs live their entire lives on the farm. This is significant because stress affects the quality of pork meat, and travel creates stress. In contrast, "the average food item travels 5,000 miles before it’s consumed," Kocol said.

"A chef must understand that the exercise of farming is as important — or more important — than what we bring to the quality of any food we make," said Robinson, 28, a local boy raised in Kaimuki.

The chefs see their B&D products as accentuating the unique profile of Shinsato-raised pork, reflecting the characteristics of where the animals were raised.

Prosciutto de Shinsato, for instance, would be made with Shinsato pork in Kocol’s signature style; the same goes for Rosette de Shinsato, Kocol’s version of classic salami. The chef plans an extensive charcuterie lineup.

"We want to maintain the integrity of the product," Robinson said of the duo’s culinary approach, which is to highlight the inherent flavors of ingredients rather than impose flavors. "Charcuterie is one of the best techniques for this." 

This doesn’t mean the chefs lack creativity.

"I’m constantly amazed at the stuff they come up with, the combinations of unexpected flavors," Amy Shinsato said.

A few of Robinson’s creations include soursop dipping sauce, ume kochujang, and a coconut "forever" ice cream, made from coconut milk creme fraiche that’s reduced with sugar and set in the refrigerator. Its texture is like ice cream, but it doesn’t melt — a forever ice cream.

Robinson and Kocol met at Salt when Robinson was a prep cook working a solitary 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift until sous-chef Kocol arrived, also before the rest of the crew.

The hungry duo would dream up amazing lunch sandwiches as they worked. There was an oxtail French dip with grilled meatball and smoked tomato sauce, and speck (cured, smoked pork) topped with homemade tomato aioli.

"We’d say, ‘What’s the sandwich of the day?’" Kocol said. "It started tongue-in-cheek, then we thought, well, why not?"

Kocol, 29, came to Hawaii in 2010 from Littleton, Colo., to work at Roy’s. But the fit wasn’t right, and when a family illness beckoned him home five months later, he stayed in Colorado. He never thought he’d be back.

But when executive chef Jason Schoonover called from 12th Ave Grill asking Kocol to join his staff, the restaurant’s work with whole animals piqued Kocol’s interest. Learning that Shinsato Farm had its own on-site slaughter facility sealed the deal. Then, when charcutier-chef Bob McGee left Salt, Kocol moved over.

"The whole reason I came back to Hawaii was because of Shinsato Farm," he said.

The Shinsatos say the partnership gives them a refreshed perspective on what they do.

"We look at work the same way all the time, but Brett and Doug are so positive and enthusiastic, you can’t help but be enthusiastic, too," Amy Shinsato said. "It forces us to look at things differently, and that’s important or we’re going to get stale."

Just as the Shinsatos have been sharing their knowledge, the chefs hope to pass on their skills as well. One of their goals is to teach charcuterie to student chefs. As with everything else they’ve planned, this too would keep the spotlight firmly where the duo believes it should be.

A new generation of charcutier would "gain an appreciation early for Shinsato pork," Kocol said. "In 50 years we’ll still want to be using Shinsato pork."

PORK CHOPS WITH GREEN PAPAYA
Courtesy B&D Butchery

2 pork chops, 1-inch thick
2 tablespoons Tender Quick (available at Foodland Market City), dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
1 large green papaya, small dice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 bunch leafy greens of your choice

Place pork chops in resealable bag and add cold water to cover, then add Tender Quick solution. Brine at least 6 hours, though 12 is best.

Remove chops from brine and dry with towel. Refrigerate, uncovered, to air-dry.

In pot, combine green papaya, sugar, vinegar and water. Cook on medium until it becomes thick enough to coat a spoon. Cool.

In pan, heat oil on high. Season chops with salt and pepper. When wisps of smoke rise from pan, add chops and sear 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and continue to cook about 4 minutes. Flip chops and cook another 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from pan and let rest 10 minutes.

In same pan on medium, wilt greens. Divide between two dinner plates, place pork chops on greens and top with green papaya. Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional information, (not including salt to taste and 50 percent brine absorbed): 900 calories, 44 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 155 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,000 mg sodium, 74 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 60 g sugar, 55 g protein

Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.