It always amuses me when I see people’s reaction to my love for eating pig ears. If you’ve never tried it, don’t knock it. Many cultures in the world have had to learn to use every part of the animal to survive and as societies evolved, the desire to eat the lesser parts of the animal fell out of fashion. That’s great for me as I can pick up a half a dozen of these delectable morsels at the Asian market for less than a buck. As a kid growing up in Asia, braised pig ears are a common dish served hot or cold. When hot, the gelatinous texture and thick sauce with hints of soy and star anise pair well on steamy rice or noodles. When cold, they are a crunchy addition to salad greens tossed with a cilantro and spicy lime juice vinaigrette. When I barbeque, I like to toss these in the smoker when I cook my pork butts and briskets. After a couple of hours in the pit, I wrap them in a foil pouch with some flavorful pork au jus reserved from my prior cooks. The perfect way to eat them is to contrast the rich gelatinous flavor with some tangy pickled vegetable. They are good hot or cold and I like to take them out of the foil pouch and put them in a hamburger bun with some cucumber and onion relish. Drizzle the au jus in the foil pouch all over the sandwich and sit back and enjoy the soft meat and crunchy cartilage in the middle as you bite into it!