These slices are made for the Japanese dish called Shabu-Shabu. Shabu-shabu is a Japanese hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces.
300g of extremely thin (1mm / 3/64″) slices of pork from the shoulder roast. One of the most flavorful cuts of pork. Abundantly marbled and rich in flavor - hands down - this quality of meat is something you won't even find at a top-end Shabu Shabu restaurant in Japan. Not only is this the best of the best, but pork from the El Paso Ranch is also all-year free-roaming, free of antibiotics and growth-promoting hormones. This greatly improves the texture and the aroma of the pork meat. A difference you will see, smell and taste. So much that we strongly advise tasting the pork without sauces first to appreciate the quality.
To make it easy on you every slice is separated by a sheet as seen in the image. Usually, one person consumes 150g to 200g. For a family of 3, two packs are sufficient. We are also offering slices from the ribeye of pork. Give them both a try and decide who wins. The slices featured in the video below are both the ribeye and the shoulder slices.
100% real free-range and naturally raised pork from Hokkaido, Japan, probably the only place in Japan that has space for free-roaming animals. Happy as a pig in mud. Bathing in the nearby river during summer and playing around on the snowfields in winter - that's the happy life of the pigs on the family-owned El Paso Ranch in Hokkaido that are raised completely free-range in the Tokachi area. And when we say free range we mean the real deal free-range. Spring, summer, autumn and winter - 24 hours, all year free-roaming on 30 hectares (75 acres) of land. Read more about the farm below.
Free-range pork, in this case, pastured pork tastes different because it is different! The pigs are able to exercise freely and build natural muscles without the aid of growth promoters. They get to wander and forage with the herd and interact and do not suffer the same stress as intensively farmed pigs. Give it a try and taste the difference! Raising pigs free-range on open pastures is an extremely cost-intensive operation that makes free-range pork more expensive compared to conventional pork products.
| Contents | 1 pack |
| Weight | 300g (10oz.) |
| Serves | Serves 1-2 |
| Shipping | Shipping and delivery is frozen |
| Handling | Keep frozen below -18°C (0°F) |
| Defrosting Time | In the fridge: approx. 12h In ice-water: approx. 30 min. |
| Cooking Method | Shabu Shabu (Japanese hotpot) |
| Expiration | Frozen: see packaging label (usually more than 3 months) Chilled: Please consume unopened pack within 2 days. |
| Also known as | Pork Shoulder, Pork Slices, Shabu-Shabu, Nabe, Nabemono, Shabushabu |
| Ingredients | Pork |
| Country of Origin | Hokkaido, Japan |
| Cut from | Shoulder |
| Packaging | Vacuum packed, each slice is separated by sheets |
Happy as a pig in mud. Bathing in the nearby river during summer and playing around on the snowfields in winter - that's the happy life of the pigs on the family-owned El Paso Ranch in Hokkaido that are raised completely free-range in the Tokachi area. And when we say free range we mean the real deal free-range. Spring, summer, autumn and winter - 24 hours, all year free-roaming on 30 hectares (75 acres) of land. The pigs are a slow and naturally grown British Camborough breed. They are fed a large variety of feed mixes that contain all kinds of grains, corn, soybeans, and other vegetables and farm produce (pigs can’t survive only on grass, so there won't be grass-fed pork any time soon). Newborn stay in a shelter together with their mother until they learn how to take care of themselves. No tail clipping of piglets, no gestation crates for sows. No factory farming. They receive all the respect, love and care. See for yourself, all images and videos are real.
| Pork Breed | Camborough Pork |
| Farm/Ranch | El Paso Rancho |
| Region | Tokaichi, Hokkaido, Japan |
| Breeding | All year 100% free-range pasture-raised |
| Feeding | A large variety of grains and protein sources (wheat, whey, corn, soybeans, vegetables). |
| Raised by | Hirabayashi family and staff |
| Farming Experience | Since 2005 |
| Traceability | 100% fully traceable from farm to fork |
| Hormones | Never |
| Subtherapeutic Antibiotics Use | Never |
We recommend defrosting the packs shortly before serving. Defrosting the thin slices over a long period of time, for example, more than 24h will make the pork fat too soft to handle.
Each slice is separated by a sheet. This way you can easily separate the thin slices.
There are two ways to do this. The informal way: you serve the pack as is on the table and each person takes a sheet and separates the pork slices themselves.
Or the more formal way: you separate all slices ahead and place them on a plate for your guests to take.
For a real Shabu Shabu experience, you will need a hot pot and a portable gas burner or hot plate for indoor use - a very common appliance in Japan. Once the water has reached boiling point reduce it to a simmer for cooking. Then add the vegetables. For high-quality meat, the broth for Shabu Shabu should be water and just a kombu seaweed. The meat and vegetables are dipped in sauce before eating.
Next, cook the pork, swishing the pieces lightly through the broth or submerging them briefly. Cook only one slice at a time, rather than trying to cook everything at once.
Shabu Shabu should be enjoyed slowly like fondue, with the ingredients cooked over the course of the meal. Take the slice out of the broth once cooked - no worries if you eat slightly undercooked pork.
Submerge the slice in your own small bowl of favorite sauce. The most popular sauces are Ponzu (a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine) and sesame sauce. Enjoy five-star quality Shabu Shabu at home with the whole family.
