Kevin Gillespie's Second Cookbook Is a Celebration of Pork

Top Chef alum and Gunshow chef/owner Kevin Gillespie will release his second cookbook, Pure Pork Awesomeness, on March 31, 2015. As one might imagine, the compilation of recipes is dedicated solely to pork, Gillespie's favorite protein.

"This cookbook is the culmination of my passion for pork and an exciting opportunity to share all I've learned about it over the course of my career," Gillespie said in the announcement. "Everyone who knows me knows I am crazy about pork. To be able to put it all down on paper was really important to me. I'm really proud of it, and I hope it'll inspire people to try new things with pork."

The book offers a wide range of recipes covering every cut of the pig, including Coca-Cola-glazed pork shoulder, sour-orange carnitas, slow-cooked pork barbacoa, "A Really Good Cuban sandwich," cottage bacon croque monsieur, and grilled-pork banh mi. In addition to the kitchen instructions, Gillespie explains what to look for in quality pork:

A pork loin from a heritage breed of pastured pork looks quite different. You'll notice the color right away. It will be darker pink-closer to red. That's because it has more hemoglobin, a red protein that increases as a muscle is worked. That darker red color is what translates to better flavor in pastured pork. The more the pigs roam, the more their muscles are worked, and the redder, denser and more flavorful the meat gets.

The forthcoming cookbook follows Gillespie's debut, Fire in My Belly, which was published in 2012.