Hi Drew, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! These came trimmed this way, but it's fine leaving a fat cap on one side which will also help keep the meat moist and makes it a bit more like pork belly.

These were great, Marc!
#noobalert
I got 4 "jowls" from our local butcher, but they didn't look anything like that.
I trimmed a lot of solid fat from the outside, but it seems to me that I left a bunch on that is missing in your picture.

Can you talk a bit about how you trimmed the cheek?

As for the tahini, you're right it is a middle eastern in ingredient, but it's the closest thing to nerigoma you can get in the US and has a fairly similar flavor. The difference is that nerigoma is made with whole sesame seeds (including the hull), tahini is made with only the kernel inside the hull of the sesame seed. It's there to add creaminess and richness as well as a little flavor, so I would not recommend leaving it out.

One question, if you would be so kind. I had Santouka's "Miso Ramen" a few weeks ago. I assume miso is a fundamental ingredient, and yet you use tahini. Would I be off-base to use miso paste instead of tahini? I was always under the impression that tahini was a middle-eastern thing, not Japanese. Thanks again.