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Pig Face

liuzhou

By liuzhou
in China: Cooking & Baking

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted

I have received a wonderful gift from a lovely friend.

 

ph3.jpg

 

A whole home cured, dried pig face. I call her Cameron.

 

This will be used slowly over the winter. I'm dribbling thinking about the ears stir-fried with chilies Hunan style. The cheeks! The snout!  I'm ecstatic. 

 

ph1.jpg

Snout

 

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I'm watching!

 

I'll follow up with with how I use it, but for the moment I'm just content watching her watching me as she hangs in the wind on my balcony. It's love!

  • Like 10

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted

Wow! Does she have any odor? What can you tell us about how she was cured? How big is she?

  • Like 1

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Wow! Does she have any odor? What can you tell us about how she was cured? How big is she?

 

Yes, she has a body odor problem. But I love her, anyway, 

 

I'm not sure of the curing process and the friend who gave me the gift gets a bit coy when questioned. She has certainly been brined along with, I would say from her fragrance (sounds better), at least cassia bark and star anise* - probably some Chinese rice wine and soy sauce, too.

 

The scent (that sounds even better) is slightly smoky. I believe she has been lightly smoked, too.

 

Size wise. from tip of ears to snout  is 17 inches and, coincidentally, at her widest (measuring through the eye sockets) is also 17 inches. What a square!

 

It is somewhat ungentlemanly of me to mention a lady's weight on a public forum, but according to my bathroom scales she is just over 2 kilograms.

 

*85% of the world's star anise is grown right outside my window! Well, here in Guangxi, anyway.

  • Like 7

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Arey

Arey

Posted
Posted

It's making me hungry for scrapple, which is what Ms. Cameron might have ended up as were she Penna. Dutch rather than Chinese.

  • Like 2

"A fool", he said, "would have swallowed it". Samuel Johnson

Deryn

Deryn

Posted
Posted

I think Cameron is adorable. I am not sure how you can bear to devour her, bit by bit. I would probably just encase her in plexiglass (to contain her scent) and hang her on the wall if I were her 'owner'. :)

  • Like 2
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I think Cameron is adorable. I am not sure how you can bear to devour her, bit by bit. I would probably just encase her in plexiglass (to contain her scent) and hang her on the wall if I were her 'owner'. :)

The thought did cross my mind. However, I can be quite unsentimental where my dinner is concerned! She is for the chop!

  • Like 3

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

Can you take a photo of the other side?

 

You want to see my girl's backside?

 

Sure thing. I'm not the jealous type.

 

Here's three.

 

ph4.jpg

 

ph5.jpg

 

ph6.jpg

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 5

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

So I admit to being drawn to your lady friend and rather repulsed at same time. I bet she is delicious and certainly one should eat as much of an animal as possible if one is going to kill it anyway. Still the idea of eating a face... And a face that's just unmistakably a face gives me pause. Bet if I could get a whiff of her perfume I could get over my queasiness. I am anxious to see how you use the various parts and I may in time become a convert to face-eating.

I must say I am awfully glad that you shared this with us. It is not something that I am likely to see in my local supermarket which seems to carry less and less of the "offal" parts of any animal.

  • Like 5

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

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Shelby

Shelby

Posted
Posted

I keep staring at Cameron.  Wondering how she got her name.......  Then my mind goes to a darker place.  Instead of Pig Face, I think of Bloody Face (I'm a huge American Horror Story fan.  Bloody Face was a character in season 2).

 

I can't wait to see pictures of what you make.  Will you start with the ears or go straight for the nose? Or perhaps you'll feel cheeky........

  • Like 4

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I keep staring at Cameron.  Wondering how she got her name.......  Then my mind goes to a darker place.  Instead of Pig Face, I think of Bloody Face (I'm a huge American Horror Story fan.  Bloody Face was a character in season 2).

 

I can't wait to see pictures of what you make.  Will you start with the ears or go straight for the nose? Or perhaps you'll feel cheeky........

 

I'm probably going to be cheeky. Although I do like both ears and snout.

 

As, for the name, you'd have to be cognisant of recent British political scandal. Delicacy prevents me from elaborating.

  • Like 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

KennethT

KennethT

Posted
Posted

Aside from the ears and snout (which presumably still have the cartilage in it), would you say that the texture from the rest of the face is roughly the same - i.e., skin and a little bit of meat on the back?

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

Aside from the ears and snout (which presumably still have the cartilage in it), would you say that the texture from the rest of the face is roughly the same - i.e., skin and a little bit of meat on the back?

 

Well, I haven't eaten her yet, but generally speaking, yes. I have eaten similar ladies in the past, which is why I am particularly looking forward to the cheek meat. I remember it fondly. To my mind, it has more flavour.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

how much cheek meat is there ?  is the 'mask' more or less the head-skin and most of the meat under it ?

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

how much cheek meat is there ?  is the 'mask' more or less the head-skin and most of the meat under it ?

You just articulated what I could not. It too closely resembles Tutenkamen's death mask to feel entirely comfortable as a source of food. Still I am anxious to see it appear in a dish or three.

  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

how much cheek meat is there ?  is the 'mask' more or less the head-skin and most of the meat under it ?

 

 

You just articulated what I could not. It too closely resembles Tutenkamen's death mask to feel entirely comfortable as a source of food. Still I am anxious to see it appear in a dish or three.

 

Until I separate the meat from the skin (which I won't be doing), I can't give precise amounts. Please remember that the skin is edible and in Chinese cuisine/culture somewhat desirable. Thinking about her in American terms, in which skin is usually (not always) discarded, doesn't relate.

 

There is a fair amount of 'meat' on her.

 

I will, as I already said before, post all and any meals I make from her. When the time comes. These heads are traditionally cured and dried to get us through the winter. It is still 24ºC / 75ºF here. Not time to use her just yet.

  • Like 4

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Naftal

Naftal

Posted
Posted

I am curious-

    How would this work in a family?

    Is it one face per person for the winter?

"As life's pleasures go, food is second only to sex.Except for salami and eggs...Now that's better than sex, but only if the salami is thickly sliced"--Alan King (1927-2004)

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

Until I separate the meat from the skin (which I won't be doing), I can't give precise amounts. Please remember that the skin is edible and in Chinese cuisine/culture somewhat desirable. Thinking about her in American terms, in which skin is usually (not always) discarded, doesn't relate.

 

There is a fair amount of 'meat' on her.

 

I will, as I already said before, post all and any meals I make from her. When the time comes. These heads are traditionally cured and dried to get us through the winter. It is still 24ºC / 75ºF here. Not time to use her just yet.

I have absolutely no objection to pork skin. A pork roast without skin that turns into crackling is not even worth bothering with. Apparently most of our pork is grown without skin these days! About the only time I see skin still on the pork is when they are selling whole legs or whole shoulders (a little too much meat for me). Occasionally you can buy pork skin that is not attached to a pork roast and I have done that just to have some crackling. But a smoked face……

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Beebs

Beebs

Posted
Posted

I've seen flattened pig faces here, but nothing quite like your friend there.... There's something very "Silence of the Lambs" about it (Silence of the Pigs??).

 

How would you prep it for eating? Can you just dive in and eat it as is? Do you have to soak it first? Can you deep-fry it? Is it soft or leathery? How does it compare to say, the crackling on siu yook (roasted pork)?  Will I stop with these questions already?

 

I don't know how I'd feel eating something like your friend, but I think intense curiosity would win out in the end.

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

The idea of eating a face is a bit disconcerting but so far, the pictures look more like a shoe or a purse than a living face. Doesn't make it more appetizing, but not so disturbing.

I do look forward to learning about its preparation and consumption in future posts.

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I am curious-

    How would this work in a family?

    Is it one face per person for the winter?

 

It would be reasonable to assume that one face per family would work.

 

As I'm sure you know, traditional Chinese family cooking is very vegetable centred with meat playing a secondary role, so a little meat goes a long way.

 

(Also, here in the south of China, the winters are relatively short.)

 

 

 

How would you prep it for eating? Can you just dive in and eat it as is? Do you have to soak it first? Can you deep-fry it? Is it soft or leathery? How does it compare to say, the crackling on siu yook (roasted pork)?  Will I stop with these questions already?

 

 

At she comes, the skin is leathery. You couldn't eat it as is. It is normally steamed for a while to soften it up / rehydrate it, then it is stir fried along with vegetables (often preserved veg in winter), chillies, etc. I suppose you could deep fry it, but that is not a traditional Chinese technique

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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