Pigs' Head

[Daniel]

Yes this is exactly what the French Laundry says to do.. No deviations my first time doing anything like this..

The point of hanging I assume is to have everything settle into a solid loaf and be more compact.. I am assuming all the stuff in the middle is just going to melt together into this solid creamy consistency.. The next step from here is to slice into patties and then pan fry..

Edited November 17, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Theven]

Really great work dan and copilot!

Its really starting to come together or should I say to a point where I am able to actually look at the pics

[Daniel]

The co-pilot has the Cuban Blood.. I leave all rolling to her.. She really did such an impressive job.. Yeh, I was wondering if I should have shown the pictures of the dish backwards.. Showing the finished product plated, then breaking it down until we reached the pigs head.. Perhaps that would have been easier for people to digest..

Either way, thank you.. Brudda.

[MobyP]

When you cook something like this for that long, it becomes incredibly soft. The hanging just allows it to maintain its shape, rather than sinking slightly against the plate.

I only used about a third of the stuffing that you do in the picture, and then all placed in the middle so that it would roll easily. I'm interested to see how this turns out. Good job Daniel.

[Daniel]

Moby,

Why did you use only a third of the stuffing? Decision or what? I dont know man. You got some tough competition.. She was on the Cuban Cigar Rolling Team for 6 years.. She was champ of the 13 yr old all divisionals.. I too am curious to compare our results..

I hope this works.. It seemed perfect.. But If there is something wrong, hopefully there is a way to fix it.. If not, I will learn and make it better..

Edited November 17, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Fantastic... just fantastic. You and Jason have me hankering for a trip down to Arthur Avenue to stock up. Did you get everything there (sweetbreads, etc.)?

[MobyP]

Moby,

Why did you use only a third of the stuffing? Decision or what? I dont know man. You got some tough competition.. She was on the Cuban Cigar Rolling Team for 6 years..  She was champ of the 13 yr old all divisionals.. I too am curious to compare our results..

I hope this works.. It seemed perfect.. But If there is something wrong, hopefully there is a way to fix it.. If not, I will learn and make it better..

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As I discovered with mine, there's very little that frying it in butter until nice and crispy won't fix!

As for why, I guess I was after more of a ballotine effect, rather than an involtini, which is how I think yours is going to come out. So, just an aesthetic choice, not a right or a wrong one.

Edited November 17, 2005 by MobyP (log)

[Daniel]

Fantastic... just fantastic. You and Jason have me hankering for a trip down to Arthur Avenue to stock up. Did you get everything there (sweetbreads, etc.)?

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Chris I didnt get everything there.. However I certainly could have.. THey have a really gorgeous butcher right next to the cold cut guy.. This butcher has everything from meatballs and sausages, to pig heads, sheeps heads, pig livers, and lamb brains.. As I was picking up my pig head there was this old guy buying 7 pounds of intestines.. I asked him if he was making sausages and he said no.. Interesting..

[Megan Blocker]

[As I was picking up my pig head there was this old guy buying 7 pounds of intestines.. I asked him if he was making sausages and he said no.. Interesting..

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Great job with the pig's head, Daniel - I knew you could rock it!

[Chufi]

Daniel maybe I missed it but how did this turn out? Would you do it again?

I'm also curious as to how you served it..

I was talking to my mom the other day about the food from her childhood (on a farm) and she said she could still remember the 'hoofdkaas' (headcheese) that her mother made, it was one of her favorite things.. so maybe I should do one for the Dutch cooking thread.. just kidding..

[Daniel]

Thanks Megan.. Chufi i am serving it tomorrow.. At a Pork Themed Gathering..

Here is a link to the Gathering..

Oink!

Edited November 19, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Foodie Craze]

All I can say is, I'm very impressed!

[Daniel]

Daniel maybe I missed it but how did this turn out? Would you do it again?

I'm also curious as to how you served it..

I was talking to my mom the other day about the food from her childhood (on a farm) and she said she could still remember the 'hoofdkaas' (headcheese) that her mother made, it was one of her favorite things.. so maybe I should do one for the Dutch cooking thread.. just kidding..

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Chufi, if you could get me your grandmothers recipe, I would be honored to attempt the process on the Dutch Cooking thread..

Edited November 28, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Chufi]

Daniel maybe I missed it but how did this turn out? Would you do it again?

I'm also curious as to how you served it..

I was talking to my mom the other day about the food from her childhood (on a farm) and she said she could still remember the 'hoofdkaas' (headcheese) that her mother made, it was one of her favorite things.. so maybe I should do one for the Dutch cooking thread.. just kidding..

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Chufi, if you could get me your grandmothers recipe, I would be honored to attempt the process on the Dutch Cooking thread..

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Hey Daniel are you looking for an excuse to buy another pig's head

Unfortunately my grandmother died years ago, long before I had any interest in cooking.. So I was never able to get her recipes.. I think they're all gone now.. But I'll try to find a recipe so that if you ever find a pig's head amongst the beers in your fridge again, you'll have a new recipe to try!

[MobyP]

Daniel - did you cool it in the fridge before you fried it?

Once out of the original braise, you have to rewrap it tightly in order for it to keep its shape (it loses mass in the braise), and then place it in the fridge overnight or so. Then when cold, slice - and it should give you clean rounds. This makes it easy to prep it in advance.

Next time (if there is a next time) get your butcher to take the head apart for you. It makes life easier.

[Megan Blocker]

Next time (if there is a next time) get your butcher to take the head apart for you. It makes life easier.

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Wasn't butchering it part of the quest, though?

However, I agree - you've done it once. Unless you really enjoyed the butchering part, no point in doing it over...

[Daniel]

Daniel - did you cool it in the fridge before you fried it?

Once out of the original braise, you have to rewrap it tightly in order for it to keep its shape (it loses mass in the braise), and then place it in the fridge overnight or so. Then when cold, slice - and it should give you clean rounds. This makes it easy to prep it in advance.

Next time (if there is a next time) get your butcher to take the head apart for you. It makes life easier.

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I did cool it in my fridge.. The problem was I waited three days to eat it after I rewrapped it.. It was still very good..

[Daniel]

Next time (if there is a next time) get your butcher to take the head apart for you. It makes life easier.

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Wasn't butchering it part of the quest, though?

However, I agree - you've done it once. Unless you really enjoyed the butchering part, no point in doing it over...

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Yeh.. I really enjoyed butchering the head.. I like to have all the available parts and to do it myself..But chocolate covered eyes,, i would like to here a detailed experience with this..

Edited November 28, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[racheld]

Except for "Where did the camera come from?" there's no way to tell what century, what era, what AGE in the history of mankind this story was told.

You've taken the flesh into your hands, dealt with it like generations and multitudes before you, and have taken your place in the long line of food-preparers, gleaners, hunters and gatherers.

No plated confection (though yours are beautiful), no pot with preciously-gained foodstuffs (though yours are constructed and architectured with skill), no dish of nectar or lark's tongues or ortolan puree could rival this primal, perfect picture.

I'm impressed. Again.

Well done, Kiddo.

[trillium]

I have found there are three places to get meat from the pigs head.. Spot behind the eye, the upper cheekbone and the lower cheek area..  I was told to split the head in two down the front, but I had no equipment that was capable of doing so..  In fact, I resorted to breaking some cheek and jaw bone with a hammer to get behind the eye..  The pigs head originally weighed about two pounds.. I would guess that I yielded over a pound of meat..

Just wanted to add.. I really have no clue if I did a good job or not.. I could no longer find meat on the pigs head when I was through. I would love criticism or instruction..

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Couple of things to add, especially while it's still fresh in my mind (having spent a great deal of time with a pig's head (and other parts) over the last 3 days). The other major meat spot is the very end of the snout, yes, right where the holes are. It makes sense if you've ever seen a hog in its natural environment, it uses its nose to root around. The second thing is that usually when the hog (or pig in your case, it was little) gets parted into primals, a lot of the jowl gets left on the belly piece. You might get jowls along with the head for your next adventure, if you like, make sure to clean out the glands.

Lastly, if you plan on making a habit of dealing with large pig pieces, a meat blade for your hacksaw (you do own one right?) comes in awfully convenient. Of course, unless you shell out the big bucks for a butcher's saw, you'll have to drill the blade in order to take off a few inches so it will fit in an ordinary hacksaw instead of a butcher's saw, but it is worth the effort. It makes doing a rib roast much more pleasant (where you crack the ribs at the vertebrate so carving is easier), and comes in handy for doing stuff with the head.

Here's to swine and all their lovely parts!

regards,

trillium

[Chris Hennes]

I just got word from my local pork source that if I want the head I have to come get it right after slaughter this Saturday: there is some kind of local regulation about the processor putting it in their cooler. This forces me to speed up the planning, as I thought the pig was still a couple weeks away...

My original plan was to make guanciale with the jowls and come up with something else for the rest of the head. Any thoughts as to how well head cheese would work minus the jowl? Or, any other suggestions? Or should I give up on my guanciale dreams and just make brawn? Or give up on using the rest of the head and just make guanciale? So many choices! So little time!!

[Chris Hennes]

Wow, plans changed again. Now I am not getting one head, I am getting five! They are slaughtering five pigs Saturday and appartently no one wants the heads or feet, so the guy said I could have them all for free if I wanted them. Well, what self-respecting eGullet member would say no to that? So, now I have a new problem: what the heck do I do with five pig heads? I am going to make a bunch of guanciale and brawn, but any other suggests? I've got "The Whole Beast," "Charcuterie," and "Garde Manger." Help!

[Magictofu]

Wow, plans changed again. Now I am not getting one head, I am getting five! They are slaughtering five pigs Saturday and appartently no one wants the heads or feet, so the guy said I could have them all for free if I wanted them. Well, what self-respecting eGullet member would say no to that? So, not I have a new problem: what the heck do I do with five pig heads? I am going to make a bunch of guanciale and brawn, but any other suggests? I've got "The Whole Beast," "Charcuterie," and "Garde Manger." Help!

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I can see that you are equipped with the right books!

The ears can be cooked chinese style or piled one on top of the other to create some kind of ear lasagna. I can dig up a recipe for you if you want to take that road.

Cheeks can be made into guanciale as you mentioned but you can also freeze them and braise them another day when you'll have more time.

If yo get some of the neck, this makes an excellent stew meat and can be used for sausage as well.

Brains can be cooked almost exactly the way sweetbreads are. I Never tried to do it myself though so I can't be of any help here.

For the rest, head cheese is the only thing I have in mind right now but there are many variations (try adding pickles to the mix!)

This sounds like a great activity, you can invite a few friends to help you with the processing and to help you eat the bits that you can't process easily.

Please report back to us... and good luck!

[Peter the eater]

My original plan was to make guanciale with the jowls and come up with something else for the rest of the head. Any thoughts as to how well head cheese would work minus the jowl? Or, any other suggestions? Or should I give up on my guanciale dreams and just make brawn? Or give up on using the rest of the head and just make guanciale? So many choices! So little time!!

Score!

Now that you've got five heads why not try it every which way - with notes and photos to post.

In Nova Scotia there's soused pork and soused mackerel. The latter is pickled fish but the former is, I believe, a kind of head cheese made from a pig. I'll check out my local cookbooks.

I'll have a pig's head this fall so I'll be looking on with interest. Surely you'll work in chocolate somehow?

[budrichard]

Pepin in the 'Art of Cooking' has two procedures on how to deal with a pig's head to make head cheese. I have used the recipes/procedures and they work very well.-Dick