So, yesterday was indeed amazing….today…just plain weird! This morning I woke up and decided today I am going to study “head cheese”. Don’t ask me why, but I thought with the classes on pork, featuring the pig from snout to tail, that Jasper and I will be teaching, I should at least understand the process of making head cheese. Let’s just say I learned a little more than I wanted to know!
For instance, it is called head cheese because it is made by boiling a whole pigs head. The ears and snout contain a great deal of natural gelatin which is what holds the meat together in the head cheese, which is a type of sausage or lunchmeat. So far, not hard to understand, and the ingredients list certainly easy to obtain, other than the pig’s head. But then I needed to find out how to prepare the head for boiling. You can’t just lop it off and throw it in the pot!
You might want to sit down now, this is where the “weird” comes in….You will need a sharp pointed knife (a fishing knife works well). First remove the ears by cutting deep inside the cavity. To remove the eyes, it’s best to cut the skin around it first, then grab the skin and eye – carefully cut around and deep. Remove the brain, glands, snout, gums (OH GOD!) – as much as you can. Brush the teeth with a toothbrush. (WHAT?????) Remove the skin and excess fat. You can use the tongue – wash well, and remove the skin from the tongue after it’s cooked.
About this point I started thinking Jasper and I don’t need to include head cheese and was about to move on to Pig’s feet, called Trotters, when I see a recipe for head cheese calling for pork butt roast instead of the head. Apparently you can throw a couple of fresh pork hocks into the pot and they supply plenty of the gelatin. Thank God! Now my only problem is what to call it. If you use a head it is called head cheese…
if you use the butt?....................
I think I’m moving on to the Trotters. Do you think I’ll have to give them a pedicure first?
For instance, it is called head cheese because it is made by boiling a whole pigs head. The ears and snout contain a great deal of natural gelatin which is what holds the meat together in the head cheese, which is a type of sausage or lunchmeat. So far, not hard to understand, and the ingredients list certainly easy to obtain, other than the pig’s head. But then I needed to find out how to prepare the head for boiling. You can’t just lop it off and throw it in the pot!
You might want to sit down now, this is where the “weird” comes in….You will need a sharp pointed knife (a fishing knife works well). First remove the ears by cutting deep inside the cavity. To remove the eyes, it’s best to cut the skin around it first, then grab the skin and eye – carefully cut around and deep. Remove the brain, glands, snout, gums (OH GOD!) – as much as you can. Brush the teeth with a toothbrush. (WHAT?????) Remove the skin and excess fat. You can use the tongue – wash well, and remove the skin from the tongue after it’s cooked.
About this point I started thinking Jasper and I don’t need to include head cheese and was about to move on to Pig’s feet, called Trotters, when I see a recipe for head cheese calling for pork butt roast instead of the head. Apparently you can throw a couple of fresh pork hocks into the pot and they supply plenty of the gelatin. Thank God! Now my only problem is what to call it. If you use a head it is called head cheese…
if you use the butt?....................
I think I’m moving on to the Trotters. Do you think I’ll have to give them a pedicure first?
