Head of Pig
A long-awaited project is now at hand.
Several weeks ago I co-purchased an entire pig from Afton Field Farm. I’m new to pork and in my excessive curiosity I thought it best to buy in bulk, rather than piece by piece. So I called some friends and had them call their friends, and then 6 households when in on the pig. Like any good meat eater/avid hobby cook, I want to learn how to cook “head to tail.” There is a clear and steep learning curve to preparing cuts of meat that are not found in grocery store meat aisles. Most of the time, the meat left behind includes the head, feet, tail and bones of the carcass. Having the opportunity to buy a whole pig, came the opportunity to make head cheese. And so begins the journey!
I received a recipe from a friend of a friend, a guy who makes charcuterie at Paley’s Place. He provided a basic recipe that requires 3 steps. Therefore, you shall expect and I shall provide three blog entries on this process. The first step is to brine the head.
We begin with the brine.
Nowadays, many people associate brining with Thanksgiving as it has become trendy to brine the turkey before roasting. Though, let it be known, the process of brining is old and well-known among many cultures. Ostensibly, it is a means to preserve but the restaurants use the technique to add flavor and moisten the final product.
A simple brine, like the one I used includes warm water, salt and sugar. Basically, you find the ratio that works for the weight of meat in terms of water, salt and sugar. Once that’s determined, you could add many other ingredients to enhance the layers of flavor. The idea is that the salt in the water opens up the cells in the meat and allows the other flavors to be absorbed. Depending on the size of the brine (i.e. the weight of the meat,) the length of the brine will vary. In the case of the pig’s head, the brine will last about 24 hours.
A pig head in my sink.
Not being an expert on butchery or charcuterie, I was unable to cut out any unnecessary parts of the head. To be honest, I don’t know what should and what should not be included. I know the brain is not needed but when I looked at the back of the head I had no idea what was what. I decided to cut off part of the throat and throw that away. I also cut off the ears to make it fit more easily in the giant stock pot. But really, I just made the brine solution, placed the head inside the pot and covered the head with water. The result is that same strangely adorable and grotesque face looking up at me, through the lens of salty water.
The brine begins.
With the help of a neighbor we carried the covered pot outside, where it is plesantly cold. I learned that a day outside and an evening in the basment over a 24 hour period is equivalent to 48 hours in the fridge. Given that our fridge is too small for such a container, outside it goes.
Tomorrow begins step 2 in which the head is strained and a stock is created and boils for many, many hours.
Stay tuned for part 2 of “head cheese.”
Related posts:
- Chicken Stock
- Risotto is worth the effort, trust me
- If time is money, then we eat like king and queen
- Home Cooking
- Homemade candy bars (or) A drug of choice?
Tags: afton field farm, Bulk purchase, cooking, pig, Recipes