Headcheese from start to finish

[Deck78]

done good man! I am impressed. I saw some really awesome hay hooks at an antique mall the other day. they would work real good for working that piggy head

 

[WMAn]

Poser,

Do you have an electric stove top in your new place?

 

[WMAn]

I'm surprised it boiled at all. Mine won't boil or simmer a 32 quart pot.

 

[Bayou Buck]

Looks good. My cousin does it with wild boar and it's delicious. I think he may add a little pectin to it though to help it gel. No bell pepper?

 

[RUGER]

Very impressive.

I would have loved to try a slice of it.

 

[BuckWild]

I just had a slice about an hour ago. It goes good with Mexican Brew...

 

[Wobblyshot1]

Looks good Poser.

I would surely like to give that a try.

 

[diamond hunter]

You are one sick person but I love it.

 

[Hawk]

Would there be enough room for Elmer if you got a colander type pot with a handle that would fit in the big pot? I have one for my 40 qt pot and it makes little work of removing boiled whole country hams from the hot water.

 

[BuckWild]

Would there be enough room for Elmer if you got a colander type pot with a handle that would fit in the big pot? I have one for my 40 qt pot and it makes little work of removing boiled whole country hams from the hot water.

That's a good idea. I could get a 40 qt colander.

Don't know if it's a 40 qt...but I have two big inserts at the river that I know you can fit a hog head in. I'll check if I go up there this weekend.

 

[Bone Collector]

do you eat that kinda like a cold cut of sorts? looks interesting. I definitely try it.

 

[RUGER]

do you eat that kinda like a cold cut of sorts? looks interesting. I definitely try it.

Straight out of the fridge, on saltines with some pepper and hot sauce. MMMMM

 

[RUGER]

I might not can cook but I do know how to eat.

 

[BamaProud]

Very cool. What did the head weigh? Some BIAB brewers use 5gal paint strainer bags to contain 25+ grain bills to steep grain...no problems with bags breaking. That might be an option(and cheap)

 

[WMAn]

I'm bringing this one back to the top because I have the opportunity to go to a hog killing tomorrow and receive all the heads, feet and organs I want.

Poser,

What are your thoughts on using more cajun flavors? Using the holy trinity for vegetables: celery, onion, bell pepper? Adding hot peppers before in the broth? Or adding hot peppers after in the meat and gelatin?

Did you look at Ruhlman's recipe in Charcuterie?

 

[WMAn]

What about adding hot peppers? Would you add them before you cook? Or, after cooking and chop them into the meat?

Do you have a ratio you would use on the veggies? 2 parts onion, 1 part celery, 1 part bell pepper?

 

[WMAn]

I've looked, but I'm having trouble finding a good one. I can't decide how many heads to take (They are killing ten hogs). I don't have the freezer space for them, but what I don't take will get thrown away.

With the cool weather, I may take all of them, store them on my garage floor, and get an assembly line going here at home. That is get up early and head cheese, stay up late and head cheese, and work throughout the day on everything else that I need to do. If I don't use all of them, I'll just throw them away, which is what would happen to them anyway.

If I do more than one, I may try a mexican flavored one. Maybe dried peppers and cilantro in the broth.

I think the only real rules for headcheese are cooked pork chopped up and molded in gelatin. Right?

 

[DaveB]

My Dad was taken in by a family and they survived the Great Depression by making and selling headcheese door-to-door.

 

[280longshot]

Poser
You defiantly have a passion for cooking.
Looks Great....

 

[Crosshairy]

You should make head cheese out of pork and snow goose!

 

[FULLDRAWXX75]

done good man! I am impressed. I saw some really awesome hay hooks at an antique mall the other day. they would work real good for working that piggy head

Yeah, those would be perfect! I admit to not thinking through how exactly we were going to get a boiling hot, 15 lbs hogs head full submerged in 30 quarts of boiling hot stock, out of a 50 qt pot. Tongs were useless.

Might I suggest using mechanics wire and making a sling (under/around) the entire head, leave a loop at the top to be able to grab onto after it is cooked. Then just snip to wire off afterwards.

OR

Would the head fit into the strainer basket that comes with most turkey fryers? The one I have is rather large and I think it would fit.

Just some thoughts

FDXX75

 

[Deck78]

I think the only real rules for headcheese are cooked pork chopped up and molded in gelatin. Right?

Yep.

I just put 2 really tasty piglets in the barn to feed out through next winter. We have fenced off a couple of acres of forest that is loaded with nut bearing trees and these piggies are designed to grow slow on what the forest can provide. I will be in to some trades this winter so get your thinkin cap on for what you will want and what we will trade for it.

 

[TheRealSpurhunter]

Do yourself a favor and get a set of PVC food handling gloves. They are worth their weight in gold, I swear. http://store.thebbqguru.com/weborderent ... oves%20PVC

 

[TheRealSpurhunter]

I'm always intrigued by these projects, even if its just not for me.

 

[Big Pop]

I watched Meateater last night and he and another fellow made headcheese, etc. on the show from a Florida wild hog. Reminded me of your post here. Even made his own casing for sausage from the small intestines (I think...). It all looked good!

 

[Brisco Darlin]

man that looks good. my grandmaw used to make it and i love it .

 

[BigAl]

My first inclination is to ask why? But I guess I shouldn't knock it until I've tried it.

 

[BigAl]

My first inclination is to ask why? But I guess I shouldn't knock it until I've tried it.

Traditonally speaking, its about not wasting any part of the animal. You have eaten hotdogs before, right? :crazy:

Many times. And bologna and pork brains.