To feed two.
I’ve had very positive feedback for an offal eat out date, so I’m picking May the 16th, which is a Saturday. I hope that’s far enough in the future for everyone. The place I’m looking at is the Asia Cafe in the Asia Market located on Spicewood Spring road in Austin. They have some very nice offal items, and authentic Chinese food. I’ll be sending e-mail to those have already responded with the time and such. I can’t wait!
This will be the last hogs head I buy from my local megamart. The poor thing had been hacked at, and it was missing one of its ears. Rather than let it go to waste, I forged on, determined to make it into a delicious meal to honor its life. It was brined for three days and, before it was put into my stock pot, I rinsed it off very well in the sink.
In addition to the hog head, stock vegetables were added to the pot. Carrots, leeks, celery – the usual fare. Water was added until I covered the entire head, then a splash of red wine vinegar was poured in at the end.
The nose still peeked out a little bit, but eventually the whole head sunk down as the head simmered over a few hours.
Once the cheek began pulling away from the skull, I knew the meat was properly cooked. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever had to deal with a whole boiled hogs head. Let me set the scene for you: You have a huge pot of extremely hot liquid, and you have to pull an extremely hot hunk of meat and bone out of the liquid, all the while the meat has a tendency to fall off the bone, back into the liquid, thus scalding the ever-living snot out of you. Not exactly fun.
Eventually I managed to open the hogs mouth and remove the tongue, and skinned it. The cheek meat placed back into the stock to stay warm as I peeled the tongue.
I sliced the peeled tongue and cheek each in half, and served them over mashed potatoes and some green sauce. The cheek meat was just like eating the pork belly back in January last year. Delicious fatty goodness that melts in your mouth, leaving just an amazing mouth feel coupled with wonderful pork flavors. The tongue was a much different texture, coarse and fibrous just as it looks. It was still tender and fantastic, just different. The pig truly is a magical animal.
I think making the brined pork belly is a bit easier–and less likely to scald anyone–yet still just as wonderful. But if you happen to find yourself with a whole hogs head with nothing better to do, you might consider giving this recipe a try.
One down, eighty five to go.
5 Comments to “Pig’s Cheek And Tongue”
March 16, 2009
Get another stock pot the same size or bigger, I would recomend the same quality as the one you have but if you forgo using it to cook in it can be cheap stamped metal.
Get a colander that fits inside and is supported by its handles. Put this combo in the sink or on the floor. Pour the hot stuff through the colander.
Seperation acomplished.
March 17, 2009
Such a strange dish. It looks so incomplete. Like, Hmmm…let’s boil the hell out of a hogshead and pick things off it. Kinda…well…English. Sometimes I don’t get Fergus…
March 19, 2009
TAOTP, I wish I had the room for another stock pot that big. Sadly, my kitchen area is pretty much full to the gills with pots and pans and such. Your idea makes complete sense, I’d just be worried about the cheek meat being obliterated in the process. It was so wonderfully tender!
Hank, brother-man. I’ve been searching all over flickr lately, looking for pictures people have taken of dishes at St. John. They really keep the plates super simple. No extra color, no garnishes. At times I just want to pull my hair out! Also, I’ve got to mention again how utterly AMAZING that blood sausage you made looks. Forget bells, those pictures will always kick my salivary glands into overdrive.
March 22, 2009
I am just getting in to your blog – and I am loving it, and I think a couple of my friends are flipping for it as well. Thank you for such terrific pix and also the s x sw recording. Can’t wait to listen to that while cooking dinner tomorrow. Just enjoyed a little pig interview with the guys from Animal on KCRW. I am just intrigued with cooking and this level of respect for ingredients and the challenge involved with making food brilliant. I am excited I have so many of your dishes to catch up on.
March 24, 2009
Hello gormetfiber! Thank you very much for the kind comments! I’m just happy that the good folks on the food panel at SXSW were kind enough to let me share their experience and knowledge. I hope to see more input from you. :)