Hog Head Cheese Souse Down Home Food

HOG HEAD SOUSE

Steps:

• Split hog head. Clean thoroughly, removing eyes and brains. Scald. Scrape clean.
• Place hog head, feet and ears in large stockpot. Simmer about 4 hours or until tender.
• Remove meat from bone. Place meat in large bowl. Mash. Drain off any fat. Add vinegar, peppers, salt and sage. Stir to combine. Transfer to bowl or dish. Refrigerate 24 hours. Slice. Serve with crackers.

HOME MADE SOUSE

Steps:

• Place tongues, pig's ears, pig's feet, and onions in a large stock pot; add water to cover. Season with salt, pepper, whole peppercorns, sage, cloves, bay leaves, pickling spice, garlic powder and vinegar. Bring to a boil, and cook until meat is cooked, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove meat; set aside to cool. Strain broth, and measure 8 cups into another pot. Return broth to stove, and let simmer.
• Peel skin from ears, leaving the ear as intact as possible. Place the ears aside. Remove gristle and fat from pig's feet, and combine with ear trimmings. Cut off large portion of tongue and set aside. Trim loose meat from remainder of tongue, and combine with other trimmings. Put trimmings through a coarse meat grinder, then stir into broth; continue to simmer.
• Slice tongues into thin strips, and place lengthwise into 2 glass loaf pans, 9x5x3 inches. Slice ears into thin strips, then cut the strips into 1/2 inch pieces. Arrange the ear pieces among the tongue strips. Divide the pimiento and pepperoncini between the two molds. Sprinkle with pickle relish.
• Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup water. Stir into the simmering broth. Carefully ladle enough broth into each mold to completely cover the meat. Prod with a fork to uniformly distribute. Let stand 15 minutes, then cover with remaining broth. Allow to cool at room temperature, until they begin to jell, 2 to 3 hours. Refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours.
• When cool, run a thin knife around the sides of the mold to release the souse. Remove any fat that has accumulated on the surface.

HOG HEAD CHEESE - SOUSE - DOWN HOME RECIPE

Steps:

• Using a large stock pot; place tongues, pig's ears, pig's feet, chopped onions and cover with water.
• Add salt, pepper, peppercorns, sage, cloves, bay leaves, pickling spice, garlic powder and vinegar.
• Bring to a boil. Cook 2 1/2 hours until meat is cooked.
• Remove meat from the pot and set aside.
• Strain the broth. Measure 8 cups into another pot. Return broth to stove, and let simmer.
• Peel skin from ears, leaving the ear as intact as possible. Place the ears aside.
• Remove gristle and fat from pig's feet, and combine with ear trimmings.
• Cut off a large portion of tongue and set aside. Trim loose meat from remainder of tongue, and combine with other trimmings.
• Put trimmings through a coarse meat grinder, then stir into broth; continue to simmer.
• Slice tongues into thin strips, and place lengthwise into 2 glass loaf pans, 9x5x3 inches.
• Slice ears into thin strips, then cut the strips into 1/2 inch pieces. Arrange the ear pieces among the tongue strips.
• Chop and divide the pepperoncini between the two molds. Sprinkle with pickle relish.
• Option: You can also add chopped Piemiento if you want to.
• Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup water and stir into the simmering broth.
• Carefully ladle enough broth into each mold to completely cover the meat.
• Mix well. Let stand 15 minutes.
• Cover with remaining broth and allow to cool at room temperature for 2-3 hours until it starts to jell.
• Refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours.
• When set, remove any fat from the surface.
• Run a thin knife around the sides of the mold to release the Hog Head Cheese. Enjoy!!
• Yield 2 loaves

HOG'S HEAD CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 4 quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork roast, and brown on all sides. Reduce heat to medium, and add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Season with garlic, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Pour in 3 cups of water or pork stock, and bring to a boil.
• Cover, and simmer over medium heat for 2 hours, stirring vigorously every 15 minutes. When the pork is ready, it should be completely shredded and reduced to a stringy consistency.
• Dissolve the gelatin in 1 cup of boiling water, then stir into the pork mixture very well. Pour into a mold or casserole dish, and chill until set, about 8 hours.
• To unmold, dip the bottom of the mold in hot tap water for about 1 minute, then invert onto a serving tray. Serve with your favorite crackers.