Hogs Head Cheese Food

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.

HOG HEAD CHEESE

Steps:

• Measure water into 5-quart saucepot. Add pork meat, pig's foot, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until meat is tender and pig's foot can easily be boned. Approximately 3 cups of liquid should remain in saucepot. Add chopped onions, parsley flakes, celery flakes, chopped green onions, the remaining teaspoon of salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Cook about 3 minutes. Remove meat from liquid. Reserve liquid. Remove bones from meat. Place meat in food processor bowl. Chop well but do not puree. Mix chopped ingredients and reserved liquid. Pour into 9"x13"x2" pan. Chill thoroughly. Makes 60 servings of 2 Tablespoons each.

HEAD CHEESE (HOGS)

Steps:

• 1. After curing, place all meat loosley in steam kettle. Cover with sufficient amount of water. Place the pork skins in cooking net. Cook for approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
• 2. After cooking, remove from kettle & let cool.
• 3. Grind pork skins through 3/16" grinder plate. Grind the remaining meat through a 1 1/2" plate.
• 4. After grinding, add the other ingredients & sufficient amount of cooking stock to arrive at a finished yield of 110% - 115%.
• 5. After the product is thoroughly mixed, stuff by hand into beef bung or hog stomach casings. Place in cooler & chill for 12 hours @ 34-36°F.
• 6. If forming is done in molds,place molds in ice water for approximately 2 hours to assist in rapid chilling.
• 7. After chilling, remove from molds & place on rack, properly spaced, in 38-40° F. cooler. Chill at this temperature overnight.
• 8. Peggi's Note: We used loaf pans or cake pans to mold it. It will remove from pan easier, if you line the pan first with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

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 HEAD CHEESE

Steps:

• Clean the hog head by removing eyes, ears and brains. Saw into 4 pieces.
• Measure water into 5-quart saucepot. Add the hog head, pork meat, pig's foot, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until meat is tender and the pig's foot and head can easily be boned. Approximately 3 cups of liquid should remain in saucepot.
• Add chopped onions, parsley flakes, celery flakes, chopped green onions, and the remaining teaspoon of salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes.
• Remove the meat from the liquid (but reserve the liquid). Debone the meat. Place meat in the food processor, chop well but don't puree.
• Mix together the chopped ingredients and the reserved liquid. Pour into 9x13 pan. Chill thoroughly and serve on crackers (I like it with saltines) or with boudin. Makes 60 servings of 2 tablespoons each.

FRENCH CANADIAN HEAD CHEESE

Steps:

• Boil meat until very tender, adding water when necessary, save stock, remove meat. Allow meat to cool a bit and grind medium weight, then return to stock.
• Add onion and garlic powder to taste. Boil until thick.
• Add salt and pepper and allspice to taste.
• Pour into molds, cool and refrigerate until set, 3 to 4 hours.

UKRAINIAN HOG'S HEAD (HEAD CHEESE)

Steps:

• Have the hog's head cut into quarters by the meat dealer.
• Remove the brains, teeth, snout, and eyes, but retain the ears.
• Cut off the fattest part of the head for lard. Scrape and wash each piece thoroughly. Wash, trim, scald, and skin the tongue.
• Soak the meat in cold water to cover for 30 minutes to extract the blood.
• Drain and wash again. Cover the meat with fresh cold water; add the salt, bring to a boil, and skim. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
• Then add the remaining ingredients and continue cooking until the meat separates from the bones.
• This will take about 5 hours or longer. Be sure to simmer the meat over a LOW heat during the entire period of cooking. Rapid boiling will make the meat stock milky in color.
• Drain off the meat stock and save it.
• Remove the onion, garlic, and spices. Pick out all the bones from the meat. Cut the meat into coarse pieces.
• The stock may be flavoured with a freshly crushed clove of garlic and then strained.
• Season the stock to taste.
• If a firm jelly is desired, soften 1 tablespoon of gelatin in 1/4 cup of cold water and then stir into the hot stock.
• Put the meat into a mold and add enough strained stock to cover it. Chill thoroughly. Remove the fat from the top. Serve in slices.