HEADCHEESE

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:05:24 GMT

Step 1

Rinse the pork hocks under cool running water, then put them into a pot and add enough water to fully cover the pork hocks.

Step 2

Add ¼ cup of coarse pickling salt to one cup of boiling water and mix until fully dissolved.

Step 3

Pour salted water into pot with pork hocks and mix well, this will help to draw the blood out of the meat.

Step 4

Leave in the fridge overnight.

Step 5

• Remove Pork Hocks from the fridge and drain the water, rinse the pork hocks under fresh cold water.

Step 6

• Put Pork Hocks in pot, cover with fresh cold water, cut the onion in half and add to the pot with skin still on (do not remove skin)

Step 7

• Plus add any extra Onion skins to the pot. (This makes your liquid clear instead of cloudy).

Step 8

• Add 1 tablespoon of Garlic powder, Peppercorns, Bay leaf and mix well.

Step 9

• Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer until meat on pork hocks are cooked (tender when poked with a fork). This can usually take between 1 ½ - 3 hours depending on how many and, the size of the pieces you are using. Make sure you skim off the foam from the top of the water as it boils and continue to skim every ½ hour as it simmers until there is no longer any foam being formed.

Step 10

• When the Pork Hocks are cooked, remove from pot and place in a large bowl, keeping the broth, (DO NOT THROW OUT). Taste the broth and adjust seasonings in necessary.

Step 11

• Take one piece of Pork Hock at a time, shredding the meat as you pick it off the bones and skin. Put this meat into a separate glass pan or casserole dish that you will be making the headcheese in. (The meat will separate from the fat and bone easier if you removed the meat as hot as possible.) Taste the meat and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Step 12

• Or if you wish to serve it whole on a plate, place meat into a separate lightly greased round casserole dish.

Step 13

• Once you have all your meat in the pan, crush the garlic and add to the meat, mix well, then add salt and pepper to taste, if required.

Step 14

• Strain the broth in a fine strainer lined with either a cheesecloth or good quality paper towel, add enough strained broth to the meat to just cover it. Reserve ¼ cup of brine for gelatin.

Step 15

• Dissolve the 3 packages of Gelatin in ¼ cup of cool brine, add to the meat and broth mixture and again mix well.

Step 16

• Leave on the counter for 40 minutes, mixing every 10 minutes so that the meat does not all settle on the bottom.

Step 17

• After 40 minutes, put in fridge until totally cooled, remove from fridge and cover with plastic wrap. (Covering to soon will cause condensation to form on the plastic wrap). Return to fridge until fully set.

Step 18

• When ready to serve carefully skim off any existing fat from the top, cut into squares and serve with Salt, Pepper and Vinegar.

Step 19

• If flipping casserole dish - When ready to serve carefully skim off any existing fat from the top, carefully slide a sharp knife around the edges of the casserole dish to loosen Headcheese from edge of dish. Cover casserole dish with a serving plate of your choice and flip. Casserole dish should lift off Headcheese in one nice shiny piece.

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