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Passion for Pork www.PassionforPork.com

Head Cheese

Head Cheese

Executive Chef Dana Hauser
Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Vancouver

Ingredients

  • 1 pig's head
  • Water
  • 2 pork hocks
  • 8 white onions, chopped, divided
  • 5 carrots, chopped, divided
  • 6 stalks celery, chopped, divided
  • 12 bay leaves, divided
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) black peppercorns, divided
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) fennel seed, divided
  • 5 - 6 sprigs fresh thyme, divided
  • 1 lb (454 g) pork shoulder

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place pig's head in a large stock pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then quickly turn off and drain. This step is to remove impurities.
Add 10-12 L of fresh water into the stock pot with the pig's head. Add in pork hocks and bring to a boil, before reducing to a simmer. Add in 6 onions, 4 carrots, 4 celery stalks, 8 bay leaves, and ½ of the peppercorns, fennel seed and thyme. Simmer for at least 12 hours, or until flavourful.
Meanwhile, place pork shoulder in a roasting pan and add water and remaining ingredients to cover. Roast pork for about 3 hours, or until it shreds easily with a fork. Remove from pan and let cool slightly. Gently pull meat apart into small pieces while slightly warm, or cool completely and dice.
Strain solids from stock, reserving pork hocks. Shred or dice pork hock meat and set aside. Bring the stock to a rolling boil and reduce by half, until concentrated and gelatinous. Place a ladle of stock in a soup plate and chill to check consistency. Consistency should be jelly like and hold its shape. If desired consistency is not reached reduce further or add some gelatin to achieve desired consistency. Be careful not to reduce too much as to prevent a bitter flavour. Season with salt to taste; you may also want to add other herbs and spices, such as dill, anise and/or mustard seed.
Place shredded or diced pork shoulder and pork hock meat on a tray that is at least ½-inch deep. Pour warm stock over the shredded meat. Place tray in refrigerator until stock has set. Slice and serve head cheese with pickles and toast.
Tags: Dana Hauser | head cheese | pig head | pork hock | pork shoulder |