German Head Cheese Recipes

PORK HEAD CHEESE ('SCHWEINEKOPFSüLZE')

Steps:

• Place the carrots, celery root, leek, bouquet garni, and sachet in a large stockpot or pressure cooker. Cover with 8.5 cups (2 liters) of cold water and bring to a light simmer. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon of salt and add your pig head and knuckle to the broth. Make sure everything is submerged in the water. If not, add some additional water so that all the broth ingredients are covered.
• Cover your pot with a lid and let the broth simmer over the lowest possible heat for about 3 hours or until all the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. If using a pressure cooker, cook the broth on the high-pressure setting for 1 hour letting the pressure decrease naturally afterward.
• Remove the head and knuckle from the broth and set them aside to cool. Discard the vegetables, herbs, and spices and strain your broth through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Reduce the broth, uncovered, over high heat to about 1/3 of its original volume. You should be left with about 2.5 cups (600 mL) of broth. You can optionally refrigerate your broth and discard any fat that solidifies on the top. That way your head cheese won't have a small fat cap on top. I don't mind the fat cap and just leave the fat in the broth for a better taste.
• While the broth is reducing, slide all the meat, fat, and pork skin off the bones and cut into small pieces. Don't discard any of the skin or tendons. Everything that comes off the bones is edible and should make its way into the head cheese. Even the pig's nose and ears are perfectly edible.
• Heat your broth to just slightly below simmering. Season generously with white wine vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste. The broth will lose a lot of its flavor once it is chilled and gelatinized. You must overseason the broth. It should be slightly more intense than what you're comfortable with.
• Spoon about a tablespoon of broth on a small coffee plate and place it in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes. Check if the broth gelatinizes properly to your preferred firmness. If the broth jelly is too soft for your taste, soak 2-3 gelatine sheets in cold water for 10 minutes before stirring them into the hot but not boiling broth. Check again for gelatinization and continue adding gelatine until the meat jelly firms up to your preference.
• Add the meat, tendon, and skin pieces into your broth and stir well. Pour everything into a rectangular or round mold and place your head cheese in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to allow the broth to cool down and gelatinize. Once firm, the head cheese can be removed from the mold and sliced into serving-sized pieces. Serve chilled alongside some roasted potatoes or rustic bread.

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.

HEAD CHEESE

Steps:

• Place pork hocks, veal shank and salt in large kettle. Cover entirely with water. Bring to full boil then reduce heat to slow simmer. Cook until fork penetrates meat easily. Periodically rearrange meat so it doesn't stick to bottom of kettle. Skim off scum which forms on top of water. Keep adding boiling water to keep meat covered until done.
• When meat is done, place on large cookie sheet for cooling. Strain remaining water into another kettle to remove any small bones and other matter; set aside strained water. Place meat on tray and cool. Remove all fat and bones. Dice remaining meat, skin and soft gristle. Add diced meat to strained water. Bring to full boil and reduce to very slow simmer. Add salt to taste at this time. Periodically test mixture to see if it sets by pouring a small amount in a bowl and putting in freezer. Mixture is set when it is the consistency of jello. Add vinegar and nutmeg and remove from heat.
• Ladle into bread pans making sure to distribute meat evenly. Fill pans no more than 3/4 full. Leave at room temperature until cool then refrigerate overnight. Next day, unmold onto plastic wrap and double wrap in foil. refrigerate until ready to use. To serve, remove any fat from top of loaves and cut into chunks. Some prefer more vinegar and salt added at this time.

SOUSE - HEADCHEESE

Steps:

• Clean the pig's head thoroughly, removing tongue; split head open.
• Clean feet and hocks; place with the head in a large kettle.
• Cover with water, bring to a boil and cook until tender enough to remove bones easily
• Lift out meat and cool.
• Add onions and seasonings to broth; reduce by half.
• Strain and cool.
• Remove meat from bones and cut it into pieces.
• Skim fat from cooled broth; place in a kettle with meat and vinegar; bring to a boil.
• Turn into a mold or loaf pans and add as much of the liquid as it will hold.
• Place in refrigerator.
• When cold, this will set up firmly and may be cut into pieces for salads, sandwich meat or to fry.

HEAD CHEESE

Steps:

• Clean pork head, removing bristles, ears and eyes, jaws and bones of nose.
• Cook with hocks, tongue, heart and beef.
• Cook rinds in a sepatate container.
• When well done, remove meat from bones and grind all through a fine plate.
• Mis very well and add some salt and pepper with meat juice to make a good mix.
• Place the ground results in a cheesecloth bag and top with a heavy weight to press out the "extra" fat.
• When cold, cut in large slices, and make a mix of 2 cups of water and one cup vinegar, bring to a boil, then cool and pour over meat, letting stand in a crock pot for 5 days or until fully soaked through.
• Serve with raw onion and vinegar for dinner, or herat and serve with fried potato -- .