Spicy Mexican Braised Pig Snouts

NOSE to tail

i suppose you are only here if you are TRULY into nose to tail eating...OR if this purely fascinates or disgusts you.

maybe just a LOOKY-LOO ?

BUT think of it this way...

THAT WHOLE PIG GAVE UP IT'S LIFE FOR YOUR SLICE OF BACON.

we need to think out of the box...away from the "chop"

i know here in So California there isn't a lot of enthusiasm, but

i'm trying to do my part...
piece by piece

WARNING...PUT YOUR GAME FACE ON !

i'm pretty good with "odd-bits", but this was a doozy.

i hate to say it, but the pre-boil stinks.  ooo boy, it's bad.  i mean it smells like a "pig sty"

not to worry...only the pre-boil smells.  it will go away.
it's always important to do a "pre-boil".

this is a skinny-dip in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.  since these are some odd bits, maybe someone did not take care of them as they would a prized tenderloin, so you need to pre-boil to remove any impurities, contaminates and what-nots...

cover your bits with water and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes.  remove from pot and toss the water.  clean your pot and start fresh.

ALSO...if there are any hairs that might have been missed, you can shave those off with a cheap razor or singe them off, as i do, with a brulee torch.

photo before going in oven

WHAT YOU'LL NEED....
2-3 snouts
3/4-1 lb. of pork shoulder cut into large pieces
1-2 large white onion, sliced thick
8-10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 small can chipotle in adobo sauce.
approx. 2 cups of homemade stock...i used turkey/chicken
cumin, coriander, mexican oregano, chili powder, pepper corns, fresh ground pepper and salt
liberally sprinkle your seasonings all over and inside the cavity of the snout and meat....
NOTE...there are no exact measurements here, just use your judgement.
pre-boil the snouts as mentioned above.
add thick sliced onions to the bottom of dutch oven.  i always use cast iron enamel.  stuff the inside of the snout with the chunks of pork shoulder.  arrange snouts as you wish.  i did it this way so the main part of the snout would not be submerged in the stock.  stick your crushed garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and chipotle peppers and adobo sauce evenly throughout.  i used about 1/2 a can...the broth was SPICY!

put in a 320 oven for the first hour.  take it out and check it.  lower heat to 300 F for another hour.  at this point i used a baster to remove some of the stock/juices.  (save this extra broth, you might need to add some back in.)  i wanted a braise, NOT a boil.  the onions will release a lot of juice.  you want the top part of your goodies showing so they will get a nice brown, golden roasty look (as shown below).

baste a few times when you do your peeking.   ALSO, make sure there is still some liquid in the bottom.  i think for the last hour i left the lid "ajar".  put back in the oven for approximately 1 more hour, but check it again in 1/2 hour.  baste again.  they should be very fork tender, but not falling apart and disintegrating.
NOTE...if you really are interested and would like a little more info, please leave a comment with your questions.

this is what it looks like after approx.  3 hours.

straight out of the oven these are quite delicious.
IMAGINE PORK BELLY ON STEROIDS

melt in your mouth fatty gelatinous skin with a fine layer of meat  and chunks of "confit-style" pork shoulder cooked inside the fatty nose.  it's very hard to describe, but definitely a nose-to-tailers delight.

PERFECT FOR STREET TACOS...

cut into bite size pieces and sear in a hot skillet

a little chopped white onion and cilantro

a squeeze of fresh lime with some pickled jalapeno.

wrap in a fresh corn tortilla

when in DOUBT...

make a TERRINE de SNOUT

i had no idea what on earth i was gonna do with 3 huge pig snouts.  there's no way anyone in this house would join me and as you can see they do not shrink much in the cooking.  i ended up making 2 small "Terrine de Snout" (gave one away) and froze a whole snout in the spicy viscous broth for future use.  if serving cold, your terrine might need more salt.  cold terrines usually need extra flavor.  do a taste test.  remember to put the tip of the snout down first if you want the shock value presentation shown in photos.
IF YOUR GOING TO MAKE A "SNOUT TERRINE" YOU BETTER MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A SNOUT TERRINE!
keep the shoulder meat tucked into the snout cavity and press the larger pieces of extra snout in and around the main piece.  pour a little broth into the terrine and press down to eliminate overflow.  put something flat over the top and weight it down.  i use a brick covered in tinfoil and a baggie.  put this in the fridge until it is set.  serve cold in thin slices with charcuterie OR cut off what you want and sear in a pan (it will break apart, but who cares?).  add to noodles, make tacos,  add to soup, fry it up and make snout chicharones?

ANYWAY YOU TRY IT WILL DEFINITELY BE EXPERIENCE...
GO AHEAD...I DARE YA
CROSS THIS ONE OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST!

The Pig Head Experience...when OFFAL turns AWFUL

how much fun can you have with $ 3.62...???

let me explain...

i swear, i just went to the market to find some sweet basil seeds for a drink project i'm working on.  i took a left in the market and there it was...calling my name.  half a roasted pig's head with ears, nose and eyes intact.  the golden blistered skin, charred crispy ear, a whole hog jowl...it was flawless...it was right in front of me.  i couldn't pass it up.

"i'll take it, please."

"would you like that chopped up miss ?"

"NO, no...please wrap it carefully

AND don't break the ear !"

SO MUCH FUN...

ENDING WITH SO MUCH DISAPPOINTMENT.

i'll try to keep this short...

who in their right mind would come home with 1/2 a roasted pig's head ?  ME

i was a little apprehensive, but so excited and giddy to show off my new purchase.  grinning from ear to ear, i quickly unveiled it in all it's glory.  EYES POPPED, laughter aplenty, but come to think of it...there really wasn't the expected shock considering the odd purchases i usually come home with.

the niece and nephews were in town so i had to be a little cautious.  we all decided it was best to keep the two youngest out of the hilarious loop and not ruin their vision of "Babe".  not just yet.

BUT...the rest of the family?...

we were in stitches.

crispy skin pig cheek...looks delicious, right?...(read on)

i had my fun shooting the head every which way while family members stopped by in disgust, awe and amazement.  after an hour or two i had to call it quits.  even I was getting a bit...hmmm...queasy?

i quickly broke down the head with my trusty cleaver while the two little ones were at the park, removed all the edible meaty parts, packed them up and stuck them in the back of the fridge...
just wait 'til tomorrow...
i'll have my own private little pig party.

i wrapped up the bones and threw them away.

i had enough of the pig head for a day...deal with it tomorrow.

within an hour i was horrified that i could be so wasteful...roasted bones?  why not make a delicious stock?...i removed the tightly wrapped bones from the bin and set forth on a delicious porky-good stock.

5 hours of cooking, simmering and reducing with onions, celery, carrots, oregano, cumin, etc....

mmm... taste test...

IT WAS AWFUL...super bitter !

it had to go down the sink.

sad...so so sad...

i think this super charred side, the crispy ear and burnt snout were the culprit for the awful bitter stock.

this is the first stock i have ever had to toss.
SAD...so very very sad...

the next day i went straight for the crispy unctuous hog jowl.

i was so looking forward to this coveted bite.  i rewarmed and re-crisped it in the oven, watching the skin come back to "crispy perfection".  upon first slice i thought...i have to shoot this...it looks too good to be true.  after a quick impromptu photo shoot,  i settled in for the jowl feast of a life time..

  yikes!  it was like rubber.   we're talking "gummy bear" inedible!
the skin was crispy and delicious, but the meat was like a rubber tire.  it needed to be cooked for another few hours.  i ate the skin and threw the rest out.

i was sad...so very sad.

although the pig head turned out to be so disappointing, it was every bit worth the $3.62.
would i buy another?...maybe for a party and it's shock value.

next time i will cook it myself...BUCKET LIST

so there's my PIG HEAD EXPERIENCE...

and i'll wrap it up with this...

FOOD IS FUN

think outside the box...

you might not get a meal out of it, but you'll surely have an unforgettable experience.

Chicken Paws...short cut to dim sum style chicken feet

CHICKEN PAWS...aka...CHICKEN FEET

hey... WAIT !  don't go.

i needed a fix of the weird stuff.  too much pansying around with jams and pound cakes.  i start to get the itch for something out of the ordinary.

when i get the yen for something different i head to my favorite Asian market, 99 Ranch in Irvine.  let's see...live fish, fish heads, black chicken?..been there, done that!...pig's feet ?...done,  snout...done,  pig ears ?...done and done...duck tongues?.. NO,  once again i had to pass on the duck tongues...i'm still not quite ready for those yet...

 BUT i thought a good dose of chicken toes would do the trick.

and these definitely did the trick.

these are the best chicken feet i have ever tasted...

and YES....i have had quite a few in my day.
i usually cook them up for good chicken stock.  they make THE BEST GOLDEN DELICIOUS BROTH.  no one else in the family eats them, but i remember my Grandmother noshing on a foot or two in her day.

i must admit, however, that i have never seen chicken feet on a menu...i would have ordered them...hence, i have never had the privilege to eat them prepared in the proper dim sum manner.  so this is not an authentic preparation in any way, but i think it definitely has the right flavor profile and they ARE finger lickin' good.  the glaze that this creates is absolutely delicious and could be used for many other things...maybe chicken wings, spare ribs, pork tender loin, pulled pork...anything really.

above and below are a couple of bold visual examples of what you will be dealing with....
and i'll add that these were some of the prettiest chicken feet i had ever seen.
no kidding, that's why i bought them.  i found them at 99 Ranch Market...they were HUGE!, white and spotless, but beware...most chicken feet are not a pretty sight and are quite strange for a newcomer.

one of the MORE uncomfortable things you must do is cut the "talon" off.  best done with a pair of kitchen shears and done as quickly as possible so as not to dwell on the fact too long.  you can quickly lose your appetite for your new adventure at this stage of the game.

i say throw your inhibitions aside...put on your helmet, don your protective eye wear, set out the drop cloth and dive into some chicken feet dim sum.  you'll have a load of fun preparing them and you won't stop talking about it for months.  they surely make for colorful conversation...
AND you might just find out you like chicken feet...SHHHHH...

quick note about the recipe...i call this a "short-cut" because you don't need to fry the feet in hot oil as you would with authentic recipes, you don't need a wok and the ingredients are pretty simple...but it does take a few hours to cook.

DIM SUM STYLE CHICKEN PAWS
adapted from Food.com by Chef #74195

1 1/2 - 2 pounds chicken feet

2 (12oz) cans Coke

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

3 discs fresh ginger

2 star anise

3 smashed garlic cloves

2 Tsp garlic chili sauce or sambal oelek

put all ingredients, except the feet in a large bottom dutch oven.  large because you want all the feet to be in the broth.

start heat to combine flavors and dissolve sugar.

add chicken feet.

bring to a boil and turn down to a slow-low simmer for approx 2 - 3 hours.  i cooked mine for 2 hours then turned the heat off and let them sit in the covered dutch oven for another hour.  they were perfect.  check them after 1 hour and give them a delicate stir.  they are done when you can easily pull a "finger" off.
remove the feet from the pot.  strain the broth  and put back on medium heat until the liquid turns into a sauce...it will reduce and thicken into an absolutely delicious glaze sauce that you will want to use on other things as well.  i was amazed how fabulous this was.

serve in a large bowl or serving platter and drizzle glaze over all the feet.
or...just toss the feet with the sauce/glaze.
sprinkle some red pepper flakes and cilantro or chopped scallions.
have an empty bowl next to each person for the tiny little bones.

ENJOY !

Queso de Puerco...Pig's Head Cheese

QUESO de PUERCO...or...QUESOS de CABEZA
sounds a lot better than the translation...HEAD CHEESE

but wait...don't go...come back...

all this talk about nose to tail eating, waste not want not, being green and everything...you can't tell me you're gonna shy away from a little head cheese.

come on...be the adventurous foodie that you think you are...it's delicious!

i know the picture is a little alarming...

but you DO have to get over the shock factor that it IS all ingredients from a pig's head.  part by part it can be a little daunting...maybe disturbing for first timers, but nowhere near as disturbing as  tackling the whole head.
authentic Queso de Puerco is made from the WHOLE pig's head boiled and broken down...

I COULDN'T DO IT.  i'm not there yet...baby steps...besides it's a well known fact that a whole pig's head would not be allowed into this house.  i've snuck ears, tails and trotters in before, but i think the head with a face...eyes and teeth might just sign my walking papers.

SO...i had a better idea...

i simply bought all the parts.  a few ears, a couple of snouts, some trotters and a Pozole meat mixture (grab bag) which includes tongue, cheek, ears, lips, and various other bits of fatty meats that work well for this thing called head cheese.  i'll bet you didn't know that delicious authentic Pozole you love so much from your favorite Mexican restaurant actually had all those parts in it.  well, consider yourself christened.  

now come on...try the Queso de Puerco

this is nothing like the head cheese you're afraid of.  if you consider yourself an adventurous foodie this is a fabulous challenge to take "head on".

when presenting it to unsuspecting guests and those less adventurous, slip a few slices onto your next meat/charcuterie platter...call it a fancy "terrine"  or "Pate de Tete" if you have to..., but this one really is good ol' head cheese with some spicy Mexican flavors

...it will surely be the conversation at the table.

the left overs...i'm sure there will be some...make a delicious sandwich...or sear a slice or two in a hot skillet.  it renders into crispy little unctuous fatty bits that are delicious on top of a cold crisp salad.

QUESO de PUERCO...or HEAD CHEESE with Mexican flavors

things like this always change in flavors, size and shape...it depends on what parts of the pig you can get your hands on...AND are you willing to handle the said parts?... 

this is what i started with....

2-3 full pig ears

2 full trotters, sliced in half by the butcher

2 lbs. (or a little less) of Pozole mix...various pieces of pig including tongue, cheek, ear, snout, butt.

2 pig snouts...i found cooked, roasted snouts at the hot food area in my favorite Mexican market..Northgate, Santa Ana, CA

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 big Tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp cayenne, optional

8-10 peppercorns

 1 large onion, quartered

3-4 bay leaves

6 smashed garlic cloves

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

salt and fresh ground pepper

before you begin to cook, you need to take care of a couple things...

#1  you must look for any stray hairs that have made it past the first cut, so to speak.  check the ears, snout and trotters.  i find the easiest way is to burn them off with a lighter or even better, and more fun, use a kitchen torch...yes the one you use for creme brulee.

#2  i like to boil a big pot of water, big enough to hold everything and put all the meat in and boil the parts for about 5 minutes.  then remove, discard the water and clean the pot before using for the actual cooking.  this will take care of any lurking exterior impurities.

now...i could go on and on and get really involved with instructions, but really it "boils" down to this...

EVERYBODY IN THE POOL

all meats, veggies, herbs and spices into a pot big enough to hold it all.  cover with water,  water should just cover meats throughout the cooking process.

bring it to a boil, then to a nice simmer.  cook until all is fork tender.  approximately 3-4 hours.

again...trying to keep it simple...

remove meat and let cool to the touch.  remove bones, large fat and any unwanted parts...NO don't toss it all...that was a joke!

strain broth through cheesecloth.  taste broth.  it should taste quite over seasoned, so add more salt and spice if necessary.

pack meats into a large loaf pan lined with Saran wrap.  i like it well packed.  pour warm broth over and weigh some sort of lid down on top so as to press everything together packed tightly.  you will be pressing out most of the liquid so do this in the sink.  the more packed it is...the less gelatinous your block of head cheese will be.

refrigerate for a few hours.  it's ready when it is solid.

slice and enjoy with pride.

now you are a true nose to tail-er

or...snout to trotter...er

PS...if you truly want to attempt this and need more instruction, i would be more than happy to answer any questions.

here are a few other terrines i have posted about that pretty much use the same method.

once you have made one terrine you can make anything into a terrine.

Asian Pig Ear and Pork Terrine

Trotter Terrine with Roasted Chicken

Mean Green Collard Terrine

Trotter Terrrine with Roasted Chicken

not your basic head cheese, but visually something very similar.  

maybe it's just the fact that it's meat held together by gelatinous broth..or maybe it's just that i used pig parts that are out of the norm,  but this was far more palatable than the sliced head cheese you've been afraid of since childhood AND a little more pleasing than snout, tongue  and jowls...

quite tasty i must say.  of course, i did run out and buy me some REAL head cheese.  not bad, but i wanted something a little more friendly...AND i didn't want to mess with all those various head parts.  i wanted easy...i wanted to enjoy the whole thing...lord knows no one else was going to have any...

what a bunch of pansy palates!

(above is store bought head cheese...not so scary at all)

TROTTER n' ROASTED CHICKEN TERRINE

recipe?...there really isn't much of a recipe to convey, BUT here goes...

cut to the chase...you're going to make stock from the trotters.  the trotters are necessary for the stock because that is the glue or gelatin that holds the terrine together.
you may make your stock any way, flavor, you please, but this is my usual method...

...photo above is purely inserted to let you know what you will be dealing with...

GOOD BROTH FOR TERRINES AND SOUPS

you'll need 2 full TROTTERS, cut in half to make 4 pieces...they are usually sold cut in half
1 yellow or white onion
couple stocks of cut celery
couple cut up carrots
5 -6 smashed cloves of garlic
1 bigTbsp Mexican oregano
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp Mexican chili powder
1 tsp coriander
fresh pepper
salt when you're almost done reducing
water, or water and chicken stock, to cover...go ahead and use a can or 2 of chicken stock with the water if you have it...i might have used 1/2 and 1/2.
don't over fill.

bring to a boil and then to a slow simmer.  simmer for at least 3 hours.  the pig's feet skin should be falling off the bone and very fork tender.
check water level during cooking to make sure feet are still covered.
remove trotters and strain broth through very fine strainer...i suggest cheese cloth as well.  you want this broth to be very clean.  let broth cool and then refrigerate so that the fat will rise to the top for easy removal.
let your trotters cool to the touch...now you need to go through every bit and remove any small bones.
put all the trotter meat (skin) into a container with a little broth and refrigerate until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY
roasted chicken...just go out and buy one...(can you spell "COSTCO")
cut or torn into big bite size pieces...i think i used about 1/2 a chicken
remove fat from broth container while it's cold...should pop right off the top.
warm the broth until it is liquid...TASTE TEST your broth...add a little more salt and pepper.  terrines always need a little extra flavor.
warm the trotter meat to loosen it up and cut into large pieces (or small if you don't want to really see them)
lightly spray a medium glass loaf pan
add meats to the loaf pan...you can layer if you'd like, but i just put it all in evenly dispersed.  you want to get a little something in every bite...pack it quite full.
then pour in your trotter broth.
i wanted my terrine to look packed so i pressed the meat down with another loaf pan and some soup cans.  you might find that more meat will fit in.  don't press too hard or you will have an over-flowing mess on your hands, but hard enough as to close the gaps between the meats.
put in fridge to cool and completely set.  this shouldn't take long...a couple of hours.
remove from loaf pan by slipping a knife around the edges and inverting onto plate.

slice and enjoy...this will keep for at least 5-7 days.

as far as any kind of serving suggestions?...i don't really know what you would pair this with.  i gobbled it up mostly by the slice, but served along with other cut meats and or some charcuterie type faire i think would be nice.  maybe some cornichons and a little Dijon or slap it between some bread and call it a "soup sandwich"...
any way you serve it you will enjoy it with a sense of pride knowing
you tackled the TROTTER

HEAD TO TOE POZOLE ROJO

mmmmm...POZOLE

this is a rich porky-meaty stew that is hearty, savory, and playful.  i say "playful" because you're eatin' along enjoying every bite, but you don't really know what bite of the pig you are enjoying....could it be an EAR?...a SNOUT?...a CHEEK? ...the BUTT?....or is it that TROTTER that really sends it over the top?....what ever part it might be i guarantee you'll love every bite...slurp and spoonful.

as far as i can tell, authentic POZOLE is made from a whole pig's head.  it's boiled and stewed for hours, then picked apart and every edible morsel is thrown back into the broth along with a few spices, onions, chilies and hominy.  although there was a whole pig's head available at my favorite Mexican market (Northgate in Santa Ana) i had to pass.  instead i went for the Pozole blend...small ready cut parts of a pig's head...it's a blend of cuts that seemed to be calling for my attempt at Authentic Pozole. don't know what seems scarier...the whole head?... or the grab bag i went for.  i recognized the ear and the snout and i think some tongue, but the other bits i'm not so sure...i went for it anyway.  to go along with that i bought some shoulder butt and scouted out the freshest trotters i could find.  i also had a terrine in mind for trotters so i needed a few.  the terrine came out FABULOUS!...i'll post about it soon.

straight up?...don't be afraid of this soup because of it's weird bits and pieces.  you can easily substitute with good pork shoulder-butt or any cut that works well for a stew.

a while back i made a CHICKEN POZOLE VERDE.  although it turned out fabulous and so very delicious, i was ever so gently informed that it was not "real Pozole".  a few of my Latino friends kind of giggled and looked at me funny when i said i had made Pozole.   the Pozole they had grown up knowing was deep red with the whole head simmering all day.  mine was made with Chicken and it was green???...well, i had to right my wrong and go for the real thing...or as close as i could possibly get here in Newport Beach.

my version of POZOLE ROJO

1 lb. of Pozole mix of meats from a Mexican market or Carniceria aka Mexican Meat Market

(this includes all the bits and pieces from the head of a pig)

OR...if you're daring you can just go ahead and purchase 2 ears, a snout and some tongue.

1 lb. pork shoulder/butt nice and fatty cut into large cubes the same size as your Pozole mix.

what ever you buy 2 lbs should be about enough

 AND 1-2 trotters (pig feet)...they usually come split in half

NOTE...when buying pig parts you need to do 2 important things.

1st....go over every inch and make sure there are no short little hairs that were missed by the butcher.  you can sear these off with a lighter or shave them with a razor...i know it's weird, but it's gotta be done.

2nd...put all the parts in a big pot and bring to a boil.  boil for about 10-15 mins to remove any impurities that might be there.  drain pot, discard water, clean the pot and wash off the pig parts.  this is just for food safety...we're talking ears, snouts and feet here, understand?

now, everybody back in the pool.

in a large pot put all the meats, 1 large onion (quartered), 4-5 smashed garlic cloves, 2-3 halved jalapenos, a few cut up celery stalks, 1 heaping Tbsp dried Mexican oregano, 1-2bay leaves, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp Mexican chili powder.  cover with 1 box low sodium chicken broth and the rest with water.  bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer for about 3-3 1/2 hours.  check your water levels every now and then.  remove when meats are fork tender...i mean REALLY fork tender.  if using trotters they take the longest...your other meats might be done in 2 to 2 1/2 hours...poke 'em...how do you really know when an ear is done if you've never done it before?...

while this is cooking make your RED SAUCE.  this red sauce is good for everything. 

this post is getting long so here's a link to the red sauce i make all the time.

note for the red sauce...take the extra time to strain the sauce...some recipes say it's not necessary, but it's much better strained.

remove from heat and strain the broth.  cheese cloth in a strainer works well or i try to completely separate the fat.  remove your meat and let cool to the touch.  remove all bones and hard bits from the trotters.  cut everything in uniform size pieces..

everybody back in the pool....

(in the washed out stock pot)...with 1 can of good hominy...Juanita's is best 

2-3 chilies in adobo sauce (from the can) diced

optional...1 med. onion diced and sauteed

add your red sauce...should be about a cup

add broth.  i liked mine thick...you can always add more broth to thin it out

check for seasoning...might need salt

might need cumin

heat everything and gently stir a few times for about 20-25 mins.  this is one of those things that gets better as it sits and all the flavors meld together

whew!!! almost done.  garnish with any or all of these....cilantro, radish, shredded cabbage, diced jalapeno, queso fresco and chiccarones (fried pork skin) 

sorry this was long.  if you really want to make this and my instructions are to sketchy, check out these few links that i used to make my first try at "real Pozole".  i had fun making my own version and it turned out FABULOUS.  if you have any questions let me know.

http://newstaco.com/2011/01/12/chef-michael-recipe-pozole-rojo-for-a-cold-day/

http://rollybrook.com/pozole.htm

http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2007/09/pozolerojo

http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/lets-make-pozol.html