Hog Head Cheese

1/4 cup salt

1/2 teaspoon pink salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1” cubes

3 pounds pork feet

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 Serrano peppers, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 packet gelatin

1 bunch parsley, destemmed and chopped

Combine all of the ingredients, except the gelatin and parsley in a large container. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Place all of the ingredients, except the gelatin and parsley, in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Boil until the meat is so tender that it starts to fall apart, about 3 hours.

At this point, you want to separate the bones from the meat and seasonings. Shred the meat (you can shred it with a fork or chop it with a knife or grind it with a meat grinder or pulse a couple times in a food processor), and put it and seasonings in a bowl and refrigerate. Put the stock and bones back into the stock pot.

Boil the bones for another 3 hours. During this time, the stock will darken and thicken. By the end of the three hours, the bones will be completely separated from the soft tissues. Don’t shortcut this boil. It is during this time that gelatin is extracted from the bones, which will allow the cheese to set.

At some point while the bones are boiling, prepare the terrine or loaf pan. While it’s technically not necessary, I like to line the terrine or loaf pan with foil and then cover the foil with plastic wrap. Doing this makes it easier to remove the cheese once it has set.

Drain the stock from the bones. Discard the bones. Return the stock to the pot. Skim off as much fat as you can. It’s ok if you can’t get it all. Sprinkle the gelatin on the stock. Let it bloom for about 5 minutes. Heat the stock and bring it to a boil. Add the shredded meat and parsley, and mix well.

Pour the meat mixture into the prepared terrine. Refrigerate overnight.

After it has set, it’s easiest to slice with a serrated knife.

Notes

If you follow this recipe, you’ll get a medium spiced hog head cheese. If you want it to be milder, you can omit the cayenne and/or substitute jalapeños for Serranos. If you want it to be spicier, you can increase the cayenne or add more Serranos.

If you don’t have or don’t want to use gelatin, you can omit it. The resulting hog head cheese will be softer and a little more difficult to slice.