Finally found a hogs head at Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, Ohio. It was cleaned well, hair removed, even the eyebrows & eyelashes. Froze it for the trip to Alabama. Another step in my quest to do whole hog on the big steel keg one part at a time.
On the keg with some pecan & hickory for smoke for about an hour. Drip pan with some water in it to catch those drippings for the aspic.
The only pot we had big enough was our canner. Filled with the drip pan drippings and water and lots of seasonings. A whole head of garlic, onions, celery, vinegar, nutmeg, bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, cloves, sage, rosemary, cilantro and whatever else you like. Started out on the keg but realized I wouldn’t be able to maintain a constant low boil without some tending so I moved it to the gasser side-burner.
Looks happy as a pig in a pot:
After 5-6 hours the meat is falling off the bone. Remove from pot and let cool for pulling. Discard the skin, some people use the eyeballs and ears but I discarded them. The cheek meat is really lean and flavorful.
Strain the liquid in the pot and put back on to reduce to an almost gravy consistency. This is the aspic that will hold the head together for the loaf. I put the reduced aspic in a smaller pot and put in the fridge overnight along with the meat since it was getting late. The next day I spooned and discarded the fat that congealed on top of the aspic. Here’s some of the meat, that tongue is the money-muscle of head cheese.
Heat the aspic up to liquefy. Meanwhile slice and coarsely chop the meat. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap, fill with meat and pour the aspic over it. Refrigerate for a couple of days for the flavors to mellow and meld, slice and enjoy
