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How to roll a pigs head
Pig’s head is considered a delicacy all over Europe and even America, however we Brits tend to shy away from this cheap cut as often the complexity of preparation outweighs the rewards. Tom Hunt shows us how to transform this forgotten food into a feast for thirty.
Ingredients
- 1 pig's head
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch of rosemary, picked and chopped
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tbsp of fennel seeds
- 1 carrot, roughly choped
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
- 1l chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- 250ml of white wine
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 100˚C
2
Scrub the head thoroughly with water and a brush, especially around its eyes and mouth and inside its ears making sure you remove all wax
3
Shave all the hairs from the head
4
De-bone the head starting from underneath the chin. Follow the bone structure, carefully cutting around the eyes
5
Scatter the inside of the head with garlic and rosemary and season with salt, pepper and fennel seeds
6
Roll the pig’s head up on the longest side and tie into place with butchers’ string
7
Place in a roasting tray with the vegetables, wine and stock and tightly cover with foil
8
Braise the joint in the oven for 8 hours
9
Leave to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Alternatively chill and serve later
Variations
If you are lucky enough to have a sous vide machine at home, vacuum pack the meat and cook in a sous vide bath at 85˚C for 10 hours then chill into iced water.
Serving suggestions
The dish goes well with pickled gherkins and mustard and is delicious hot or cold in sandwiches. Try slicing the pig’s head and serving with salad as Tom Kitchin does in his recipe. Alternatively, you can braise pig’s head like Matt Gilan in his recipe for Braised pig’s head with black pudding and pumpkin.
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