Experiment 10: Pork Terrine - The Great Head Cheese Experiment.. (11.19.11)

There is some (slightly) graphic shit here. Don't click it if you don't like looking at severed animal heads.




Ok, so I won't lie - this ranks as *THE* strangest thing I've done in my kitchen yet. (washing a baby in the sink isn't that unusual.)

This started out as a fancy, a never to be achieved gustatory experience that would elude me forever. A fancy that has persisted since I was a kiddo - my mother had acquired a cookbook that (to my impressionable age of twelve) was filled with seemingly ancient and fascinating recipes.

The one that stood out the most - and always has was one for a delicacy that when contemplated, or it's mere name is even mentioned, those who know (and those who do not) cringe in a shudder, their faces etched with revulsion and horror.

What did you make Ness? Fucking tell me already.

Well, ok. I made a head cheese.

This was a battle to get to into motion. The Hubbasaur has a strong disinclination for my curiosity involving weird shit like eye balls, brains, ears and other so called treats - and the thought of his wife boiling an animals head in the kitchen was a repulsive thought.

(it took me about three weeks to get him to stop tripping balls about this). This is one of those experiments I wouldn't ask him to help in (save at one part of the cooking process, but more on that later.) namely out of respect for his (very) obvious dislike in the whole to-do.

The process started simply:
Make a head cheese.
1. Research (I love you, wikipedia/google.).
2. Find pricing of hog heads.
3. Acquire hog head.
4. Cook, dismember.
5. Gaze in awe at magical creation.
6. ---> head cheese success!

(not even this simple.)

There isn't a very large call for hogs heads, I have learned.  They are 'cheap' if you call around, though my usual places to find good cuts of meats and sea foods (local carnicerias, asian markets) turned out to be expensive.  Then a buddy of mine in the office mentioned an interesting place called the The Meat House.
I called and their prices were much more agreeable. (2.00 a pound instead of 2.39-3.15 a pound). Excited, I placed my order.

I was told it would be a five pound head, not a bad size. When I called to verify my order had arrived (these are, as I said, not a common request), I was told yes, my head was in! But it was larger then previously promised. (by like ten pounds. yes, TEN.)

Goodness, a fifteen pound animal head? what the shit was I going to do with THAT much head in my kitchen. (it's ok - I giggle at this too.)

Well, I'd ordered it, and it arrived, so I couldn't go back on the order. So Saturday, the 19th, we loaded the sprat up in the car, and down we went. Head hunting.
(lolololo)

I must tell you - I am a cheap ass, with an unfortunate (as you know) fascination for weird edibles. Television and reading corrupts you so much when you have an adventurous streak as far as eating.

So we went in this place - I was initially hit with a "We are way too expensive for your cheap ass" feel.  I was at first balky at this notion. But I opted to look around, the meat counter was pretty busy, so we scoped out other things.
First thing I saw - goat.
GOAT. SO FUCKING GOOD.

and venison burgers.

An obscene oil and vinegar selection (by obscene I mean sexy), and scores of spices at stupidly decent prices for the amounts you get. So.. color me excited. I make my way to the now calmer counter, and take a peek at the offerings. So many cheeses >.> I could have had a cheese gasm - no lie. But I am not here for cheese.
( :( )
I notice a lot of fancy things. Wagyu beef, aged T-Bone steak (omfg.) and other savory treats.  (these things are way our of my league, I won't allow myself near them to cook - those are too nice (and pricey) a cut for me to fuck up.

Noting people are still busy, Hubbasaur, Kiddo and I make our way to the selections of beers. While not there for beer, it dosn't hurt to look. Some lady notes us looking around and asks us if we need help.
"Why yes," I reply, "I'm here for a hog head."

"Oh - YOU.. ordered.. that?"

Well yeah, I didn't stutter.

(I mean really.)

I answer in the affirmative and she darts away to the another person, whom looks over and looks /excited/ O_o ..

This is where it got pretty fun. We exchanged some amusing words, and he brings out one of the heads (they come three to a box)  - since it was bigger then expected, the stock pot I borrowed for this (thanks dad!) may not be up to the task. So here I am.

Suddenly face to face with a once animals head, it's face partially divested of it's skin. Half hidden behind the counter - "so I don't scare your child" he says. I give my assent that it's of the right size - and he goes to cut it in half. Another patron of the place inquires what I'll be doing. He seems excited "The head is so favored and loved in other countries - it's good to see others in the states are willing to try it!"

Another employee asks me what am I doing with the head, and all but begs me to bring him a taste when it's done. (I did!)

The fella with my hog head comes back - he's still oozing with excitement, explaining they can get nearly any meat you could desire, and that they have a whole sheep (!!!) as well as a goat in the back broken down and ready to sell. I was pretty happy - you can tell when people enjoy their work, this fella clearly did!

So we get this beastly thing in the jeep, and take it home. Hubbsaur refused to touch it, though he did take a peek.

I will now post the adventures of : Head Cheese, an epic adventure.

This is the /weirdest/ shit to ever grace my kitchen.

I didn't name the head - kind of out of respect for the fact it was a living creature once. (I didnt keep the skull for that reason also, it seemed rude in the end, as neat as it sounded.) This was basically doing without a real recipe to go by, just based this off a generalization of what I've read from the research I had done.

But, because people might be curious - here is what I ended up using:

An onion, halved and quartered.
Sage, basil, garlic, some red pepper, bay leaves, fennel, thyme, salt, pepper, parsley.
Boil until head pulls apart easily.
Set head aside to cool.
Allow stock to boil further and reduce.
Pick head clean of edible meats and organs. Add in more seasonings as you see fit.
Wash hands; use a terrine ceramic or line your handy 9 x 5 baking pans with saran wrap and pack with meat.
Ladle in (carefully) the stock left over from this madness.
Allow to cool, wrap saran wrap over the lot.
Put in the fridge, allow to set.
Next morning:
Pull out, unwrap, put on a plate. Cut into slices.
la. <3

I cannot deny I had fun trying to take pictures of this.

Yeah, those are disposable razors. 

Because hog's don't have hair - they have BRISTLES. I don't want to eat that, so you must shave it's face.

A fucking science lesson too - I had too much fun.

Like I said - you have to shave it.

The tongue (that gray-pink thing towards the left), the palate (roof of the mouth), and some teeth.)

it /barely/, just barely didn't fit.

maybe two hours after the plunge.

It looks like a sick murder scene.

I kid you /not/ - this was some of the BEST pork I ever had. EVER.

eh - just seemed interesting..

and suddenly, a bowl of pork.

I took no pictures and had none taken of me picking meat and fat/skin and organs from the head. Hubbasaur wanted nothing to do with it, and I didn't really feel it was necessary.

This became quite the puzzle.

So here's the thing. This stuff - the stock. It has USES.. the initial use, is to be used to help set the terrine. Gelatin from the skull solidifies after it cool. This is quite the conundrum at first. You sit with a stock pot full of this flavorful, potentially useful stuff that you are (well I was) loathe to waste.

I ended up trying this out in stuffing (the bread in a box shit), with cream of mushroom soup with a chicken boob placed on top and baked the lot in the oven. Worked great. (in case you were curious.)

Remains.

Into the pans!

I ended up with quite a bit of stock left.

I was pretty damn excited.

The final result!

Ending thoughts:

This is a definite lesson in learning to overcome ingrained social wariness of food. (ie; to stop being a little picky bitch) When I cooked this head, and reached such organs as the brain and eyes when I picked it clean, I /had/ to try it. HAD.. to try them. I better understand why people freak out - and why they are called texture foods. Brains and eyes taste only like the animal from whence they are derived from and the spices cooked in, but the texture makes you freak out for a moment.
(if you must know, the brain has a creamy mouth feel, with a clear feeling of wrongness, and the eye a squishy, jellied feel.)

The congealed fats and gelatin (derived from boiling the skull and reducing the stock) are another texture hurdle - but they lend a creamy feeling along with the slightly scary jelly feeling.

Seasoning; after trying this myself, and having two mates at work try this (special thanks to Chris and Mark for not being whiners), it was found to be quite bland yet rich all the same. The meat itself was rich. I usually have a very have hand when I spice things; but with new recipes, I try to hold back. Next time (oh yes,l there will be.) I do this, I will spice it with a more liberal hand.

This is so good with mustard on a sandwhich.  My family (whom I made this for as I were to be a guest at their home for this thanksgiving holiday) didn't care for it too much (expected, and not minded!)

Ultimately - this was a great experiment, and I look forward to repeating this again.

-Ness. :D