Whole Hog Head Results (and Pics)

yzzi

My wife will be out of town in a couple weeks. I have phone calls to make now :-)

Hopefully I won't scare my two little kids from eating pork ever again.

Griffin

That is awesome. I would love to try and do one if I could find a head. I remember growing up they always had cow's heads at the store, what they traditionally made barbacoa and other items with, but since mad cow's disease you can get it anymore. Jus tthe cheeks. Wonder what my wife will think of this idea?

Griffin

Oh, and thanks for providing info on how much meat it yielded. That was my question while reading through the thread.

bclarksicle

TexanOfTheNorth said:

@bclarksicle... I dropped by a local butcher shop yesterday to ask about getting a hog's head. He's checking with his pork supplier and is going to let me know. He asked about the brain so, I'm asking you... was the brain in the head you did. If so, did you eat it?

No brain, but i would've tried it if it was there

yzzi

First phone call and found a place that carries them for $1.99/pound. Also carries cow and sheep heads too. Thanks for posting this, now I can't wait to give this a shot!

500

When I saw this post, I thought of a menu item at a great restaurant, The Magpie, where my wife and I ate.  It was a Crispy Pig Head Torchon, essentially a crispy croquette made from the head meat.  We were hesitant to order it, because of the name, but it was amazing.  I'd do this cook just to make Torchon.  I found the technique here, that you could modify for the Egg.  Wonderful cook. 

gdenby

bclarksicle said:

@bclarksicle... I dropped by a local butcher shop yesterday to ask about getting a hog's head. He's checking with his pork supplier and is going to let me know. He asked about the brain so, I'm asking you... was the brain in the head you did. If so, did you eat it?

No brain, but i would've tried it if it was there

The brain was in the 1 I bought, as were the eyes. My wife did ask me to not cook the eyes. From what I understand, they can be kind of tough, so little loss there. I was in enough of a feeding frenzy as I cut up the meat that the notion I would pause long enough to get out a saw to get at the brain was not conceivable.

Some one, perhaps on the other forum, mentioned they did eat the brain. Said it was not particularly good. Battered and fried pork brain sandwiches are a local favorite down state here in Indiana. From what I've read, they are fine if you don't mind that about 90% of the calories come from fat.

Its funny how attitudes have changed over the years. A hundred years ago the town I live in had a good restaurant on the main street down town. There was a train line that ran straight north to up state Michigan. The owner and his son's would take the train north on Friday, and after returning home on Saturday, would hang the deer, elk, turkey, goose carcasses up over the sidewalk in front of the restaurant to show what good food would be on the menu that evening.

But then again, the city had just passed laws not allowing farm animals within city limits. My mother lived just outside the city, and she did say she was never fond of wringing chicken necks, but that was the standard kid chore.

bclarksicle

yzzi said:

First phone call and found a place that carries them for $1.99/pound. Also carries cow and sheep heads too. Thanks for posting this, now I can't wait to give this a shot!

score! Definitely post your results...I'm eager to figure out how to make it even better.

bclarksicle

@gdenby

Sounds like an awesome cook. It looks like the one I had was cut just in front of the brain, right behind the ears. I'm kind of curious what they did with the brain. 

yzzi

What would you do differently the second time around?

bclarksicle

I didn't quite get the skin perfected. I'm wondering if I cooked it too long. Some of the skin was excellent, but certain parts got too tough to eat. I figure they'll still be good to toss in a pot of greens or a stock.  On the plus side, the meat was perfect. Pulled right off the bone like a good pork butt would. 

I really had no idea on temp. I put the probe in the cheek and it was 196 when I pulled. After going through the skin, probe went in like butter. Total cook time was about 9 hours...so maybe start checking it for doneness at 180 or so, just to see. 

And there's a lot of fat on the head. It's delicious, but there's lots of it. Takes some work to carve it up. Good luck!

TexanOfTheNorth

bclarksicle said:

@bclarksicle... I dropped by a local butcher shop yesterday to ask about getting a hog's head. He's checking with his pork supplier and is going to let me know. He asked about the brain so, I'm asking you... was the brain in the head you did. If so, did you eat it?

No brain, but i would've tried it if it was there

Just got a call back from my butcher and he said he could get me a head with a 1 week notice. Still working on Mrs. TOTN but, I have a birthday coming up in a few weeks so, this might be what I request! 

fishlessman

hmmmm, i wonder

Little Steven

Best meat on the animal IMHO

TexanOfTheNorth

Little Steven said:

Best meat on the animal IMHO

Do you have a local source or should I stick with the butcher I found in Aurora. He told me around $40 for a head but was not sure what size.

Little Steven

I would just order from a butcher. I have only bought jowl and face meat before. Try an oriental market.

Little Steven

fishlessman said:

hmmmm, i wonder

Wazzat? Maine llama

fishlessman

its a whitetail doe. my neighbors teaching his pup how to hunt sheds and my dog keeps bringing me these treats. ive gotten and returned a few sheds this winter, not sure if this was for training though
  )

Eggcelsior

Boil the head and stick it on a stake. A little "Lord of the Flies" a little "Dahmer". 100% guaranteed to freak out the neighbors.

bclarksicle

TexanOfTheNorth said:

@bclarksicle... I dropped by a local butcher shop yesterday to ask about getting a hog's head. He's checking with his pork supplier and is going to let me know. He asked about the brain so, I'm asking you... was the brain in the head you did. If so, did you eat it?

You know what, I actually did have the brain, only I didn't realize it til I was making stock with the skull today. 

First, wow, hogs have tiny brains! Secondly, it's really hard to actually get to with a whole head. If you want to eat the brain, you'd probably need the skull sliced in half by the butcher. There's a very small opening on the back of the head that allows you reach the brain. 

lkapigian

Awesome! Egg Size?

Canugghead

TexanOfTheNorth said:

@bclarksicle... I dropped by a local butcher shop yesterday to ask about getting a hog's head. He's checking with his pork supplier and is going to let me know. He asked about the brain so, I'm asking you... was the brain in the head you did. If so, did you eat it?

John, keep me posted please!

Canugghead

Many years ago I picked up a whole roasted pig head for $5 from a bbq place, it was pig heavens!

Firemanyz

All this talk of pig heads has me upset. If only this thread would have started four weeks earlier. Four weeks ago myself and some friends ground up two 220lbs hogs to make breakfast sausage. We had he heads and TOSSED THEM into the dumpster. In past years we had taken the cheek meat out but the powers cutting decided against that this year. BUT next year I know what I'll be cooking the day after we make sausage. I can't wait.

chashans

Almost a staple in Vietnam.

RajunCajun

Hoping to do this over the holidays.  I've had the cheek  meat before and was amazed at the tenderness and flavor.

Tackman

Brains? Wondering this myself. I will cook this. Pig head tacos? Yes.

SGH

Firemanyz said:

All this talk of pig heads has me upset. If only this thread would have started four weeks earlier. Four weeks ago myself and some friends ground up two 220lbs hogs to make breakfast sausage. We had he heads and TOSSED THEM into the dumpster. In past years we had taken the cheek meat out but the powers cutting decided against that this year. BUT next year I know what I'll be cooking the day after we make sausage. I can't wait.

The jowl meat is the best meat on a hog. I can eat it until I make myself sick.

anton

Amazing, the pig to me is smiling, smiling because he knew how delicious you would find him. Thank you for posting, call me sick but I would let the skull bleach out and I would hang it on a wall in my bbq area in my backyard. It would look cool, and send a message to all nearby pigs. Come in here and you will be dinner!!!
^:)^ )

lkapigian

They have become a regular cook for me, great food