How do you cook a pigs head?

Sea2Ski

Help me out here guys. We are breaking down 2 pigs on Saturday. I have the opportunity to smoke one of the heads Friday into Saturday. (Que laughter and other comments now). 

What do I need to know?  Having never done it I am thinking 225-250 overnight, and 12 hours should be about good, but I have no odea if o am correct. How do I know when it is done?  Do I have to prepare it at all or in any way?

The only info I have is that one hog was killed today and is hanging.

Thoughts? Tips? Tricks? Warnings? 

I am at my companies x-mas party tonight so I will try and watch through the night, but there will be lapses in participation by me through the evening, but will do my best to check in.  

Thanks!

nolaegghead

As far as tricks go, don't let your wife know you even have a pig's head.  Sneak it in your smoker.  Then ask her to go check on the pork butt after it gets dark.  Make sure she brings a flashlight.  Set up a go-pro to record the fun!

theyolksonyou

Paging @sgh @caliking

DoubleEgger

Welcome home @Sea2Ski

SGH

@Sea2Ski
Brother Ski, a few questions if I may. They will help me to answer your inquiry better. First, what kind of head are you getting? What I mean is, will the tongue, brains, eyes and ears all be intact? What parts will you have and do you want to cook or remove them? I ask because you cook a whole intact head a little different than you do one that has had the eyes, brains and tongue removed. The ears do not affect the cook but precautions need to be taken when cooking the ears. 

SGH

@Sea2Ski
Brother Ski, if you like, to save each of us a lot of typing, feel free to give me a shout tomorrow between 11:00am-2:00pm and I will gladly set you on the right path. My name is Trump  
My number is 228-627-5400. 

Sea2Ski

@sgh The head is going to be right off the body. No other prep will be done when I get it. They dispatched the animal in the backyard, it was gutted skinned, decapitated and cut in half. The head was set aside.  If I should remove remove parts, please let me know. 

Thanks! 

Sea2Ski

DoubleEgger said:

Welcome home @Sea2Ski

Thanks @doubleegger. It is good to be home. 

caliking

I bought a  cooked one from an Asian supermarket a while back, but have never smoked one myself. I think @bclarksicle did though. 

@The Cen-Tex Smoker tossed one in his dishwasher smoker when we were at the pig farm this summer and it was fantastic.make sure you have some fresh tortillas handy when that thing comes off the egg.

bclarksicle

Indeed I did. Might be my all time favorite cook on the egg

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1163524/whole-hog-head-results-and-pics/p1

Sea2Ski

Thanks @bclarksicle.  I have read the thread. So here is my question to you and anyone else that has done it:

I am getting the head about 6-7pm fri night. I am due back to start breaking down the pig the next morning.  Distance is about 40 mins drive.  If I can get the head on the grill at 8-9 pm and want it off by 6:30am , what would you do?

Do I foil ears/snout?  What temp?  Do I apply rub or no? Do I get rid of eyes/tongue/ other parts? If so, what and when? Score skin? 

I have an opportunity here, and I do not want to blow it. Maybe it is as simple as putting it on and forgetting about it as I sleep, but maybe not.  Any more detail that can be provided would be most appreciated. 

When I get back to where the rest of the pig is, there should be 10-12 other people.  I want to wow them, but let the pig do the talking if you know what I mean. I want to keep it on "this side" of of simple, but great. There is a point of  diminishing returns, and I want to be on the right side of that point. 

Sea2Ski

SGH said:

@Sea2Ski
Brother Ski, if you like, to save each of us a lot of typing, feel free to give me a shout tomorrow between 11:00am-2:00pm and I will gladly set you on the right path. My name is Trump  
My number is 228-627-5400. 

Thanks Trump!  If work allows you will be getting a call. 

Scratch that.  You will be getting a call one way or another. 

gdenby

The couple I've done have been intact, tho' my wife made me cut out the eyes on the 1st one. I scored the skin. Rubbed the exposed meat at the back of the head.

Mine have been done is just 4 - 5 hours, standard dome. I have MBGE, so it is a tight fit. The head has been only a few inches above the lump.

One problem is that enough fat has renders that I need to ladle some out so the drip pan didn't over flow. Used that to baste the skin. Assuming you have a LBGE, it may go a little slower w. more distance and a bigger drip pan.

The most dangerous part was the feeding frenzy that occurs a few minutes after completion. The whole house smells like bacon, and the first few bites of cheek puts me in a daze.

Sea2Ski

Damn @gdenby you are really getting me excited for this cook.  Do you think letting it go overnight may be too long? (Yes I have a large egg).

I have a really big drippan I can use. It can hold about 1 1/4 gallon of liquid.  I am thinking that is more than enough capacity. 

dgaddis1

DANG.  I had never even considered cooking a pig head, but after looking at @bclarksicle post it's on my list now!!  That looks awesome.  

@Sea2Ski - be sure and post lots of pics and detailed notes of what you do!

Eggpharmer

@bclarksicle I saw in your other thread you got your pig head in Austin. where at? I'd like to pick one up. thanks 

gdenby

Sea2Ski said:

Damn @gdenby you are really getting me excited for this cook.  Do you think letting it go overnight may be too long? (Yes I have a large egg).

I have a really big drippan I can use. It can hold about 1 1/4 gallon of liquid.  I am thinking that is more than enough capacity. 

My experience is that they don't cook much like butts. There is a lot of bone which I suppose conducts the heat, and the brains are about the same consistency as fat. But, as I mentioned, they were really crowded in MBGE. Once, the drippings got hot enough that the pool was simmering.

I agree, I don't think you will fill your drip pan. Looking at the pics I took, I'd guess that the back of the neck had a fat layer about an inch thick, and the jowls probably the same, if not more.

A shot I managed to take of the 1st one moments before it began to disappear. My younger son had 3 helpings, and commented that "This is what steak aspires to be."

My wife, who had been grossed out about the cook forgot all about that, a tore into it herself for her 2nd helping.



I wanted to do one for Christmas this year, but learned that my older daughter, a vegetarian, will be on hand, and I think it would be too much for her.

Jameson19

This sounds very interesting. Get some meat pics posted and some plated, if you can. I'm sure this will aid in persuading the wives to go along with it....

lkapigian

Bine Overnight Salt Brown Sugar - Your best pork Rub- Smoke 250ish wrap ears and snout after a while

blind99

Whatever you do, please post some pictures. My sons favorite thing I've showed him from this site is a pigs head on the egg. 

lkapigian

On The Egg

Canugghead

Never cooked one but used to buy them at an Asian place for $4.99 each. Haven't bought one lately since the price jumped to $7.99. 

Since most of the cheek/neck is missing, $4.99 was okay but not at $7.99.  We pay 13% tax on top of that.  It's easier to get though, due to reduced demand.

bclarksicle

Eggpharmer said:

@bclarksicle I saw in your other thread you got your pig head in Austin. where at? I'd like to pick one up. thanks 

Salt and Time. I stop by every time I'm in Austin but I've only seen the pig head that one time. It's well worth your time to stop by even if they don't have pig head. You might call them ahead of time and see of they will save you one 

Sea2Ski

@lkapigian unfortunately I will not have time to brine it. If all the timing works out as I think it will, I will be getting it about 6, it will go on the egg right before bed and I will check it a few times overnight as I am planning on leaving about 6:30 AM.  

I will certainly post pictures as things are done and mileposts are reached. Stay tuned....

oh - and all this assuming it will indeed fit on my large. I have no idea how big it is or what condition it is going to be in. 

lkapigian

Sea2Ski said:

@lkapigian unfortunately I will not have time to brine it. If all the timing works out as I think it will, I will be getting it about 6, it will go on the egg right before bed and I will check it a few times overnight as I am planning on leaving about 6:30 AM.  

I will certainly post pictures as things are done and mileposts are reached. Stay tuned....

oh - and all this assuming it will indeed fit on my large. I have no idea how big it is or what condition it is going to be in. 

@sea2ski It will fit just fine in a large- Put it in, Snout Up-I have done them un brined and they are fine, but if you do one again, brining does make a difference

Sea2Ski

Okay - sorry for the delay and no updates. Friday night I went over to start setting up and getting organized. The plan was to pick up a head and when I got home to start cooking it. I got there, and saw the pigs hanging. Right away we got the tables set up and everything ready. Then I asked where the head was that I was going to cook, and that is when my friend looked at his wife and said "You want to tell him or me?" At that point, his wife said that they do not have one.  The one from the Mangalista was already carved up and parts were curing. Since the second pig was from a local farmer who raises about 50 animals a year, he bought it and had them kill/gutted and had the animal sawed in half.  She never asked for the head although my friend told her to get it.
Oh well.   Yes, I was tremendously disappointed and I really wanted to cook it, but it was not meant to be this time. At least I know what to do for the next time thanks to @SGH He told me everything  I had to do to prep it, so I feel like I will be in good shape when we have another pig to process.

We still had a great time. We cut them up and made sausage, saving the tenderloins, belly (for bacon of course,) and the ribs. I also have one whole ham from the Mangalista. Trying to decide what to do with it.

I want to post a picture of the pigs hanging, but I do not know if it is allowed. I wanted to show the difference in size and shape of the two animals as the difference is significant.

theyolksonyou

Worst thing that happens is the post gets nuked. 

caliking

Still sounds like a great time and load of meat!

What did you think of the bellies? Bellies from the manga we (@20stone, @The Cen-Tex Smoker, @pigfisher , @Foghorn )butchered earlier this year were somewhat disappointing.

blind99

Amazing how hard it is to get a pigs head these days sounds like a fun time anyhow!

Sea2Ski

@caliking yes, belly was small on the Mangalitsa. However, the flavor of the meat was superior to any other pork I have had. Also, I really did not take that much meat. About 14 people showed up to assist. Some did, and others opted out. I came home with plenty more than I need, but only about 18 lbs worth, and that is fine with me.  We will be processing a 350 lb hog late Winter/early spring, so I am not worried. He has a total of 14 pigs now, and 4 of the sows are currently pregnant and are due late January, so I will have plenty of access to free pork.

We really did have a great time.  No one there has ever made sausage, so it was fun to teach those who were really interested. Of course I forced them do hands on work - trim the silver skin, rinse the natural casings, and yes, a female was chosen to prep the stuffer with the casing and stuff the sausage for the first batch. 

Here re it was being cooked for the taste test.