Well, I've been picked on for eating innards in the past, so why not talk about some Studanina ??? My dad just made a couple pans of it last week, and I got to take some home with me :)
It typically starts with pigs feet (I had to bring the propane torch by so he could singe the hair off ;) ) and anything else objectionable that has a lot of connective tissue in it. It's often made with beef tongue as well, but he left that out this time and threw in some chicken thighs. Back in the day I'm sure it just got its gel from all of the connective tissue that is cooked down, but now adays some unflavored gelatin is put into the mix to help things along. Bones and stuff are removed first, of course, and the liquid, meat, and seasonings (lots of coarse cracked pepper) are put into pans to gel up. Slice it, pour some vinegar on top, and enjoy :) For some reason my girlfriend was making little gagging noises when she saw that I was actually going to eat it.
My dad also likes to call it "Sit Down Annie" :D Heard it called souse as well, but don't know if it's actually the same thing or not.
Never did that, but it sounds good. I like 'Hog head cheese'. Pretty much the same thing but it's head meat, all of it. Usually it is quite spicy and makes a good sandwich with onion and mustard or mayonaisse.
I've heard hog head cheese called souse too, but not around home.
Mmmmmm, head cheese. A guy here at work butchers with his family once a year and they make some killer head cheese and blood sausage food1 food6
I was turned off head cheese until I tried some home made. Like Tom says, it makes a good sandwich.
where i grew up, souse was pig's feet and ears :)
Souse is what I've thought was anything left over that a person wants to salvage. That what is easy to throw in the pot and cook down. What doesn't cook down, gets tossed..the rest gets pressed into something that will gel and hold still enough to slice. Likely the lard comes to the top and is skimmed off, some of the broth is used as soup stock, and the remainder is souse. (I prefer the pigsfeet pickled and with a mug of cold beer, but don't include it in my diet anymore :) )
I think what is in souse, is prolly more limited than what is in a hotdog or sliced processed baloney (balogna), and when called "head cheese" or souse, the meats in it are not as finely ground up. Recipe's vary a lot from different meat shops, and not found very often in the "big box" grocery stores.
Makin me hungary. :D
Would head cheese be mostly meat after it's made ??? This stuff is more like meat suspended in gelatin.
The meat suspended in gelatin is souse. Bleck! smiley_dizzy
Head cheese is more like meat suspended in gelatin... ;D ;D
Yummy... ;D
yep, meat suspended in Gelatin, actually meat held together by gelatin to form a facsimile of a loaf that can be sliced. A cook that is good will season it as to make it his own. It is generally mild relative to chili, soup or meatloaf, but some pepper heat to wake up the taste buds is acceptable. It's best chilled so that it doesn't lose its consistancy. It should not have so many outside flavors that you lose the taste of the pork. The Gelatin is good and its texture adds to the enjoyment of a sandwich.
Head cheese from a deli is generally sliced too thin for me, I like it atleast 3/8" thick with a slice of sweet onion and some mustard. I salt and pepper with black pepper to suit my taste at the moment. Because I like it a bit Pepper hot (cayenne), I usually eat my sandwich with milk, preferable buttermilk, to cool the sting.
I'm not a dietician, but I've always felt that it was a healthy concoction since the meat is boiled (fat is removed) and gelatin is touted for having a lot of joint healing properties.
A hog's head has a lot of meat that may not get served if this dish didn't exist. The jowls are premium and even used for bacon, but the rest would be easy to be looked down upon.
My dad makes a mean(great) hogs head cheese. I need to call him to get a new batch goin'.
Stop it!! I can't wipe the drool off the keyboard
Roxie, you don't know what you're missing. Haven't you ever eaten a piece of Spam with the gelatin still on it...or pulled roast chicken from the fridge, and when you go for the underside, you get all that gelatin on the dark meat ??? That stuff is goooooooood :D
Flip, that reminds me of how much my dog likes "sit down Annie". I gave her some with her antibiotic pill the other day, and the next time she saw me eating it, the drool was just dripping off of her chops. She drools a lot, but I've never seen her drool that much before.