How to Butcher a Whole Pig's Head
Offal-loving chef Chris Consentino of San Francisco's Boccaleone shows you how to butcher a whole pig's head in this tutorial video on Gourmet.com. If staring closely at a dead pig's head for a few minutes makes you queasy (or if you just watched Babe, beware: Consentino cleans every crevice of the head and cleanly cuts the skin and muscle away from the bone. He rolls up the skin and tongue to make porchetta di testa, a dish where the meat is seasoned with salt, pepper, lemon zest, and crushed garlic before being braised for 14 hours. The video fascinating to watch, even if you never plan on butchering a whole pig's head on your own.
Related
Let them eat Porchetta Di Testa
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
20 Comments:
Is that pig head smiling? Look at the photo in the upper right corner. What is in this tea I'm drinking?
Susquehanna at 10:51AM on 09/05/08
ha ha @susquehanna!
i just logged on to comment on it's surprised expression in that shot too!
really strikes me funny for some reason...must be the tea
gastronomeg at 10:56AM on 09/05/08
That top right photo, with the very obvious eyeball? Um...creepy! The pig is all, "HOLY CRAP WHAT'S GOING ON?"
litenarata at 10:58AM on 09/05/08
You know what... I believe I could survive my entire life without ever having the need, want or desire to eat that, or experience it in any way.
Hey everyone! I've got a GREAT idea! Let's eat a giant pinkish head of a pig and have it stare us in the eyes as we stab away at it's flesh, ripping and tearing into the meat... drool dripping down our chins... grunting and groaning like savages. Couples start pairing off, rubbing pieces of freshly sliced pork face and pig lips on each other, having all kinds of weird and freaky pig meat sex. People start passing the pig's eyeballs from mouth to mouth with wet sloppy kisses...
NO THANK YOU. You people are messed up.
Who are the real animals now, I ask you. Who are the real animals NOW?
:) I got some of that tea this morning too.
FastFoodCritic at 11:12AM on 09/05/08
ew
ronzoni at 11:54AM on 09/05/08
I grew up in the country and have eaten family farm raised (or hunted) meats all my life, but I still would rather not meet my dinner face to face, whether dead or alive.
Melinda at 12:57PM on 09/05/08
@FFF thats hot! Now I need a cold shower ;)
bobbob at 1:42PM on 09/05/08
I could have used a cut for those pictures...
Now the pig face is burned into my eyeballs!
modysoul at 1:47PM on 09/05/08
well that's just about the most disgusting thing i've ever seen...
suburbangourmet at 2:18PM on 09/05/08
I like the meat that the man from the grocery stores grows on styrofoam trays.
SqueezeBottle at 2:19PM on 09/05/08
How is that such a disgusting thing? It's what people have done with pig's heads for time eternal. Err, at least since the advent of blades.
worldcupfever at 2:39PM on 09/05/08
By the way, SqueezeBottle's comment is probably the best ever.
worldcupfever at 2:40PM on 09/05/08
@bobbob
Yes, well... I guess that would make you a deeply disturbed individual then, huh...
lol j/k :)
FastFoodCritic at 3:48PM on 09/05/08
Anyone who is interested in trying this should consider asking around: it's the right time of year for 4-H project pigs and the like to come to market. I just got five pigs heads for free a few weeks ago because apparently no one else around here wanted them! I wish I had this video then, I did a terrible job of getting the meat off (I wanted to make guanciale). You can see the ordeal here: eGullet Forums: Pigs' Head.
Chris_Hennes at 5:06PM on 09/05/08
Sorry if that link isn't working for you (not that you really want to click it anyway: turns out boning out a pigs head is pretty gross): http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=77713&view=findpost&p=1596696.
Chris_Hennes at 5:13PM on 09/05/08
Jeezus - you could have put the graphic photos AFTER the jump! Some of us can't handle things like that. :)
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 5:58PM on 09/05/08
Check out the French Laundry at Home blog for how to prepare a pigs head. Really good reading!
http://carolcookskeller.blogspot.com/2008/05/head-to-toe-part-two-pigs-head.html
jackiecat at 6:59PM on 09/05/08
Chris_Hennes said -- "I just got five pigs heads for free...."
Well slap my ass and call me Sally, you're in Hog Head Heaven aren't you?
Congrad-U-lations. You 'ol pig headed sumbitch.
Hey, let's hope in the truck and run-us-over something for dessert. Yeeeehaw!
FastFoodCritic at 11:57PM on 09/05/08
In all seriousness though, I saw an episode of "COPS" that started out this same way, a guy and his 3 pig heads; it didn't have a happy ending for anyone involved.
FastFoodCritic at 11:58PM on 09/05/08
As a person who is going out tomorrow to tailgate and support the Arkansas Razorbacks, aka HOGS, I've got to say..
mmm mmm pork!
graciecat at 1:17AM on 09/06/08