Pigs' Feet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Clean the pig's feet and soak them in mild brine until properly cured.
Steam the cured feet, then remove them, split, and trim any hard or tough parts.
Pickle
Place the feet in barrels or jars and cover them with vinegar.
Ensure wooden containers are silicated inside to prevent vinegar contact with wood.
Check containers regularly to ensure vinegar hasn't leaked and keep feet covered.
If using jars, remove large bones and allow the vinegar to gel.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Pigs' feet
- Provide the main meat and gelatin-rich body of the dish.
- Mild brine
- Cures the feet, seasoning them and firming the meat before pickling.
- Vinegar
- Acidifies and preserves the feet, keeping them covered and firm during pickling.
The step that matters
Keep the feet fully covered with vinegar. Any meat exposed to air can spoil or discolor, and vinegar only preserves what it fully covers. Checking for leaks also prevents the liquid from dropping below the feet.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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