Calf S Head Brawn
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the head
Remove the brains and bone the calf's head, or have the butcher do it.
Rub a little fine salt over the head and let it drain for 10-12 hours.
Wipe the head dry.
Cure
Rub each half with the saltpetre, brown sugar, common salt, and bay salt mixed into a fine powder.
Turn the head in this mixture for 4-5 days, rubbing it each time.
Pour 8 ounces of treacle over it and continue to turn it daily, basting with the brine for a month.
Hang it to drain overnight.
Smoke
Wrap each part in brown paper and smoke for 3-4 weeks.
Cook and serve
When ready to serve, wash and scrape one half clean without soaking.
Place it in a saucepan with the rind down and cover with cold water.
Heat slowly, skimming thoroughly when it begins to simmer.
Boil gently for 1¾ to 2 hours, or longer until perfectly tender.
Pour off the water, leaving just enough to cover the head.
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
- Calf's head
- Forms the bulk of the brawn, providing the meat and gelatinous rind that set the dish.
- Saltpetre
- Gives the cured meat its pink colour and firm texture during the long cure.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the meat during curing, helping preserve it.
- Brown sugar
- Balances the salt in the cure and adds a mild sweetness to the meat.
- Treacle
- Adds sweetness, dark colour and a rich flavour to the cured head.
The step that matters
Heat slowly and skim when it begins to simmer. Gentle heat keeps the meat tender and prevents it toughening, while skimming removes scum that would cloud the cooking liquid and spoil the flavour of the brawn.
“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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