How to Cure Meat for Head Cheese

Prepare a brine with 1 lb Freeze‑Em‑Pickle, 7 lbs salt, and 5 gallons water, and cure heads and meat for 10 to 14 days.

Add Bull‑Meat‑Brand Sausage Binder to the cured meat to help firm the head cheese and prevent drying.

Use cured meat; fresh meat may be used, but cured meat is preferred.

Boil the heads slowly until the meat can be easily stripped from the bone.

Boil the hog binds and hog pat in nets at the same time as the heads; when the rinds are almost cooked, remove them and chop or grind finely, cutting the fat into 1‑to‑1‑inch square blocks.

Boil about 15 lbs of cured hog tongues; when cooked, cut them into strips.

Combine 10 lbs fresh hog back fat, 15 lbs cured hog tongues, 25 lbs hog ends, 60 lbs cured hog head meat, up to 5 lbs Bull‑Meat‑Brand Sausage Binder, 1 lb 'A' Condimentine, and 1 lb White Berliner Brand Konservirung Salt.

Add salt as needed; if the meat is fully cured, no additional salt is required.

Cut the 60 lbs of head meat into small pieces, 1‑to‑1‑inch in size.

Cut the hog ends finely.

Cut the tongues into strips.

Mix the tongues, rinds, head meat, Bull‑Meat‑Brand Sausage Binder, prepared head cheese seasoning, and 1 lb 'A' Condimentine thoroughly, adding as much of the boiling water as the meat will absorb.

Stuff the mixture into beef bungs or hog stomachs and boil in water at 155°F until cooked through (1 to 1½ hours).

Remove the stuffed heads from the kettle, place in cold water until partly cooled, lay on boards, and press with weights.

If not smoked, rub with White Berliner Brand Konservirung Salt to prevent sliminess.