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To Collar Pig’s Head

A method of curing and boiling a pig's head and ears with salt, saltpetre, and spices.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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To Collar Pig’s Head

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Scour the head and ears thoroughly.

  2. Remove the hair, snout, eyes, and brain.

  3. Soak the head in water overnight.

  4. Drain the head.

Cure

  1. Salt the head generously with coarse sea salt and saltpetre.

  2. Let the head sit for five days.

Shape

  1. Boil the head until the bones can be removed.

  2. Shape the head into a roll, with the thick end of one side towards the thin end of the other.

  3. Sprinkle the head with salt and white pepper.

  4. Roll the head with the ears.

  5. If desired, add boned pig's feet or thin parts of cow-heels around the outside.

  6. Wrap the head in a cloth.

  7. Bind the cloth with broad tape.

Cook and press

  1. Boil the wrapped head until tender.

  2. Place a weight on the head.

  3. Do not remove the covering until it is cold.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

Pig's head
Provides the bulk of the meat and collagen that sets firm as the roll cools.
Pig's ears
Add gelatinous cartilage and skin that help bind the roll and give it a chewy texture.
Coarse sea salt
Draws out moisture and seasons the meat while it cures.
Saltpetre
Helps preserve the cured meat and gives it a pink colour.
White pepper
Adds a mild, sharp aroma and gentle heat.

The step that matters

Do not remove the covering until it is cold.. As the head cools, its collagen sets into a firm jelly. Lifting the cloth early can let the roll slump or break apart before it has set.

“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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