Souse
Take the feet of the pig and the head and ears, except the fat. Take off the hard part from the feet; singe the hairs, scald and scrape thoroughly. Put them in strong salt water and let them soak overnight. Scrape and wash again, and put them in another salted water until ready to cook. Put them in the kettle, with enough cold water to cover, and as soon as it boils, skim carefully. Let it simmer until the bones are perfectly free from the meat, then skim out the meat and separate it from all bones, gristle, and the most of the fat, leaving only a little of the nicest.
Season well with salt and pepper, add a little vinegar, mix all thoroughly, and pack in stone or earthen jars and put in a cool place with a weight on the top to harden.
It may be served cold, nicely sliced, garnished with sprigs of parsley, or it can be sliced and browned in the oven, or cut in nice square or oblong slices, dipped in egg and corn meal or fine crumbs, and sauted in hot drippings.
This is head cheese: the meat sets in its own gelatin, so the hinge is cooking the feet and head long enough to release it. Undercook and the loaf will crumble instead of slicing.
- Sourcing the partsPig's feet are still sold at Latin, Asian and Eastern European butchers; a whole split head usually needs ordering ahead. Ask for the head split and the eyes and brain removed, and for feet already scalded and scraped, which eliminates the singeing step entirely.
- The overnight brineNo proportion is given. A working brine is about 1 cup coarse salt to 1 gallon cold water, refrigerated rather than left in a cool pantry. Its job is drawing out blood so the finished souse is pale, not curing the meat.
- Simmering time"Until the bones are perfectly free from the meat" means roughly 3 to 4 hours at a bare simmer for feet and head together. Keep it below a rolling boil or the fat emulsifies into the broth and the set turns greasy and cloudy.
- Don't discard the brothThe recipe packs only the meat, but the cooking liquid is rich in gelatin. Reduce a few cups of it hard, taste for salt, and pour it over the packed meat; it helps the loaf slice cleanly rather than crumble under the knife.
- Seasoning quantitiesFor the meat off one head and four feet, start with about 1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper and 1/4 cup cider vinegar, then taste. Season while the meat is warm and season assertively, since chilled gelatin reads much blander than hot broth.
- Vessel and pressingA stone jar is easily replaced by two loaf pans lined with plastic wrap. Weight the top with a second pan holding a few cans and chill overnight; the pressing is what expels air pockets and closes the loaf.
- StorageA cool cellar is not a refrigerator. Keep the loaf covered at or below 40F and use it within four or five days, or slice and freeze it. Sliced souse dries and darkens quickly once cut.
- Yield and servingOne head plus four feet gives roughly 3 to 4 pounds of finished souse, enough for two loaf pans. The crumbed-and-fried treatment at the end is the better use of the loaf's ragged end pieces; cook them in a hot pan just long enough to crisp, as the interior is already fully cooked.