Starting to get ready to try making head cheese

[Special T]

I was speaking from a pure traditional sense.  Head cheese is not a smoked product.  Loaf pans should work just fine.  And chopping vs grinding is the preferred method IMO.  You want large chunks of meat in it.

Bill W, my Polish grandparents made souse.  I can eat just about anything, but that was gross.  It was like pork-onion-vinegar jello.  I get the shivers just thinking about it.

I just love the different ethnic meals!

[NRA4LIFE]

When you get the finished product, post some pics of it sliced.  I will be curious how this turns out with an elk head.

[Angry Perch]

Can't wait to see results. Every time I set foot in Uwajimaya (local Asian market) the whole pig heads are calling my name. No doubt the best eating in a pig is between the neck and the ears.

[sumpnz]

When you get the finished product, post some pics of it sliced.  I will curious how this turns out with an elk head.

Will do.

[Cowboy15]

Following. Would you share your recipe if it turns out?

[sumpnz]

Following. Would you share your recipe if it turns out?

Yes. 

SWMBO wanted to make a batch of beer, so that will probably be done before the head cheese.  I'm targeting the last weekend in February to make this.

[mkcj]

Every time I went back to the farm in North Dakota my uncle always had head cheese and blood sausage, the head cheese would be on the table, blood sausage  he would only tell us about  that's an acquired taste he would say.

[sumpnz]

Got pigs feet the other day.  I have all the spices and herbs.  Now just need the time to get it done.

FWIW, if you want pigs feet for any purpose the Fred Meyer in Burlington should have a ton.  They ordered some for me, and I only needed a couple feet, but I guess they got a whole box.  They're frozen.

[sumpnz]

Found my propane burner!  I think the only I still need is time ...

Hoping to get to it this weekend.  Not totally sure that'll happen.  If not, next window is at the end of March.

[sumpnz]

OK, in the event I get to actually make this over the weekend I need an opinion.

The recipe I have calls for wine.  This will get added to a portion of the stock before it gets reduced at the end of the process.  Recipe says to use any wine.  The guy used a Vermouth when he did his version (didn't specify white/red let alone sweet/dry).  But that was with a wild boar's head, not an elk.  I'm kind of thinking a heavy red wine, like a decent Zinfandel or Cab Sauv or Syrah might be called for with an elk head. 

But what say ye?

[GrampasGuns]

I have probably made hundreds of batches of head cheese, as a butcher for over 10 years. How much meat is on this elk head?  To make up the bulk of the loaf, the ears, skin , cheeks and tongue were always used in a pork head cheese. We never ground it, the meat/skin would be coarsely chopped by hand and the majority of the meat just shredded sometimes. Just curious to see how much meat you get.

I am very interested to see how yours turns out, I love elk/deer charcuterie and have made alot of items just not head cheese, or what I think sounds better "tete fromage" 

A red wine might be nice, just make sure to boil and reduce the crap out of it. I always spoon some of the reduced gelatin stock onto a small plate and set in the cooler. If after a few minutes you can hold the plate sideways and the gelatin doesnt slide off you are good.

Happy eating!

[Dan-o]

YUCK.........

[sumpnz]

I skinned the head.  Couldn't really scald and scrape it.  Skinned the head weighs about 21lbs according to my fish scale.

Not looking good to make it this weekend.  Heading to a buddy's house to help him brew some beer tomorrow.  SWMBO will likely be home too early Sunday from the women's retreat for me to want to tackle it unless I skip church entirely.  Looking like it might be the end of March before I get another window with SWMBO out of town so I can make it.  Either that or just make it with her around anyway, which probably won't go over too well.