Roast Pig Head
Roast Pig Head
I’ve been wanting to roast a pig head for a long time. Stoned Soup contributor Melanie Paradise had the idea of having site followers vote each month on a “weird” ingredient for myself to prepare. For the first poll, I had followers chose between a pig head or a pig stomach. With 79% of the vote, pig head won overwhelmingly. Unless you’re from the south, most Americans wouldn’t even consider eating a pig’s head. But we sure love to eat hotdogs in the country, don’t we. Other than the crispy skin, amazing flavor, and tenderness from the pig’s cheek, jowls, and other bits of head meat, the purpose of eating the head is to utilize the entire animal. This is something that pretty much every other culture in the world does; a concept that is hard to grasp in our country. Most Americans would consider this a garbage cut and not even consider trying a pig head. And that ideology is what Stoned Soup is set out to destroy.Pretty much the only place you can find pigs head at is an Asian market. They sell half and whole pigs head at my favorite market for $1.59lb. I purchased a 5lb Head for $8. They come wrapped on a tray next to all the other pork cuts. The pigs head are usually cut either horizontals through the mouth and back of the head or vertically from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the jowl. They still have the eye, ear, and tongue attached. They can be anywhere from 4-8lbs a half a pig head. This preparation is a simple Filipino recipe. The outer skin is rubbed with vinegar and spices then allowed to dry out in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to cook, place the pig head on a rack in a baking pan. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Roast the pig head for 3 hours. Roasting at this tempature helps render out a lot of fat from the head. Then turn your oven up to 325 degrees. Roast for 90 minutes up to 2 hours, depending on the size of the head. Roasting at this tempature cooks the head meat. Finally, turn your oven up to 425 degrees. Roast for 30-60 minutes. Roasting at this tempature crisps up the outer skin. Let rest before carving off the face meat. There happens to be a decent amount of meat from the head; at least 2lbs of meat and another lb. of crispy pig skin. You also have the tongue and crispy pig ear to chew on. The cheeks of the pig are the richest and most tender cut as far as I’m concerned. If you take off all of the meat and chop it up, you’d think you’re eating the most succulent pork shoulder you’ve ever had. Nothing “weird” about the taste or texture. You could say that it tastes “normal.” Pigs head are a great centerpieces for parties. The meat and skin can be eaten as is or chopped up for sisig, another great Filipino dish. I’m planning on turning mine into tacos. So if you want to try something that looks different but really isn’t in flavor, try roasting up a pig’s head. If you think you are being brave trying something like this. You’re not. Get over yourself and get some culture. End of pig head rant.
Ingredients
- 5-8 lb half Pig Head
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Rub the vinegar and spices over the pig head. Let rest uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to cook, place in a pan on a rack.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Roast for 3 hours. Turn oven up to 325 degrees. Roast for 2 hours. Turn oven up to 425 degrees. Roast 30-60 minutes, depending on the size of the head.
- Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
