Traditional Head Cheese / Pressed Brawn

Soak pork head meat, cheeks and rinds in cold salted water for 12 hours. Rinse thoroughly and cut into rough 5 cm pieces. Peel and halve the onion.

Cook meat and rinds in lightly salted water with bay leaves, onion and allspice at 90°C (simmer, do not boil) for 90-120 minutes until the meat is very soft and easily shredded. Remove rinds separately once they are soft and gelatinous.

Dice cooked meat and cheeks into 1-2 cm cubes or coarsely shred. Finely dice rinds (approx. 3-4 mm). Strain broth through a fine sieve, skim fat and reserve 200-250 ml of broth for binding. Combine everything in a bowl.

Add curing salt, black pepper, marjoram and wine vinegar to the meat mixture. Pour in the still-warm strained broth and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust — the mixture should be well-seasoned as it is eaten cold and cold temperatures reduce flavour perception.

Fill the mixture into a loaf tin lined with cling film (approx. 1.5 L) or into a pig stomach. If using a loaf tin: press down firmly, fold cling film over the top and weight with approx. 2 kg. If using pig stomach: tie off firmly.

Refrigerate the head cheese at 2-4°C for at least 12 hours, preferably 24 hours, until fully set. The jelly must be completely solidified before slicing. Shelf life refrigerated: 5-7 days.