The rolled pig face will be similar to Italian pancetta.
During the 20th century, as most Americans grew farther away from their farming roots, the idea of eating every part of an animal seemed a quaint relic of earlier days. This changed abruptly in the first years of the new century, with the rise of interest in local and traditional foods. British chef Fergus Henderson became an international celebrity by championing "variety meats" at his restaurant and in his 2004 cookbook "The Whole Beast." Under his influence, professional chefs and home enthusiasts alike began working with offbeat ingredients like pig faces. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
Deboning the Head
1. Purchase a pig's deboned face, if you can get it, or else the whole head. Most butchers will not be experienced in deboning a pig's head, so it is likely you will have to do this yourself. If you have been able to purchase a deboned face, proceed directly to the second section.
2. Shave the bristles from the pig's face with a disposable shaver, and clean the bristles and any soil from the ears with a paring knife. Use a gas torch to scorch off any remaining bristles or stubs of bristles.
3. Wipe down the head carefully with a clean cloth, soaked in vinegar and water. Place it on your cutting board, and turn it over so the underside of the jaw is facing upward.
4. Cut through the skin from the tip of the lower jaw all the way back to the chin. Repeat the cut, this time cutting all the way through the underlying flesh. Turn the knife horizontally and begin cutting the flesh away from the jawbones, pulling it free with your other hand.
5. Rotate the head and continue to cut the meat away from the bones. The cheeks are very meaty, so keep your knife angled toward the bone to avoid wasting any more of the meat than necessary.
6. Continue around the skull until all the meat has been cut away, and it is only attached by the nose cartilage. Pull the skin forward as far as it will go, as if you were pulling off a glove. Cut through the cartilage carefully with your boning knife to free it from the snout. Continue to the next section to cure and smoke the face.
Curing and Smoking
7. Toss the salt, sugar and other curing ingredients in a large mixing bowl, until thoroughly combined. Rub the curing mixture thoroughly onto both sides of the pig's face. Fold it or roll it, and double-bag it in heavy-duty zipper-seal bags.
8. Cure the pig face for two to four days, turning it every day, depending on the strength of flavor you wish to create. When the thickest portion of the cheek muscle feels firm to the touch, it is ready to smoke.
9. Rinse off the curing mixture, then soak the face in cold water for two hours. This will remove some of the salt from the thinner areas of the face, making the flavor and texture more consistent.
10. Dry the face thoroughly with paper towels. Place a wire rack on a sheet pan, arrange the face neatly on the sheet pan, and leave it uncovered in your refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours to dry slightly.
11. Roll the face as tightly as you can, and tie it with kitchen twine to make a neatly cylindrical bundle. Prepare your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions, and place the face in the middle of the rack.
12. Hot-smoke the rolled face at 185 degrees Fahrenheit until its internal temperature reaches 150 degrees, when tested with a thermometer. Cool and refrigerate.
13. Slice very thinly and serve as a cold cut, or treat it as bacon and pan-fry it.
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