Pickled pigs feet

[Boaz]

Was at the grocery store this evening on the way home . Checked the meat 'bargain bin' and found 2 packs of split pig feet . Was going to start mowing the yard but it was raining so figured I needed a project . List price on feet was total $11.36 , paid $5.18= GOOD DEAL ! LOL

http://i.imgur.com/ZojXhUi.jpg

Wash and scrub the feet , rinse . Put in pot and bring to a boil , be careful they stay covered with water . Bring to a boil and then turn it down till they just simmer (low and slow !) . Takes 2 to three hours (full 3 hours if you use whole feet) . As they simmer brown foam will collect on top (blood) , skim it off with a spoon or ladle .

http://i.imgur.com/jdchWmz.jpg

Test them with a fork for tenderness , don't cook them till they fall apart .

In the mean time .

Boil your jars and lids to sterilize , let them dry naturally . I'm using pickle jars here but I'm figuring the ingredients for a quart jar . (Pickle jars are great for this)

Ingredients ;
1 clove of garlic
1/2 heaping teaspoon of pickling spice
10-12 peppercorns
1 large bay leaf
!/2 heaping teaspoon of red pepper flakes (if you want them to have some heat)

http://i.imgur.com/ov2XilG.jpg


Put ingredients in the jar before adding feet .

http://i.imgur.com/B95AcG1.jpg

Making the brine ;
Figure enough white vinegar to fill jar/jars . for each quart add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to the vinegar . on these I added 7 drops of red food coloring to make them pink . You need not add coloring if you like em ..natural . Bring to a boil , make sure salt is dissolved .

http://i.imgur.com/RsGN5d7.jpg

Packing/brining ;
Rinse the cooked feet in a colander with cold water (makes em prettier) and pack the jars . Fill with brine and be sure to fully cover the feet . Let cool to lukewarm and seal . Put em in the refrigerator and give em 2 weeks . Then enjoy !

http://i.imgur.com/2ovFjK2.jpg

[OS OK]

YuuuK !

I used to see those tender morsels pickled in a jar in the bar when I was a young man...I started sitting on the other end of the bar!

YuuuK !

[308Jeff]

I probably haven't eaten a PPF in about 37 years. But, I did like them when I did.

[bluejay75]

We would do feet and ears at Grandmas.

[shoot-n-lead]

I have not had one in 40yrs...but I have eaten many a one...

When we were in high school...every filling station or "convenience" type store had a jar on the counter @ .35¢ each...teenage boys couldn't pass'em up.

[Bzcraig]

Gifts for ISIS right? Not for human consumption!

[oldscool]

Never did the feet, as bars around here only had hocks. Always enjoyed a snack of a hock or two with crackers and a cold draft beer many moons ago.

[JBinMN]

I still get the Pickled Pork Hocks about every couple weeks at a bar when I stop in on my way through. That & the Pickled Turkey Gizzards. Grab a beer, some lousiana hot sauce, salt & pepper & away I go.

I like em.
:)

I pickle other things like regular pickles(cukes) plus I pickle beets too. And occasionally fish.
Never have done my own pork feet/hocks or gizzards. I may have to try it sometime.
:)

Thanks for showing your system/method.
:)

[Boaz]

The pot picture changed when I posted it , lol . The green on top is actually the brown foam . Looks kinda ...bad in the picture .

[randyrat]

They used to be in every bar around here, along with pickled turkey gizzards, pickled eggs, pickled pork hocks.
The bars around here served pork chops also, they say there is a pork chop in every can of beer.

Boaz, you did a good job with that tutorial.

[Boaz]

They used to be in every bar around here, along with pickled turkey gizzards, pickled eggs, pickled pork hocks.
The bars around here served pork chops also, they say there is a pork chop in every can of beer.

Boaz, you did a good job with that tutorial.

Thank you sir !

[Blanket]

great job love them

[WILCO]

The pot picture changed when I posted it , lol . The green on top is actually the brown foam . Looks kinda ...bad in the picture .

I didn't take it that way Charlie. Figured it was blood cooking off like you said. Thanks for sharing this.

[KenH]

Good looking pig's feet - those can be GOOD!!! I remember back in'90's when living in Guatemala I had a discussion with a couple of folks there, one an ex-Contra from Nicaragua who thought Ollie North and Regan where the world's biggest heros and a local indian about best food. They felt the pig's ear was best. I mentioned pig feet as my favorite - yea, those are good also they agreed. A VERY serious discussion ensued about best ways to cook them.

My wife and I both prefer ham hocks because they got more meat {g}

Ken H>

[gwpercle]

Awesome !
PPF always remind me of my Mother , born in depression era East Texas she said when they butchered a hog they ate everything but the squeal. When the PPF craving would hit her, I would come home and find a big jar, or two , in the ice box. She never wrote down a recipe but this one looks " right " . She said the store bought PPF just were not prepared correctly and nothing but unflavored vinegar , gristle and bone.
Thanks for posting ,
Gary

[Boaz]

Never did the feet, as bars around here only had hocks. Always enjoyed a snack of a hock or two with crackers and a cold draft beer many moons ago.

Same recipe works on hocks , ears , tongue , etc . Of course ingredients can be varied according to individual taste . I also like to put one large jalapeno in with seeds (eliminate the red pepper if you do) . Or scoop the seeds out of a jalapeno , no hot but jalapeno flavor . You can tweak em to taste .

[MaryB]

Pass! Same for gizzards! Not a fan of any pickled meat! Pickled herring for me!

[Blackwater]

It's been a long time for me, too, but I sure remember them. When I was growing up, and for most of my life, they could be found on most any grocery store's shelves hereabouts. But now, it's rare to find them. Great sounding recipe, Boaz! I just might try it if I can find some feet to do it with. It's amazing how PC has even come to affect what we eat. Used to be, taste was what governed what we ate, plus availability, of course. One thing about really good cooks, is that they can take just about anything that's available, and make you smile when you eat it. Now THAT is true TALENT! And ingenuity to boot!

[Pine Baron]

That looks really great. I remember my grandmother's recipe used apple cider (from the back orchard) vinegar, probably gave it the pink color.

[ghh3rd]

My father had all of his nuts and bolts ect. stored in glass pickled pigs feet jars in the garage :-). He ate them all the time. He ate about everything that was offered to him... except for one thing that the guys in his shop brought him once.

One of them brought him a gallon jar full of mountain oysters. They stayed in our fridge until they went bad. He attempted to run them through the garbage disposal - bad mistake - they were very stringy as I recall, and tangled the thing up so bad he had to replace it.

I still remember the smell! [smilie=f: Nuts!

[Blanket]

I grew up in a farm family, my folks went thru the depression and WW2. The only thing that was off limits was spam and mutton for Dad. 4 years in the Pacific theater 1942-46 caused that. We ate everything that was put on the table. Mountain oysters were a delicacy at our house. I spend about 10 weeks a year in mainland China so can do well on the food there which is difficult for most. I believe that most folks aversion to any kind of food is in their head

[Boaz]

I grew up in a farm family, my folks went thru the depression and WW2. The only thing that was off limits was spam and mutton for Dad. 4 years in the Pacific theater 1942-46 caused that. We ate everything that was put on the table. Mountain oysters were a delicacy at our house. I spend about 10 weeks a year in mainland China so can do well on the food there which is difficult for most. I believe that most folks aversion to any kind of food is in their head

You a 100% correct ! People say they will not eat face meat , tails , tongue ,spleen , snouts , etc . Worked in a packing house and can say with great certainty you have been enjoying them your whole life ! Hot dogs , chili , lunch meat , soup , sausage , etc , it's all filled with 'less desirable' meat . What's more...you like it ! I saw how they 'make' mechanically separated chicken' and I check every packing house product I buy to make sure it's not an ingredient , even I wouldn't touch that stuff . Do you like chicken nuggets ..............

[dead dog]

We always used beet juice for color,plus they pickle good too.

[Blanket]

You a 100% correct ! People say they will not eat face meat , tails , tongue ,spleen , snouts , etc . Worked in a packing house and can say with great certainty you have been enjoying them your whole life ! Hot dogs , chili , lunch meat , soup , sausage , etc , it's all filled with 'less desirable' meat . What's more...you like it ! I saw how they 'make' mechanically separated chicken' and I check every packing house product I buy to make sure it's not an ingredient , even I wouldn't touch that stuff . Do you like chicken nuggets .............. I try not to eat processed foods, but have no problem eating anything. When we would butcher the organ and face meat, brains, and blood was served up for every meal until it was gone

[Boaz]

We always used beet juice for color,plus they pickle good too.

You know I never considered beet juice . It would work just fine , used it making pickled eggs . Thanks dead dog !

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

My mom would make PPF fairly regularly when I was a kid. I have never had a commerical made PPF.

A local grocer made Head cheese, it was the best. ,,the owner and that store are long since gone. He must have had a special recipe ? I have searched and tried many and have never found a head cheese that tasted like his. I suspect he cooked it "old school", and didn't add any gelatin...cuz most of the ones I've tried were much more Gelified than his was.

[MaryB]

He probably cooked down hooves for the natural gelatin, or made super long cooked bone broth that extracts it from the joints. My bone broth cooks for 24-48 hours in the oven on 250, check liquid level every 6 hours to make sure it isn't evaporating, you want the bones covered. Then I reduce it by 3/4. After it cools in the fridge I can dump it out of the pan and cut it in cubes that I lightly dust in corn starch so the don't stick to each other, freeze on a sheet tray not touching, then vac bag. Cut a corner of the bag and grab as many cubes as I need and re vac seal it.

[shoot-n-lead]

You know I never considered beet juice . It would work just fine , used it making pickled eggs . Thanks dead dog !

I may eat pig's feet...but I ain't eatin' nothin' soaked in beet juice.