Whole Hog's Head Recipe

I saw a number of frozen whole hog's heads when I was shopping for some butts. i didn't buy one, but was pretty intriqued by it. Does anyone have experience with cooking one of these?

The best and highest use (imo) for a hog's head is to make a head cheese terrine or pate de tete.

Basically you boil the head with water and aromatics until you can shred the meat from the head, then use the gelatinous stock you created along with the meat you remove to create a terrine, which you cool down and slice for service.

No experience cooking the heads, but if you're old school, they're used for tamales. Boil in seasoned water until the meat is very tender and then shred it and add to the masa.

Paul

Agreed.

I mostly don't bother though. Instead, I remove the cheeks for guanciale.

So my Lithuanian grandmother used to make head cheese from a pigs head. There typically wasn't any eyeballs staring out from the "terrine". I remember really liking it. It's pretty common in my area if I venture toward Lancaster county.

I also have an old tin from my grandmothers house/basement. Painted brown, with a circle that has a pig head with the brain highlighted. The other label on the can says "pork brains".

So I know she used/cooked these on a fairly regular basis. Else she just liked the can Never had pork brain that she cooked coming up but had it and liked it when prepped by some of my African American friends. Other than that that's as close to pigs head that I've come.

The idea of cooking the head down and picking the meat and anything useful from it makes sense though. IMHO same thing or reason you would save bones or carcass from other animals.
The meat closest to the bone is often the most tasty, and good for stock (or pick meat) Guess I'm just a bone picker.

But - though I probably wouldn't start with a head and make head cheese, the idea that I could use it as a source for cheeks is an interesting thought.

So Kevin - you by the head, remove the cheeks and toss? Or do anything else useful with it?