Guide to pig’s head

What is pig’s head?

Silly question, right? But now that it’s becoming a little more common place, it’s good know what a pig’s head is in the context of cooking. Well, simply put, it’s everything above the neck. So, if you were to buy a pig’s head at your local butcher or online butcher, you’ll be getting the whole thing; ears, snout and all.

The whole head will be cleaned and wrapped up ready to take away, and would be quite a sight to behold. A good butcher will provide the pig’s head quartered, to make this very unusual cut of pork less daunting.

How to cook pig’s head

Pig’s head is most commonly cooked to make brawn, stocks and soups. For all these desired outcomes, boiling is obviously recommended. Brawn, if you don’t already know, is a cold cut of pork that is sourced from pig’s head and crafted into a terrine or meat jelly. All parts of the head are used, with the exception of the brain, eyes and ears.

For soups and stock, a long simmer will help release intense flavour from the meat. After preparing the stock, the remaining pork products can be used to make the aforementioned brawn. The ears can be set aside and fried or grilled separately.

How long does it take to cook a pig’s head? As a rough guideline, and due to the slow cooking method, it takes around 2-4 hours to cook a pig’s head.

Pig’s head from Campbells

As Scotland’s biggest and best online butcher, we have a vast range of premium grade pork cuts including pork chops, roasting joints, bacon and gammon. As well as this, we offer whole pigs head for the more adventurous cooks among you.

Our whole pig’s head is sourced from pork raised on local farms in Ayrshire, which is thoroughly cleaned and quartered. Buy online today and it’ll be freshly delivered to your doorstep!