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    Home » Meat and Game

    Classic Pork / Hogs Headcheese (Fromage de Tête)

    Published: Oct 22, 2014 Modified: May 14, 2024 Author: Alan Bergo

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    Whenever pig heads came into the kitchen I always squealed with joy. The act of taking a whole hog's head and turning it into a piece of charcuterie I've sold for $16 a slice is a magical process and a fading tradition of nose to tail eating. I learned to make it at Heartland, a legendary farm to table restaurant run by Chef Lenny Russo. Today I'll show you how to make your own head cheese (fromage de tete in French) from a pig head at home.

    Sliced homemade headcheese on a baking sheet.
    Sliced headcheese is a stained glass window of ham in the church of pork.

    What is Head Cheese?

    Simply put, headcheese is brine-cured, cooked meat from a pig head mixed with its reduced cooking liquid and packed into a loaf mold. The cooking liquid is rich in collagen that firms when cooled, making it a sort of meat jelly meatloaf.

    Head cheese tastes mildly spiced and porky like ham. It does not have a gamey iron flavor to it like liver. Think of it like the best pork lunch meat you've ever had.

    suckling pig pork headcheese recipe sliced on a plate with mustard and pickles.
    Headcheese with mustard and pickles.

    It's a good example of the great food inspired from frugality and different cuts of meat where nothing goes to waste. When it's made correctly it's a work of art, with a mosaic pattern resembling a stained glass window of pork.

    Headcheese Ingredients

    First you need a pork head, preferably sawed in half by a butcher so you can get at all the tidbits and secret chambers of the head.

    Two skinned pig head halves on a baking dish.
    Most pig heads are sold skinned now, which makes the recipe easier.

    Besides heads, you can also use other cuts of pork like shanks or hocks. You'll want to call a butcher or a pig farmer for a fresh or frozen hog head.

    A close up image of a baby pig head 
 for making suckling pig headcheese
    A whole, unskinned head will take longer to clean after cooking.

    Optional ingredients are a tongue, and pork trotters. And you'll need time as it takes at about 3 days to make headcheese.

    You'll be knuckle deep in pig face, peeling meat from a skull like a cave person. But, if you do it well, you will have some serious bragging rights among your friends who know their charcuterie.

    A large charcuterie board of all homemade charcuterie including headcheese.
    Headcheese was on every charcuterie board I served at my first restaurant.

    How to Make Headcheese (Step-by-Step)

    There's a few steps: brining the pig head, cooking and picking the meat. Lastly, you reduce the liquid to concentrate the gelatin and pack the headcheese into a mold. The images below describe the process.

    Brining

    First the bring is cooked and chilled, then poured over the halved pig head.

    A hand holding a container of pink salt being added to a brine.
    Add the brine ingredients to water and cook.
    Adding ice water to a brine in a pot to cool it down quickly.
    You can add ice water to the brine to cool it.
    Putting a pig head into a container of brine.
    Put the pig head in the brine.

    Cooking

    After brining, the head is covered with water and vegetables and cook until tender.

    A container holding a pig head in brine in the fridge.
    Brine the head for 24-48 hours.
    Adding water and vegetables to a pig head in a pot.
    Add vegetables and water to the brined pig head and cook.
    A cooked pig head in a large pot chilled showing the fat solidified on the top of the pot.
    Braise the head until tender and chill.
    Removing pork fat from the top of a cooked pot of headcheese using a Kunz spoon.
    Remove the fat from the top of the pot.
    Two cooked pig head halves on a baking sheet.
    Put the warm pig head halves on a baking sheet.
    Straining the cooking liquid of a boiled pig head through cheesecloth.
    Strain the cooking liquid.

    Removing the meat

    After cooking the meat is removed from the head. Fat and gristle are discarded.

    A gloved hand removing fat from a cooked pork head jowl.
    There is lots of meat on the cheek and jowls.
    Removing the ocular meat from behind the eyes for a headcheese recipe pork headcheese
    The ocular meat is located below the eyes.
    Two bowls of cooked meat and fat from picking a cooked pork head.
    Separate the meat and discard fat and gristle into two bowls.

    Assembling the headcheese

    The cooking liquid is strained and reduced until only 2 cups remain. The meat is cut into rough cubes.

    A pot full of liquid from cooking a pigs head reducing on the stove.
    Simmering the cooking liquid.
    A pot of liquid from cooking pig heads reducing on the stove to ⅛th it's volume.
    Reduce the cooking liquid slowly down to two cups.
    A utility knife next to diced pieces of pork jowl and pig head meat.
    Dice the pork meat into cubes.

    Once the meat is chopped it's mixed with the cooking liquid and packed into a loaf pan.

    Lining a mold pan with cling film.
    Line a mold with cling film.
    Mixing reduced cooking liquid into cooked pork meat in a bowl.
    Mix the meat and reduced cooking liquid.
    Packing cooked pork meat and liquid into a mold pan or terrine.
    Pack the meat into the mold.
    Pressing down on cooked meat and reduced cooking liquid in a loaf pan with a spoon.
    Press the meat under the liquid.
    Topping a pan of cooked pork headcheese with clingfilm and pressing down with a hand.
    Put cling film on the top and chill the terrine.
    A knife slicing through the top of a loaf of pork headcheese removing fat.
    Unmold and trim visible chilled fat from the loaf.

    After trimming the finished head cheese can be frozen or refrigerated for a week.

    Slice the headcheese with a sharp knife and serve.
    A vacuum sealed log of pork headcheese ready to freeze.
    You can vacuum seal and freeze headcheese for later.

    Once you make headcheese you'll be able to create your own aspic terrines. Beef neck or shank terrines are great. I've even made one with venison trotters.

    Beef Neck Terrine with Black Trumpet Mushroom Inlay (7)
    A terrine of beef neck. This is also prepared the same way as headcheese. See that recipe here.
    Smoked venison charcuterie trotter-shank terrine en aspic
    Smoked venison shank and trotter terrine. Use this recipe if you want to make headcheese from pork hocks.

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    suckling pig pork headcheese recipe
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    5 from 9 votes

    Classic Pork or Hog Headcheese (Fromage de Tete)

    Simple, traditional headcheese made from a pig head. Yield: 1 halved pork head and tongue will make a large 9inch bread pan filled with headcheese.
    Prep Time30 minutes mins
    Cook Time2 hours hrs
    Brine Time1 day d
    Course: Appetizer, Snack
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: Fromage de Tete, Headcheese
    Servings: 15
    Calories: 398kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 large pot
    • 1 Large container for refrigerating the head in brine
    • 1 Large strainer or sieve
    • 1 Loaf pan or large coffee can or another mold

    Ingredients

    Brine

    • 2 gallons water
    • 1.75 cups kosher salt
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 4 oz (10tsp) pink salt (prague powder, not Himalayan pink salt)

    Head cheese

    • 1 pig's head halved, brains removed and saved for another purpose
    • 1 pig's tongue optional
    • 1 pork trotter, halved (optional) This will give the stock extra gelatin, but is optional.
    • 2 cups each chopped carrots, leeks or onion and celery
    • 1 garlic bulb halved
    • 1 gallon water
    • 1 bottle dry white wine (4 cups)
    • 1 gallon ice water or cold water

    For the bouquet garni

    • 10 sprigs of thyme
    • 1 bunch of parsley
    • 3 fresh bay leaves
    • 10 black peppercorns
    • 5 cloves
    • 1 whole nutmeg
    • 5 whole allspice
    • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed

    Instructions

    Brine

    • Bring the ingredients for the brine to a boil, then add the cold water and allow to cool. Place the halved head, tongue, and trotter if using In a large container and cover with the brine, making sure they're completely covered. If you don't have a large fridge, consider doing this in the winter so you can keep it cold outside--the salt will prevent it from freezing.
    • After 24 hours, remove the head from the brine and put into a large stock pot with the bouquet and remaining headcheese ingredients. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cook covered for 3-4 hours, or until the jaw wiggles easily from the skull.
    • Chill the pot overnight and remove the fat (optional). The next day, heat the pot until the head is warmed through.
    • Using tongs remove the cooked head slices to a baking sheet.

    Tongue

    • Peel and diced the tongue into ½ in cubes.

    Picking the meat from the head

    • Working carefully to avoid bone fragments, remove the meat from the head and discarding connective tissue, skin, fat, bone, cartilage, or anything that doesn't look delicious or feels like it would be awkward in your mouth.
    • Chop the meat roughly, mix with the tongue, and reserve in a covered container. Don't miss the ocular meat behind the eyes as it's some of the best.

    Reduce the liquid

    • While you're picking the meat from the head, strain the braising liquid, then return it to a simmer on the stove in a wide pot. Reduce the liquid by half, then slowly down until 2 cups remains. This will take a while.
    • Test the gel of the braising liquid by spooning some onto a frozen plate or a metal bowl over ice. The liquid should gel easily when it cools. If it doesn't, reduce the liquid in ¼ increments, continuing to test until it gels and sets nicely.
    • I usually need about 2 cups of liquid for the terrine.

    Chill and Form

    • Line a terrine mold or bread pan with plastic wrap so that there is enough plastic hanging over the edges to cover the terrine completely when the pan is filled.
    • Mix the diced, braised meat with half the reduced cooking liquid and pack into the pan or mold. Pour the reserved braising liquid over the top. Tap the pan on a cutting board or another hard surface to help the liquid distribute throughout the terrine.
    • Fold the plastic over the top of the mold. Place the mold on a cookie sheet to catch any drips of gelatinized stock. Refrigerate the headcheese.

    Serving and Unmolding

    • The next day, un-mold the headcheese remove the plastic, and slice ½ in thick with a long, sharp knife to serve. The headcheese will keep for a week.

    Video

    Notes

    Chef's Tips 
    • Add a pork trotter for extra gelatin. 
    • You can use pork shanks instead of a head. 
    • Used a smoked pigs head if you have a smoker. 
    • Lamb or goat heads don't have enough meat to make headcheese. 
    • It's possible to over-reduce the braising liquid which will give headcheese the texture of a super ball. It should be solid enough to cut with a knife, but not so hard that it's rubbery. It should taste pleasant and melt in your mouth. 
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 3oz | Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 750mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ruth

      January 21, 2025 at 9:08 pm

      I have two Prague powders. You do not specify #1 or #2 in your recipe, but they are not the same thing, and not used for the same purposes. Yes, they are both pink salt, but I'd appreciate knowing if your recipe calls for #1 or #2, as I don't wish to make a mistake. Thank you

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        January 21, 2025 at 9:38 pm

        Instacure no2 is used to make fermented salami and raw, dried meats. It’s never used for meats that are cooked. Instacure no1 is used for ham and brined meats like head cheese. I’ll take a look at the recipe and make sure that’s clear.

        Reply
    2. Gavin Baker

      July 17, 2024 at 11:53 am

      Hi chef. Quick question re: pink salt weight. You listed 4 oz / 10 tsp of pink salt, but @ 6g p/tsp, 10 tsp is roughly 60g, which is approx 2 oz. Ruhlman does the same thing in "Charcuterie". Curious if this is meant to be 20 tsp? Much of the online info is geared towards long-brined items like pastrami, which seems to have a much different ratio of pink salt than the overnight brine used for pig's heads.
      I'd already added the pink salt to my brine before realizing that it looked to be much more than 10 tsp, so I'm running with the true 4 oz for this head (I have 15 heads total), which is closer to 24 tsp (2 gal total, 12 tsp p/ gal). From what I can find, however, the ppm for 12 tsp p/ gal is way above the "safe level". Many people seem to default to either 1 tsp of prague p/ 5# of meat, or 1 Tbsp p/ gal - both of which are much less than I'm using. But perhaps this is because these are for the 5-12 day cures and the prague has more time to penetrate the meat?
      Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        July 18, 2024 at 9:02 am

        Hi Gavin. This recipe was passed onto me from my old Chef Lenny Russo, and is the carbon copy of the recipe he served in the restaurant for over a decade. With pink salt, I used to follow Rhulman and Polcyn's proportions like the Bible, but I've found you can often get away with less, and I've knocked 30% or so off of most recipes without issue. Brines and liquids always have what seems like a bunch of pink salt, but the vast majority of it is discarded. You can probably get away just fine with the proportions you're suggesting if you want, do what you're comfortable with.

        Reply
        • Gavin Baker

          July 20, 2024 at 4:27 pm

          5 stars
          Thanks so much chef! Dropping it down by 30% makes me feel more comfortable as well so I will try that on the next batch. Then I can compare the two batches side by side and go from there. By the time I get through all 15 heads I'll be a lot more comfortable with the pink salt overall.

          Reply
    3. Frank Wilk

      June 13, 2024 at 12:45 pm

      If I forgot the curing salt in the brine can I add it safely to the 3-4 hour covered simmer?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 13, 2024 at 12:51 pm

        No it needs time to penetrate the meat. Take some of the brine out, dissolve the curing salt in it, then put it back with the head in brine. Wait again for the same curing duration in the recipe, then cook per usual. You can soak it in fresh water overnight if you’re worried about it being too salty, but it should be fine. I’m here if you have more questions.

        Reply
    4. Jacob

      May 14, 2024 at 7:21 pm

      5 stars
      My grandmother used to make this and I was looking for a way to do it. I'm not a great cook but the instructions were easy enough to follow, my wife and daughter helped, and it turned out even better than I remember! Gram would be proud. We used the head of a Swabian pig we raised.

      Reply
    5. Gerry

      March 26, 2024 at 9:04 am

      5 stars
      My grandfather would make this on the farm and I've been looking for a way to recreate it. This is far and away the most comprehensive article blog on the whole internet, as far as I've seen!! I wish people kept the tongues in the heads though, but I understand why the producers remove them.

      Reply
    6. john

      March 06, 2024 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      In my day on the farm we boiled the whole head over a open fire in a big cast iron pot till the meat fell off the skill then we would take everything out and put it on a sided chopping board, cop the dickins out of it add seasonings, and jelltin mix it all up and put a cheese cloth over it and let it harden

      Reply
    7. Annette

      January 04, 2024 at 1:39 pm

      The Prague powder contains sodium nitrite. Can we just use a regular pickling salt instead? Have you ever tried this, and what kind of results did you get?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        January 04, 2024 at 2:43 pm

        Hi Annette. Sorry if this seems like pontification but there's a little to unpack here. *ALL* cured meat contains Prague powder: hot dogs, pastrami your Easter ham, most lunch meat, bologna, bacon, etc. Essentially any meat that stays pink after cooking past 150 F has been cured with it. Even cured meat that says it doesn't contain it still does, since uncured meat is actually cured with a naturally occurring version of the compound found in celery and other carrot family plants. Look at the ingredients in "nitrite-free" bacon and you'll see either celery juice, or celery powder. I have a helpful infographic in my post on beef bacon that I made to pull back the curtain for people. Long story short, you cannot substitute pickling salt for Prague powder, and if you do it will ruin the headcheese. The amount you consume is teeny tiny in homemade products compared to commercial products, and you can dial it down a little if you want, although most of the brine is discarded. Prague powder not only preserves the meat, it also gives it a particular flavor. If you like grey corned beef, you might like headcheese prepared that way, but the chef that taught me to make it would roll over in his grave if I recommended someone make headcheese without it.

        Reply
    8. Ilyssa

      November 27, 2023 at 7:31 pm

      5 stars
      Can I use feta brine to brine the head or will the minerals, cheese fats, and lactose, and possibly lactic bacteria interfere with the meat cure?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 27, 2023 at 8:00 pm

        No do not do that. Cheese brine is drastically different.

        Reply
        • Ilyssa

          December 21, 2023 at 7:57 pm

          Thanks. I’m glad I asked! At what point do I chill everything? Does leaving the nutmeg whole really impart its flavor? (We just started the brine for five heads.)

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            December 22, 2023 at 2:40 pm

            You can crack the nutmeg or skip it. Chill the loaf pan with the meat after you've added the liquid, I made sure it reads correctly in the recipe. I'll be keeping an eye out for your email in the comment section here, don't hesitate if you have any other questions.

            Reply
            • Ilyssa

              December 23, 2023 at 4:12 pm

              After picking the meat, but before molding, should I season? If so, what are your favorite options?

            • Alan Bergo

              December 23, 2023 at 4:36 pm

              The liquid will be seasoned already from reducing the brine as the meat absorbs the salt. It should be right on. You can also mix the meat with the liquid and then pack it into the mold, that will let you taste it and know for sure. I should probably change that in the recipe.

    9. Lois Luckovich

      April 18, 2023 at 1:15 pm

      Thanks for the recipe. My late Dad always did things by memory and never wrote anything down so I've been stymied until now

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 18, 2023 at 1:17 pm

        Thanks Lois. I’ll get around to the video here in a couple months. Can’t wait to make it again.

        Reply
    10. Burton P Johnson

      March 24, 2023 at 10:28 am

      I have access to pig head and I can't wait to make this. Does the pig head need to be skinned before the brine and braise?
      Thanks! Burt in NC

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        March 24, 2023 at 10:34 am

        Hey Burt, this recipe is an undertaking, but once you make it once you'll be able to make it with your eyes closed and you'll understand how it can be made with many different cuts of meat-not just head. Gelatin and aspic terrines are the easiest of all terrines to make, and the most forgiving since they can be re-melted if they don't set properly. As for skinning, no, ideally the head has been scalded to remove the hair, but has the skin on it-this is important as skin contains tons of collagen that will help you get a great, firm set on the finished product. I need to make a video of this, come to think of it. If you have any questions during the process please reach out-answering questions is part of my job.

        Reply
    11. Duke

      April 14, 2022 at 10:17 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for posting this. Quick question why is the pink salt listed in oz AND tsp? Is it 4 oz dry weight plus 10 tsp volume? "4 oz 10tsp pink salt"

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 14, 2022 at 10:27 am

        Hey Duke, happy to clarify that. So, when you see two different units of measurement for the same ingredient, it's meant to clarify the amount for people that may prefer weight over volume (cups vs oz) or vice versa. With somethings this isn't an issue, but with pink salt especially, I add it both to make it approachable to people who don't have a kitchen scale, and for safety, since you want to use the exact amount called for in a recipe and not more. I added some parenthesis so that is more clear. Sometimes the interface on the site removes certain formatting from Word. Hope that helps, and let me know if you have any other questions. Headcheese is one of the greatest charcuterie methods to learn.

        Reply
    12. Aimee

      March 01, 2022 at 6:20 pm

      5 stars
      Just bought a head to attempt to make this old family favorite. Question...do you boil the whole thing? Eyes, skin and all? What to you discard before brining, and cooking?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        March 02, 2022 at 10:06 am

        Yes, you simmer the whole head. Read the recipe carefully. You will be discarding all skin, bones, cartilage, eye balls, etc.

        Reply
        • Aimee

          March 05, 2022 at 9:00 pm

          Thank you! I read another recipe where they left the eyeballs in.. I discarded that one and went with yours instead because I liked the sound of all your ingredients...plus, your a chef 😊 head is now ready to come out of the pot and will be taking the meat out soon 😊 thank you so much!

          Reply
    13. Tom Dullum

      October 27, 2020 at 12:46 am

      I have two full-sized hog heads in the fridge. I really want to use this recipe but I do have a couple of questions. Is pink salt the same as Prague Powder #1? What was the weight of the head that the recipe is based on? The ones I have are in excess of 15# each. Thank you for your help. I look forward to sharing this with friends.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 27, 2020 at 10:22 am

        Hi Tom, the weight of your head doesn't matter. What you need to do, is find out how much liquid you need to cover the heads. Once you have a very large pot or whatever to brine them in, scale this recipe to the amount of liquid you need to cover your heads. Also, if you have a reciprocating saw or a sawsall, cut those heads in half, it's a heck of a lot easier. And yes, pink salt is prague powder, definitely not Himalayan salt, and I adjusted that.

        Reply
        • Tom Dullum

          November 17, 2022 at 4:39 pm

          5 stars
          This will be my third year using this recipe. I gift most of it and it gets lots of praise. I also found that my local Mexican butcher shop stocks the heads and will cut them for me so I'm not wearing myself out with my bone saw. I buy extra tongues and ears to add to the pot. Thank you for the great recipe.

          Reply
    14. Luke Iannuzzi

      November 12, 2019 at 4:21 pm

      Can you freeze the head cheese for later?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        January 22, 2021 at 3:12 pm

        Absolutely.

        Reply
    15. Jeff Iskierka

      April 14, 2015 at 1:58 pm

      The curing process is finished. Into the pot goes the head, trotters and tounge. By tonight I hope have a loaf in the fridge. Exciting first attempt. Thanks again for sharing. Jeff

      Reply
    16. Ann

      October 26, 2014 at 6:09 am

      Seriously impressive. Thanks for the detailed pictures all the way through as it helps so much in understanding the process. There is one place here in Helsinki that serves roasted pig's for 2, table side, but this is the first time I've seen evidence of anyone making headcheese. I'm going to try this - thank you!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 27, 2014 at 8:30 am

        Thanks Ann, glad you liked it.

        Reply
        • Mike G

          September 07, 2023 at 12:34 pm

          5 stars
          As a retired chef of 45 years I always made an effort to teach cooks charcuterie. Some were not interested, others savored it. I am pleased to see the resurgence of charcuterie to the point it’s become mainstream among foodies.
          Kudos to you especially the mention of breaded head cheese, sautéed. Inspire the masses. Regards, M

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            September 07, 2023 at 6:23 pm

            Heard that, and thanks Chef.

            Reply
    5 from 9 votes

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