Mr M and I bought some ham hocks from Butchers Row at Leeds Kirkgate Market. When doing so we weren’t expecting the question “would you like the trotters too?”, but we were asked and of course(?) answered with an enthusiastic “yes please”.
I am very much a nose to tail type of eater and am willing to try almost anything, but I didn’t know where to start with these. They’re a bit freaky!! And almost human looking? Shudder. I had a strange determination to overcome all of this though and after researching how best to cook them (which is to braise / slow cook) Mr M and I decided to cut down the cooking time by using the pressure cooker. BIG MISTAKE. Meat, skin, bones, toenails everywhere! Disgusting.
I think this was a particularly bad start to pig trotters, and I may work up to trying them again…. Just not quite yet! Ham hocks are a different story though – a brilliant, versatile and cheap cut to buy. More on them soon.
3 replies on “Making a Pig’s Ear Out of Pig Trotters”
I recently went to this Sechuan restaurant in soho http://www.bar-shu.co.uk/
and my friend has PIGS TROTTERS covered covered and covered again in big red chiles. It wasn’t just one or two elegant trotts but an actual mound (it had height!). I tell you it was the stuff of nightmares.
she liked it though.
goodbye x
Eek, a mound of trotters?! They are freaky things, when detached… I guess it’s because meat doesn’t often look like what it is? Bleurgh.
But I will try again.
After therapy.
PS I put the link because people should never go there. warning!