It’s time to eat the whole pig with Lost Recipes, as we look back at the many parts of the pig that people cook in addition to the popular bacon, Boston butt, ham, and pork chops. There’s a saying that you get used to everything but the pig’s noises, and that seems pretty accurate.
For example, in 1893, the Montgomery Advertising Company wrote about how to make waffles. These days, you might spray your waffle iron with a little cooking oil to keep your waffles from sticking while cooking. That’s when the pork part came to the rescue. I rubbed the iron with pork skin and poured the batter while listening to the sound of the fat melting.
In fact, it sounds pretty good. I think bacon grease would be even better.
We take our readers to pig heaven, but it has so many uses that we can’t fit it into one column. This is part 1 of my journey exploring pig parts. Check out Part 2 next week.
pig ears
Another old saying is that you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, but you can make it into a meal. Okay, I’ve added the last part. It goes well with pea soup, the Advertiser wrote in 1930.
If you want to cook pig’s ears at home, start by cleaning the pig’s ears. Place in a large bowl and scrub with vinegar and salt. Once clean, rinse and boil in boiling water for an hour. All you have to do is chop and season to your liking.
Back in 1912, pig’s ears were a fairly common street food, and there were even instances where they caused a violent incident in Chicago. seriously. A brief description of the stories published by advertisers is as follows: A man bought a hot dog at a food stall and liked it so much that he decided to buy some pig ears as well. However, as the purchaser walked down the street while eating it, he realized that the pig’s ear he had purchased was “not wholesome,” whatever that means. He threw away the pig’s ears, returned to the stand, and demanded a refund. The argument escalated and the stand owner slashed Mr Bradford in the face with a knife. Both men were arrested. The moral of the story is to inspect your pig’s ears before you leave.
Pig’s ears are still eaten today. In 2020, advertising reporter Marty Loney proudly represented Montgomery Advertising in the Pickled Pig Ear Sandwich Eating Contest with Prattville Police Chief Mark Thompson. Ronnie said the pickled pig’s ears “taste like meat jelly.”
Ronnie lost the contest, but said it was “hard to swallow.” But if he could, he probably wouldn’t have eaten any more pig’s ears.
“Hey, I said I’ve had a pig’s ear sandwich before,” Ronnie wrote after the loss. “I never said I liked them.”
pork knuckle
In 1909, the Advertiser talked about how people bond over a shared love of food, including pork joints (aka pig’s feet).
“If acquaintances truly appreciate the goodness of pork joints, a sympathetic bond will unite them,” we wrote. “Since they are brothers, they can borrow money from each other.”
It seems like a strange thing to bond with. Once again, my childhood was spent at my father’s small gas station in the country, with a large jug of pickled pork joints on his counter. My dad knew just about everyone, so maybe the pork joint had something to do with it.
According to the 1940 Advertiser, the trick to making pork knuckle tender is to boil it in as little water as possible. Next, open the can of sauerkraut and place it on top of the meat in the pot to let the flavors infuse. Stir while heating.
pig tail
In 1929, the Advertiser wrote that Montgomery’s population of 60,000 was the nation’s largest consumer of pig tails, consuming approximately 75,000 pig tails a month.
“If everyone in this country loved pig tails as much as Montgomerys do, it would take exactly 1.8 billion pigs to provide the pig tails to satisfy their appetite. ” we wrote.
One way to eat them is in fishy callaloo soup. This recipe was published in his 1991.
- 3-4 pickled pig tails
- 4 medium-sized porgies or bluefish
- 4 conch (optional)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 2 10 oz packs okra (chopped)
- 16 oz pack of spinach (chopped)
- 16 oz package of collard greens
- 16 oz package of mustard greens
- 1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
- water
- salt
- pepper
- chili pepper
Beat the conch to soften it and place it with the pork tail in a large pot with enough water to cover the meat. Cover and simmer until the conch is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Boil the fish in a separate pot until completely cooked. Remove the fish and reserve the water for later use. Shred the fish and remove the skin and bones. Add the fish and all remaining ingredients to the conch and pork tail pot and simmer for 45 minutes. Season to taste.
I tried it
If you decide to try any of these lost recipes, please send us a photo and a note about how it turned out. Send an email to Montgomery advertising reporter Shannon Heupel with the title “Lost Recipe.” in sheupel@gannett.com.
