Jay Veregge - Executive Chef, Big Water Grille

Hey everyone! My name’s Jacob, and I’m the Sous Chef at the Big Water Grille. Chef Jay (he’s the one on the left), asked me to log on to his new blog and write a little something about all the fun (maybe too much?) we’ve been having with some pig’s head we recently received.

Since April and May is considered off season in Lake Tahoe, Chef Jay and I like to take the extra bit of time we have on our hands and make dishes that are a little more time consuming. So what’d we make with the beautiful pigs head? Head Cheese of course!

Head Cheese (not really a cheese at all) is made by first brining the pigs head overnight in a salty-spiced solution, and then the head is braised for about 6-8 hours until the meat becomes tender enough to pull off the skull. The head meat (including the tongue and jowls) are then diced, sauteed with plenty of butter, onions and fresh herbs, and packed into a terrine mold.

The braising liquid is then reduced down until it forms a soft, succulent gel when cooled, and is poured over the meat in the terrine mold to hold everything together.

Now before you go and get all squirmish on us, let’s talk about a few things.

First of all, if you like any sort of braised meat, like pork shoulder, short ribs, or anything of the sort, than you’ll love head cheese. The reason why the afore mentioned cuts of meat are so darn good is because they contain collagen and connective tissue, which when cooked “low and slow” break down into a hybrid of deliciousness and heaven.

The reason why pigs head taste so good (as long as you treat it properly) is because it contains oodles of collagen and connective tissue.

So let’s review: (Connective Tissue + collagen) X (Braising “Low and Slow”) = Gastronomic Heaven!

We ran it for the first time last night as an appetizer special and it was an absolute hit!

Served on a bead of frisse with home made sourdough and a little dab of good Dijon mustard, this dish screams simple goodness. One of our regulars, who knows a good head cheese when he sees it, ordered one for an appetizer and a second one to-go so he could eat it for lunch the following day.

So hurry into the Big Water Grille and try some of our head cheese. With the way it’s been selling, it won’t last long!