Souse

Ingredients

• Pig's feet, ears, nose, and heads
• Meal
• Water
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg
• 1/4 of total pickling liquor Vinegar

Instructions

1. Cover all pieces with cold water and let soak for twelve hours. Wash them out, wipe off the blood, and place in fresh water. Continue soaking, changing the water frequently and keeping in a cool place, until the blood is drawn away.
2. Scrape and clean each piece thoroughly. Mix meal with water and add salt. Boil the souse gently—boil feet in one pot, ears and nose in another, and heads in a third—until a straw can be easily run into the skin and all bones can be removed. Do not overcrowd the pot.
3. Once boiled, allow the pieces to cool completely. Season the insides with pepper, salt, and a little nutmeg. Form into tight rolls, sew up in cloth, and press lightly.
4. Mix meal and cold water until the mixture looks white, add salt, and combine one-fourth vinegar. Place the cooled souse in different pots and cover well with this pickling mixture, stopping the pots tightly. The souse will keep if you renew the liquor every two or three weeks. Use pale-coloured vinegar to keep the souse white rather than dark.