If you want a true protein snack, than brawn is a thing for you. Although it looks fatty, it consists almost exclusively out of proteins. If you carefully clean the meat, there is practically no fat in the brawn. The yellowish gel that is so wobbly and connects everything is namely pure protein. It is fairly easy to make, but it takes some time prepare it.
SELECTING BASIC BRAWN INGREDIENTS
First you need some pork parts. Pig’s trotters are definitely needed. Since they are not the most useful part , they should be easy to come by. Next, pigs head is also a good idea. The head cannot be used completely, it has to be stripped off the bones. Brains, ears, eyes and stuff from nostrils is not the best ingredient for brawn. Pig tongue, on the other hand, is a true treat. Using two trotters and one cleaned head will give about 7 liters (a lot) of brawn. If this is too much, use only trotters (and maybe the tongue, since it is delicious!).
COOKING PORK BRAWN
The cooking process is simple. Just put pork parts in a big pot and add water. The amount of water us not precise, it just has to cover everything. As said before, around 7 liters will be used for two trotters and complete head. For only two trotters around 4 liters are recommended. Next, some seasoning: parsley root, carrot, celery, marjoram, salt and whole pepper. Just add them to your taste – generally one parsley, two carrots, one celery leaf, three marjoram twigs, five to ten black peppers and salt to taste. Finally, brawn is cooked on medium fire (slow boil) for 5-6 hours. During cooking fat is regularly skimmed from the top of the slowly boiling brawn. Thus we make sure that our brawn is truly low in fat.
FINAL TOUCHES FOR PERFECT PORK BRAWN
After the cooking the meat and skin should be really tender. Next, all meaty parts should separated from the head and trotters. This parts will be used in the final brawn, everything else will be discarded. You can also leave whole trotters and head, if you like gelatinized skin and cartilage. Place the selected meat in a bowl or on a plate and add sliced cooked carrots from the pot. If you like, hard boiled eggs can also be added. Finally, pour the hot soup from the pot over the arranged meat, carrots and eggs. A sieve should be used to get a clear soup. The top can be decorated with fresh parsley and bay laurel. Now, store the brawn in a cold place like refrigerator. When the brawn cools down, the soup will solidify and form a firm, delicious gel.
STORING PORK BRAWN
Pork brawn should be stored in a refrigerator. This will guarantee that the brawn is edible for at least 10 days or more. Further, it will leave the gel firm. If you heat the brawn, the gel will turn back to soup. Therefore pork brawn is always eaten cold, to get that delicious, wobbly gel. True brawn should stick to the plate it was poured in even if you turn it upside down – check the picture below!
