Many people love the unique taste of pork head. And the cheek is one of the most delicious parts of the head!

Today we will prepare such a beautiful piece of cheek from a domestic pig. Since the piece is quite large (almost 2 kg), you can make two dishes from it at once: a baked roll and homemade sausage fried in the oven.

Making pork cheek roll

That half of the meat in the photo on the right will go to the roll. In addition to 1 kg of pork, we will need:

• coarse salt – 7–8 g
• garlic – 1 head
• juniper – 10 berries
• marjoram – 1 tsp. with a slide
• allspice – 10 peas

Rub the cheek well with salt, sprinkle with marjoram, chopped garlic cloves, crushed juniper in a mortar and allspice. We put it in the refrigerator to salt for a day.

We roll the cheek into a roll and pull it as tightly as possible with a thick thread.

Place the cheek in a baking sleeve, cut side down, and place in the oven. Bake at 180°C for 1.5 hours.

At the end we get this delicious baked roll! Immediately cut off a piece to test while it’s hot, and leave the rest to cool.

Place the cooled roll in the refrigerator. We remove the threads only after it has completely hardened and become dense.

Making homemade cheek sausage

You can finely chop the pork with a knife, but it’s better to grind the cheeks in a meat grinder on a large wire rack - this will make the sausage more tender and better fried.

We twist the minced meat together with garlic, add salt, knead, and then season with spices. Seasoning options can be adjusted to suit your taste. This time it took 850–900 g of cheek:

• coarse salt – 6–7 g
• garlic – 1 head
• spice mixture – 2 tsp.
• ground nutmeg – 2 pinches
• dried rosemary – 2 pinches
• carnations – 3 buds
• cognac – 50 ml
• water – 80 ml

Having ground the cloves in a mortar, add them to the minced meat along with all the other spices (coriander, curry, basil, chili, hops-suneli, etc.).

Stir, pour in cognac.

Continue kneading, adding ice water little by little. Having received the desired consistency of the minced meat, we send it to ripen in the refrigerator for a day.

We take out the minced meat and stuff the intestines using a special attachment for a meat grinder.

If you don’t have a nozzle, you can stuff it like this:

Instead of a masher, you can simply push the minced meat with your hand, it’s even more convenient. The main thing is not to stuff the intestines too tightly - they may burst during frying.

Now we twist the resulting raw sausage (this one is more than 1.5 meters long) every 10–12 cm. We pierce each sausage 8–10 times with a thick needle.

Place the sausage in boiling water for 1 minute.

We take it out as soon as the intestines turn white. Place the sausage in a lightly greased frying pan and place in the oven.

Now bake at 200°C with convection turned on for about 35–40 minutes. If the meat is leaner, you can bake it for less time - be guided by the composition of the minced meat and the features of your oven.

The result is this beauty:

Great both hot and as a cold appetizer.

And to go with the roll and sausage – here’s some homemade wheat-rye bread!

Well, all this beauty now with mustard, horseradish, homemade adjika, and spicy ketchup!

Bon appetit!

Nowadays, lard is considered a very controversial product. Some are terrified even at the thought of eating a piece of fat, while others consider this amazing, aromatic piece to be a real delicacy. Therefore, if you are a fan of this product, jowl cooked in onion skins should be on your table. Thanks to the husk, the lard becomes golden, and the unique aroma allows this dish to be served even at the holiday table.

Boiled cheek in husk: classic recipe

It should be noted that experienced nutritionists do not consider lard to be such a very harmful product. If you use it in moderation, then a piece of such a delicacy will not be superfluous for the body. Eating a sandwich with a small piece of lard will ensure long-lasting satiety. Now let's look at how boiled pork cheek is prepared.

Ingredients:

Cheek – 1 kg;

Onion peel;

Salt – 5 tablespoons;

Garlic – 5 cloves;

Bay leaf;

Ground black pepper – teaspoon;

Ground red hot pepper – a teaspoon (if you don’t like it spicy, you can replace it with paprika).

Description of preparation

When all the ingredients have been collected, you can start cooking. Transfer the onion peels into a saucepan. It must be said that it is best to take a container that you don’t mind, since the husks stain not only the food, but also the dishes.

Scrape the skin of the cheek with a knife and rinse thoroughly under running water. Now the lard can be sent to the husk and filled with water until the lard is completely covered. Add salt and cook for about 50 minutes over low heat. The bay leaf should be added ten minutes before cooking.

While the lard is cooking, combine the pepper and crushed garlic in a separate container. If you are afraid of making the product too spicy, then feel free to replace the pepper with ground paprika, because your main goal is to make the cheek beautiful and fragrant. Also pay attention to your garlic: if it is too dry and does not release juice, you can add a spoonful of vegetable oil to the mixture. This is necessary to make it easier to rub the cheek.

When the lard is cooked, take it out and leave to cool. After this, rub it with the prepared mixture, wrap it in foil or cling film and put it in the refrigerator for a day. Boiled cheek in onion peel is ready! This simple recipe will be useful to all lard fans.

Cheek in onion skins: recipe for the oven

Many housewives want to know how to properly cook the cheek in the oven, since with regular salting this part turns out to be tough. It is best to bake or boil the cheek. Below is a recipe that is suitable even for a holiday table, because the lard, due to the onion skins, looks like smoked lard.

For cooking you will need: pork cheek – 1 kg; onion peel; water – 2 l; Bay leaf; rosemary; ground coriander; tarragon; allspice peas; salt.

You won’t need as much onion peel as some people think; just remove the top layer from 8 onions.

You don’t have to take the spices exactly as indicated in the recipe; you can remove some and add what you personally like. If you like your lard to be spicy, you can add ground red pepper.

The onion skins are thoroughly washed under running water and placed in a saucepan. Next add water and all the spices. All this is brought to a boil, and at this time the cheek is washed in cold water. After boiling, the lard can be placed in a saucepan and simmered over low heat for about an hour. During this time, you can turn the cheek over several times to ensure even coloring.

When the lard is ready, remove it from the pan. If desired, the cheek can be grated and stuffed with crushed garlic. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and place the lard wrapped in foil in it for just 10 minutes. After time has passed, remove the foil and put it in the oven for another 15 minutes. When the lard has cooled, it can be served. This kind of jowl, prepared at home, will not leave even the opponent of lard indifferent.

Smoked cheek recipe

If you want to cook your own smoked cheek, but don’t have a special smokehouse at home, you can cook it with liquid smoke. It should be noted that such a product is harmful to our body, however, if you consume it in small quantities, then there is nothing dangerous in it.

For smoking you need to prepare the following products: pork cheek; Bay leaf; black peppercorns; water; ground red pepper; onion peel; garlic; salt and liquid smoke - about 250 ml.

The lard is cut into portions and washed thoroughly and then dried. Add water, spices, salt, liquid smoke, onion skins and bay leaves to the pan. Boil for about 5 minutes, then add the cheeks, which are cooked for about an hour.

After this, the lard is taken out and allowed to cool. The cooled cheek is rubbed with garlic and ground red pepper, wrapped in foil and sent to the refrigerator. This smoked cheek goes well with mustard, adjika or horseradish.

Video on the topic of the article

Pork cheek belongs to the category of meat by-products. However, when smoked, this snack has a delicious taste. To prepare the dish yourself, you won’t need a lot of effort and money, since the cheek is quite inexpensive, and the smoking process is not complicated.

Composition and calorie content of smoked pork cheek

Externally, smoked cheek is similar to pork belly, but the layers of meat are slightly lighter and the fat content is higher. The product is high-calorie, has elastic and tender pulp.

In cooking, such lard is used as an independent dish (snack), as well as for preparing salads, soups, and sauces. If recipes call for smoked brisket or bacon, you can safely substitute less expensive cheek meat. The dish will only benefit from this.

The mineral composition of the product is rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, iodine. Also, the presence of vitamins E, PP, and B groups has a beneficial effect on the human body. This is a very nourishing, tasty product that will lift your spirits and add energy.

Since the dish has a high calorie content, it is not recommended for people who are overweight. 100 g of smoked product contains:

• Protein – 9.1 g.
• Fat – 67.1 g.
• Carbohydrates – 0.5 g.
• Calorie content is 625 kcal.

Cooking hot smoked cheeks yourself

If you have a home smokehouse, you can cook the cheek with a garlic marinade. The taste of such a dish will not leave even the most fastidious gourmets indifferent.

For cooking you will need the following products:

• Pork cheek (the freshest) – 1 kg.
• Pepper mixture – 2 teaspoons.
• Soy sauce (classic) – 3 tablespoons.
• Salt – 100 g.
• Garlic – 4-5 cloves.

Rinse fresh lard well and dry with a paper towel. Cut the lard into small pieces for easy smoking. Peel and chop the garlic (pass through a garlic press). Mix salt, pepper, sauce and garlic. Thoroughly coat the pieces of cheek on all sides with the resulting mixture, place in the prepared container, and leave in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Then clean off the excess spices with a knife and hang the lard in a ventilated place for 24 hours. During this time, the product will dry out and wilt a little. Then you can start smoking.

Before smoking, tie the lard with twine and hang it from the top of the structure. It is necessary to pour fine sand or put foil on the bottom of the smokehouse so that the fat does not burn.

Light a fire under the smokehouse. Firewood made from oak, alder, juniper or fruit trees is suitable.

Smoke over medium heat for 40 to 60 minutes. Let the lard rest in the fresh air for 1-2 hours, after which you can enjoy the delicate taste and fantastic aroma of the prepared dish.

Smoking with liquid smoke

If you don’t have a smokehouse, but really want to cook a delicacy, you can use the simplest method - smoking with liquid smoke. This type of product is not very beneficial for the body, but consuming it in small quantities will not cause any harm.

For this type of smoking you will need:

• 1 kg fresh pork cheek.
• 3 liters of water.
• 3-4 bay leaves.
• 10-15 pcs. black peppercorns.
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper.
• 0.5 kg of coarse salt.
• 100 g onion peels.
• 4-5 cloves of garlic.
• 250 ml liquid smoke.

Preparation:

Cut the washed and dried lard into portions.

Pour water into a saucepan, add salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, husks, and liquid smoke. Mix thoroughly and boil for 2-3 minutes.

Dip pieces of cheek into the resulting marinade. Cook over moderate heat for about 50 minutes.

Remove the lard from the liquid, let it cool and dry.

Afterwards, rub the pieces with red pepper and finely chopped garlic. Wrap in cling film or foil and place in the freezer.

Before tasting, keep the lard at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. You can serve smoked cheek with horseradish, adjika or mustard. Bon appetit!

Article rating:

The cut from the cheeks of a pig's head, which consists of alternating layers of bacon and meat, is called cheek. It is not a valuable material when cutting a carcass and ends up as offal during the sorting process. Hence its relatively low cost. Nevertheless, the cheek does not lose popularity, as it has unique properties. When properly prepared, it can replace full-fledged lard, and when smoked it tastes like bacon.

Useful qualities of the product

For most people with average incomes, cheek is an excellent substitute for expensive delicacies, although the taste is practically not inferior to them. To better understand this element, you need to imagine fragments of cutting a pig carcass. The lower part of the neck extends towards the brisket, and the side parts, covering the area under the ears, serve precisely for tenderloin.

In terms of its beneficial properties, cheek has absorbed all the indicators of lard and meat; it contains more fat than protein, and at the same time has a high calorie content. However, the vitamin content in the product is no lower than in meat tenderloin.

Eating lard and fatty meat in large quantities will negatively affect the condition of the body, because the harm caused by cholesterol in the blood is well known to everyone, especially recently. But in small quantities, sebaceous tenderloin not only brings certain benefits, but is also an indispensable component in the diet for any organism.

Fats and amino acids, which are more than enough in the cheek, improve metabolism. The energy released during the breakdown of fats is necessary for human life. The daily fat intake can easily be met by eating a few pieces of cheek. In small quantities, the sebaceous layer improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

There are rumors that bacon in any quantity is harmful, since cholesterol will certainly lead to atherosclerosis. In fact, jowl fat is capable of self-regulating this parameter. The fact is that when fats are broken down, carboxylic acid is released, which normalizes cholesterol levels in the blood.

With all the listed usefulness indicators, smoked cheek looks more profitable. The product, if it is not subjected to heat treatment, is able to retain all the vitamins throughout almost the entire shelf life. This means that smoke treatment will not only allow you to prepare a delicious delicacy, but also preserve the beneficial substances inherent in fresh pork meat.

Suitable recipe for hot smoking

If you seriously approach the issue of smoking different products, then as a guide you can find many recipes, from the simplest to the unique, amazing in their invention. As for the cheek or lard, it is recommended not to improvise, but to use old, well-tested methods.

Hot smoked cheek will be subjected to heat treatment during the cooking process. The smoke temperature in the smokehouse is about 120°C degrees. In such conditions, meat and lard will become soft and juicy after an hour of smoking. Therefore, when salting, there is no need to soak the product in a liquid marinade.

The most accessible way to prepare lard for hot smoking at home is considered to be simple salting. For it you need to prepare a sufficient amount of salt, a mixture of red and black ground pepper, garlic, bay leaf and soy sauce.

• All spices are mixed in a suitable vessel, and then a little soy sauce is added. The mixture is stirred until a paste is formed, which must be rubbed onto each piece of cheek.
• When cutting pieces, you must remember that the duration of the marinating and smoking process depends on their dimensions. Pieces of lard are placed in a plastic bag, from which the air should be removed. The product should last two days in a closed bag. It is advisable to place the package in a cold room or refrigerator.
• After two days, the pieces are laid out on a cutting board, where it will be necessary to remove all remnants of the dry marinade with a knife. Salted lard should be air-conditioned by hanging it outside (if possible) or in a suitable room.

Marinating is a universal way to prepare a product

Everyone, even those far from the kitchen, has heard of such a concept as pickling. Its essence lies in the fact that the product is soaked in brine, and the purpose of such soaking is to introduce flavoring additives and asepsis of the product.

To achieve the first task, various spices are added to the marinade. Their quantity and composition may vary. Hence the varied recipes that the reader may encounter when getting acquainted with various sources. Only one ingredient remains unchanged - salt. By the way, it is a means to solve the second problem. Salted meat is absolutely unsuitable for any organisms.

• A water-based brine is prepared. Its quantity must correspond to the mass of the product. For disinfection and sterility, the water is brought to a boil, and only then are all the prepared spices added.
• The water should boil for 5 minutes, after which it cools. Pieces of cheek are immersed in the marinade for 1.5 days. Salted meat has a looser consistency due to the fact that salt breaks down the fiber, so the structure of the fibers changes.
• The recipe with marinade is perfect for hot smoking, but if you choose a cold method, you will have to slightly increase the salt concentration. If for the first case 80 g per 1 liter of water is enough, then in the second case you will have to add almost the same amount of salt. There are no requirements for the remaining ingredients, since they do not affect the main process.

Boiled meat recipe

To make the smoked meat as soft as possible, in some cases it is boiled. This process proceeds in the same way as regular boiling, only the product does not reach readiness.

The advantage of this method is that all the necessary ingredients will be found among household supplies, and the result will be excellent regardless of how long the product has been in the smoke.

There is no separate recipe for cooked meat. As in the case described above, the marinade is prepared, boiled, but the cheek is immersed in boiling water and cooked for half an hour. Then it needs to be smoked just for the smell, since it will reach readiness very soon.

Selection of smoking material

Cold and hot smoking is produced by smoke that is released during the smoldering of wood material. The taste and smell of smoked meats largely depend on the composition and structure of this material, so one of the most important issues for any smoking process is the correct selection of wood.

You must be able to find something in between the quality of the result and the ability to get wood at home or in the country. As for the structure, preference is given to sawdust or wood chips.

To smoke the cheek, small twigs are not suitable, as there is a high probability of ignition, and this, in turn, will harm the product. In addition, small branches smolder quite quickly, and even in hot smoking conditions, when the process should last at least 1.5 hours, adding material by opening the smokehouse lid is not recommended.

If you have a choice between sawdust and wood chips, then it is better to choose the latter. The fact is that not every smoke is the same in composition. Smoke from wood chips has fewer heavy compounds, which reduces the level of harm to health. Heavy fractions in sawdust smoldering products are formed due to the fact that due to a lack of oxygen, the process of pyrolysis - the afterburning of harmful substances - is difficult.

Based on accessibility conditions, it is not always possible to give a clear answer. The fact is that if you have a special saw, preparing wood chips or sawdust will not be difficult. Otherwise, you will have to resort to the help of a store. Alder or beech chips are often found on sale. These materials are perfect for smoking, as they give the meat a tart taste and a characteristic aromatic smell. If you want to make additions, flavorings are used in the form of a juniper twig, which is added directly to the wood chips.

Difference between cold and hot smoking

Smoking jowl, like any other product, is a single process based on the smoldering of wood material under high temperature. But there is a significant difference that leads to completely different results; this difference determines the smoking method.

Hot smoked products are similar in consistency to baked or boiled substances. This happens from heat treatment. In this case, fiber is destroyed, fibers are restructured, and vitamins, unfortunately, are broken down. Such meat loses many of its beneficial properties; it cannot be stored for long, even if the most favorable conditions are created. The only storage method is to freeze the finished dish.

If you smoke meat cold, the fibers will retain their structure. Almost all the vitamins will be preserved, but the meat will be elastic and somewhat tough. They come up with a variety of ways to soften it: from pickling with vinegar to boiling. However, there are many lovers who value the real taste of fresh meat; they prefer only smoke treatment, even without unnecessary spices.

There are significant differences in the smoking procedure. Hot smoking lasts 1.5-2 hours. These data are conditional, since everything depends on the mass of the product. Cold smoking can take significantly longer. In some cases, you have to cook meat for a whole week. If you implement the above recipe, the dishes will be ready in two days.

In terms of technology, differences exist in the devices themselves. The hot method smokehouse allows you to place both the smoldering material and the product in one box. That's why the smoke temperature is so high. The cold smoke device has a divided firebox and drawer. The distance between these parts is about two meters.

Despite the examples given, the two processes have much in common. The most important thing is to maintain a temperature range, avoid opening the box lid frequently, maintain a smoking time interval, and ventilate the product after it is ready. In both cases, smoked cheek will become a welcome decoration and dish on any table.

Smoked cheek The benefits of meat for the human body are not in doubt. The scientific and medical community believes that the presence of meat dishes in a person’s diet determines his health, strength and performance. In addition, one only needs to look at the history of our civilization to appreciate the importance of eating meat. Indeed, meat is a unique product that contains essential microelements, vitamins and nutritional compounds. And even the most ardent adherents of vegetarianism still cannot find an answer to the question “Is it possible to replace meat with something?” Historically, people have become accustomed to eating not only the meat parts of an animal carcass, but also offal. After the hunt, it was necessary to preserve as many parts of the killed animal as possible in order to feed a large family (or even a small tribal tribe) for a long time. Today, we also have not moved away from the tradition of preparing meat dishes from various parts of the animal’s body. Scientists have established the fact that some offal also contains a fairly large amount of useful microelements. That is why we advise you to purchase not only whole pieces of meat, but also sometimes spoil your family with dishes from other parts. The cheek is a typical offal. It is cut, as the name suggests, from the cheeks of livestock heads. The cheek of pigs is most often eaten. This choice is explained not only by the certain taste characteristics of the product, but also by the presence of microelements in its composition that have a beneficial effect on our health. True culinary experts assure that it is well-cooked cheek, incl. and smoked, can become a decoration for both everyday and festive tables. On average, 100 grams of the finished product accounts for about 625-630 Kcal. This means that smoked cheek is not recommended for those who are watching their figure. But if you know when to stop and know how to stop in time, then such a dish may well be included in your menu. To get smoked cheek, you first need to cut the meat from the cheeks of a slaughtered animal. Next, the “raw materials” undergo a smoking process and are put on the table or sold. Several factors determine what the finished product will look like. Firstly, the fat layer of high-quality smoked pork cheek will be either pinkish or white (GOST insists on this). Secondly, the meat layer of the cheek is characterized by a pink-red color, tastes a little salty, and has a pleasant aroma. If the product was prepared according to all the rules, then its meat part will be as soft as possible (melting in the mouth). Smoked cheek can be served as an independent dish, or can be added to first courses, salads, and appetizers. There are several recipes where the cheek serves as the basis of an entire dish, for example, a side dish. Finally, the product can be used to make a good sauce.