Pickled Pigs Feet & Hocks

For those of you that weren't following the pickled eggs thread, my dad who's in his 80's  suddenly took a hankering to bar styled pigs feet and hocks after I brought up the pickeled eggs to him. Last time I remember him eating these when I was in grade school and the supermarket delis and meat counters still sold them down here in the South in the early 60's. Those that I remember him eating were in a clear, but jellied like sauce that was scopped out of a deli pan into butcher paper with a very strong smell of vinegar.
 
I've looked at several recipes that seem pretty simple that folks agreed that tasted like store bought. Most were boiled feet or hocks till falling off the bone and pickled in a basic brine with vinegar and a red or green pepper for heat. I'm still not sure it's worth it to do this over store bought given the supermarket prices that I'm seeing. I need to check the latin markets in the area to see if there is a better deal and more shank meat. I've ordered a set of liter clamp style pickeling jars to try and do some eggs. I'd like to find a true gulf/panhandle recipe for doing these as it seem from what he relates that the taste he's associated with them is from that area.
 
Anyone have any good recipes for bar styled pigs feet? I'd prefer to use a pressure cooker to get the feet or hocks done b4 the brine rather then tend to nearly 2hrs of boiling.

I'm a big fan of pig's feet. Not so much the pickled variety but rather boiled and eaten hot or cooled and jellied and eaten with vinegar. Numerous recipies on the web: http://www.chitterlings.com/pickle-pigs-feet.html  is one.
I never used a pressure cooker to cook them but imagine it would spped up things. I enjoy the broth and jelatin available from the slow cooked feet. A favorite was the cooled and chopped feet solidified in its' own broth and eaten with a sprinkling of vinegar, salt, pepper and perhaps a bit of paprika! Here's how I do it:
Stuggenettes (studynets)
 

This favorite dish of my grandparents and parents was often made and joyously eaten by them and their old-country friends. It is similar to head cheese but usually contained less of a variety of the pig’s parts. In this case, the feet.

 

-In a large pot, cover about six large whole pig’s feet with water and bring to a boil.

-Drain all the water and rinse off the feet.

-Again cover the feet with water and bring to a slow rolling boil.

-Add salt, pepper to taste along with marjoram & thyme and a sprinkling of hot red pepper flakes.

-Dice several carrots, green and/or red pepper, celery, onion and several sliced cloves of garlic.

-After a couple of hours the feet should begin to soften – add the vegetables and continue to cook until skin and all flesh pulls easily away from the bones perhaps another two or three hours.

 

At this point you may let the whole batch cool a bit and transfer all to a smooth, round, and deep glass bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool and solidify.

or

-Lift the feet out of the pot and let cool.

-remove all the flesh from the bones and chop into pieces.

-Lift out vegetables and mix with flesh into bowl or deep baking dish.

-Pour liquid over mix and set to cool in refrigerator.

When chilled, turn and place onto a large flat plate. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, and vinegar

Use your own judgment of how much vegetable to meat ratio you desire. You may leave the feet whole and pour the liquid over them and chill. It is not necessary to remove the bones and cut up the flesh. After making this once you will be able to determine how much carrot, onion, celery, pepper you need. The more liquid you use, the more jello-like the result. You may also use some fresh pork hock for more meat since the feet are primarily skin and connective tissue

 

.. J

 

Enjoy!