Crubeens, ham hock and pig trotters

Published: Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 12:40PM

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the brine:
900g/2lb sea salt
450g/1lb light soft brown sugar
1 clove
10 black peppercorns
6 juniper berries
4 garlic cloves, split in half
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme

For the crubeens:
6 pig's trotters, well cleaned and hairs removed
bouquet garni
selection of vegetables, cut into cubes (1 carrot, 2 celery sticks, 1 leek and 1 onion)
1 small ham hock
1 bottle (75cl) dry white wine
olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
handful chopped parsley
2 tbsp English mustard

For the breadcrumbs:
100g/4oz fine fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tsp English mustard powder
75g/2¾oz plain flour
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
corn oil, for shallow-frying

Method:

Cooking the pig trotters

Put all the ingredients for the brine in a large saucepan with 3 litres/5¼ pints cold water. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Put the trotters in a large bowl and pour over the cold brine. Cover the trotters with a plate to keep them submerged, then cover the bowl and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.

Drain the trotters and put them in a large saucepan or stockpot. Cover with cold water, add the bouquet garni and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for three hours. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 3. Leave the trotters to cool in the pan.

Cooking the ham hock

Make a bed of the cubed vegetables on the base of a heavy casserole. Set the ham hock on top and pour over the white wine. Cover the pan with cling film, then tie a sheet of foil tightly over the top with string and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Braise in the oven for 3½ hours. Leave the ham hock to cool in the pan.
Making the filling

Using a very sharp knife, score through the skin and split the trotters in half lengthways. Carefully take out the meat, discarding the bones and gristle but keeping the fat with the meat. Reserve the skins. Shred the trotter meat, and the meat from the ham hock.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy frying pan and sweat the shallots, stirring frequently, over a low to medium heat for 8-9 minutes or until softened but not coloured.

Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, then mix with the shredded meats and fat, and the mustard. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Making the crubeen sausages

Lay two large (catering-size) sheets of cling film on top of each other on a board and smooth out any wrinkles. Place the trotter skins on the cling film, opening them out and laying them flat. Arrange them close to each other in pairs so you have three rows that make a 'blanket' of skins.

Put the meat mixture in the middle of the skins and form into a long sausage, then roll up the sausage so that it is completely encased in the skins. Now roll the sausage in the cling film and twist the ends to seal. Chill overnight.

Coating and cooking the crubeens

Remove the cling film from the sausages and cut it in half lengthways. Place each half cut-side down on a board and cut in half lengthways again. Now cut each quarter crossways into five 3-4cm/1¼-1½in nuggets or crubeens.
Mix the breadcrumbs and mustard powder together on a plate.

Coat the crubeens in the flour, then in the beaten eggs and finally in the crumbs. Shallow-fry in hot corn oil for 2-3 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Drain well.