Brawn w smoked oysters, celeriac remoulade and cider reduction

You can’t get much more old school than brawn. If you haven’t tried it you’re really missing out, just don’t be put off that it is essentially a jellied boiled pigs head. If you don’t want to make it with the other accompaniments then you can serve a big slice of it with some crusty baguette and chutney. 

Brawn with smoked oyster, crackling, cider and celeriac

2013-07-23 04:43:07

Serves 12

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Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

4 hr

Total Time

4 hr 45 min

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

4 hr

Total Time

4 hr 45 min

Brawn

1. 1 pigs head
2. 2 carrots
3. ½ leek
4. 2 sticks celery
5. 3 cl garlic
6. 3 bay leaves
7. 2 sprigs thyme
8. 1 onion

Pickle mix

1. 400ml Red wine vinegar
2. 400g Sugar
3. 800ml water
4. 4 star anise
5. 4 cloves
6. 4 bay leaves
7. 2 sprig thyme
8. 12 peppercorns
9. 8cl garlic
10. 1 tspn Coriander seeds

Pork crackling

1. pork skin
2. salt

Tea-smoked oysters

1. 1 dozen oysters
2. 50g Brown sugar
3. 50g Jasmine tea
4. 50g Rice

Vanilla and Cider reduction

1. 500ml Cider
2. 200ml Apple juice
3. 1 Vanilla pod

Celeriac Remoulade

1. Celeriac
2. Mayo
3. Wholegrain mustard
4. Italian Parsley

Brawn part 1

1. Remove tongues and set aside to pickle.
2. Soak heads in running water to remove any blood.
3. Place in a pot with the peeled carrots and all other ingredients, top with water and simmer until meat is falling off the bone.

For the tongues

1. Simmer tongues in pickling mix until very tender (may need to top up with water if it evaporates too much).
2. Set aside and remove outside skin and any fat etc. Roughly shred.

Brawn assembly

1. Pass and keep the veg.
2. Shred the meat medium coarse, discarding any sinew and skin/bones.
3. It’s nice if you keep some skin, fat and anything that isn’t bone.
4. Dice three carrots and mince with your knife one onion and one leek. Mix together with the pickled tongue the meat and veg, season, roll tight and torque in glad wrap (or set in a terrine mould) and leave to set overnight.

For the crackling

1. Scrape fat off back of pork skin and score, cut into 1cm x 5cm pieces, season, press and roast in a hot oven until crispy.

For the smoked oysters

1. Allow smoke mix to get going well before placing oysters on rack over it
2. Turn off flame-cover loosely –allow to infuse, store in light olive oil w bouquet garni.

For the reduction

1. Split vanilla pod and scrape the seeds out into the pot, combine all ingredients and simmer to a light syrup.

For the remoulade

1. Julienne celeriac, soak in acidulated water.
2. Drain and dry, fold though mayo, add dijon to taste and chopped herbs.
3. Season.

By MacLean Fraser (@MacLeanFraser)

MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/