BBQ PIG'S FEET aka "TROTTERS"

HAVE I GONE NUTS ???...

"why yes, i believe you have", i say to myself.

and they say that's the 1st sign ya know...talking to yourself...myself...

any-whoo...i have no idea what has gotten into me and why i just had to try me some pig's feet. last month i wanted to cook my own octopus, but as stated a few days ago, i found an easier way out of that obsession. i thought this would be a bit easier to find, so i called around and asked for pig's feet, but found out i would have to special order them and 5 lbs is the minimum. i knew i was all alone on this one so i thought 5 lbs might be just a bit much. one of the butchers at Bristol Farms suggested going to a Mexican market or a carniceria. so off i went. obsession going at full speed.

BINGO!..i hit up the 1st carniceria and WOW!...beautiful meats and poulty. i was like a kid in a candy store...so to speak, but i was there for one thing so i stayed focused. i ran into a little language barrier (at first he was going to sell me a beef foot/HOOF the size of a small tree stump), but i walked out with a huge smile of sucess and 3 feet-1 whole and 4 halves.

so...cooking them....i googled and googled about the preparation. i found that you have to get friendly with your feet. wash them carefully and one REAL special thing you must do is get out a disposable razor and shave the stray hairs you will undoubtedly see. YIKES! after that i threw them in a large pot filled with water, 1/2 - 1/3 c. white vinegar, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, peppers, chili powder cayenne, cumin and red pepper flakes. basically a spicy stew. bring to a boil, then simmer for about 2 1/2 hrs or untill tender. i really didn't know what a tender pig foot was supposed to feel like, so i guessed. when i thought they were done, i drained them, stared at them, and decided to put them in the fridge overnight and deal with them later. (my insecurities about the whole ordeal were creeping back).

so the next day i gave them a little reheat and i'm thinkin' they don't look half bad. i'll bet if i was more "cheffie" or just more aquainted with pig's feet i could get creative with them at this point. newbie that i am, i had to play around a little.

i had to take this picture...sorry, but i started to feel like this was a 3rd grade science project. the yellow pointer is showing the exact area and, i might add, THE ONLY area that there is any real meat. oh, by the way, the feet are cut in half...i had the option to buy whole and half(the butcher cut them right then for me), but they usually are sold in halves. also, (the weak stomach people cover your eyes and ears) you'll notice, as most certainly DID I, the lovely toenail directely above the yellow pointer. yes, that was hard to deal with. i probably should have removed it, but i was unaware and will know better next time.....next time?...maybe

for this 1st time experience i decided to go the safe route...

now you're speakin' my language...slop some BBQ sauce on anything and i'll eat it...well, i couldn't reeeeally say that was true before..., but i sure can now. solid proof right here.

all i did was slather them with Stubb's Classic Sauce and stuck them in a 390 oven. i think in the end it was about 40 minutes total. i kept taking them out, inspecting, poking and turning them...

one more shot for a comparison of before and after BBQ sauce...this is the next day warmed up after being refrigerated over night, before the BBQ treatment...trust me, you didn't want to see them straight out of the cooker. REEEELLLY gelatinous!

let's face it, there is nothing pretty about feet.

here we have the finished product. i think i could have left them in the oven a bit longer or moved them up to the broiler. i'll bet they would have gotten a nice crispy pig skin effect.

in conclusion...

will i eat these again?

if faced with the situation, i will not be afraid..

will i cook them again?

if given the task...i will not run...

all kidding aside...YES, i just might give this another try and i challenge anyone else who is a bit adventurous to just give it a shot...you'll have fun and maybe find your new favorite delicacy.

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