Brawn

Ingredients

• a small head, or half a large one
• weighing say from 4lb. to 5lb.
• from 0.5lb. to 1lb. of lean beef
• water enough to cover it
• a good bunch of herbs
• a carrot
• a turnip
• seasoning it with salt
• and pepper
• and quatre épices
• a little cayenne

Method

1. 1

   Soak the cleaned head in cold water for 1-2 hours.

2. 2

   Cover with water, add lean beef, bring to a boil, skim, and simmer until bones can be easily removed.

3. 3

   Strain, remove bones, and tear meat into small pieces.

4. 4

   Season and pack into a tin, pouring reduced cooking liquor over it.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The "Queen" cookery books: Breakfast and Lunch Dishes (1904) by S. Beaty-Pownall, page 39. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Brawn. — This can really be made of almost every- thing, from calf’s head upwards and downwards, adding to the more tasteless meats slices of ham, tongue, spiced beef, &c., but generally brawn is made from pig’s head. Choose a small head, or half a large one, weighing say from 41b. to 51b., with the feet and the tongue, clean the head thoroughly, removing the eyes and the brains, and soak the whole for an hour or two in cold water, then put it in a pan with water enough to cover it, adding, if the pig’s head be very fat, from ^Ib. to fib. of lean beef ; the tongue must be cooked separately. Bring the meat to the boil, skimming it carefully and adding a good bunch of herbs and a carrot and turnip, and let it all simmer together steadily till you can lift out the bones quite easily ; now strain it free of the broth, remove every atom of bone, and cut, or better still, tear (this makes it form a more compact substance) it into small pieces whilst hot, seasoning it with salt and pepper and quatre cpices, and stirring in the tongue similarly cut up ; a little cayenne

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.