ROASTED PIG HEAD

You know I had to do it. After watching Andrew Zimmern eat all his exotic foods this will be tame. I had to wait till the right opportunity to partake on my culinary experiment. Basically I had to wait till Ms. Goofy was not around. She would never put up for Porky's smiling face. She has been helping watch Jeremy's girls so I had a small window of opportunity. It was an adventure just to purchase this cabeza.

A trip of Oakland's Chinatown was unfruitful. Four meat markets were visited. Most of these stores specialized in selling pork. Most of the workers did not or want to speak English to me. I would use hand gestures, pointing at the pork and then my head. That got a couple of chuckles but no pork head. One keeper spoke English and said he would sell me a frozen head. He turned to his colleagues and spoke in a foreign dialect. He turned to me and said "No Head!", and that was it. I left Chinatown and traveled to High street. There are a lot of Mexican markets in this area. I found a pigs head here.

The head was rinsed and cleaned. A splash of salt and a rubbing of vegetable oil was the only garnish for this smiling skull of porcine. 400 degrees for an hour and 1/2. The temperature was dropped to 350 for another two hours. The house smelled wonderful. It smelled of a delicious pork roast. The roasted pig head was a beautiful golden brown. I immediately broke off an ear and started to munch. It was chewy and very tasty.

The cheek meat was so very tasty. It had a very flavorful rich pork taste. It was not bland at all like a tenderloin. Taco's were the vehicle of choice for cheek consumption. A little salsa made this a treat. I did try a little nibble of the brain. It was not unpleasant but it was a texture and flavor that I was not used to. No it did not taste like chicken.The tongue did have a beefy flavor. Now for the dish everybody has been waiting for, 'Eyeball Taco's". This took a little adult beverage encouragement. I marinated myself and took the challenge. I took a bite and it did pop in my mouth. Not a lot of taste.

This was one for the books. You only live once and eyeball taco's are a must do. I need to get rid of all the evidence before Ms. Goofy gets home.