Pickled Pig's Feet Recipe
Four trotters pickled in lemon juice, vinegar, salt, hot pepper, onions, and cucumbers.
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Ingredients
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Pickling brine
Pig's feet and aromatics
Method
Prepare and cook trotters
Clean and trim
Rinse the pig's feet under cold running water. Using a sharp knife, trim any excess hair, nails, or jagged fat. If not already split, ask your butcher to split them or carefully split them lengthwise so they fit into a pot. Pat dry.
Blanch to remove impurities
Place the trotters in a large stockpot and cover with cold water (about 2–3 inches above). Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and boil 5 minutes. Drain and discard the blanch water. Rinse trotters and pot to remove scum.
Simmer until tender
Return trotters to the pot and add fresh cold water to cover by 1–2 inches (about 6–8 cups). Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 smashed garlic cloves. Bring to a gentle simmer, skimming any foam, then reduce heat to maintain a low simmer. Cook until meat and gelatin soften and begin to separate from bone, about 2 to 3 hours. Test by piercing with a fork — it should go in with little resistance. Remove trotters and let cool slightly. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid and discard the rest.
Make brine and assemble jar
Prepare brine
In a saucepan combine 4 cups water, 2 cups white vinegar, 1 cup fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns, 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat and let cool to warm (about 25–30 minutes).
Prepare aromatics and vegetables
Thinly slice 1 large yellow onion and 3 small cucumbers into 1/4" rounds. Smash remaining 2 garlic cloves. If using, separate dill into sprigs.
Pack jars
In a clean 2-quart (or two 1-quart) sterile glass jars, arrange layers: a few onion slices and cucumber rounds on the bottom, 1 smashed garlic clove, a dill sprig, then add 2 cooked pig's feet pieces per jar (or arrange to fit). Tuck additional onion and cucumber slices and the remaining dill sprigs around and between the trotters so each jar is well packed but not overfilled. Add a tablespoon or two of reserved cooking liquid to each jar for extra gelatin and flavor.
Add brine
Pour the warm (not boiling) brine over the packed trotters and vegetables, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace. Make sure trotters are completely submerged; press down with a clean spoon if needed. Wipe rims and seal with lids and rings.
Pickling and storage
Cool and refrigerate
Allow jars to cool to room temperature on the counter (about 1 hour), then refrigerate. The trotters will develop flavor over time. Chill at least 48 hours before serving for best flavor; 5–7 days yields optimal pickling.
Serve
To serve, remove trotters from jar and slice or crumble as desired. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature with some pickled onions and cucumbers. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Keep refrigerated and consume within 2–3 weeks.