# Have you ever tried Brawn?



## JESS (May 8, 2004)

HI, again , ANOTHER  MEAT ?
   What about  BRAWN  me and family like it melted under the grill over chips (fries)  (brawn is pigs head boiled down so all meat falls away ,strained and pressed !!)  any one tryed it ?? :roll:


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## lindatooo (May 8, 2004)

You're scaring me, Jess, don't the people in England eat anything normal? :?  


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## tj (May 8, 2004)

Thanks for sharing, Jess.  My grandpa's crowd would have loved it.


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## -DEADLY SUSHI- (May 8, 2004)

Arrrgghhh.....  :x


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## kyles (May 8, 2004)

When my grandad was dying of cancer (melanoma caused by years working in the sunshine) my grandmother was desperate for him to eat. He had yearnings for brawn. Our brawn includes other bits as well like tongue, I can still see the taste buds poking out of the jelly..... From what I recall, if you closed your eyes, it tasted quite acceptable.


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## lindatooo (May 8, 2004)

I've tasted tongue and it was very good but the person who'd cooked was known for her skill with that particular body part.  I wouldn't try it on a bet!


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## BubbaGourmet (May 9, 2004)

I believe this wpould be the equivalent of American "Head Cheese" or "Souse". None for me, thanks.


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## JESS (May 9, 2004)

_Go on give it a try you might like it  :? _


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## CookSource (May 12, 2004)

Umm well lets see  that sounds .. how can I put it .. interesting ? I had pig knee when I was in prague that wasn't too bad


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## buckytom (Feb 23, 2005)

i just had to ressurect this thread. splain this one ishbel...(ok, relax, only kidding)


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## Ishbel (Feb 23, 2005)

Nope, sorry Buckytom - I draw the line at brawn.....   YUK!!   nooooo, haggis?  That's quite another story!


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## middie (Feb 23, 2005)

oh no... none for me but thanks


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## Ishbel (Feb 23, 2005)

Middie
I know it's the brawn you are saying 'no' to - and not my offer of delicious haggis?      8)


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## middie (Feb 23, 2005)

never had haggis. but yeah i'm definately saying no to brawn lol


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## Ishbel (Feb 23, 2005)

8)


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## buckytom (Feb 24, 2005)

i had haggis for the first time yesterday. it was actually pretty good. my neighbor across the street was given some, and then offered it to me as she was feeding it to the stray cats in the neighborhood.    i'm not sure if i should be insulted (i have always been a garbage belly, but i  don't know how she knew tho), but it was good.
it reminded me of a white pudding i had in drogheda a few years ago, full of whole oats and barley.


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## Ishbel (Feb 25, 2005)

Hmmmm - it shouldn't taste like a white pudden, BuckyTom.....    But I know a lot of haggis sold in the States is the tinned variety - not so good!

See, expansion of horizons in culinary experiences is GOOOOOOD!!!

Glad you liked it!


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## buckytom (Feb 25, 2005)

oh, it was very different ishbel. but there was an abundance of whole grains in it, which reminded me of a really good white pudding (pudden?, just curious, is that slang or is that the proper spelling?) i had at a friend's house. i think it was homemade.
the white pudding here is pretty bad. i would have to drive up to mcclean ave in the bronx or out to sunnyside queens (2 very irish neighborhoods in nyc) just to get pretty bland imported stuff.


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## Ishbel (Feb 25, 2005)

In Scotland we call the 'white puddens' (pronounced to rhyme with sudden!!) or mealy pudding. (from oatmeal, I presume)    

Robert Burns' in his Address to the Haggis, refers to the haggis as 'Great Chieftain o the pudden race'....   

The best white puddings in Scotland seem to be made near Aberdeen (don't ask me why - but friends assure me it's true!) - personally, I like the ones made by my local butcher  8)

Both white pudding and haggis use oats.


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## auntdot (Feb 25, 2005)

Hi Ishbel, as far as I can figure, I have to agree that brawn is the same thing we call head cheese if you live in the North, and souse if you don't.

One half of us loves the stuff.

But regarding haggis, Robert Burns was right.  Unfortunately we can only get the tinned, which I cannot find, or the frozen stuff in the states.  And the frozen stuff, or any human food in this country, cannot contain lung, and so they add far too much liver to compensate.

Not very tasty.

Have been to Scotland a number of times, and part of the reason we go, in addition to meeting the fine people, is the haggis.

Went with my FIL, and with a wee dram he tried the stuff in a pub and then asked to return for more the next day.

Those who make fun of haggis have never tried it.


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## ifitfeelgoodcookit (Feb 25, 2005)

*fear & loathing of the american cook*

Fear & loathing of the american cook.Just a sampling:beef tongue,boudin noire(black pudding),boudin blanc( chitling sausages),tripes a la mode de caen(menudo),deviled kidneys,lamb brains in black butter,frog legs,duck feet(as in dim sum),jellied calf feet,squids cooked in their ink,snails,grilled snake(exept texas),eel pie,horse steaks,braised endives,mountain oysters,SPINACH.....Foods that will make them wake up screaming in the middle of the night                                                                                         .Just rattling your chain guys.


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## buckytom (Feb 25, 2005)

i've had most of those ifit, and i must say that they were all good in their own odd way.

oh, you forgot scrapple.


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## Ishbel (Feb 26, 2005)

auntdot said:
			
		

> Hi Ishbel, as far as I can figure, I have to agree that brawn is the same thing we call head cheese if you live in the North, and souse if you don't.
> 
> One half of us loves the stuff.
> 
> ...



Auntdot
My friends in the US tell me the tinned stuff they've tried is pretty ropey! I tried it ONCE whilst in the US at Burns' Night..  NEVER AGAIN.

Glad to hear you like it.  It is an acquired taste, but it really doesn't merit all the 'YUK, BLECH' type comments - especially as most of those come from folk that haven't even TRIED the stuff!


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## ifitfeelgoodcookit (Feb 26, 2005)

I like scrapples too(store bought & tweaked)Buckytom,nothing like it for a freezing morning breakfast.Ishbel could you provide US with a recipe for haggies(there is a slaughter house nearby where I could bribe my way to a fresh lamb stomach,etc.. & produce a reasonable substitute thereof).Most of  those dishes are acquired tastes,probably from times of famine,when every bit of the animal counted,but still the taste linger.I still do miss the local charcuterie(a dlicatessen +++) where all those abominations could be found either fully or partially cooked.H*e*l*l, I live in extreme south west colorado where (excepted for the navajo) lamb is looked upon with deep misgivings by the locals,althought they raise sheep as a cash crop???Could there be such a thing as  prejudiced tastebuds?


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## Ishbel (Feb 26, 2005)

I do not make my own haggis - the smell when cooking it from the raw state can be off-putting.  I buy directly from my local butcher (who makes his own) or a MacSween's haggis - which is the best commercially-available haggis in Scotland (IMHO).

Here's a recipe for haggis which I posted here a while back. It's taken from www.rampantscotland.com

This from www.rampantscotland.com 

Ingredients: 
Set of sheep's heart, lungs and liver (cleaned by a butcher) 
One beef bung 
3 cups finely chopped suet 
One cup medium ground oatmeal 
Two medium onions, finely chopped 
One cup beef stock 
One teaspoon salt 
½ teaspoon pepper 
One teaspoon nutmeg 
½ teaspoon mace 
Method: 
Trim off any excess fat and sinew from the sheep's intestine and, if present, discard the windpipe. Place in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or possibly longer to ensure that they are all tender. Drain and cool. 

Some chefs toast the oatmeal in an oven until it is thoroughly dried out (but not browned or burnt!) 

Finely chop the meat and combine in a large bowl with the suet, oatmeal, finely chopped onions, beef stock, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mace. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well. Stuff the meat and spices mixture into the beef bung which should be over half full. Then press out the air and tie the open ends tightly with string. Make sure that you leave room for the mixture to expand or else it may burst while cooking. If it looks as though it may do that, prick with a sharp needle to reduce the pressure. 

Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and immediately reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for three hours. Avoid boiling vigorously to avoid bursting the skin. 

Serve hot with "champit tatties and bashit neeps" (mashed/creamed potato and turnip/swede). For added flavour, you can add some nutmeg to the potatoes and allspice to the turnip/swede. Some people like to pour a little whisky over their haggis - Drambuie is even better! Don't go overboard on this or you'll make the haggis cold. At Burns Suppers, the haggis is traditionally piped in and Burns' "Address to the Haggis" recited over it.


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## In the Kitchen (Feb 26, 2005)

All this talk and today someone told me I was crazy to eat blood sausage.  What is wrong with that?  She said I wouldn't eat it if I saw them fix it.  Is it really revolting?  Used to eat with scrambled eggs.  Eggs are not exactly appetizing if you think about where they come from.


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## ifitfeelgoodcookit (Feb 27, 2005)

Thank you Ishbel for the recipe & link.Clarifications: bung=intestine,beef or mutton suet?Lion rampant forever!In the kitchen:I ,personally,don't want to know what goes on in a restaurant's kitchen THAT would put me off my feed.


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## Alix (Feb 27, 2005)

A bung is like a chub or piece of sausage. Sorry, don't know how to better explain it than that.


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## Ishbel (Feb 27, 2005)

Here's a bit about MacSween's recipe - it explains the 'bung' in the previous recipe   
http://www.foodloversbritain.com/organisations/organisation-1166.html


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## ifitfeelgoodcookit (Feb 28, 2005)

Thank You Ishbel,Iwill have to make a couple of substitutions(bung>lamb casing,oatmeal>store bought breakfast oatmeal).I'll keep you posted about the results.It might be a month or so to get the fresh lamb(spring comes late in the mountains of colorado).Regards.


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## Ishbel (Mar 1, 2005)

When you talk about breakfast oatmeal you may mean something like Quaker porage oats (note the real stuff is spelled porridge!) - this won't do....   they are processed oats and will not give you the correct texture of proper Scots steel cut oats.  They are not suitable for things like traditional Scots oatcakes or even cranachan.

I only use oats products from Alford Mill.  Here's their website - but I don't know whether their products are available outside Scotland.

http://www.oatmealofalford.co.uk/


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## Ishbel (Mar 1, 2005)

Whoops - double post!


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## ifitfeelgoodcookit (Mar 1, 2005)

I think I can finde the real thing at the health food store


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