Pork Ears??????? Anyone?????

[HCT]

This one market I frequent always has pork ears in their meat case. So I'm just wondering if anyone has recipes for them. I'm thinking since they're just about all cartalidge maybe simmering them for a while until soft and tender them smoking them for an hour. Maybe grill them fast after simmering. Looking at the pork tails too. 
I guess since my labs love them so much they must be tasty so why should I miss out. :D :D

[Wildcat]

I have spent my whole life eating southern style cooking, but have never gone that route.  Must be good since they are in all the stores here as well.  I HAVE used ham hocks for seasoning black-eye peas, and I have had pickled pigs feet.

[3rensho]

I did a search on Google Images and found several Asian dishes utilizing them.  I would imagine they are in the food to add some crunch.  Let us know what you end up doing with them.  They're sold here only dried as dog chews.

Tom

[West Coast Sausage Maker]

This one market I frequent always has pork ears in their meat case. So I'm just wondering if anyone has recipes for them. I'm thinking since they're just about all cartalidge maybe simmering them for a while until soft and tender them smoking them for an hour. Maybe grill them fast after simmering. Looking at the pork tails too. 
I guess since my labs love them so much they must be tasty so why should I miss out. :D :D

Are the ears for your dog? or human consumption?

I have made thousands of ears for the petfood industry.

Start with a 5 gallon pail with basic ham/bacon cure brine solution


5 quarts  water
1-1/3 cup powdered dextrose
1/3 cup Instacure NO.1
1 lb. salt

place the ears (up to 25 lbs) into this brine bath for 2 days.

Then place in the bradley smoker evenly spaced on racks and give 3 pucks (1hour) hickory, Alder or maple.
Dont forget that the bradley needs 3 pucks to push the first 3 out!!
dampers 1/4 open and temp at 160 deg F for about 10 hours.

rotate the racks top to bottom,  once or twice through the process.

The ears will dry and shrink to half there original size.

If dried right you will have top quality doggie snacks or chew toys that are shelf stable (no refrigeration required)

This recipe also works for smoked dog bones.
See picture below

[Wildcat]

Interesting post.  Welcome to the forum.

[HCT]

Thanks Gladly, I was looking for recipes for human consumption but this one helps alot for a household of 6 labs. :)

[westexasmoker]

Welcome Gladly

My dogs say they love you and are requesting bus tickets to your house!  I'm gonna have try this!

C

[Kurt]

As far as how to cook the pork ears for human consumption, I would do the following:

Rub it with whatever, Drink your favorite drink
Let it sit in the fridge and drink more
Get them out of the fridge, warm to room temp, drink more
When you've had plenty of your favorite drink, take them outside and see how far you can throw them.

Just my thoughts......... :D  I figure with cuts like ribs, pork butt, brisket and everything else, why eat cartalidge

[Smoking Duck]

Thanks and welcome, Gladly.  My lab will love you for this.

SD

[Buck36]

TBS,

THANK YOU! This is just what I have been trying to find for dog treats.

[HCT]

Well I'm off to the market to pick up some ears to smoke for my boys. Hope I can swing a deal with the meat manager on some bulk with the ears and maybe some tails. Damn, what I do for my labs. :D :D :D

[westexasmoker]

Where the heck do you find pork ears, I've been asking around and of course the first thing I get asked is you want what?  But nobody seems to know where to get them, I guess because their in such high demand  ;D  Should I go to an actual butcher shop?  I showed my dogs the pic of that bone, and all they want to know is when are ya gonna do a smoke for us?  How soon they forget the ribs we did not to long ago!

C

[La Quinta]

We buy them for our dogs but maybe we'll try to make them? I'm not sure we can get them (readily) here either but...I assume they are a cheap pick-up?

[HCT]

I found them in a store called Price-Rite a part of Shop-Rite stores. I never saw them before either. They also sell alot of other ethni food, chicken feet, pork tails, fresh pork feet, etc. I see these products and figure there must be something to them. I'm willing to try anything once. Hey, you got a recipe for chicken feet, post it.

[Hooked on smoke]

Pork tails are great cooked in mixture of sauerkraut and softened split yellow peas, a Polish dish. Ears and snouts are boiled, ground up and added to certain ethnic, highly spiced sausages - more of a "pudding" type. Quite good if you grew up with them.