I Try It So You Don’t Have To: Pig Snout

Roasting a pig is a many splendored thing. Last week I got to talk about eating some brains, this week I get to extol  the joys of snout.

As I discovered there was a natural break point where the snout attaches to the skull. It was  easy to slice through and get a good solid piece. If you ever wondered what it would be like to play “got your nose” for real, I have some thoughts on it, just ask me.

Time to dig in to my newly acquired nose and see what it tastes like.

Wow what a tough thing to bite into. There were some little bits of meat to be found around the ends, where the snout connected to the skull, but otherwise it was mostly gristle. Extremely chewy and not much of flavor at all. It tasted like pork, but not much of the rich meaty flavor and texture I know and love from a roasted pig.

Even the skin from around that area, while still crispy, was very tough. Since that area gets a lot of activity while the pig is up and on the hoof, it makes perfect sense. That nose has snuffled about in various bits of mud, food and other pigs millions of times so it gets pretty roughed up.

All in all, snout wasn’t much to write home about. You can see why it is frequently turned into dog treats, instead of offered up as a food for humans. I’m sure with the right preparation you could turn some of that cartilage into something more edible, but I don’t see it ever being delectable. Someone could probably prove me wrong though.

Snout falls into the “you don’t have to” category based on it being mostly inedible cartilage and gristle.