Trotter Experiment

Two days after all the posts about pig’s feet, Sonny and I made a quick trip to the grocery store, and on our way through the aisles, we saw packages of pig’s feet in the meat case. Sonny stopped and said, “Hey Mom, are those what everyone is writing about?” I thought it was an astonishing coincidence. Believing in providence, I grabbed the smallest pack ($1.74 for 2 lbs.) and threw it in the cart.

The next day was Saturday, and everyone was out of the house, so I thought it a perfect time to try cooking up the trotters. I found a recipe on the internet that resembled the instructions that JoAnn had described and added the ingredients to a pot. I brought the mixture to a boil, then reduced the heat, covered the pot, and left the mixture to simmer for several hours as the recipe called for.

About a half-hour later, Dom and Nic walked in. Dom started gasping for air and opening windows. Nic said, “Oh my Stars! That smells worse than my sneakers after the Peachtree Road Race!” Thus I was banished to finish cooking the concoction outside on the grill. Once they finished cooking, I removed the feet and placed them in a jar. I added the vinegar to the boiling liquid and brought it back to a rolling boil, then poured the liquid over the feet, placed the lid on the jar and set it aside to cool.

After a day in the refrigerator, the jar contained a solid mass of congealed feet and jelly (no black dots floating in the jelly as the allspice was strained before pouring the liquid.) Sonny was the only one of the Romeo men brave enough to taste the finished product. He said that they tasted like pork ribs with way too much vinegar. The jelly was not a big hit. I could really taste the pork, but the vinegar taste was strong, and nobody mentioned all the little bones in previous posts. I’m glad I tried it, but I think it was a one-time effort.