How to Cook Pig's Trotters

Pit's trotters in a Hong Kong market.

Trotters is another name for pig's feet and includes both the front and back feet. In the tradition of Southern food or soul food, they were eaten to remain consistent with the habit of wasting nothing---in this case, every part of the pig was used, right down to its feet. Trotters are also cooked and eaten in other cultures, though; for instance, the French prepare them as a dish called "pied de cochon," which means feet of pig.

Things You'll Need

• Pig's trotters
• Water or other boiling liquid, such as broth or cider vinegar with water
• Large pot

Instructions

1. Wash the pig trotters thoroughly under cold water.

2. Make sure they fit in your pot. Sometimes, they're sold with a lot of the shank left on them. If your trotters have a lot of the shank attached and they're too big to fit in your pot, cut them in smaller pieces.

3. Fill your pot with enough liquid to cover the trotters with about 2 inches of water or other boiling liquid. Instead or in addition to water, you can use any kind of stock or broth, or add vinegar so it makes up about a quarter of the boiling liquid. Add aromatics, such as one chopped carrot, celery stalk and onion, if you're using just water.

4. Bring your liquid just to a boil, then lower the temperature to maintain a simmer.

5. Simmer the pig's trotters for 2 to 3 hours, until soft. Alternatively, you can coat the boiled trotters in butter and bread crumbs, and bake them in the oven at 350 degrees F until browned, about 20 minutes. You can also deep fry or broil them until their skin bubbles and is crispy.

6. Serve the trotters hot with side dishes such as collard greens and black-eyed peas.

Tips & Warnings

• You can cook pig trotters in a crock pot, covered in your boiling liquid, on low for 8 hours or on high for 6 hours. You can separate all of the soft tissue, including the skin and meat, from the bone and serve them with a side dish. You can also sauté this meat in a skillet with some oil until the pieces are crispy.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Heart-stopping vinegared pig trotters recipe