How to Cook Hog Mogs

Fans of Hog Mog might say the tastiest part of this fellow is his stomach.

Hog Mog is a hearty main dish made from pig's stomach. Not to be confused with chitterlings, which come from pig intestines, Hog Mog is an old recipe of the Pennsylvania Dutch whose history of thriftiness left no edible part of any meat unused. Though served year round, it is a customary New Year's Day dish among the Pennsylvania Dutch and is eaten for luck. Preparation time is about 45 minutes and this recipe serves six people.

Things You'll Need

• 1 pig's stomach, cleaned
• 2 lbs. loose pork sausage
• 3 cups boiled potatoes
• 3 cups apples
• 2 ½ cups bread crumbs
• 2 cups celery
• 1 medium onion
• Parsley, salt and pepper to taste
• Poultry twine
• Foil

Instructions

1. Purchase a cleaned pig's stomach from a butcher. A healthy stomach is pink, muscular and oblong. One that has already been cleaned eliminates the need to strip the inner and outer linings while taking care not to puncture the stomach. Cleaned properly, the stomach will contain no fat.

2. Wash the stomach in cold water and allow to soak while preparing other ingredients. Plain water or salt water may be used.

3. Dice the potatoes, slice the apples and chop the onions, celery and parsley. Mix these ingredients with the loose pork sausage, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Some people add a spicy dash of garlic salt and some include cabbage as part of the stuffing mix.

4. Stuff the stomach with the sausage mixture and sew the ends shut with poultry twine. The ends can also be secured with regular thread or pins.

5. Place the sausage- filled stomach on a rack in a baking pan. Cover with foil and bake for two hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until the stomach turns brown and crunchy. Those who prefer the flavoring and juices added by fat, and are unconcerned about the calories, save the fat that was removed from the stomach and place it in the baking pan.

6. Slice with a sharp knife and serve with side dishes of choice. Corn, cabbage or Black Eyed peas are tasty accompaniments to this course. The German version places the Hog Mog on a steaming bed of sauer kraut.

Tips & Warnings

• Though baking is the most common way of preparing Hog Mog, it can also be fried, stewed, braised and broiled as well as chilled and sliced for use on sandwiches or a cold cut tray. Several other cultures and nationalities have created their own uses for Hog Mog. Pair it with chitterlings for Soul Food comfort, stir fry it with vegetables for a Chinese meal or add it to taco shells to experience it Mexican-style.

References

• Horseshoe: The Pennsylvania Dutch Can Cook!
• Page In History: Pennsylvania Dutch Main Dishes