Pig trotters
Sus scrofa domesticus · Meat
Top 10 pairings
Pig trotters are the feet of the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), sold whole or split as small, bony joints of skin, tendon, cartilage and toe bones with very little muscle. Almost all skin and connective tissue, they carry hardly any flavour of their own but are among the richest sources of collagen in the carcass, dissolving under long, slow cooking into a silky, lip-sticking gelatin that thickens broths and sets terrines — a thrifty, gelatin-rich staple from French pieds de cochon to Chinese red-braised feet, Southern US soul food and Korean jokbal.
Picking a good onedrag
Freshly cut, greyish-pink, firmOff: tacky or slimy, smelling sour
Counter freshEveryday bestRoast, grill or braise. Mince needs 160°F (71°C). Don't rinse; that splashes bacteria.
ColourPink, a shade duller under lights
Touch the surfaceFirm and moist, nowhere tacky
SmellMild and clean, nothing sharp
These cues are Pork's, and hold across its cuts; where this one differs, its own page says so.