THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE REAL DOG FOOD
by Bev Cobley
We often get pig heads. Sometimes they come cut in half, but often as a whole head. If you are not squeamish, then they really are an ideal source of dog meat. Let's face it, not so many years ago, the components of a pig's head were thought of as good human food. My sisters and I certainly grew up eating it, and the dogs got what we couldn't or didn't eat: brawn, tongue, cheeks, homemade haslet, etc. If you haven't had braised pig cheeks in a thick brown gravy with mash, you have missed a real tasty dish. As a teenager coming home drunk(ish) and attacking the brawn, spreading it on toast with brown sauce—wow, a 1970s kebab, lol!
One average-sized pig's head will give you about 20 portions of meat content. We pay £1 for a head, and once it's picked down and portioned up, remember this is high-quality fat and meat, and they don't need the same volume as if you were feeding from a tin. A dog about the size of a Lab needs no more than 2 to 3 cooked ounces (about 100g). Add the veggies, etc., from the stock, and now you have, say, 20 portions of pig head meat and veg/rice/barley/couscous, etc. Add 1 mug of cheap wholemeal mixer to each dinner. So, 5p for the meat/fat, 5p for the veg, 10p for the rice/barley, etc., and 10p for the mixer. That's just 30p to feed a Labrador-sized dog—compare that to balls in a bag or tinned meat with 80% water in it!
Equipment
- 1 Very large pot
Ingredients
- 1 Pig head
- Several large potatoes Add any leftover veg trimmings and/or any dog-friendly veg you have
- Several large carrots
- 1 Bag Rice or use couscous, barley, etc
Instructions
- Wash the pigs head
- Plunge in a large saucepan of boiling water, then boil until you can stick a skewer into the cheek area with ease (2 hours +)
- Lift out of stock. Now this stock will be very fatty. If your dog is healthy and has no eating fat problems like dogs with pancreatitis, then we can leave that in; else, we can remove that fat later
- Add veg trimmings, rice, barley, couscous or pasta to the stock and simmer for 15 mins. Today we are using chopped carrots, potatoes and rice
- If your dog cannot do fat, leave it to cool, remove the solid fat from the top, then use the stock as previously (save that fat, it's brill for roast tatties!)
- Once the head has cooled, strip off all the skin. We will come back to the skin in a moment
- Pick out all the meat, this is the cheek area, brain (may have to crack the skull bone), tongue ( may have to force the jaws), and pick all the rest of the bones clean
- And that skin? Easy!! Next time you have the oven on, place it on a baking tray and bake it until crispy. Pork crackling dog treats without the salt and additives! 🙂
Hey,
I’m trying this for my 8 months old shepsky and was wondering if I have to add a mixer to this? And what is the mixer for really?
You can or not if you want to… The mixer is to bulk it out for cost-saving.
Your recipes are so interesting to read & I can tell just as interesting to make,as well as super-quick & easy too..I’ve been perfecting my chicken liver cake for my puppy and may just try a bite myself…yum!!
Thanks for the comment… Yeah lots of people seem to like making the liver cake using chicken livers, might need to try out some recipes with it!