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! 🙂
You say do not feed the dogs the bones after cooking them. After cooking them in a slow cooker for 14-16 hours, I find the chicken bones crumble in my hand. If I blitz them they turn into a nutritious looking paste which tastes like a slightly gritty liver pâté. It looks like the sort of ingedient that would be perfect in a Kong. Any advice?
I’m sure that’s fine when they are cooked like that and very small but I was thinking more about larger bones as when cooked they shard like glass.
I have ordered a pigs head coming on tuesday just hope that the dogs like it
Sorry, am I being daft…. Once you’ve added the potatoes and rice etc to the stock….. Then what…. Do you cook it, and for how long? Thank you
Hey Claire,
Thanks for pointing out that wee error. Chopped veg and stuff is simmered for 15 mins then stripping the pigs head off it’s meat.
Hi! You’re recipes look awesome, looking forward to trying a few. Two of my dogs are showing signs of liver issues. Can you recommend any recipes for a healthy liver?
Hi Jamie. Going to try pigs head recipe. What do you use as a meal mixer? Sorry if it is noted elsewhere but couldn’t find reference to it. Thanks. Lou
Hey Lou. Cool, I wish more people would try it. Just any cheap mixer, good pet shops should stock them but if you want a top brand try Burns mixer, but any one will do.
Thanks Jamie. Head arriving tomorrow. I’ll let you mo how I get on!
Exactly what I was looking for..thought I would need to adapt a regular brawn recipie to make it dog safe but I typed in oigs head brawn for dogs and this popped up top of my list! Fab 🙂
website is looking brill jamie…esp the you tube links …yu is soooo clever….clicked and rewarded xxx
hiya sheron
that’s great and a good tip re the foil and not having to cook twice…i boil and then skin the whole head so i have a full tray of very dried out crackling i can store to use as training treats. Will your dogs eat raw fish? or do you cook that too? good luck getting the lites, I dont feed my lot beef…spaniel ears and beef don’t do well together but if you call your nearest meat supplier…as in the supllier the butchers buy off, they should be able to tell you where you can get tripe from.
Thanks for responding…nice to know the articles are being read.
hugs to your slobber buckets from my slobber buckets. x
PS
Sheron….if you use kongs… then to make them doggy lollies for hot days…use the stock mixed with some rice or chopped fruit etc and freeze 🙂 i seal the bottom with peanut butter and stand them in an egg carton until frozen
bev
hi if you cook the head or half head in the oven with some water and covered in some foil the ear will puff up and you will get awesome crackling without having to cook it twice. I skimmed the stock and made dog brawn (they have kennel cough) with the left overs and put the boiled stock in the freezer for later use. thanks for giving me the idea – my three very large 40kg oversize boxers loved the brains and eyeballs! they have been managing on venison, offal chicken and fish for the last thirteen years and are always happy to try new food stuffs.. tomorrow we are off to try and get some lights – I did try to get some tripe but my butcher doesnt stock it.
kind regards Sheron, Nellie, Ollie and Boris