No, it wasn’t. I’ve definitely seen that in these packages. This was thumbnail-sized bits of pork, often with the fat attached, and like I said pressed into a solid mass which had then been sliced.
Next time I’m at that store, I’ll stop by their meat counter and look for the headcheese and see how comparable it is.
These always seem to be sold as ‘meat ends’ or ‘cheese ends’ around here. The challenge of identifying that one slice of something awesome is a frustration that I’ve felt all too often.
I sort of gave up on buying meat ends since they’re often pretty old and slimy even on the day purchased. Part of it is that half of the actual ends are the bottom and they might already be pretty old for a slow mover. The other is that even the top end will likely have sat out next to the slicer for a couple hours. This is the same for loose slices that wind up on the ends pile.
I do buy cheese ends pretty regularly, though. They’re a great way to get a nice assortment and in smalll amounts.
depending on the deli and how they handle meat ends and slicer scraps, I love that kind of thing for soups/stews. Mmmm beef/ham/turkey breast shreds soup with a hint of basil…I need a drooly here
Just promise me you’ll be discrete.
Didn’t say they were the same, but someone who objects is probably bothered by the source more than the taste. I don’t think I’ve ever tried it but would not mind. Sweetbreads are great.
I guess it depends on how separated the meat chunks are, otherwise the OP will be continuous.
Guanciale is great. It’s just a piece of pork meat like any other. It just happens to come from the jaw/jowl area, so it’s much fattier and better suited to treating it like pork belly. I don’t really feel like it should be put in an offal category any more than meat or fat from an animal’s ass should be put there, and we eat that without reservation.
If you ever get a chance, though, pork cheeks are especially tasty. It’s lean, but full of collagen, so you can cook it for a long time like you would something like shoulder. Flavorful and sweet. It’s pretty much the perfect pork. But, unfortunately, I rarely see it for sale around here and would have to go to a place that butchers their own to find it.
While at the grocery* this afternoon, I took a closer look at the deli case. They had six (!) items with headcheese in the name plus about an equal number that were chunks of meat (and some veggies) in aspic that could easily pass for headcheese. There were more than I expected.
I bought some cheese ends, too. The meat ends looked pretty good, especially that one with all the slices of mortadella with pistachios. I passed on those, thought.
*Fresh Farms in Niles, IL, my favorite.
So, were you keeping around a four-year old chub of head cheese, or buying one, waiting for it to expire, throwing it away intact, and buying a new one, “just in case someone wants some?”
And, yes, ick.
^ :eek: I don’t know where it went. 