By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent.

Recently, I had the opportunity to get a pig-butchering lesson at Benner's Farm in Setauket, NY, an educational farm for kids and adults. Benner's Farm is a working farm and the slaughtering of a pig around November is an annual occurence. They don't sell meat to the public, so it is solely used by the family.

Because I'm is a self-proclaimed food dork and was intrigued with the whole process, I was lucky enough to come home with the pig's head and two pork chops after my lesson was complete. From there, I undertook a 9 and a half-hour cooking marathon to make what is commonly called head cheese, or (and it sounds better in French) Le Fromage de Tete. The following photo essay documents my up-close-and-personal farm-to-table experience. 

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUNG READERS, VEGETARIANS, OR THOSE WHO WOULD RATHER NOT THINK ABOUT WHERE THEIR MEAT COMES FROM. 

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Benner's Farm

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Jean Benner & Her Rifle

 

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The Pig

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A Man & His Pig

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Bob's Cornell Extension Butchering Information Bulletin

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Half of a Pig's Belly & A Saws-All

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Half of A Pig

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Bob splitting the ribs from the pork chops

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Ribs & bacon on the left. Pork Chops & Bacon on the right.

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Splitting the ribs from the bacon

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Ribs & Bacon

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Cutting the pork chops

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Pork Chops

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Slicing the pork chops

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A Beautiful Pork Chop

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A whole lot of pork

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BACON!

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Prepping The Cure … Kosher Salt & Suger

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Salt then Sugar

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Bacon, ready to be cured

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A Man & His Bacon

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Half a pig broken down

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Next…OFF WITH ITS HEAD!

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Offal

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Front Ham Hock & Head

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Trotters

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Every Animal Has A Purpose

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This is gonna take some work…

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2 hours later…the pig's head is ready to be made into head cheese

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Bay leaves, Thyme, Majoram, Pepper, and Cloves

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Into the pot it goes…this is the biggest pot I have ever used in my life…

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…After 2 hours of simmering

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….3.5 Hours

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…After 5 Hours

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…Another 2.5 Hours for the stock to reduce for gelatin

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Meanwhile…I pick a part the head for meat…

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Pour reduced broth over meat…put into fridge to chill and set…

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And voila…Le Fromage de Tete

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For a written essay on his experience, you can visit my blog,

"The Art (And Science) of Food Adventuring"