How to Make: Vietnamese Head Cheese / Gio Thu

pork shoulder

🥗Healthier: chicken breast

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground pork is often more affordable and easier to find.

pork fat

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: butter

Butter can provide richness at a lower cost.

fish sauce

🥗Healthier: soy sauce

💰Cheaper: salt

Salt can mimic the umami flavor at a lower cost.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Brown sugar offers a similar sweetness with a hint of molasses.

Before we begin cooking, it is essential to thoroughly clean the pork to reduce its porky odor. Place the pig snout, tongue, and ear in a large mixing bowl. Scrub with kosher salt, minced ginger, and white vinegar. Rinse with tap water, and then repeat 1-2 more times. Rinse and drain in a colander afterwards.

Then in a large stock pot with boiling salted water, boil the pork parts along with a knob of ginger. Bring the pot back up to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer covered with a slight crack for 30 minutes.

Drain and rinse the pork with cold tap water. Then, slice the snout, tongue, and ear into thin pieces. (For the tongue, ensure you remove the outer white layer before slicing)

Rehydrate the dry wood ear mushroom in room temperature tap water for 30 minutes. Once hydrated, drain the mushrooms and squeeze out any excess water.

Cut away any large and hard knots, and then cut the mushroom into roughly the same size pieces as pork parts.

To a big pan on medium-high heat, add in a splash of oil and sauté minced shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add in pork and sauté for five minutes. Add water to loosen up the ingredients, and then add rehydrated wood ear mushroom. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Season the mixture with fish sauce, sugar, MSG, salt and pepper. Make sure to adjust the seasoning to taste. (Taste a bit of the mixture before rolling to ensure it's adequately seasoned)

Now, for the best gio thu, use a mold to ensure that the logs are properly formed and that any gaps in the headcheese are reduced. Alternatively, you can form the head cheese by pushing the mixture into an empty can and press down firmly.

If none of those options are accessible, place the mixture onto a sheet of foil and roll the foil as tightly as possible. Then, wrap the foil in plastic wrap and continue to mold it into a firm log.

Let the gio thu chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Cut in half, and then remove the foil and plastic wrap. Cut into thin slices or thicker wedge shapes. Serve cold, and enjoy!

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Dietary