How to cook pig’s feet

Pig’s feet are delicious and bursting with flavor. Here’s everything you need to know about how to prepare and cook them, with tips and recipes.

Pig’s feet, otherwise known as trotters or pettitoes are one of those cuts of pork that have fallen out of favor in the Western world in recent years, but are a delicious piece of meat that, if cooked over a long period of time yield a rich, delicious meat that is packed full of flavor.

While the pig’s trotter is still commonly found in French, Scandanavian, Mexican, and Chinese cuisine, they don’t usually appear on restaurant menus in the US. That is changing however as US restaurants focus on reducing waste and sustainability and chefs look to manage the use of the whole pig in their cooking.

Southern cuisine has retained the use of pig’s feet though, where they are often salted, cured, pickled, stewed, pan roasted, and boiled and served with a sticky hot sauce and collards. Pig’s feet have survived in the cuisines of the poor, farming, and working communities of the rural US and when served with yams, beans, and cornbread can be considered a delicious soul food treat. 

Pig’s feet are not so easy to find these days and you may have to order them from your butcher in advance. When you get them though, it’s a good idea to ask the butcher to split them for you. Pig’s feet are extremely tough as they are mostly made of skin, bones, and knuckle, with very little meat, so splitting them at home can be difficult and dangerous. Your butcher can run them through an electric saw in just a few seconds.

To clean them, it is a good idea to soak them overnight in cold water. Then rinse them under the cold tap and use a knife to scape them clean. Some traditions call for rinsing them with vinegar first. Pig’s feet can be cooked in several different ways, but they usually benefit from finishing on the grill or in a pan, to crisp the skin. If you are choosing to simmer your pig’s feet for hours in water or stock, make sure to regularly skim the scum off the surface. Of course, your pig’s feet can be marinaded overnight, as is often the case in Chinese recipes.

How to debone a pig’s trotter

French chef Pierre Koffman’s iconic British dish of pig’s trotters with morels and sweetbreads is an enduring legacy of one of the titans of British and French cuisine. Watch the great chef demonstrate how to debone a pig’s trotter below.

Chef Jenner Tomaska, formerly of Chicago’s Next, now chef and co-owner of Esmé, takes us through how he prepares pig's feet with a respectful nod to Marco Pierre White while adding his own flair to the dish, stuffing it with white pudding.

French chef Thierry Marx demonstrates his take on a pure French classic—pig’s feet with cepe mushrooms.

This is a classic Spanish pig's feet dish—peus de porc amb naps. It’s easy to make and requires only simple, hearty ingredients with a splash of Catalunyan fino sherry, or whatever else you have to hand. The trotters are served with turnips and a classic sofrito. The preparation is simple, but the results are rich and deeply delicious.

This is a classic Chinese pig’s feet recipe with soy sauce, chilli, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and ginger. It is a relatively easy dish to make, but is bursting with flavor and heat. Pig’s feet are often eaten on special occasions in Chinese culture, like New Year’s as they are believed to bring good fortune and to symbolize abundance.

Kevin Thornton shows how to make one of his best-known dishes—suckling pig and trotter in this gloriously 1980s video from the chef’s eponymous restaurant in Dublin.

Cooking pig's feet sous-vide ensures they are tender and ready to be stuffed with foie before being sliced into portions and seared in the pan. Artichokes are a great seasonal addition and a drizzling of a demi-glace makes an impressive dish that wouldn't look out of place on any Michelin-starred restaurant's menu.