Bruce Fletcher > wrote:

> Boiled barbecued ribs - sounds almost as tasty as the pig's trotters and
> cow-heel we used to get from the UCP (United Cattle Products) shop in
> Manchester when I was about 10. Mind you their tripe was delicious <g>

Pig's trotters are actually wonderful. It is interesting that they are
often cooked exactly the way ribs shouldn't - first they are braised,
then grilled. I wonder if they can be slowly barbecued (in the southern
USA sense of the word) instead.

Classic French recipes, mostly variations on the Sainte-Ménéhould theme,
call for braising them on low heat for up to ten hours. Front trotters
are considered much superior to hind ones. In order to prevent them
from falling apart during such a long cooking, they are individually
wrapped in linen cloth and tied with twine. Then they are slowly
braised, covered, together with vegetables, white wine, and spices, for
a long time. Then they are unwrapped, smothered with butter and rolled
in breadcrumbs. Then they are slowly grilled. Serve with rémoulade or
béarnaise, or just with mustard. Very tasty.

Or you can make pieds de cochon farcis au foie gras...

Victor