Generally vegan, this is not a recipe I will try any time soon, however after seeing a brief mention in Garden & Gun, it reminded me of my dad, who attempted several times to get me and my sister to try pig brains and eggs for breakfast. It never worked. But scrambling up pork brains with eggs was just something my dad’s family did. Growing up in rural Alabama, a child of depression era parents, they did not waste any of the animals they raised for food. The most perishable organs hit the table first: brains for breakfast and lungs (also known as the lights)for lunch.
Here is a recipe from Howard Coble, a former fifteen-term congressman born in Greensboro, North Carolina, “You’ve got to get them quickly. You want to generously season them with salt, pepper, and butter, and eat them with a biscuit, preferably.”
Ingredients 2-1/2 Tablespoons bacon grease4 eggs 1/3 cup whole milk 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt1 can (5 ounce) pork brains in gravy (Rose Brand preferred)
Melt bacon grease in an iron skillet on low heat. Add pork brains to heated grease. Stir with a fork. Add salt and pepper and stir. Whisk eggs and milk together. Increase heat and add egg mixture to brains. Scramble to desired consistency. Serve immediately over toast. For a truly southern dish, serve with grits and apple butter.
About the Author
Interesting. A childhood delicacy for me was breaded veal brains, which sounds horrible; cervelle de veau panée makes it more palatable. Tastes exactly the same as fried oysters.