I don’t actually have my grandma’s recipe for this, so I turned to The Internet to find one. And I got really lucky! Here are a couple of sites that have good descriptions and recipes for this traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe:
Teri’s Kitchen – she has a great recipe for Pig’s Stomach that looks to be very close to what I remember.
AllRecipes has a version of it here.
Lastly, I found a nice story by Donna Godfrey about her grandmother’s list of food required to feed the many folks who would be involved in a Mennonite or Amish barn-raising. At the end of the story is her grandma’s recipe for Pig’s Stomach, which she called Dutch Goose.
I also searched for images and found a great set, taken by a fellow Central Pennsylvanian. Thanks to cthoyes for letting me borrow these photos so you can get an idea of what this looks like.
If you don’t happen to be butchering your own pig (and really, nowadays, who has time?), you need to track down a pig stomach. There really is no substitute. Where I live, that probably means I would first have to find a butcher shop, because I don’t think they have this at Safeway in the DC suburbs. There are Amish markets that might have it, and one time I spied one at a butcher booth at Eastern Market in DC. However, in regions where people would not look at you funny when you ask for this, you may be able to snag one at a grocery store with a good meat department. This fellow found one at a great grocery store in Central PA, Karns Market:
Then, you make the filling, which contains bulk ground sausage, potatoes, and other yummy-good things:
Then, you put the filling into the stomach – not YOUR stomach, that comes later – the raw pig stomach. Think of it like stuffing a giant sausage casing:
Then you bake it and it gets all juicy and yummy good.
The thing about this dish is that, even though I remember my grandma making it, I myself have never made it and I sure don’t know anyone my age who has made it. It’s definitely a regional thing and may in many ways be a generational thing. My children may never eat this. If nothing else, I have tried to capture it here to capture a slice of the history of rural Central Pennsylvania.
If you have memories of eating – or making – this dish, I would appreciate reading about it. Please leave a comment below.
My Grandmas' Recipes 
I am from Emmaus outside of Allentown but now live north of Charleston sc. I grew up eating pig stomach and love it. I always wanted the thick part. I have never made it but remember my grandmother making it. Basically i remember her frying smoked sausage then cutting it, adding it to small cubed potatoes and stuffing it into the stomach. I see that the recipes also put onions in the stuffing. Don’t remember that but she may have had onions in it. I just got a stomach from a farmer that just butchered and hoping I am preparing the stomach the right way. I am more worried about that then cooking it. I also make schnitz und knepp. greens with bacon dressing, pa. dutch dressing, sho fly pie & funny cake.
My Grandmother and my mother made stuffed pig stomach, growing up in Lancaster PA this was a special treat. I have made it twice in my life but going to venture out for the stomach. It s is a taste you remember from childhood. We used a lot of root vegetables and of course sausage and lots of black pepper.
I was born in Hanover Pa and grew up eating hog maw and love it. I made it for many years until I couldn’t get the maws. Now I have found them again after probably 20 years since I no longer live in my hometown and brought two home with me along with the sausage. I learned to stuff it with sausage, potatoes, carrots lots of pepper and onion, of course probably celery. I am excited to make one very soon
Hope it turns out great!
How did it turn out?
I was born and raised and still live on a farm in Gettysburg PA. I am kinda picky about my “maws” and only make this once a year when we butcher! Such a treat and my entire family loves it!
Yup, I make it. We always made it when I was growing up butchering. But it’s getting harder to to find cleaned pig’s stomachs without buying 30# at a time. I use my husband’s Uncle’s recipe, amazing good!
Grew up eating pig stomach, My brother and I would fight over the skin, You knew the day we were having pig stomach there would not be any leftovers. Such fond memories of when my parents were alive and those family dinners when we had pig stomach
Here in Pennsylvania Dutch Country we call it pig stomach. I use bulk fresh sausage, roasted pork loin, potatoes celery onions, and seasoning of choice. Combine all the ingredients and fill the stomach. We close the stomach with skewers to bake. Serve with pork gravy. We eat this every New Years Day.
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
This is so tasty. In our family we have it every New Years day! Hog Maw is the best.
I lived in Maryland growing up – but I was lucky my mother’s side of the family was from Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Dutch community has so many great foods and traditions.
I am so happy to enjoy the food and traditions of that area and share with my family today.
Remembering it as a dish my PA Dutch mother and grandmother’s used to make on rare occassions. Good eatz and gut essen. We called it “piggy maw”.
For anyone who can’t find pig stomach try a spanish or mexican grocery store they sell it in addition to pigs and cows feet as well as tongue, tripe and other parts. I personally love tacos de Buche (pig stomach/hog maw tacos)
Douglas, You took the words right out of my mawth (pun intended)…… Mom and grandmom made this after the yearly butchering, Hog Maw. They’d do 2 pigs, a steer, chickens and ducks all on the same day. The slaughtering took place outside, down on grandpa’s farm. The butchering and processing, including the sausage making, happened in the farmhouse basement on a 30′ long table. Brother, sister, aunts, uncles and cousins of mine. Everyone had a responsibility/task. I’m making this Stuffed Pig Stomach for the first time in 20 some years, of having it last. I say to you all as my grandpa would say to me after every visit with him “machs gut yunga”….
Lol @mawth!! Good memories.
This was always a deer hunting camp staple. Smoked sausage, country sausage, cabbage, potatoes, onions, and sometimes carrots or other root vegetables for color. Parsley and/or celery leaves and lots of black pepper seal the deal. You had to fight for a spot at the table when this stuff hit the table, boys.
I love, love, love Hog Maw! I remember my mom making it for us – she was a German farm girl born and raised in Glen Burnie, Maryland, so was use to using all of the pig but the oink. Then she married my dad who’s mother was Pennsylvania Dutch and so there was no question that we would be eating PA Dutch foods in our South Central Pennsylvania home. When I got to Scotland I was eager to try haggis, and while it had a very different flavor from hog maw (since it is made with sheep/lamb parts), I loved it too!
I am a California native but I lived in Lancaster Pennsylvania for 12 years, being a cook ,I knew I had to learn to cook Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. My husband introduced me to this recipe,he said this is how his grandmother made it simple Potatoes,sausage,and onions and a little salt and pepper,add a little water to the pan and baste it so it doesn’t dry out. Voila!
I also put bread in mine.
From York County and have been eating hog maw for 72 years. 1/3 (pepper) sausage, 1/3 potatoes, 1/3 cabbage, salt and pepper to taste, small onion diced fine, optional: diced apple to counter the cabbage. Feed any carrots to the rabits. Secure opening with kitchen neadles. Roast covered until finished to retain the tasty maw. Do not brown as it becomes shoe leather! Slice and eat all. Enjoy
Wayne
Sounds great Wayne!!!
I too am from York County and make this often. My family likes it and we even have requests for it from my son-in-law when he visits from Michigan. I mix hamburger, sausage, potatoes (diced and uncooked) salt pepper and onion and some cabbage. Sew shut after stuffing and bake in covered roasting pan. The last few minutes I will uncover and broil until skin starts to bubble. Makes the outside crispy and my husbands favorite. Served with ketchup, yum
Have you ever heard of bread filling instead of cabbage. My grandmother used all the other ingredients except cabbage,she used bread torn up.If you or anyone else that knows of a filled pig stomach made this way please send to me. Thank You.
Nancy, We’ll be right over. Can we bring anything? :)
Have a Hog Maw in the oven right now. Filled it with 8 potatoes, a head of cabbage, two onions, 2 pounds of fresh pork sausage and lots of black pepper. Cant wait for dinner! We will serve ours with home made applesauce and baked rolls on the side. Good Fall meal.
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I too am from central PA (York County) and grew up on this awesome Dutch/German inspired meal.
Unfortunately we have (do to employment) relocated to Palm Bay, FL. where it is near impossible to find any thing Dutch/German, let alone a Hog Maw. We have compromised ( I know, sacrilege) and are making what my family affectionately calls “Hog Maw without the Hog”. Same great contents as inside a Hog Maw, but cooked in a casserole dish or roast pan (depending on servings made) cooked basically the same temp & time….as long as you watch for when the sausage is cooked well done. So if your in the same “boat” as me…or just can’t “stomach” the idea of using an actual Hog Maw…there are alternatives. Although NOT traditional as per say !!!!
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I grew up outside of Middletown, PA. My mom would get the maws either at Fox’s Market or drive to a family owned butcher shop in Elizabethtown. I have moved to Oregon and finally found a stomach at an Asian grocery store in Beaverton. I am cooking hog maw tonight for the first time in over 10 years, since my last trip back to PA. I had to do some reconstructive surgery on it since it was split flat but it should be worth it.
Terri, let us know how it turned out, please. Also, what did you stuff it with?
My Memmy made this and many more for us growing up. I’m treating my dad to Endive with hot bacon dressing, Schnitz un Knepp and finishing with a wet bottom shoe fly pie. A dinner from our past for sure. Never made these dishes but (fingers crossed) a success would be to make this a every spring tradition moving forward. Back to pigs stomach, may have to try this in the fall.
Oh yeah, I remember Memmy putting fresh and smoked sausage in hers with a bunch of other things.
Sounds wonderful!
Wow, that’s a stove full for the first time making it. Schnitz and Knepp and then Shoe fly Pie. 2 awesome choices. Best of luck !!!!!!!
I just came across this posting. I, too, am from PA and I thought we were the only ones who called their grandmother “Memmy.”
I grew up in central Pa farm family, both my mother and fathers families made pigs stomach. Both families had different recipes for this dish. This was usually made around butcher time.
I make it to this day. I usually pick up my hog maws from local butcher’s. What amazes me is the price for a well cleaned maw, used to pay buck, now there five bucks a pound, this is more then the sausage you stuff it with. Does not matter what veggie’s you add to the potato and sausage mix, this is a slow and low temp roast. I use an eight quart C.I Dutch oven(more then a hundred years old) and roast at 275 degrees. My grandmas recipe called for pork broth , lade led from the butchers kettle when cooking down the head meat ,livers, kidneys, and other organ meats. First step to making scrappel. I find chicken broth works just fine. If you have adventures guest, most people love this
remember it takes good butchers sausage, and lots of seasoning . Enjoy!
Craig,
At 275 degrees, how long do you cook it?
And the price is ridiculous!
Thanks,
Mike
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What the heck does this have to do with hog maw?
I am making hog maw today for the first time. First time I ever had it my future brother-in-law took me home to his parents house for dinner one afternoon and said holler to the door hey mom I brought Joanne home for dinner and she came into the hallway and looked at me kind a funny look like and I thought oh well I’m sorry if it’s last minute it’s okay if it’s you know you don’t have enough she said no it’s fine but were having pig stomach well that’s been the family joke ever since but today I make it for the first time for my in-laws who are now 94 and 89. Wish me luck.
You’ll be fine. let us know how the in-laws liked it.
I made it for the first time, however, my brother makes it and mine turned out just like his.
Very delicious. We put the bag on a cookie sheet and when it is finished, let it stand 20 minutes, cut down through the center (top of bag) left the pig out and no mess at all. We put about 2 tbs. of regular flour in the bag and this will keep it from sticking. We like the skin brown. we bake it at 350* for 5 hours.
We are Pennsylvanians !
Jaclyn,
We never tried a roasting bag before. What a great idea! We’re going to try that next time. Thanks for the tip!
Mike
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I am in Southern Maryland, I saw hog maw at the Shoppers Food Warehouse in California MD (St Mary’s county near PAX NAS) and wondered what “exactly” is was.. I may just try it now after reading the raves
my parents use to make this and we loved it! i am from york,pa and this was a treat for us when we had it. there were 4 kids and we always fought over the thick end..that seemed to be the best part of it.. loved it but havent had it in quite sometime. would love to treat myself to some of it soon though. if you havent tried it,dont knock it.. has great flavors throughout. simply delicious and have some creamy coleslaw along with it… yummy….. :)
So many Pennsylvanians–I live near Camp Hill and have never had it, nor have I made it, but I might just give it a try now.
Stephanie,
It’s like a delicacy. You won’t regret trying it.
this is and always will be a favorite of mine….we ate this every year for one holiday or the other and sometimes both depending on the requests…i grew up in south central Penna. and well that is strong with the Penna. Dutch culture…try Getttysburg area…i will be making this soon as i have been dying to get this for some time…when i lived in Cali, L.A. area my hispanic friends enjoyed the dish when i made it and couldn’t get enough …first they said, “EW” and i said EW to goats head..so we were even…but all in all they loved it….
I learned to make pig stomach from my mother. She’s gone now so I continue the tradition for my family. This was our typical Christmas meal and our mouths watered just smelling it baking in the oven. She used sausage, potatoes, onion, celery, and it was seasoned with salt, pepper, and her secret ingredient . . . coriander. It was baked on high heat ( I think 425) so that the fat from the sausage would leak out which is what was used to baste it. It’s kind of like frying it in the oven. Makes the stomach a bit crisper and easier to chew for those who actually eat the stomach. We’ll be having it for Thanksgiving this year. My brother has requested it. Any leftovers will be shared with my boss who loves pig stomach but has no one to make it for him. HappyThanksgiving everyone!
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This has been a tradition in our family for generations. I still make it for our family a few times a year. The stomach itself may be eaten. It’s a bit chewy but it’s all part of the tradition. When I was a child, we had pig stomach on Thanksgiving Eve and turkey Thanksgiving day. We stuff our maw with loose sausage, cubed potatoes, diced onion and shredded cabbage. We use a small amount of salt and a good bit of pepper. Roast at 350 degrees F, on a rack, for about five hours. I add about 2 cups of water to the bottom of the pan. I’ve tried many foods in my life. Pig stomach is my all time favorite food.
I live in York, Pa and this has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. I am going to be making hog maw this week. My brother is coming to visit from calif and one of my other brothers was wanting this. I remember my mom making this. i use just the sausage, potatoes and onions. My son loves it too!
so how did your hog maw turn out, Michelle?
I found this “site?” while looking for a comparison for Haggis to Hog Maw. Mostly because there is a joke going around about having haggis at my book club meeting tonight [Scottish character in the book]…and I got to thinking about hog maw. My Aunt Bertie Fortenbaugh used to make this in Marysville, PA [yes, Perry County]. However, being a ‘spoilt’ kid from Philly, I would never touch the stuff and I don’t even remember anything about what it looked like or smelled like [which is weird because I’ve always been very food oriented…coming from the great Eastern/Central Pennsylvania where the food is THE BEST!!] However, after reading many of the responses to this post, I am feeling very interested in trying to make this. Mostly I remember Aunt Bertie cleaning the casings in the sink. Using a sort of thumbs in and fingers out rolling it like a woman would put on her nylons when they came one per leg and attached to garters! As an aside, do any of you remember Chicken and Waffles at Amity Hall? It was pieces of chicken in gravy ladled over the waffle. It was so good! I’m getting hungry now. Here in this California wasteland I can’t even get Tastykakes without paying a fortune to have them mailed…or Utz Pretzles for that matter. Anyway, I live in a very ethnic area of town and I believe I have seen pig stomach available in one of the groceries around here. I think I’ll get one and try making HOG MAW!! Whee!!
Linda! Thanks for our comment. Glad you found me! I actually saw hog maw for sale at a butcher case at Eastern Market in the heart of D.C. last weekend. Find your best butcher and go for it!
As for the chicken and waffles – I was 5 years old when Amity Hall flooded and closed, so I never had their chicken & waffles, but you can get it at any church supper or some restaurants in central PA, including the County Line restaurant in Richfield, which my cousins operate! Don’t be fooled by chicken and waffles in the south, it’s a different dish entirely.
You can mail order your favorite PA snacks from the aptly-named website, http://www.pasnacks.com. Check it out!
Hi Linda,
If you get the urge to make chicken and waffles, I can provide a good recipe for that, also. It’s very easy. My mom made hog maw and we have the recipe although I’ve never made it. Our local Lutheran Church is holding a “hog maw dinner this Saturday, which has us thinking of making it – reminded us how tasty it is. Mom used potatoes, sausage, onion and one pork chop cut up for the filling.
Evelyn
Evelyn, thanks for the chicken and waffles offer. Does this include sort of stewing the chicken and putting it in gravy over the wafles? My hubby makes waffles – we have a lovely old double waffle iron, but I am not a good gravy maker. Tell me! Tell me! [I believe the southern version would involve fried chicken but how do they do that with a waffle??] Thanks!
p.s. I just came back from Pennsylvania but no hog maw OR chicken and waffles…no time to search. I was busy eating sticky buns, tasty kakes, flounder, and cheese steaks.
Linda
When I was a kid we went to my Grandma’s house for hog maw. They were huge, as large as a basket ball. Now when I make it the stomachs are only a little bigger than a softball. I guess it’s because that pigs are butchered now when they reach about 250 Lbs instead of up to 650 – 700 lbs.
Sunnyway Foods in Greencastle or Chambersburg, PA, carry the best hog-maw’s. I’m making this for dinner tonight. I always thought it sounded gross, but it is absolutely delicious! I use Hoffman’s country sausage (about 2lbs.), a few pounds of diced, peeled, Yukon Gold potatoes, and 1-2 lg onions diced. It really needs nothing else at all. Stuff the stomach, sew it up, bake around 325 for a few hours and baste often. Everyone should try this at least once!
Aaah, good to know it’s available not far from where I live… thanks for your comment Lami!
I went to school in Greencastle and this was on the lunch menu prior to 1971 and it was so delicious.
The cafeteria used bread and sausage filling and was served with a thin gravy.
I have a stuffed pig stomach in the oven right now. My family loves it. I use fresh sausage, country style spareribs, potatoes, onions, parsley, salt and pepper. We live in New Bloomfield PA (Perry County). All my meat and pig stomach come from Fersters Meat Market in New Bloomfield. They have the best sausage.
Hi Pam from a fellow Perry Countian! Well, that’s where I grew up, anyway. Glad to hear Ferster’s is still wonderful – it was when I lived there!
Hey Perry County people! Anybody know my cousin Don Dissinger, the Perry County Jury Commissioner? I was just there last week – briefly – in Loystown and Newport!! I also found a Perry County Sesquicentennial plate at an antique mall in Bird-in-Hand for my PA plate rack!! [sorry, none of this has anything to do with hog maw…]
Hi Linda – I’ve been gone since 1985, but a lot of the names still sound familiar. I was up for a quick overnight stay earlier this month… we stuffed our faces with subs from Jo Jo’s in Millerstown AND plenty of Middleswarth potato chips!! Hoping to hit the Sled Works over Thanksgiving weekend.
The Pennsylvania Dutch county I hail from is Snyder. Our county has many old order Mennonite buggy people and a few of their receipes have drifted over to the English dinner table. Hog Maw is enjoyed by most folks in this Dutchified corner of the world. I question your opening remarks in regard to eating the stomach. Around here we DO eat the stomach and why not. It’s an interesting chew and a lot of chewing it takes. It’s like trying to chew gum up to swallow. The meaty parts of the stomach have a very unique taste. Frankly, I love it and most of us love it as much as the stuffing. A wonderful dish after butchering and for that matter any old time.
I love eating this. Its a tradition in our family that I remember my grandmother making. she has passed and it has now become my dads tradition. I hope some day to be the one everyone looks to in the future to continue our family tradition.
Just made hog maw this evening. Grew up eating it with cubed potatoes and sausage meat. Place meat and poratoes in the stomach and I sew the opening shut with a needle and thread just like my mother did. Always need to have creamy cole slaw as a side dish with this.
Meg,
Growing up in York, we did the “harvest dinner” thing, which happened in mid-late Oct and basically kicked off the holiday dinner season for our family. And this was the dish we always had. I love the local variations. Some have cabbage, carrots or celery in them. We did half hamburger/half sausage, with potatoes and onions. The crispy skin was amazing.
In another week, I am going to host my own for friends here in the State College area, who have never had this before.
Well, after visiting several websites, I decided to look up hog maw because I’ve just finished a plate of it. I must say, no one makes it like I was taught to make it. I’m from Strinestown, PA, York County, but now live in Glen Rock. I was raised by my grandparents; she was PA Dutch (Sipe/Witmer,) and he was German/Irish (Stoner/Toomey.) I’ve got to say that anyone who claims you aren’t supposed to eat the maw, doesn’t know PA Dutch. We butchered, so a good, clean maw was easy to come by. Still, I’ve never heard of not adding a good (caramalized) celery and onion stuffing (made with eggs, milk, and plenty of parsley) to the mix of shredded cabbage, sausage, and diced potatoes. I use well-seasoned – not smoked – sausage (@ 2-3 lbs.), 3/4 head of medium-large cabbage, 3-4 C diced potatoes, and just enough stuffing to hold it toether. I usually fry-off 2 lbs. of the sausage with the onion & celery I’ll use for the stuffing so that I don’t use butter to fry; this also gives a better flavor to the stuffing. I mix the remaining 1 lb. raw sausage into it, after removing it from the heat. I incorporate it into the stuffing, cabage and potatoes, before stuffing a large maw with it; to make 2 maws, I’ll use the entire head of cabbage, and add another 1 lb. of raw sausage. You don’t want a ratio heavy with dressing and potatoes, but you do want one heavy in cabbage and sausage Bake at 350, basting often, till golden brown. Serve with a cole slaw, or saurkraut. I just made this for my 86 yr-old neighbor, and he said it was delicious; trust me, it was!
man ive been eating this all my life we put them with shitleens lol thts wht ever body call them where im from
My father loved to tell the story of how when he was courting the girl who would become my mother, he was invited to her house for Sunday dinner. As my grandmother, who was from around Lebanon, brought in the main dish on a big platter, the whole big family oohed and aahed. On the platter was a giant, distended stomach. Dad, who was at the time slightly hung over and had never seen such a thing before, said he was forever grateful to Grand-dad, who after carving leaned over and whispered in his ear, “With or without skin?” Dad was barely able to croak out, “Without, please.” Still, my parents got married, and here I am.
Jim in Seattle
Jim, that’s a fantastic story!! Your future father must have been quite smitten. with your future mom, I mean.
my grandmother maid this but with sausage potatoes and cabbage. very good, i now make this but dont use the stomach due to my kids being picky so it also works well in a turkey bag.
I grew up in South Central PA but never had hog maw in the stomach. My mom was skunnered by the thought of eating organs so she refused. But we did have hog maw filling which was just what you would stuff inside the hog maw but in a casserole dish. Our recipe was just equal parts country sausage, cabbage and potatoes seasoned with salt and pepper. When I make it for people they are always surprised how something so simple can be so delicious. When I was growing up 1lb of sausage and the rest of it would feed my parents and I. Now I have to buy twice as much because my husband loves it so much I almost have to make a separate one just for him.
Tonight I made the filling in the pressure cooker for the first time. tasted exactly the same and it was done in 15 minutes. I was amazed.
I’m from Berks county, so this is a regular meal around here. A lot of diners have this as a special once a week. I make it the way my family always has…cubed potatoes, sliced smoked sausage, LOTS of onions, and some seasonings. Now this is making me hungry for it…gonna have to make it soon!
Oh, I forgot to say Berks county is in eastern PA…Kutztown to be exact. :)
I grew up in Mertztown and my grandfather was a farmer in Kutztown. Hog maw was always a special treat after butchering. Now I am spoiled and buy mine already stuffed at Green Dragon farmers market. It is yummy and very similar to the way my mom ang grandma made it. I have introduced many people to this yummy meal over the years. I now live in Perry County just north of Carlisle and my newest victim will be having Hog Maw in a few hours.
A Perry County girl – just like me!! Thanks for your comment!
My name is Stanley Kern I’m born and raised in K town but I left there in 1946
I’m still loving pig stomach and got my kids to like it to but they dont eat the stomach.
Wy is it no body mentions the fact that yo gotta remove the inside of the stomach. a paring knife pliers and paper towels perfict to do thi job. To me its not clean unless this membrane is removed ,I steam my stomach for 2 hrs in a pot with little stand on bottom of pot with water to bottom of stomach with lid on. I then take it out an frown the stomach in iron skilletall over – then its out to platter sliced and covered ewith brown buter poured over it Lisen to it sizzle
After 2 days of researching just one fork in my family tree I discovered that my Great x3 grandmother was born in a town almost directly in between Munich and Nuremburg. So I’ve been also reseaching all things German from this region. Over the holidays my mother was talking about Stuffed Pig Stomach that her grandmother used to make when she would visit them “down home” in Timblin, PA. and how good it was. Hence my stumbling across your blog and recipe. And if I ever can lay my hands on a hogs maw I am going to make this for my mother to see if it is what her memory tastes from her childhood. Thank you so much for this small, but not inconsequential link to my ancestors.
We call it pounce – (paw-on-se)
If you poke holes with a fork in the stomach it will not bust! We cook it regularly here in Louisiana. Most of the time we smoke it a little.
I’d never heard of this dish before. I was in the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg some weeks back, and saw a curious looking thing in the case at Lebanon Farms Meats. I asked about it and the guy told me it was pig stomach. I was thinking “tripe” but he told me how his mother made it stuffed with sausage.
I bought one, and sausage. I mixed the sausage with sautéed cabbage and a host of favors like fresh garlic, ground turmeric, pepper, etc. added cut new potatoes, and roasted for a few hours.
It was delicious. I ate the maw as well. It’s a thin, nearly fat free meat. Not tripe-like at all. Not sure why anyone would NOT eat it.
My partner’s reaction was “you couldn’t PAY me to eat that. His loss. My gain :-)
This site needs a LIKE button like on Facebook. My point exactly. Don’t want it? Ok more for me!
I could set up a page for Facebook – I really should add some more recipes, too, one of these days! Thanks for your comment.
Is there a secret to kepp the stomach from bursting? We’ve been making this for years and it seems that in the last 5 years we’ve had more of them split then not!
Hog maw is one of my favorite foods — and I loved the ones my Mom made — half ground beef, half sausage, onions, salt and pepper. Can’t remember if she used celery.
Glad we are all carrying on our Pa. Dutch tradition!
Trivia — I grew up in York County, so it was always Hog Maw to me. When I lived in Lancaster County for a few years, it was Pig Stomach. Interesting what crossing the Susquehanna River did to naming conventions!
I’m from York County as well and moved to Lancaster County 30 years ago. It’s funny the name changes crossing the river. Being that this is PA dutch county, I thought they would use the dutch name more. Just bought the pig stomachs and smoked sausage at S Clyde Weavers. This will be Christmas dinner this year for my family in memory of my paternal grandmother who made it for us once a year. Along with cole slaw and rasin pie. She’s been gone for quite a few years; I thought it was time we had some hog maw once.
Sounds delicious Donna! Enjoy!
I was in Germany this past summer and found the ancient recipe for pig stomach from the Rheinland-Palatinate area in central western Germany. The is the area of Germany from where most of the PA Germans came from. The stomach stuffing is fairly similar to how native Pennsylvanians do it, with one exception..the stomach is sewn up, put in a linen cloth bag, and immersed in a slow-simmer pot of water for 4 hours. It is then taken out, allowed to cool a bit to make slicing easier, eaten with sauerkraut, a course rye bread, and dry white wine. It was awesome!!!
This is a fondly remembered meal. My mother passed away and I don’t have her recipe, but she did not add sausage. She always made her pig stomach with cubed pork roast, diced potatoes, salt and pepper. Sewed it up and then put it in a pan with an inverted pie plate and water. Steamed it, I guess. Always finished with frying it in butter so the skin was crispy. Thanks for the general ideas of time and such. I am going to give it a try this New Year’s Day. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
love the old way of cooking im from east texas still fix all this, but kids today dont know much about this, or real cow milk, and butter, i had rather eat like this anyday than the fast food route, greens and cornbread, fried chichen still the best to me. larry
Hog Maw is one of my favorites having grown up in Central PA. Currently headed home for Christmas dinner and Hog Maw is the main event. Can’t wait!
This comment comes years late but i’m born and raised in Memphis, TN. I’ve never seen a stuffed hog maw before, guessin it’s a northern spin on it. Only way i’ve ever had maws were s boiled in a slow cooker overnight with onions, bell peppers, celery etc. However, the picture of the stuffed ones does look delicious.
I too was born and raised in Central Pennsylvania, Mount Joy, to be exact. We grew up eating Pig Stomach. It was one of my family’s favorite meals. My Grandma made it, is as did my Mom. It was so popular that we made it our traditional Christmas dinner. Even though I now live in Oregon, my Mom will still make Pig Stomach for us when we come home to visit.
My Mom put all of the ingredients in it that you mentioned, but also added shredded carrots. She would also sew the pig stomach closed with a needle and thread. It’s best when you bake the stomach to the point that it is crispy and brown.
For dessert we would serve Red Velvet Cake with Red Velvet Icing. These people that put Cream Cheese Frosting on Red Velvet Cake are missing the boat.
Beth Perez
Thank you i thought i was alone never heard of stuffed..
My Mother always made pig stomach and it was a huge hit. In fact, I always make it for Thanksgiving dinner and then we do the traditional turkey for Christmas dinner. I have always stuffed the stomach with fresh sausage, diced potatoes, chopped onions, chopped celery and salt and pepper. Until last year, I always sewed all the holes with a thick thread along with the ends. Then I would poke holes in the stomach with a needle so it wouldn’t burst. My Mother tried smoked sausage at one point but none of us liked it. I always put the onions and celery in butter and soften them in the microwave. That way they don’t turn brown because I do them the night before.
I NEED A SHORT TUTORIAL ON HOW TO FRY HOG MAW.
Are you referring to a Mexican dish? If so, you’d need to visit a different website:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/06/the-nasty-bits-tacos-de-buche-pork-stomach-recipe.html
NOpe, this isn’t Mexican, but how interesting that our different cultures make basically the same thing!
HOW TO PREPARE FRY HOG MAW
I am making what my husband calls the Western version of Hog Maw for the first time since leaving PA and moving to UT. I am hoping it doesn’t taste too bad without the maw, since I have tried to find one but no luck. This is not a big pig area to begin with. Someone suggest one of the oriental markets, I tried one and had trouble with translations. I know they thought I was some crazy lady. I’ve read several sites that say it takes the same in a casserole so I am giving it a try.. My grandmother would be horrified.
I LIKE TO KNOW HOW YOU FRY PIG`S STOMACH.
I amn 65 years old graqmdand have been looking for this old family receipt for years. As I am the last person alive in my family I was afraid it went with my deceased family. My grandma Zimmerman used to make this when I was just a child and I loved it. Can,t wait to try it on my family and pass it down the line. I seemed to remember maybe sage in the receipt as well. Family came from around the Hershey, Pa area. Grandparents came out with a covered wagon group in the 1800,s and homesteaded in South Central Kansas, believed to be just north of the Cherakee stip. Thanks so much. ksnyder@cbr;youthconnect.org
My grandmother was from Emmaus Pa. She would make pig stomach for us whenever we would visit. I’ve made it several times myself. I live in Maryland and have an excellent butcher shop that I have dealt with for about 25years. After my grandmother had taken hers off the heat, she would pour browned butter over the top so that the butter ran all down thru the stuffing. Really added good flavor. She always said it isn’t done until you add the butter. Try it sometime. Gud essen
GOING TO MAKE MY FIRST HOG MAW FOR OUR GRAUND DAUGHTER . THIS IS HER FAVORITE MEAL SINCE SHE WAS A LITTLE GRIL. NOW 22 AND NOT ON PA. LIVES IN FLA. WILLBE COMMING HOME THIS WEEK END NAD GOING TO HAVE THIS FOR HER. HER MOM MADE THE BEST BUT SHE WILL NO BE HERE. HOPE MY FIRST TRY WIL BE GOOD ONE. YORK PA.
I grew up in a Mennonite/Brethren home all of my life. Hog Maw was a staple meal. We had it often and it was one of my favorites. I have married a man who had never heard of such a thing and he now asks me to make it. I make mine from the traditional Amish/Mennonite recipe.
Didn’t say where I am from. I lived in York,Pa. Now live in a little town north of York called Emigsville, Pa.
By the way I have 2 in the oven now. I stuff mine with sausage,hamburg,potatoes, cabbage, onion and also add the large fordhook green lima beans in. That makes a 1 pan meal. Today I have one stuffed with coin cut carrots instead of the limas. Some of my family doesn’t like limas.
With it I serve cabbage slaw and green pepper/cabbage slaw. For dessert I am having french apple pie or choclate cake w fudge icing. Mmmmmm
I make hog maw a lot. When growing up my mother made it often. On Feb. 14th 1999 my pregnet daughter was very hungry for it. So in the early morning I prepared for it and it was in the oven when I got a phone call she went to hospital. Well==she had a boy late morning and I went to hospital to see them and she said ” MOM I still want to eat some” Soooo back home I went and fixed her a plate up and took it to her. She ate everything I took in. (LOL)
Hi Donna, thanks for your comments – I always love hearing from fellow south-central-Pennsylvanians. You’re a good mama, bringing a plate of pig stomach for your daughter to enjoy after all of her hard work!
I am actually making this right now for this evenings dinner. I add a little pepper, cubed potatoes, cabbage, and “frozen” peas. I point out that I use frozen peas because when you start to mix and smush all the ingredients together the peas tend to get smashed. If you wait to add the frozen peas until the end they will stay firm and round during baking.
Andrea – how was dinner? Sounds good! I don’t remember my grandma adding peas! But the tip on adding them frozen seems a good one. Thanks for your suggestion!
I was raised in York, PA and my grandmother would make hog maw. When she passed my father continued the tradition. In the past I have made it for my husband and his family. I haven’t made hog maw in several years. We moved to Virginia and couldn’t find the stomach. Now we live in Illinois and I have asked at butcher shops and they look at me like I’m crazy. By luck I found the stomach at the Navy commissary. Then I ran into the problem of finding ground sausage, but eventually found it. My husband likes it but says its too bland. Does anyone have any suggestions to spice it up a little? I’m making a hog maw today for him to take to work.
It’s nice to see there are so many people that still enjoy Pennsylvania Dutch cooking.
I usually make gravy to put over the top. I use the drippings from the roaster pan.
Sounds delicious Susan!
We used either country sausage or sweet italian sausage. Remove the casings and break up the meat – the seasonings are in the sausage, unlike the plain ground meat.
Anyone who takes the time to try this will like it. I never had it a child but moving to York, PA it is very common here and being that I love to cook and try new things I make it about once a year. Best time is when you know someone is butchering. The maw itself are quite expense now. About $7 for a nice size one. Use fresh ground sausage, small diced potatoes, I chop some onion and gabage, salt and pepper for seasoning. Hold it all together with some egg like you would a meatloaf. Bake til golden brown (you won’t like the pig stomach unless it is nice and crispy brown like fried chicken). Everyone should try this and I bet if you didn’t tell your kids what it was they would love it. I serve with some gravy and I have even seen kids eat it with ketchup.
Have no idea how to do this, response thing, but….Giant Food in McLean, VA just procured 10 maws for me. I only need 2. Perhaps someone local can take advantage of Giant’s customer service kindness for me. Per the Giant lady this AM, stomach are not frozen and will stay fresh without freezing for 7 days. Alll are very well cleaned.
I make pig stomach every year for Christmas. everyone looks forward to it. When my girls were growing up, I think they invited their boyfriends for Christmas dinner just for the shock factor. Everyone tried it, ate it and loved it. Even my youngest daughter who is now a mother of 4 and has been a vegetarian for 7 years or so, still misses pig stomach. I have read many other peoples recipes for pig stomach and many variations but I love mine so much I am afraid to try another for fear I would not like it as much. I only put bulk fresh sausage, potatoes and onions, salt, and pepper in mine. Sew up all the holes, bake it in the oven for about 3-4 hours at
350 with the lid on..basting it every so often. Take the lid off the last half hour or hour so it gets nice and brown. Make gravy using the drippings and thicken with cornstarch/water mixture. When you take the pig stomach out of the oven, let it cool for about 10 min and then slice….serve with gravy… IT IS AWESOME
Sounds fabulous Stephanie – thanks for your comment!
Thanks, Angie, for your comment! I love that this post continues to get hits from people who remember eating this, and those who still do! DC is funny – you can find cuisine from all parts of the world, but it’s hard to find some of the traditional Penna Dutch things. Luckly, we have nearby a Lancaster County Amish market that’s open Weds – Saturday. They come down from Lancaster and there are stalls for produce, meat, cheese, dried goods, and of course baked goods. I like to go there when I need a “fix.”
Thanks for the slaw recipe, too! That sounds like a jazzed-up version of something my mom made, called, aptly, Lettuce with White Dressing. The dressing is pretty much what you wrote, and we would put it over plain old iceberg lettuce. Simple and yummy!
Hi. I grew up on hog maw and south central PA–Blue Ridge Summit. My mom made it often because my dad loved it. I make it for my family about once a year. I made it for My brother/sister-in-law from NY when they came to visit and it is now their favorite meal, when visiting us in DC. I had to laugh when you wrote thatbyou can’t find a hog maw in DC…nope. I have to go to PA for the sausage as well because Dc’s idea of a butcher shop is Costco! Anyhow, thought I’d add my mom’s coleslaw recipe here because we never had hog maw without the coleslaw.
1 large head of cabbage–shredded
Shredded carrots
Sm. Onion…I often don’t use the onion…kids!
1/2 c. Vinegar–I heat it for 1 min in microwave
1 cup sugar
6 tbls mayo
1 cup of milk
Mix this and pur over shredded cabbage, carrots and onions.
Delicious served with hog maw.
Angie – how long do you bake a hog maw and at what temppeture.
i am currently making hog maw. just got hungry for it last wk. went to the store wed and got my stuff, im 35 and love the stuff, my kids are 13,7, and 6 and they all eat it. havent had it for a while like almost a year or 2, i dont think any will be left over. maybe i should of bought 2.
Thanks for your comment April! I’m happy to hear you’re keeping the recipe alive and that your kids like it, too.
I am also a transplanted Pessylvanian and I’ll share a recipe with you.
BACON DRESSING FOR DANDELION
3 slices bacon
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 hard cooked eggs
Dandelion greens, washed
Cut bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp. Mix together into a bowl the egg, salt, sugar, vinegar and water. Pour into pan with bacon and cook until thickened. Cool slightly before pouring over the washed dandelion. Slice two hard cooked eggs over the salad and serve immediately.
Enjoy
Earl! That sounds pretty much like what my grandma made. Thanks for posting!
Thanks Earl. Is it simply the dandelion leaves?
Hog maws are a delicacy in the South. I was born in Mississippi on the Delta outside of Clarksdale on the Baugh Cotton Plantation. I remember my Uncles and Grandmother and Grandfather fixing chitterlings and Hog maws and collard greens and other trimmings for many holiday events, after slaughtering the Hog. Every part of the hog was used and made into something, that’s just how country folks lived. We raised our own produce and meats. For the 2011 New Year, I bought 30-lbs of clean chitterlings and 4-Hog maws from Wilson’s Market here in Florence, Alabama. Of course, I had to get my wife to clean the chitterlings, yes, clean, the clean chitterlings I bought (for those of you whom have cleaned chitterlings before), you know what I mean. I cleaned the 4-hog maws and cut them into bit size pieces for the addition to the chitterlings. Added celery pieces, red pepper, baby carrots, assorted peppers(jalapenos, sweet, cow-horns), one cube vidallia onion and a whole peeled raw potatoe. I used my turkey fryer and basket over LP Gas heated at 400 degrees. Poured in the chitterlings and Hog maws mixture into the basket while it was in the pot, cooked for 2-hours, stirring occasionally, then I pour off the first boiled water and started cooking with a new pot of water for another 2-hours until tender. Some people add vinegar to the batch, but, my body is a bit sensitive to any kind of vinegar, so it’s up to your taste. Afterwards, I removed the basket from the pot and poured the cooked chitterlings and hog maws into the serving container, taste tested it for tenderness, rewashed full containment of the brew 3-more times, poured it into my cooking stove top pot, re-seasoned with chrushed red pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, 1-tablespoon of extra virgin oil and meat tenderizer, boiled for 1-hour. And this meal you will appreciate for the rest of your life, if you like good ole-fashioned country cooking. Try it, you might like it, with your collards, cornbread and black-eyed peas. This is a real southern hospitality and good luck on this recipe. And have a Happy New Year.
OMG< now I'm STARVING!!!! Thank You James, your recipe sounds awesome! I just wish I knew someone who knows how to make this….. :)
I bought 2 pig stomaches here in Cali at G&G I don’t know if you have one there in Washington but its where I get all of my variety meats (they still sell cow brains too)
Just found your website and love it!! I am a PA native from the Hershey area and practically grew up on my grandparents farm. My grandma was the best cook and made everything fresh from the farm when she could. She too cooked “by feel” and writing down her recipies was difficult but I finally learned to make some of them.
I must comment on the dandelion greens….you have to pick them in the spring when they first come up, that is the only time they are tasty. Old greens are very bitter. She made what we always called bacon dressing, which I guess you call sweet and sour gravy. When the dressing is done and still hot in the pan put in the greens and cook just until the greens wilt. Grandma also used fresh spinach and/or fresh endive when dandelion greens were not in season.
Anyone else out there remember when strawberry shortcake (made like a biscuit, not cake) was a meal, not a dessert?
Hi Norma! Thanks for your comment. My grandma also made hot bacon dressing for the dandelion greens. I don’t ever remember her making it with spinach though.
If you have ideas of other recipes you’d like to see here, let me know – I’m sure I’ve only just scratched the surface…
Thanks! It is in the oven in the covered dish as I type! I printed some of the pictures from this site to show my friends what it looks like in the real stomach!
I am a PA native (from Red Lion in York County), but have lived in WI for over 17 years. We going to a “Pot luck Party” where everyone neeeds to bring a dish to share from their heritage/ancestory/family’s country of origin, etc. I have never made Hog Maw but ate a lot of it growing up. Thrilled to have found so much info online! Can’t locate a pig stomach in time, but I am going to try to make mine via the covered dish method. I am amazed at all the recipes and variations! Any further advice would be appreciated! Oh, and yes, even after 17 years people here think I talk funny!
Krista, I think that’s a great idea! There are lots of tips and hints in all the comments, too. I giggle at the thought of people from WI thinking that the girl from PA “talks funny” – they have their own special accent up there!
To make life easy I recommend the “stomach-less” recipe I posted here a while back.
It’s very tasty, and would work well for a “covered dish” type of affair!
Mike from York Twp.
Now in WV
Hi Meg, I used to pick the dandelion with my grandpa and grandma used the same dressing along with bacon and hardboiled eggs. I never cared much for the salad but loved the rest. My stomach was wonderful on sunday, was heaven on earth!!! I only have half of it left. True comfort food and brought back fond memories.
I am loving all of your comments, you displaced and transplanted Pennsylvanians!
Steve – I remember my grandma going “out back” to pick dandelion right out of the yard, then make it into a hot sweet & sour gravy. That one I never learned to like because to me it just tasted like cooked grass… but talk about your thrifty, Depression-era meal!
I’m wanting to try making a shoo-fly pie soon. Yummmm.
I grew up in Lititz and my grandmother made this. I am trying my first today. Have not had this for years but my mother gave me grandma’s recipe. We always had it with dandelion salad, veggies, and shoo-fly pie. YUMMY!!
I have a couple of a Asian friends who never heard of hog maw. So Wednesday I told them that i was going to cook it for them. They acutally said it sounds good, which is a response i normally dont get. but hey its one of my favs and my kids dont like it so i dont hardly ever get to cook it.
My grandmother was a PA Dutch woman who was born and raised in the farmland outside of Hanover, PA where Codorus State Park is today. I remember her making this dish when I was a little kid. It’s been about ten years since she’s passed, and it’s been about 10 years since the family made it, although you can get it sometimes in the family restaurants around the area.
I live in Philadelphia now where PA Dutch cooking is hard to come by, but my mother was happy to pack the sausage and cleaned stomach in ice and bring it over to me.
As I’m typing now, it’s in the oven baking. At 24, this is my first foray into making it and my room mates are a little bit weary of the idea of trying this later tonight!
I cannot wait to eat this comfort food.
My grandmother was a PA Dutch speaking woman born and raised in the farm land outside of Hanover, PA, where Codorus State Park and Lake Marburg are now. She used to make this quite often, and while I never cared for eating the stomach, the insides were wonderful and so simply made. Sausage, potato, pepper, and parsley were all she really used.
I’m 24 and live in Philadelphia where it’s hard to get good PA dutch food, so my mother brought me up a hog maw Easter weekend to make my own when I returned. I’m making it tomorrow and am really excited for it. I haven’t had it since I moved four years ago! My room mates are even reluctantly going to try it. I think they’ll like it once they get over the fact that it’s made in a stomach.
Thank you ALL for continuing to weigh in with your hog maw experiences and recipes! Central PA food has a bit of a cult following, I think. Keep ’em coming…
HI, how do you get the pig stomach to crisp up? I did actually just make this in Nov, everyone liked the inside but not the skin it wasn’t crispy I remember my grans hers was always crispy but chewy like gum so good. Lancaster , Pa
HOG MAWS AND CHITTLIN’S: Here is a recipe for hog maws that has been handed down through the years in my family. Cleaning the hog maws: Most hog maws that come from the grocery store have been pre-boiled to remove the slime. If the maws are slimey, they must be rinsed in cold, running water and put into a pot of cold or warm water with enough water to cover them. Cook until they come to a boil. Let them boil for a few minutes, then place the pot of maws under cold running water, rinsing away any remaining sediment from each maw and cutting away excess fat.
Next, in a pressure cooker of the appropriate size, combine the maws (cut up into pieces slightly larger than bite size) with cleaned chittlin’s (chitterlings) and a cup of water. Add salt and pepper to taste and a few cut up, fresh garlic cloves. If desired (my preference), also add MSG (Accent, Monosodium Glutamate). Cover and cook for 40-45 minutes. Turn off heat and let pressure cooker cool off for about 30 minutes. Then, place cooker in the sink and run cold water on the top (or place cooker in a sink half-full of cold water) until all the steam pressure has been removed. Open the pot, stir and enjoy!
Serve with Collard Greens, Sliced Tomatoes, American Fries, and Hot Water Cornbread. Umm! Makes me want some now! Bon Appetite!
This is awesome! I grew up in York County too and my grandma made the BEST hog maw. I called her a bit ago to find out what she put in hers. I remember the filling being slightly on the “pinkish” side. She not only uses a mixture of sweet & smoked pork sausage but used finely ground “ham” (of course this was all fresh off her farm – not sure how the store bought version will taste). Lots of potatoes & onions and she did include small amounts of celery & cabbage – very finely diced. They were for flavor, not texture..she likes the texture of hers fairly smooth.
I remember liking the crispy part of the stomach, but my brother liked the softer parts…to each his own I guess.
This is TRULY a “comfort food” with major childhood memories attached.
FYI – I live in Northern VA – outside DC. There’s no such thing as a butcher here (unless you count the meat market at Wegmans’) LOL
If you have an Asian or Latino market in your area – brave those aisles of strange foods and check in the meat section. That’s where I find my maws and they are always in great condition and very fresh!
Grew up in PA with my Nana and mom making this delicious recipe. I sought out the stomachs and brought them home frozen to TX during our last visit to PA. The temperature is below freezing today and I am in process of making this for family that’s in town. Yum!
I grew up in the Palmyra, Wrightsville, York area of Pennsylvania in the 1930s where my grandma, my mother and later I too, baked hog maws. I’d bake one today (as cooking is my hobby) if I could find a maw, but here in the Atlanta area hog maws are hard to come by. And the family ate everything joyfully.
My grandmother was from Tower City, and made the absolute best pig stomach. She made them each January a few weeks after the holidays when it was cold. It was a Sunday dinner. I am the only one left in my family who continues to make them. I make 2 at a time, and freeze one.
Get two large cleaned pig stomachs. “Cleaned” means the tripe is ripped out, and you’re left with the casing only. Wash and scrub both sides with salt and a little vinegar. Rinse well. Use cold water only.
The “Filling” for 2 stomachs:
6 lbs loose ground pork, do not use meat that is too lean (you can use half ground pork and half pork sausage)
2 large links of smoked sausage, cubed small
4 large onions, chopped very fine
4 medium yellow potatoes, cubed small
salt, pepper, powdered coriander (be very liberal with the spices, careful not to oversalt)
Stuff loosely and sew up holes, or close with kitchen needles. DO NOT OVERSTUFF, the stomachs will burst open if you do. If you have leftover filling, place in baking dish, cover and bake with the stomachs. This is nice for non-PA folks or those who are just will never “get it” with pig stomach.
NOTE: Forget the carrots, green peppers, cabbage or anythinbg else as part of the mix! None of that belongs in the stomach and it just takes up room. You can make all that as a side dish. Keep the filling simple, and savory.
Place on a wire rack in a roaster, add some water in roaster, bake at 350F for 1 hour, reduce to 300 and bake until casing is brown and crispy. You can also place them in baking bags (put in a cup of water), they turn out nice this way too.
Serve with a simple salad of lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and dressing of mayo/sugar/salt/pepper. A nice side too are those small stuffed sweet peppers with sweet/sour cabbage.
Don’t forget Martins potato rolls with butter and molasses!
Dessert? Shoo-fly pie or apple dumplings of course.
Welcome to Pennsylvania!
in response to jake yoder – do you stuff the heart with bread filling? that was the way my grandmother made it.
also, does anyone remember the comfort food dish of chicken hearts in gravy of mashed potatoes?
I currently have mine in the oven. I grew up in Reading, PA, and ate this dish and other PA Dutch dishes–stuffed heart, tongue, to name just two–regulary when growing up. The version I am accustomed to was made with diced potatoes and carrots, plus smoked pork sausage. I live now in Virginia Beach, and oddly could only find a pig stomach at Wal Mart. My grandchildren are coming over for dinner, and I will explain to them that this dish comes from the days when people did not waste any part of an animal. This is one of my favorite meals of all time.
I have my pig bellies in the oven as I type.
I’m from Western MD, Hagerstown to be exact.
This has been a family favorite for years.
My family is origionally from the hills of West Vir.
I’m 29 and I have been helping my grandparents make the Maws
Ever since I can remember. Not that I only have my
Pap around, I am the one that makes it
I make it every New Years. But I enjoy it whenever I can.
I use 3.5lb fresh ground pork sausage, cooked potatoes, chopped green pepper,
Chopped Onion, chopped Celery, 1 whole Cabbage,salt and Pepper to taste.
This makes 2 good sized Maws. Well its time to baste.
Enjoyed this post. I hope to see other Reciepes that
Are a bit different to a lot of folks, but common to us kind.
I love “squirrle potpie” does anyone have a good recipe for that.
I’m from Berks County PA. My great-grandmother made Pig’s Stomach in the stomach as described but my grandmother, trying to be a bit more health conscious stopped using the stomach and baked the filling in a large roasting pan. In addition to the sausage they used spare ribs, but no beef. They also added chestnuts as chestnut trees were once very plentiful in our part of the country. Due to a blight I believe the chestnut trees are mostly gone from the area and the ones in stores are imported. My mother continued this tradition of making the filling in a roasting pan with chestnuts. I’ve made it once and plan to make it again on New Year’s Day. Yummmmm
Hi there, I am a PA transplant stuck in Illinois. My parents have come out for the holidays and with them, they brought two precious maws!!!! Have lived here in the midwest for three years and this is the first opportunity for us to enjoy this comfort food since our move westward…. I was looking for a recipe as it has been a while since I last prepared this dish and came across this blog. will definitely bookmark this one… anyways, my family omits the cabbage and adds a can of peas with the sausage and potatoes. Sad to hear that someones kids may never enjoy this dish, as my two kids (now 16 and 18) name this dish in their top 5 favorite meals and my daughter requests this dish annually for her birthday meal, hog maw and red velvet cake. yum. I like to serve with pepper slaw on the side. Yum… gotta go get those maws out of the fridge and start dinner cant wait.
Cheri, I’m glad you found this! Red Velvet cake was the one I requested yearly for my birthday from my hog maw makin’ grandma Losch. A winning combo for your daughter!
My family came from perry county pa. We ate this quite frequently. However, we stuffed ours with cabbage, potatoes, onion, spare ribs and fresh sausage. We also ate the stomach. I currently live in New Jersey and plan on making one for Christmas! Finding this blog was like more exciting to me than Julia and Julie! This brings back such great memories….
Hey Deb, me too! Millerstown!
I grew up in York. Hog Maw was our Christmas dinner at Grandma’s house in East York. I havn’t made it for about 10 years but will try again this year. We always cooked the cubed potatoes a little then mash them slightly with the hamburg and sausage and then stuffed it with a few herbs into the stomach. Grandma always had an extra dish that was baked but the best was from inside the stomach. Glad to see there are other peole out there who still enjoy. I am in central Pa now and some here know what it is and other can’t even fathom the idea.
I’m from York and havn’t had a real Hog Maw in about 30 or more years now! You can actually just make it in a covered baking dish without the stomach and it really doesn’t compromise the taste much and non-PA folks, and kids, won’t freak out!
Glad to see I’m not the only one who was looking up Hog Maw on the web and found this site. Glad I took a look once’t
I plan on cooking one tonight if my sausage supply isn’t “all”.. :-)
Mike and Pat, thank you both for your comments! I like the idea of cooking the “insides” without stuffing them in a pig stomach. Pat, the stuffing balls sound like a nice addition to the mixture! Thank you for adding your “how-to.”
Mike from York, How was your hog maw? I’m originally from York and left my comment. I’m interested as to how you prepare yours. Could you give me an idea. Would like to see if it is similar to mine. Thanks
Bonnie, it’s pretty simple. I cube the potatoes, depending on how I feel, I fine chop an onion and add it, take ground sausage (don’t use beef). Mix it all together in a bowl.
Then put it into a glass baking dish, cover tightly with tin foil, and bake.
Fairly simple stomach-less Hog Maw!
The one I made the other day was good, but I was short on sausage, so it didn’t come out as well as expected.
I live in south central PA, near Gettysburg and make hog maw every New Year’s day for my family. I’m 82 years old and make it the way my mother made it—bulk sausage (I make my own from half ground turkey breast and half ground pork and lots of spices), cubed potatoes and my own bread stuffing, also attention-getting. I fill the stomach with balls of stuffing and sausage, interspersed with the potatoes. I close the openings with metal skewers. Roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hrs., basting occasionally. Incidentally, I usually do 2 stomachs for the 8 of us. I don’t eat the stomach but I have two daughters who would kill for it!! The pan juices make the most wonderful gravy. I usually serve the maw with a green bean dish and creamy cole slaw. Real Pennsylvania Dutch comfort food.
I am preparing food to send to West VA for the annual deer hunting.
I have the baked crusty meat pies all ready, along with cake, pies, clam chowder, snitzed apples and jars of pickles, applesauce; hot mix and pickled eggs .
I am curious as to how long you can stuff, refrigerate and then bake the stuffed goose. Wonder if the potators would turn black??
Wonder if anyone ever did it in a large crock pot!!!
Stuffed goose is a favorite here at Glory View Farm in Franklin Counry, PA the night before the annual buck season…..
Just wanted to let you know I do my pig stomach in the crockpot all the time now…I just wanted to try it and it really turned out well….add a little bit of apple cider, celery, carrots & onions for the aroma and it makes a nice side…it even browns on the top…if it’s not brown ENOUGH, I just put in the broiler to finish…it always gets done really well and the plus side to it…you don’t have to be home to make it !
Love it. Grew up near Lancaster Pa. Make it whenever I can. Lise in Il now and they don’t have a clue. So when I go back, I go to Market in Lancaster and get 10 or so. They freeze well and then make them over time.
Have had my sister ship them with dry ice, that works also.
Mom called in Mock Duck for the less inclined.
Nice blog. Came “acrosst” it looking to verify my idea of the recipe. I’m 30 and haven’t had Hog Maw in about 15 years probably. So I’m going to market on Friday to collect my ingredients. I was just trying to check some different recipes to make sure I had remembered it correctly. I find it interesting that some recipes call for cabbage. My family (both mom and dad’s sides) always served cole slaw in some form as a side. Never cabbage inside the hog maw.
I like to eat the stomach, or the “skin” as we always called it. Some parts come out crispy and less intense in flavor, while other parts come out chewy with an almost vinegar flavor.
Hi Penna Dutch Cook! I’m sure it’s been longer than that since I’ve had it. I never much liked the skin part myself but really enjoyed the potato/meat mixture inside.
So many of my relatives say “Accrost”! That made me smile.
Wow. But yes, I have probably eaten “worse” unbeknownst to me. It’s just that it was prettified before I ate it! :)
you bet — lemme know if you try it!
Hey, I clicked through to the Karns Market website and found a really awesone recipe for honey baked chicken. So easy and so delicious!!!!!!! Here it is:
Put 3-lbs chicken parts in a shallow baking dish. Combine the following and pour it over the chicken. Bake 75 min at 350 (I set mine on 365), basting every so often.
Sauce:
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 c honey (I used 1/4 c plus a couple spoons of sugar)
1/4 c mustard (regular old yellow is fine)
1 t salt
1 t curry (I used 1/2 t and it was plenty)
That looks really good! And let’s face it – any recipe that calls for a stick of butter can’t be bad. Thanks for posting it here!
Mmm, makes me want to make it again. I don’t know why people get so squeamish. Like you said, just a big sausage really.
“I myself have never made it and I sure don’t know anyone my age who has made it. It’s definitely a regional thing and may in many ways be a generational thing. My children may never eat this. ” Sadly, I agree with all of this. But YUM, thanks for posting, even though it doesn’t make me want to try and make it myself. (Now pot pie, that’s a different story and is on the menu for later this week. And dried beef gravy tonight!)
Mom – I guess I do remember you making it, but more than that I remember Grandma Losch making it. But never Grandma Sara.
Bets – *snaps snaps snaps in agreement* (which reminds me, I think I have enough dried beef to create a meal one night this week!)
Yum. Makes me hungry just to think about it. Grandma sometiimes also put ribs in the filling. I made it two, maybe three times, and it was tasty, and not difficult at all. Actually, I like the stomach, too, if it comes from the crispy part. The less crispy part, not so much. When I went to Scotland, I decided to try the haggis, thinking it might be close. NOT!