Hog Jowl
In Southern and Appalachian cooking, "hog jowl" means the cheek meat of a pig, often salt-cured and smoked like bacon. It’s eaten year-round but holds a special place on New Year’s Day, said to bring good luck and prosperity when served with greens and black-eyed peas.
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Yes. I. Eat. 'Hog jowl.' Like I tend to say - it ain't weird after you've done it oncet. Pronunciation
Meaning & Usage
- Cheek meat from a hog, usually cured or smoked
You got the peas goin’?Yep-and the hog jowl’s fryin’.- Figurative: A person’s chin or jowls (humorous)
He’s growed hisself a real hog jowl there.Origin and Etymology
From early American hog-butchering vocabulary. The jowl (cheek) was cured like bacon and prized for its rich flavor and long keeping time. In the South and Appalachia, the term "hog jowl" became a staple of both speech and diet, tied especially to New Year’s meals symbolizing luck and plenty.
Usage Notes
Still widely sold and eaten in the South. Traditionally served fried, boiled with greens, or baked for New Year’s alongside black-eyed peas. Outside the South, it’s rare to find except in specialty or soul food markets.
- "Fry up that hog jowl for breakfast." → cured cheek meat.
- "He’s got a big ol’ hog jowl." → a rounded chin or jowly face.