Homemade Souse

In a large stockpot, combine the tongues, pig's ears, pig's feet, and chopped onions. Add enough water to fully submerge the ingredients. Season generously with salt, ground black pepper, whole black peppercorns, dried sage, whole cloves, bay leaves, pickling spice, garlic powder, and distilled white vinegar. Bring the mixture to a vigorous boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently until the meats are tender and cooked through, approximately 2 1/2 hours.

Carefully remove the cooked meats from the stockpot and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the flavorful broth through a fine-mesh sieve into another pot, reserving 8 cups. Return the measured broth to the stove and maintain a gentle simmer.

Once the pig's ears are cool enough to handle, meticulously peel off the skin, striving to keep the ear cartilage intact. Set the cleaned ears aside. From the pig's feet, remove any gristle and excess fat, combining these trimmings with any scraps from cleaning the ears. Cut a substantial portion from each tongue and set aside. Trim any loose or ragged meat from the remaining tongue portions and combine these trimmings with the other reserved scraps. Process the combined trimmings through a coarse meat grinder, then stir the ground mixture into the simmering broth; continue to simmer.

Thinly slice the reserved portions of tongue lengthwise into elegant strips. Arrange these strips neatly in the bottom of two 9x5x3-inch glass loaf pans. Thinly slice the prepared pig's ears into strips, then cut those strips into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. Distribute the ear pieces artfully among the tongue strips in the loaf pans. Divide the julienned pimientos and chopped pepperoncini evenly between the two molds. Sprinkle each mold generously with dill pickle relish.

In a separate bowl, dissolve the unflavored gelatin in 1 cup of cold water. Allow the gelatin to bloom for a few minutes, then stir the mixture into the simmering broth. Carefully ladle enough of the broth into each mold to completely cover the meat and vegetable mixture, ensuring even distribution by gently prodding with a fork. Let the molds stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow the gelatin to begin setting, then top off each mold with the remaining broth. Allow the souse to cool at room temperature until it begins to jell, approximately 2 to 3 hours. Transfer the molds to the refrigerator and chill for 8 to 10 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the souse to fully set.

Once the souse is thoroughly chilled and firm, loosen it from the molds by running a thin knife carefully around the edges. Invert each mold onto a serving platter. Remove any fat that has accumulated on the surface of the souse before serving.