Grilled PIG SNOOTS are a big thing around the St. Louis Mo area. Most folks think of SNOOTS as being the nose of a pig.  It is not. It is the meat from the side of the jaws. If you like pork rinds, you'll love grilled pig snoots.  You eat pig snoots everyday whether you know it or not. Your butcher grinds them up and uses them for a filler in bologna, sausage and cold cuts. The secret to great snoot is in the preparation. 

Here is a picture of a whole pig snoot

This is the meat side of the snoot

The middle of the snoot is cut away. It will become brittle and hard to eat after grilling.

The "nose" part is also cut away.

Most of the lean meat is cut away. To much lean meat left on the snoot will keep it from getting crisp and crunchy.  You will have to experiment with how much to leave on. I take most of it off.

Now comes the trick to a great snoot.  They must be scored. I score mine from 1/4 in. to a 1/2 apart. The more you score them, the less they will curl up when you grill them. If left un scored, they will curl up like bacon.

Ok, lets get to grilln'. I think a good charcoal fire is best. Some snooters , (snoot cookers) will disagree. I like to keep my fire about 300 degrees. Snoots cook best if you can keep them about one foot above the fire. Some snooters say to start them "meat side" down. Some say "skin side" down . I prefer "meat side" down . This will allow the grease to escape faster. You must keep a CONSTANT watch on your snoots. If you close the lid on your grill, be sure and check them every 2 or 3 minutes. If a fire ever starts, your in big trouble. Last year at our cook off I saw a mans grill burn to the ground. Remember, keep a constant watch on your snoots and turn them as needed.  NEVER EVER, EVER, EVER (get the point?) squirt water or put sauce on your snoots. They will soak up the water or sauce and never get crisp. If you burn them a little, all is not lost. You can scrape the black part off with knife. (like burnt toast). The black part on snoots will taste bitter. A good gauge to use to see if your snoots are done is to hit them with your tongs. If they break apart, they are done. After your snoots are cooked you can take them off the grill and the will keep for a day or so. I like to let them cool for a few minutes to let them crisp up a little. When your ready to chomp down on your snoots, just dip them in some of your hot secret sauce and enjoy. All of this may take some practice. A good snoot will taste like a big pork rind with sauce. There crispy, crunchy and fun to chomp. LEGAL NOTICE: It is not legal in some states to eat snoots without cold BEER

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