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1
Split each rabbit head completely through the skull — front to back — with a heavy cleaver. This is not optional preparation: it is the act that allows the brine to penetrate the bone cavity. The heads are ready when the two halves lie fully open, exposing the interior of the skull. Done when the cut faces are clean and flat, with no splintering.
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2
Combine doubanjiang, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and water in a pot large enough to submerge all four heads. Bring to a simmer and stir until the doubanjiang is fully dissolved into the liquid. The brine is ready when it smells of deep, fermented chilli heat and the surface is brick-red and faintly oily.
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3
Submerge the split heads in the brine and marinate — refrigerated — for several hours, or overnight. The brine must penetrate through the skull: insufficient marinating time is the most common failure of this dish. The heads are ready to cook when the cut surfaces have taken on a deep reddish stain throughout.
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4
Transfer the heads and all brine to the pot. Bring the liquid slowly to 70–80 °C — below a simmer — and hold it there for several hours. This is where the dish lives or dies: the heat must remain low and steady throughout. Too high and the meat falls from the skull, losing the structure that makes the dish worth eating; too short and the cheek meat will not yield. The heads are done when the cheek meat releases cleanly under light finger pressure but the skull holds its shape.
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5
Remove the heads from the brine and allow them to cool to room temperature. Do not refrigerate before serving: this is a street snack, eaten cold or at room temperature. Dress lightly with Sichuan pepper oil — not fresh Sichuan pepper — so that the numbing quality distributes evenly across all surfaces. The heads are ready when the oil has settled into the cut faces and the surface is glossy.