Salting Pork

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British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Not broilers. Boilers.
Tough old birds.

When I lived in UK, one of the staffs husband was a farmer. I bought hogget, old hens, milk veal and 'old cow" from him.

Ever tried Capon?

Bl@@dy expensive, but nice. Castrated Cocks, grown for almost a year or so.

Caponising is illegal in the UK. Chemical caponising has been for a long time due to the chemicals remaining in the meat. Surgical caponising is deemed cruel and was made illegal in early 2000s here.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Caponising is illegal in the UK. Chemical caponising has been for a long time due to the chemicals remaining in the meat. Surgical caponising is deemed cruel and was made illegal in early 2000s here.
It’s still legal here and I see one every now and then. I’m not sure why it’s gotten rarer here but I suspect it’s just not as economical?
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
But try to omit the saltpetre. The Pig does not need it unless it needs to be preserved for extensive time, like if you take your sail boat and sail to Cayman.
In that case, salt a barrel of Bison for me.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
I used to buy Capons in France.
Here, they are from the US.
Worth it?
Goose is better.
They’re still very good here; just not especially common, and a bit expensive. All I can advise is try one and make your own opinion how they compare to the French ones. I do know that a lot of the market that still exists here is for new European immigrants that don’t fancy turkey at Thanksgiving.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
To my memory of the French ones, the American ones taste the same.
Succulent, meaty, full of flavour.

And you hit it spot on, it is instead of Turkey we have either a Capon or, if we can find a nice large one, a Goose.
A capon has more meat, a Goose nicer taste and truly delicious fat to spread on a sandwich!
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
"BBQ" here is a word for long and low, slow cooking with rubs and smoke = tenderizing.
"Grill" is a word for quickie stuff = T-bones, kebabs, burgers, chicken sate' and so on.
Run 2 or 3 cookers at a time, OK by me. I have 5 here and 3 in the city.

Bison. Two-yr olds are not big enough until the mud freezes in the ranch yard.
They are as much as 400 lbs different, depending on how early they were born.
That's about mid November if we don't get snowed in again. Live weights? a ton/2,000lbs or so.

Pray for rain, they are so good on sweet grass.
Last side I bought was 278 on the hook (bone in). I have the bill on the wall!
$4.50/lb to the ranch and $120 to cut/wrap/label/flash freeze.

Honestly, I'd like a side of pork. No idea what size that might be.
Smoke the Hello out of some of it, sausages and chops and a ham.
Old immigrant Italian families came with the railroad a century ago. Many stayed.
They brought their meat-processing skills with them that their grand kids do now.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
It’s still legal here and I see one every now and then. I’m not sure why it’s gotten rarer here but I suspect it’s just not as economical?
There are two ways, chemical or surgical. Chemical taints the meat with hormones. Surgical is done through the ribcage without anaesthesia. I don't think many people approve of that now
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
But try to omit the saltpetre. The Pig does not need it unless it needs to be preserved for extensive time, like if you take your sail boat and sail to Cayman.
In that case, salt a barrel of Bison for me.
The salt petre is amazingly effective against botulism. If I was storing at ambient temperature I woukd definitely use it. If refrigerating immediately its less vital.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Think I will make a few phone calls for local pork belly.
Then I'll follow British Red's suggestions.

Its well worth it. We have found that the cold smoke generator that I demonstrate is available in the US on Amazon.It is the one bit of kit that I suggest buying. Everything else a man like you can make. Another YouTube guy following our demo nade a brilliant smoker from a pedal bin!

 

Keith_Beef

Native
Sep 9, 2003
1,366
268
55
Yvelines, north-west of Paris, France.
Caponising is illegal in the UK. Chemical caponising has been for a long time due to the chemicals remaining in the meat. Surgical caponising is deemed cruel and was made illegal in early 2000s here.

According to a DEFRA document from 2011, a capon is defined as a "male fowl castrated surgically before reaching sexual maturity", and notes that "Caponisation is not allowed in the UK on welfare grounds."

The import, sale and consumption of capons is not prohibited.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
I am not sure about botulism. It is an Anaerobic bacteria, so should not be in the meat. Or be able to multiply if the meat is salted and smoked properly.
I have never used preservative other than salt or sugar.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Smoker BBQ. I have several, the big one will hold 6 chickens and 4 racks of side ribs.
It was a 4-burner, La-Dee-Dah gas grill that had a gas flow problem = ruined completely $$$$$

What I want is a steel, 4 drawer filing cabinet. Burn out the paint, fire and smoke wood in the bottom.
foods stacked by temperature in the open-bottomed drawers.
I can see potatoes and corn in one drawer, chickens in another and ribs in the third.
 
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