Pig Weekend (photos)

[stovie]

Having gone on Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall's "pig in a day" course as a treat for Wellsy's birthday, we were well set up for the weekend butchering the two Saddle Backs. During the day we stopped for a lunch of Devilled Kidneys, and pig's brain shallow fried in breadcrumbs seasoned with herbs and black pepper... for those of you who haven't tried it, the texture is a bit like deep fried camembert...

Here are the beasts hanging in the forge

Making a start on No 1

Hammy hanging up

Hammy in the salt box. Will remain there for approx 18 days, and then washed a wiped with vinegar, patted dry and air cured for 6-9 months...

25 KG of salt later...

The brawn pot put on for a long slow simmer...

Curing the belly bacon, in a rather fetching pink box...

Yours truly sausage making...they taste much better than they look

Salami, which will air dry for around 12 weeks, so will be ready by Christmas. They can of course be left much longer...

Pouring the jelly stock onto the brawn (note the cheffy crouch )

Hanging around to be admired...

A very productive weekend, capped off with Tender Loin stuffed with some of the sausage meat we produced...

I've decided to be vegetarian for the rest of the week

 

[BOD]

Thanks, that was great

 

[seamonkey]

That looks like an awesome day

 

[scanker]

Looks superb and excellent photos too.

 

[Matt Weir]

Fantastic, very jealous here You can't beat good bacon & sausage and everything else piggy. Yum, yum, pigs bum.

 

[feisty]

An awesome sight, just wish I could be there with you at the tastings!!.......

 

[KAE1]

Excellent thread.
All looks very well organised,I bet you had everything rehearsed, all knives sharpenned, work areas cleared and cleaned.Its quite a responsibility isn't it, I mean you owe it to the pigs to use their meat properly.

Well done.

 

[BorderReiver]

Mmmmmm,a very "tasteful" post.

 

[Ed]

That looks lovely Well done guys

Ed

 

[Ogri the trog]

I've decided to be vegetarian for the rest of the week

This was the quote that floored me,
The photos are great and the experience, I hope, will be even better.

Very good Stovie

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[JonnyP]

Crikey mate, you have been busy lately...Did Hugh teach you the sausage making as well..? They look good....mmmmmmmmm Sausages.....

 

[stovie]

The bacon having been in the dry cure mix for 5 days, has now been cleaned of cure mix and hanging in shed for a further 7-10 days, when it will be ready to fry....

Jon, it was Ray Smith, Hugh's butcher mate, who did the sausage demo. Makes it look so easy, but it aint. Very Generation Game

 

[wingstoo]

Mod-user spent a day helping on half a pig, sausages were great and some of the joints we ate that night were fantastic after being cooked over the open fire.

Mod-user on the sausage machine...

Nothing better than tasting food you created yourself, enjoy your bacon!

LS

 

[British Red]

Stovie, you are an inspiration to me at the moment - please - more of these fantastic posts - truly magic stuff

Red

 

[spamel]

I hope they aren't a couple of wayward scouts being cured there!

 

[pothunter]

Mmmmmmmm hams, I'll be checking the post carefully for my invite

PS. also very fond of cider.

Pothunter.

 

[weekender]

Stovie
You and your mate could do your own TV show that food looks great as good if not better then anything else ive seen these tv chefs do.:You_Rock_ mmmmmmm hungry now

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

It's amazing how mice and flies etc don't get at the meat. I've seen loadsa sausage air curing/drying in the Pyrenees and Dolomites. This reminds me of the 'Atlantic Britain' episode with the Faroe farmers wrestling some sheep and cutting it up and the farmers that cure/air dry mutton.

Yours looks good. Could you make some Haggis !

Nick

 

[Robby]

Stovie
You and your mate could do your own TV show that food looks great as good if not better then anything else ive seen these tv chefs do.:You_Rock_

Just what I was thinking, The hairy bushcrafters cookbook??? You never know, it could catch on1

Brilliant post!

 

[weekender]

Just what I was thinking, The hairy bushcrafters cookbook??? You never know, it could catch on1

Brilliant post!