Just cleaned out the freezer...

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Just cleaned out the freezer...
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Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Tue May 16, 06 12:18 pm Post subject:
I sell bags (at cost) with half pigs- does that make me a salt seller?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue May 16, 06 12:21 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

does that make me a salt seller?

Haven't you got something agricultural to be getting on with?

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Tue May 16, 06 12:28 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

Rob R wrote:

does that make me a salt seller?

Haven't you got something agricultural to be getting on with?

Lots of them

(bar the last one, I just added it because it looked funny) but there's always plenty of

to do

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Jun 04, 06 8:33 pm Post subject:
My half pig's turning up tommorow. I've been away all weekend, and am (as ever) badly prepared. Sausages are probably not an option Although I will make some sausage 'balls' and burgers. I'll stock up on salt at lunch time, will make bacon and ham in the bottom of the fridge in plastic boxes. Anything else I should know? The freezer is just about empty!

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Sun Jun 04, 06 9:52 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

My half pig's turning up tommorow. ... Anything else I should know? The freezer is just about empty!

That there might be the odd spot of jealousy?

I tend to agree with Rumsfeld, at least when he said truthfully, but in his rambling and much-mocked fashion, that its the things you don't know that you don't know that are the most problematic.

Incidentally, freezing is supposed to be a good (as in public health measure) thing for any pork that you might be intending to eat uncooked, like 'parma' ham or salami. Something like 3 weeks at -15C for bits that are less than 6 inches thick (shorter if colder, longer if thicker).

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 06 8:32 am Post subject:
Buy. More. Salt. It's cheap, lasts forever, and you will run out.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 06 3:38 pm Post subject:
I bought five kilos of salt (and had to take the wally trolley!) at lunchtime, but that was all sainsbury's had. I bought labels, plastic boxes and greaseproof paper and bags. I forgot sugar, but himself is bringing some home. I might get him to bring some salt, too!

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 06 3:53 pm Post subject:
Have you got any string?

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 06 3:55 pm Post subject:
And don't forget salt, more salt, and even more salt

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 06 5:12 pm Post subject:
Five kilos? Buy MORE. You may have about half what you need, if you're doing any dry during of whole legs.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 06 9:04 pm Post subject:

I have 2 kilos of salt leftover! Have I done something wrong?

I did run out of brown sugar, though!

I now have a box of loin labelled 'NL's loin' (I knew this was a bad idea!) A box labelled 'Judith's cure' and a bag labelled 'Alison's cure' Plus a bag a labelled 'Alions ham' and another box which is just ham, but I'll be putting it in a wiltshire cure when I get more sugar and beer tommorow. I dry cured NL's loin, and the smaller half leg, and brined the bigger one. The loin has all gone for bacon, the big end of the belly is in the freezer for roasting along with two spare rib joints, and the spare ribs and tenderloin, and there is the rest of the belly and both hands in the fridge ready for mincing up into sausage loaf and burgers tommorow, and a bit of streaky to experiment with chimenea smoking.

I untied the rolled leg for dry curing, and put lots of cure in the middle as well, and the tied it back up - is that sensible or not? I need to make a wiltsure brine tommorow, and make up more of alison's cure for the ham, so I might need a bit more salt, just to be sure (It's only half a pig, nick! But you must need sackfuls for two!)

Am I very sad? That was lots of fun, and I am stupidly excited about making my own bacon! Apart from that I'm hoping it will be economical - we spend �10 a week on organic bacon and ham (100g of ham for sandwiches, and 250g of bacon for weekend breakfasts) So as long as it lasts 10 weeks, it will have paid for itslef in ham and baconn, and given us about three months worth of sausage, roat pork, and a helping of pork stirfry and spare ribs I have 5kg of leg turning into ham, and about 6 kg of loin shortly to be bacon, so even by my rubbish maths, that's a good buy at 95 quid for the half pig, and about 10 quids worth of salt, sugar, labels and string!)

Edit: Those of you who are better at adding up than me will have realised that I have just made us nearly a years worth of ham, and and six months worth of bacon. Oh, Bother!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46209
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 06 10:00 pm Post subject:
i have things at the auctioneers so as i can get freezers . a very cunning plan i think.

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