Wednesday, July 01, 2015

I feel rich

Yesterday we got up early to beat the heat and slaughtered a hog. A big hog, but not as big as the one on my sidebar. This morning we got up early and butchered said hog. We have been pork poor for a couple months (which is another story.)
 
Now with a freezer full of pork, I feel suddenly rich!
 
(We were tempted to butcher the hog inside because Mrs. Curley is away, but reason prevailed and we butchered outside in the early morning light.)
 
Deo Gratias!

Update: Ham and bacon curing.
 
Oremus pro invicem!

4 comments:

Jean Milord said...

Lol yeah you are rich ;)

Jim Dorchak said...

Jim you are lucky you went with the butchering out side thing! I hear the couch is real tough!

Hey I am really looking forward to curing my hams and bacon. It is real cool here year round (both temperature and living). So I am looking forward to seeing your bacon and ham recipes. I have perfected my bacon at this point but I want to see all you are doing. I am not sure about the best approach on the hams.
I am planning on building a smoke house as soon as we are done sawing our lumber, and since it is wonderfully cool year round here (winter in the low 40s at night / 60s in the day & summer in the high 50s / 80s) I do not have the issues you have with the heat and I am thinking I can cure year round?

Thanks
Jim

Jim Curley said...

Jim, Have been travelling, so I haven't responded.

Bacon recipe: 1/4 cup coarse salt; 1/8 cup sugar (or honey, sorghum, maple syrup equivalent); 1 tsp pink salt. Combine and rub into slab of bacon. Leave refrigerated for 48-72 hours depending on size of slab. (1 lb slab gets 48 hours). Rinse, leave uncovered in fridge for 12 hours on rack. Cook at 215 F for 2 hours. Then ready to slice and fry.

Ham: We usually do a wet brine: 1 cup coarse salt, 3/4 cup sugar, 1-2 tbl pink salt dissolved in 1 gallon of water. Brine in fridge for 3 weeks. Can change the water/mix every week.

We have salted down a ham in a dry brine, but haven't perfected it.

Good luck. Would like to hear your bacon recipe.

Jim

Jim Dorchak said...

The recipe i have been using is:
Salt
Ground pepper
Garlic powder and minced garlic
Brown sugar. The have a solid block type here so I have to grind it up. I have also used a liquid variation of this here.
Paprika

I use equal parts of the salt and sugar. 1 week in fridge.
Rinse and dry then in fridge for 24 hours.

Cool smoke for +\- 2 hours. Freeze then slice.
I have to find pink salt. I am sure they have it here but i have not looked yet.
Since there are so many Germans here there is a long history of smoking. But they lost the history and they have terrible expensive bacon. So i make my own.