Since there was an amazing amount of views on the pig butchering and the posts since then I thought I should give you a little update on it. There are 8 bags of bacon in the frig. curing that are being turned every day. There is one jowl also being cured in there (I never did find the other one and think it ended up in one of the sausage bags--there are lots of sausage bags.There is also the one loin curing for Canadian bacon. One of the hams, cut in half, is being cured in a wet cure in two different bags in the bottom of the frig (in a pan in case of leaks).
We have eaten pork from the pig twice. One of the meals I posted about and this morning I took a piece of loin and put it in the crock pot with some dried mushrooms, water and a small can of brown gravy that we happened to have. It cooked all day and then I shredded it this evening and used corn starch to make the juice around it into a gravy. We served this over mashed potatoes with corn mixed in. It was quite good but there are leftovers and I will probably end up having to can the roast and gravy if it doesn't get eaten.
We almost have to eat out of the freezer every day just to use up some of the meat so that when those hams and bacons are done--the bacons will be smoked this weekend, the hams may have to wait until the weekend afterwards unless I can get a day off during the week (unlikely).
Every evening after work there is more work except tonight. I should be trying to make some sausage but I am taking the night off. I'm tired. I crammed the bag of sausage chunks into the freezer. It will have to wait.
Our grocery bill this week should drop considerably :)
I love having those kind of meals (shredded pork in gravy, yum!) canned up. Go for it! When you are tired and can't think of what to cook, heat that up and serve it over mashed potatoes or rice. You can also can up whatever is in the freezer to make some space so you don't feel freezer fret about having to try and get it empty so quick.
ReplyDeleteYeah but most of the stuff in the freezer has a specific purpose; ribs, loin, sausage meat, shoulders, hams. Too much work to can all that. I do work so have a few hours before work and a few hours after, during that time I have to do animals too.
DeleteWe do love leftover canned roast and gravy on eggs for breakfast too. You would not believe how good that is.
well, you could do what i do at least once during harvest time..i invite all my kin and close friends over to the house.. i tell them to bring a crockpot or canners. i tell them to plan a all day cook off...we cook and we can, we grill and we can, we steam and we can. then we have a good supper late in the evening. before everyone leaves to go home we divvy up all that has been canned and preserved. as hostess, i keep two of every three quarts put up. it is fun, we all learn something new, we visit and gossip, we have a good meal and we all get to take some home. it sure beats doing it all by yourself.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid since I paid for all the feed of the pig, that wouldn't really be practical, not to mention that I have only one "close" friend and she doesn't can (though she pretends she does). Kind of out of luck on that one which is why we do everything ourselves.
DeleteI had to buy another freezer to hold all of our meat and veggies a couple years ago. I now have a huge chest freezer and a stand up freezer. I have an extra fridge with freezer on my porch and a large built-in fridge with freezer in the kitchen. The extra stand up freezer and the porch fridge with freezer I bought on Craigs List for $150...best money I've ever spent. We've been raising hogs for quite awhile, I have hams and bacon made, a couple packages of chops and ribs, but most I have made into sausage (we love sausage).
ReplyDeleteWell, we have a double-wide that runs off of one breaker that will only take so much amperage and although I could probably get another freezer, I cannot afford to make the electrical changes to support that freezer.
DeleteI think you thoroughly deserve to "reap the fruits of your labour" as they say... You have worked hard for this.
ReplyDeleteNot a bad problem to have - too much food! So is it the best pork you've ever had or just the most satisfying?
ReplyDeleteA little bit of both I guess David. It definitely tastes "fresher" if that makes sense and I don't think that is just in my mind, there is a slightly different taste than any pork I have ever gotten in the stores. It is hard to describe. It is not as if it is "gamey" tasting or anything like that, it just tastes "fresher". I also have noticed that it definitely cooks up juicier. The meat is firmer to the touch when it is raw but it isn't tough at all when it is cooked.
DeleteAs for satisfying that is definitely true. The fact that it tastes so good is such a relief though. You never know you are worrying about it until you take that first (tentative, lol) bite.