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New To Forum

Posted: Sun May 05, 2019 21:33
by Norwood
Hello all... I’m new to the forum, and really appreciate the wealth of knowledge and info.
I manage a live sound company by trade, and have gotten into butchering pigs as a hobby... did I just call it a hobby? The pigs are sourced locally from the California Central Valley.

I have learned to use every part of the noble pig, nothing goes to waste.
Learning the craft led to curing bacon, which led to making sausage, which lead to making pancetta, which led to pâtés, which even led to making porchetta di testa. The skin is used for my homemade chicharones, and the bones are used for stock.

Now it’s time to learn the art of cured sausages and cured dry products... armed not only with Marianski, but with this forum as well, I’m feeling pert near confident about this new endeavor.

Many thanks!

Re: New To Forum

Posted: Mon May 06, 2019 22:10
by Butterbean
Welcome to the board Norwood! I do a little pig raising and home butchering myself and enjoy it immensely. Like you say, nothing goes to waste except maybe the squeal. BTW - rather than making chicharrones with all the skin you should give the Naem moo recipe I posted a while back a try. I find it very educational as well as delicious.

Re: New To Forum

Posted: Tue May 07, 2019 04:37
by Norwood
Butter bean... recipe looks great!
I’ll try it this weekend, as I still have a decently stocked freezer of porcine goodness.

From Marianski’s Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages, I have made:
Bratwurst, Breakfast Sausage, Chaurice, Chrizo Argentinean, Chorizo Mexican, Longanisa, Loukanika, Merguez, Swedish Potato Sausage, White Sausage.

I’m not stuffing in casings yet. I divide the finished bulk sausage into four equal portions, and vacuum seal. I pass them out to friends and family.

Grinder at the moment is Kitchen Aid. Saving up for larger grinder with multiple dies, and looking a stuffers.

Marianski’s The Art of Making Fermented Sausages is on the way.
Have Fidel Toldra’s Handbook of Fermented Meat and Poultry (definitely a slow and methodical read).
Ruhlman and Polcyn are kinda collecting dust on the bookshelf.

Would like to post some pics... is it still necessary for another host, and link to the host?

Again, many thanks for the great knowledge base.

Re: New To Forum

Posted: Tue May 07, 2019 11:26
by Bob K
Norwood wrote:
Tue May 07, 2019 04:37
Would like to post some pics... is it still necessary for another host, and link to the host?
Here you go Norwood. viewtopic.php?f=18&t=8658&p=40849#p40849
We would enjoy viewing your pics!

Re: New To Forum

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 23:39
by MatterOne
Norwood wrote:
Sun May 05, 2019 21:33
Now it’s time to learn the art of cured sausages and cured dry products...
You're missing out on some of the best parts!

To me, a dedicated grinder and stuffer are well worth the expense. Especially if you are planning to do more than a few lbs at a time.

So, are you just butchering pigs for yourself, or are you doing it as a side-job? I've only butchered deer and have often considered doing my own pigs.

Re: New To Forum

Posted: Fri May 10, 2019 08:32
by Norwood
Hi MatterOne,

I’m definitely looking at grinders and stuffers. Pro-Cut and Lem for grinders, Lem for stuffers.
But I’m certainly open to suggestions.

I’m butchering for myself, and sharing with family and friends... everyone loves free sausage and bacon, not to mention a pork chop or two.

A side job... not at the moment, but I do have delusions of grandeur.
It would definitely be a tough row to hoe.

What started me on this path... a butchery class at 4505 Meats (in SF). I also purchased the owner’s book “Whole Beast Butchery”, and I was hooked.
My current favorite butchery book is Adam Danforth’s “Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, Pork.” It’s an excellent book, and the photos are great. Wanna have a little fun, take it on an airplane trip, an watch people’s reactions as you thumb through the pages. :twisted:

Might anyone know of some good butchery books from Europe... or even Mexico, South America? I’d love to see how other cultures go about breaking down an animal... but especially pigs. THX!

Re: New To Forum

Posted: Fri May 10, 2019 21:37
by MatterOne
Norwood wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 08:32
I’m definitely looking at grinders and stuffers. Pro-Cut and Lem for grinders, Lem for stuffers.
But I’m certainly open to suggestions.
I'm really happy with my Cabelas grinder. I got the 1.75hp model for $400 from the bargain cave and then got refunded $100 of that because it was the previous model in the new model's box. It was an absolute steal for $300!

The faster the throughput of the grinder, the easier it is to keep large batches cold. 20 lbs only takes about a minute with mine, so the meat warming up is not an issue. Personally, I would recommend a 1hp or more.

For manual, vertical stuffers, I think there are a lot of good options, but Lem is certainly one of the top options. Overall, I was satisfied with my Sportsman 11 lb stuffer, but their tubes have an odd sized flange and they're made of plastic, and they're tapered (because it's required for the way they're manufactured), which makes putting small casings on them . I needed a smaller tube for doing snack sticks, so I made an adapter that would accept Lem tubes. I used it for years, but eventually I upgraded to an electric Lem stuffer. Using a foot pedal allows you to use both hands on the sausage (twisting links as they're coming off the tube) and just gives you better control overall. Also, making snack sticks with a manual stuffer is a pain in the butt. You're putting a lot of pressure on the handle for what feels like an eternity when you're doing a large batch. An electric one is a game-changer for snack sticks. It makes the worst part become enjoyable. It's a considerably larger investment, but worth it if it's something you're going to be using a lot.

Re: New To Forum

Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 05:01
by Norwood
Hi MatterOne... thanks for the info and advice!

I was going back and forth between getting a 3/4 hp grinder vs a 1 hp grinder. For my future goals, seems like the 1 hp is the way to go,

As for the motorized stuffer with footswitch... your points are definitely well taken, and well worth considering. I was indeed wondering about it.

Thanks again for the insight and opinions MatterOne.
It’s a big help!

Re: New To Forum

Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 16:38
by redzed
I have the #12 3/4h horse Lem Big Bite Grinder. I also run Cabela's mixer with it. It's a good strong grinder, but I probably would not have bought it had I known how hot and how fast the auger heats up. I usually don't grind more than 25lbs at a time, so it's not a big issue. But the back end of the auger is hot to the touch after the 25lbs are run through. On the box and in the promos it says it can grind 600 lbs in one hour. If I did that I would have cooked meat coming out. There is a new model of this machine out, so maybe some improvements have been made.