Curing Your own Meat....

[elretardo87]

Right I want to start making my own hams, bacon and salami.

I can get choice cuts of meat on the cheap from my family butcher but I was just wondering if anyone has any experience. If not, I get my mincer in a few days so I'll do a wee thread following my adventures into the world of salami making.

[General Lighting]

reminds me of a book I have about this chap's cycling (and eating) adventures in France. (I think it was actually called "Fat Man on a Bicycle!").

he visited this butcher who used to cure his own meat, and he'd cut up bits with a couple of pigs heads on the table to which he would say "pauvres petits cochons"..

[elretardo87]

Poor little piggy indeed....but I am from farmer stock and killed my first lamb at the age of 7. So these things phase me little. Nowadays I am a little less callous than I was as a child but meat is an important part of a persons diet and as long as its good meat from a good farm I have no problem with it.


I can't wait though.....soon my kitchen will be transformed with huge hunks of meat hanging from the ceiling that can last months. No more wondering what to have on my sandwiches in the morning because packets of ham only ever have 6 fucking slices.

[MrAHC]

Try this book if you can get hold of it. #Its my bible "Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour.
Tells you everything you need to know on what ever scale. Its not a hippy type thing but deals with organic self sufficiency in the real world.

[DaftFader]

as a rought guide there are two ways of smoking meat ... cold and hot ... hot is basicaly slow cooking it but will make it last longer than normal cooking this happens in an un vented (or not a big vent) chamber and is done over night iirc ..... cold is smoked but in a vented chamber so the smoke is alot cooler that the other method ... this way of doing it takes alot longer ..not sure on time scale tho but it could be a few weeks ... this is just what i can remeber tho and may not be 100% accurate .. it's just to give you an idea of what your gonna have to do ...:wink:

[Tank Girl]

Try this book if you can get hold of it. #Its my bible "Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour.
Tells you everything you need to know on what ever scale. Its not a hippy type thing but deals with organic self sufficiency in the real world.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Life-Seymour-Self-Sufficiency-Legacy/dp/1904871127

[DogmaDave]

I can't wait though.....soon my kitchen will be transformed with huge hunks of meat hanging from the ceiling that can last months. No more wondering what to have on my sandwiches in the morning because packets of ham only ever have 6 fucking slices.

you still livin with the missus or got your own place.

[elretardo87]

you still livin with the missus or got your own place.

Got my own place now. Theres no way she would let me hang hunks of meat in cupboards at hers.

And daftfader I already got myself a smoker for small pieces of meat and sausages. I was gona go for curing rather than smoking for big pieces of meat. Its a bit different...though a lot of cures involve smoking the meat as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_%28food_preservation%29

[Southcaver]

I reckon you could make some wicked spicy sausages with them chillies you've been growing:wink:

[elretardo87]

I reckon you could make some wicked spicy sausages with them chillies you've been growing:wink:

I got the micer so I can make these....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merguez

As the only butcher I can get them from uses pork in them and it tastes wrong.

[Southcaver]

Yea they look nice, give some chorizo's a go too. There well nice

[DaftFader]

Got my own place now. Theres no way she would let me hang hunks of meat in cupboards at hers.

And daftfader I already got myself a smoker for small pieces of meat and sausages. I was gona go for curing rather than smoking for big pieces of meat. Its a bit different...though a lot of cures involve smoking the meat as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_%28food_preservation%29

yeah curing is like a sauce if you like that adds flavor to meat but helps keep it eadable for longer .... i allways think of smoking as the whole prosess of curing as it's better than just smoknig on its own imo .. not that i have ever don't it my self but used to be a chef so was interested in things like that:wink: