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Re: Home Curing Pork

PostPosted: Thu May 07, 2015 1:54 pm
by thickstrings
Looking good Manny! What does it taste like? I read where in Spain, they let the hogs forage on acorns before slaughtering....the acorns help in the curing process, which in some places may be over 2-3 years. If you have a outlet, this could be a business opportunity.." Perma-ham"

Re: Home Curing Pork

PostPosted: Thu May 07, 2015 10:45 pm
by mannytheseacow
Thanks, thickstrings! It tastes like, well, salty meat. Honestly it's a little dry. I've read about the Spanish charcutiers and they take samples from the core periodically to judge how dry it is. I'm not sure what they do differently, but I feel like mine is overly dry. I'm also a little unhappy with how lean it is. I'm probably overly critical of it, but I think it could be better. I think next year I'll probably do pigs again and go with just Berkshire, or maybe a Berk and a red wattle. Side by side, the Berkshire was much better than the Tamworth from first attempt at pigs. So, if I do pigs next year, only three more years 'til the next batch is ready... :roll:

They both ate a lot of acorns, though. Lots of apples, squash, pumpkins, and onions, too. I think the restaurants are happy to buy it because its local and they were giving me the kitchen scraps for the pigs when they were growing. I don't think it's really marketable on the large scale, though. There's such a niche market for this kind of product anyway. Definitely worth doing again, though, and hopefully better next time. The sales from the ham have paid for the pigs, so a reall win-win for me.... and I still got the other couple hundred pounds of meat for us!

Re: Home Curing Pork

PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 1:00 pm
by pa_friendly_guy
That is great many. If one ham can pay for the pig you really do have a great plan going on there. Sounds like you need to have more meat in the pipe line curing so you don't need to wait for 3 years for a payday. There is a local guy who cures his own meats like you, he does not raise the hogs, just buys and cures the meat for 3 years. He uses wine to wash off the mold, and help with the moisture. He puts it on in the beginning, and after it is done. Don't know how that might help with moisture, but some how, more wine does not sound like a Bad Thing. :lol:

Re: Home Curing Pork

PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 10:47 pm
by mannytheseacow
Wine, eh? I'll have to look into that. It certainly can't be a bad thing.

You know, buying pork to cure wouldn't be entirely bad. There is little work involved in curing and the return on investment is huge. It's a bit of a gamble, I suppose, but so is getting out of bed in the morning. :lol: