My dad found a great deal ($250) on a barely used fridge & decided to get it for me - Awesome!
I got it set up & decided to break it in properly. The timing was perfect as my neighbor was getting ready to butcher so I got half a pig from him...
Here is the loin - I decided to make Canadian Bacon with it.
I trimmed it up nicely
& cut it into three pieces.
Here is the belly
Of course it will be made into bacon...
It is a nice thick belly
I got lots of trim
from the rib, belly, shoulder & leg areas.
This will all be used to make sausage
Here is the new fridge with the belly in the bucket on the left & the loin in the one on the right. They are in brine...
I will cure these guys & cold smoke them for soup...
Here are the front shoulder on the left & hind leg on the right.
Some more trim on the left & some nice fatback & cheeks on the right...
Here is what it looks like so far...
Time for the front shoulder...
I gave it a very light trimming
Then boned it out & cut it up.
Reserved for a friend's dog...
Nice bit of meat from the shoulder.
I put the cut up meat in the freezer to stiffen up & put all the trimmings in to do the same...
Now to start the hind leg on the journey to become a ham...
Pretty nice size...
I gave it a bit of trimming.
Not too much...
But just enough...
Then it went in here to be injected with brine.
You can get an idea of how big it is here - it wouldn't fit in a five gallon bucket...
Luckily I had a 7 1/2 gallon bucket on hand for such emergencies
Ready to head to the curing fridge...
This thing weighed so much I was afraid to put it on a shelf so I took out the crispers & put it directly on the bottom...
Now it was time to make sausages!
I decided to make four kinds of stuffed sausages & three kinds of breakfast sausage...
The spice mixes are Linguica on the left & Bratwurst on the right.
Hot Italian on the left & Sweet Italian on the right.
All four waiting on the meat to get ground...
Stuffer & grinder parts sanitized & drying.
I made a quick trip to a slaughterhouse less than two miles away & talked them into selling me some casings...
I separated some out & got them soaking in some fresh, warm dihydrogen monoxide...
Grinder set up & ready to go...
First bowl...
Second bowl...
Almost 24 lbs...
Stuffer set up & ready to go...
Bratwurst...
Closer view of a Brat...
Hot Italian...
Closer view...
Sweet Italian - I didn't make much of it.
& a closer view...
Linguica
Closer view of Linguica...
Hanging on my custom drying rack to prepare for cold smoking...
Now there are sausages in the fridge too...
Some breakfast sausage I made - split into 1 lb portions...
Now I had time to do the hocks quick while the AMNPS was getting started.
I injected them & put them in brine.
Ready to go in the fridge...
& here they are...
Since I was gonna be cold smoking I figured I might as well do some cheese too...
Cheddar up top then Provolone, Gouda & Swiss on the bottom...
Marble Longhorn & Mozzarella up top - Pepper Jack & Muenster on the bottom...
Linguica ready
to go in the smoker.
& here they are
enjoying the smoke...
Cheese out
after 2 1/2 hours.
It will go in paper towels in the fridge for a coupe days then get vacuum sealed...
The Linguica stayed in overnight & got finished the next morning.
It got 11 1/2 hours of smoke...
I decided to celebrate by making a bunch of bread & some Summer Sausage.
I started to proof the yeast...
& put a couple fibrous casings to soak...
First spice mix...
Second spice mix...
Then it was time for a quick snack...
Intermission....
Ok back to work...
Stuffer ready...
I finished both summer sausages but my camera went dead & had to charge so I don't have pics...
First four loaves of bread done...
Pans greased up for the second four loaves...
Second batch rising...
Second four loaves done & I just noticed a renegade piece of Linguica photo bombed me...
In the smoker...
Done & hanging to bloom after the ice water bath...
Updates to follow if anyone is interested...
I got it set up & decided to break it in properly. The timing was perfect as my neighbor was getting ready to butcher so I got half a pig from him...
Here is the loin - I decided to make Canadian Bacon with it.
I trimmed it up nicely
& cut it into three pieces.
Here is the belly
Of course it will be made into bacon...
It is a nice thick belly
I got lots of trim
from the rib, belly, shoulder & leg areas.
This will all be used to make sausage
Here is the new fridge with the belly in the bucket on the left & the loin in the one on the right. They are in brine...
I will cure these guys & cold smoke them for soup...
Here are the front shoulder on the left & hind leg on the right.
Some more trim on the left & some nice fatback & cheeks on the right...
Here is what it looks like so far...
Time for the front shoulder...
I gave it a very light trimming
Then boned it out & cut it up.
Reserved for a friend's dog...
Nice bit of meat from the shoulder.
I put the cut up meat in the freezer to stiffen up & put all the trimmings in to do the same...
Now to start the hind leg on the journey to become a ham...
Pretty nice size...
I gave it a bit of trimming.
Not too much...
But just enough...
Then it went in here to be injected with brine.
You can get an idea of how big it is here - it wouldn't fit in a five gallon bucket...
Luckily I had a 7 1/2 gallon bucket on hand for such emergencies
Ready to head to the curing fridge...
This thing weighed so much I was afraid to put it on a shelf so I took out the crispers & put it directly on the bottom...
Now it was time to make sausages!
I decided to make four kinds of stuffed sausages & three kinds of breakfast sausage...
The spice mixes are Linguica on the left & Bratwurst on the right.
Hot Italian on the left & Sweet Italian on the right.
All four waiting on the meat to get ground...
Stuffer & grinder parts sanitized & drying.
I made a quick trip to a slaughterhouse less than two miles away & talked them into selling me some casings...
I separated some out & got them soaking in some fresh, warm dihydrogen monoxide...
Grinder set up & ready to go...
First bowl...
Second bowl...
Almost 24 lbs...
Stuffer set up & ready to go...
Bratwurst...
Closer view of a Brat...
Hot Italian...
Closer view...
Sweet Italian - I didn't make much of it.
& a closer view...
Linguica
Closer view of Linguica...
Hanging on my custom drying rack to prepare for cold smoking...
Now there are sausages in the fridge too...
Some breakfast sausage I made - split into 1 lb portions...
Now I had time to do the hocks quick while the AMNPS was getting started.
I injected them & put them in brine.
Ready to go in the fridge...
& here they are...
Since I was gonna be cold smoking I figured I might as well do some cheese too...
Cheddar up top then Provolone, Gouda & Swiss on the bottom...
Marble Longhorn & Mozzarella up top - Pepper Jack & Muenster on the bottom...
Linguica ready
to go in the smoker.
& here they are
enjoying the smoke...
Cheese out
after 2 1/2 hours.
It will go in paper towels in the fridge for a coupe days then get vacuum sealed...
The Linguica stayed in overnight & got finished the next morning.
It got 11 1/2 hours of smoke...
I decided to celebrate by making a bunch of bread & some Summer Sausage.
I started to proof the yeast...
& put a couple fibrous casings to soak...
First spice mix...
Second spice mix...
Then it was time for a quick snack...
Intermission....
Ok back to work...
Stuffer ready...
I finished both summer sausages but my camera went dead & had to charge so I don't have pics...
First four loaves of bread done...
Pans greased up for the second four loaves...
Second batch rising...
Second four loaves done & I just noticed a renegade piece of Linguica photo bombed me...
In the smoker...
Done & hanging to bloom after the ice water bath...
Updates to follow if anyone is interested...
