26.3.19

Rasher was on her way in the mobile butcher's chiller trailer to become Rashers - 85kg dressed weight. The butcher did a great job.  Rasher died with a happy mouth full of apple, and did not suffer stress or pain at all. We gave the head to a friend to make brawn, but next time I might make some for us.  Eight days later we had the first two pork chops and we started curing a prosciutto and two flitches of bacon.  Looking good.

85 kg of Rasher

The first pork chops for dinner

The first bacon flitch ready for salting

The prosciutto goes intro the salt

Seven days later, the first flitch is out of the cure and air-drying in the fridge.  It'll then air dry for a week or so outdoors.  Can't wait till we get our first crack at home-cured bacon next week.  And only another year or two before we have a crack at the prosciutto.

The flitch rinsed and starting to air dry

The prosciutto needs nearly 2 months in the cure before it hangs outdoors.

I've built an industrial-strength meat safe to hang under the eaves of the verandah on the south side of the house for the air-drying, to keep wasps, flies and other nasties at bay.

I've done bresaola several times, with our beef, but this is the first attempt at curing pork.

I've also bought casings so we can have a go at salami, and a giant casing for copacola.

In a little while I'm going to fire up the barbie and smoke the hocks and two cutlets.  The hocks will be vacuum sealed and refrozen for winter soups and the chops will be cooked for dinner.

On the booze front:  I've been doing home-made ginger beer and decided to give it a bit of a kick along.  It's about 7% apv but needed a taste boost, so I upped the ginger content and added 2 tsp of chilli flakes per 4 litres to the next batch as it was brewing.  Very palatable.  But it does sneak up on one.  

I started the mead and chilli mead before I realised that the honey season was going to be pretty much a write-off for the year, so there'll be no more until next season.

Blackberry and black currant wine are bottled.  Not the greatest, but they should improve with more time in the bottle.