redzed wrote:1kg of pork belly and 2kg of back fat? What would be the meat to fat ratio?

I guess that would depend on how fatty the belly is, but it's so close to 100% that you might as well call it pork butter. It sounds eminently spreadable -- and delicious.

Rick - If the meat and broth taste as salty as you like them, don't add more salt no matter what any recipe says. You've nailed it and you're going to like the result in the finish product. Red - I never knew that heat lessened the strength of nitrite. Thanks for that info. And good idea about makin...

Hi Rick - when I make head cheese I don't measure the salt. Instead I salt the broth until it tastes the way I like it, starting out less salty and adjusting after it's boiled down. I haven't used cure in head cheese yet. It seems to me you could put the cure (measured to the volume you will boil do...

Rick - that makes sense. I think that sometimes in the past I have not paid enough attention to boiling down the stock until it reached a good consistency when jelled.

Cheers,
Jeff

8 bucks? Sweet!

I recently made a batch of linguica using red wine vinegar and tawny port - to 5 lbs of meat I added 150 ml of port and 2 tbs red wine vinegar. Tawny port is dry as far as port goes, but definitely sweet compared to most reds. The sausage came out great. The trick is not to use too much, chill it, a...

Sounds like a plan! Butterbean's advice is good. I have not raised many pigs and am no expert, but the last ones I raised happened to be Berkshires and they came out great from a sausage making perspective. Good balance of fat and lean. I don't know how much your little sow will cost you, but don't ...

Hi Rick - My experience has been a little different from yours in that all the stock from a pig head has turned to jelly. Been scratching my head over this -- maybe it's because I cook it with the snout and ears still attached. I use the jelly for the head cheese, and the rest goes into the freezer ...

Hey Mark - I've found the same to be true here in the states. Unless you want a very lean sausage, you need to add fat. Can't you buy back fat from the same farmer?

Cheers,
Jeff

Jeff, I'm sure the stock would freeze well, but I was also wondering about excess gelatin? Hi Rick - before you freeze the concentrated stock, there is no difference between it and the gelatin. But after freezing the gelatin is not so firm anymore in my experience. In fact, head cheese I have froze...

Do u dry cure or wet brine - wet do you remove skin before or after - after finishing in the oven do you hang on hooks or on trays. (Skin side up or down) - hang from bacon hooks How long you cure for 5-10 days - 6 (depends though on thickness) do you rinse the cured pork. (How long) - briefly Do yo...

The stock freezes well. You can boil it down a lot so it doesn't take up too much room in the freezer. Makes a great soup (great for pozole), and it really improves chili.

Cheers,
Jeff

Celery juice powder is more expensive than cure #1, and it tends to harden up once you open it. It does work in terms of curing meat, but there is no precise way to measure it. If you are concerned about eating nitrites it is the last thing you should use. (While you're at it, stop eating vegetables...

Hey Rick - Pork, vinegar and garlic are a great combination. I just made 7 lbs. of Portuguese linguica. 10 cloves of fresh garlic went into it, along with +1/2 cup wine and 2.5 TB vinegar. It is true that you have to be careful with wine and vinegar or you get a crumbly sausage. But it can be done w...

Rick I've been thinking about head cheese too. Now here is something else about boiling a pig head - it makes the best stock ever.

Have fun and show us your results!

Jeff