Author Topic: What did you do to my pig! (Read 1883 times)

Cuddles · « **on:** December 09, 2016, 05:49:32 pm »

Hi all, I need some advice...

I had 2 lovely OSB girls go off to butcher, killed out close enough to the 100kg mark each, not too much fat. Really nice looking carcasses so I wanted to have a go at curing one of them myself to make hams, bacon, sausages, salami's etc.
I asked the butcher to do one pig as usual - sausages/joints/chops etc however the second pig was going to have the shoulders minced (for my own sausages), the back, belly and legs deboned so that I could dry cure the pork at home and make what I wanted.

I've just called to arrange a time to pick them up and I was told they were just finishing slicing the last of the streaky bacon! WTF! (apologies for the bad language!) The whole of second pig (excl the shoulders) has been wet cured, the loin and belly sliced into bacon and the legs 'picked' but not yet sliced.
I stayed relatively calm while I was speaking to him (not normally my strong point) but I'm wondering how best to deal with this. He was very apologetic and it sounds like an honest mistake in how the order has been written down, but I'm struggling to work out how best to approach this. I could probably sell the back bacon quite easily, but the streaky bacon is usually a challenge, and I'm not really sure what do I do with the legs? he suggested he could cook them up and turn them into ham but how long will they last for? And can they be kept frozen? This was the start of my curing/charcuterie adventure so I feel like I've shot past go without the books santa was going to bring me and without the time to work out what I want to/can do with the meat. If there are obvious options available to me, especially with the cured legs please let me know.
Im rambling now, but any thoughts on how to deal with this would much appreciated.

Thank you as always,
Cuddles

LouiseG · « **Reply #1 on:** December 09, 2016, 09:38:28 pm »

Totally feel for you as have had a similar mishap a few years ago. I have no suggestions but can only suggest that for the future you write an instruction sheet for each animal and keep a copy.
Sorry, not a lot of help.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #2 on:** December 10, 2016, 10:22:16 am »

I'm sure someone with practical butchery experience will be along soon. I give the butcher a pig-by-pig cutting list and keep a copy for myself. As an aside, if you're going to process and sell some of the pork have you gone through the necessary steps with Trading Standards?

Cuddles · « **Reply #3 on:** December 10, 2016, 02:26:22 pm »

I think that is becoming the clear message, go into the shop with the cutting list printed out. And idiot proof instructions!

MF, I'm not that far down the road yet. This was only going to be the first of probably a few trial years, so for personal consumption only. Appreciate the heads up tho...

pharnorth · « **Reply #4 on:** December 10, 2016, 04:43:51 pm »

If you really don't think you can use what he has got for you see if he will give you a price for it or swop it for another pig? Not ideal I know but it is about least worst outcome. Like the others, I generally go in with a printed list but occasionally have been a bit lax and verbal. Certainly the first time I said 'cut for bacon' it was interpreted as 'make me some bacon', fortunately we realised that before we left and didn't fall into the trap you did. My surmise is that most people ask for bacon and hams so that is what they are expecting to hear........