The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: dixie on April 15, 2009, 10:15:28 am

Title: making ham/ bacon?
Post by: dixie on April 15, 2009, 10:15:28 am
I would like to have a go at my own bacon, ham etc can anyone recommend a good book where they have tried the recipes and been successful, many thanks.
Title: Re: making ham/ bacon?
Post by: pigsatlesrues on April 16, 2009, 10:45:39 pm
You will find quite a bit in the way of recipies and techniques on here, but Hugh FW is worth a read for sure!

Kate  :pig:
Title: Re: making ham/ bacon?
Post by: velcro on April 19, 2009, 07:26:52 pm
Yes agree with Kate, we have only recently started processing our own pigs and HFW is very useful. Also recommend his pig in a day DVD.
Title: Re: making ham/ bacon?
Post by: dixie on April 20, 2009, 09:58:56 am
Thank you, think I will order the river cottage meat book :)
Title: Re: making ham/ bacon?
Post by: MrsJ on April 25, 2009, 12:58:44 pm
We've made a couple of batches of bacon now, plus hams and we have one air dried ham hanging up in the carport.  Today we fired up our smoker (which has been christened Big Betty for some unkown reason!) for the first time, and are trying to smoke some of the latest bacon.  Big Betty is made from an old barrel, with a fire box underneath (well, an old cooking oil drum!) and a pipe out of the top.  We're using oak dust which just smolders to create the smoke.  Will try to post some photos later.

Here we go

(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e21/MrsJ1/BigBetty004a.jpg)

(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e21/MrsJ1/BigBetty003a.jpg)

(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e21/MrsJ1/BigBetty002a.jpg)
Title: Re: making ham/ bacon?
Post by: dixie on April 28, 2009, 04:01:08 pm
Thanks! that looks really interesting, let us know how it turns out, good luck! i'm ordering the river cottage meat book, hopefully it will have easy recipes for me to follow, i'm confused with dry cure, wet cure, air dried, boiled and cooked! :-\  i would just like to produce my own ham rather than keep paying for sub standard expensive supermarket rubbish! will let you know how it goes!
Title: Re: making ham/ bacon?
Post by: carl on April 28, 2009, 04:45:19 pm
ham and eggs!
a days work for a chicken.
a life changing experience for a pig? :pig:
I would love to have a go at both bacon and ham.
have tried salami, nearly right, but no cigar.
need to make a larder cupbord in the garage to do these things first.
my family are getting fed up of just pork. must try harder.
Title: Re: making ham/ bacon?
Post by: rorsa on June 15, 2009, 02:48:39 pm
Dixie - don't use the River Cottage Meat Book. I went on the river cottage smoking and curing course and Ray pointed out that several of the recipes in the meat book are wrong. (He was not consulted before publication). If you use the recipes on the RC website you should be ok.