The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Sarah on May 13, 2008, 10:17:49 am
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Hi,
We are about to send our first three pigs to slaughter and need to buy some metal Y tags.
All of the websites I have found so far have big minimum orders, does anyone know of a site that will sell in batches of 10 or so?
Many thanks
Sarah
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Try Fearings - I think it's www.fearing.co.uk
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Thanks, if the site a local pig keeper gave me doesn't work out I think I will go with them, then I will just to catch the pigs!
Sarah
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Thanks for this site, 49p a tag. Great. Dreading doing it but another learning curve i guess. Will definately do the pigs again, they are a delight.
Sal :pig:
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Hi Wildwoods and Sal,
Any advice on what to ask the butcher for in terms of cuts and joints for three pigs?
Sarah
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I was very kindly bought a poster and the "pig in a day" dvd for my birthday last week from River Cottage. If you have a look at their site and the posters,it is possible to magnify it enough to see what cuts are generally used. Does it matter if they are porkers or baconers,or is free-range a bit of both?
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Would you say the DVD is a good buy? I am still umming and aaring over it, having bought Will membership to River Cottage online to look at the online pig course I'm worried it will be much the same.
Sarah
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I think,as a general overview and for meat/joints/cuts to be only eaten by yourselves,then it pretty much covers the butchery side of it. If one was to sell the meat to the general public,then I'd want to practice the butchery on 5 or 6 pigs beforehand. The whole dvd seemed rather vague and some frustratingly bad camera work in parts (ie when one wanted to see in detail what,and where, Ray was cutting,you got to see HFW tossing his hair out of the way). If one was thinking of getting some pigs for the first time,then this would be useful,if however,you already have pigs,it leaves one with more questions. The poster is similar.Great for a bit of decoration in the dairy,but as an aid to butchery,it falls short.
When my two are slaughtered at home by a mobile butcher,we have a friend coming out with all his tools to do a one on one instruction with the carcasses. Only two to practice with,but as it's only us going to be eating the meat,I'm not that bothered about getting a perfectly rolled and tied belly roasting joint......... Ree
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A rough guide:
1 half, ask for loin to be chopped (chops) bit at the thick end can be turned into pork steaks (my favourite part). Shoulder small joint, any leftovers cut into cubes for casserole.
Hind leg into 2 good sized joints. Boned out. Belly boned and rolled as a joint (Butcher can take spare ribs out for barbie).
2nd half
Either more chops or have loin boned and rolled as a delicious joint, or for bacon.
Shoulder can be used for sausages or chopped into spare rib chops
Belly either boned and rolled as a second joint, or boned for bacon (I have ours skinned hate cutting the rind).
Or use for sausages.
Hind leg, can be boned out (tunnel boned) for a huge gammon or boned and rolled as joints probably 2 unless a very large pig then go for 3.
We get lots of trimmings which together with one skinned and boned belly makes plenty of sausages. If you dont use the head then ask Butcher to remove the cheeks for sausages.
If you use a good abattoir you should also get back the kidneys and liver. Eat fresh or make a liver pate.
You will also (hopefully) be given the "skins" for sausage making. Either freeze until required or keep in a sealed jam jar in a saline solution or in a poly bag with dry salt. Wash well before using.
Thats it - 2 pigs sorted. Hardest part is deciding what to have for dinner that night. ENJOY then go out and buy two more piglets.
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I asked the butcher if I could 'help' when he jointed our pigs - this let me answer his questions and him answer mine. I learnt a lot and when our second pigs went to slaughter he did 3 halves and I did one under his supervision. You get to learn so much more than with a DVD or book/poster and he gives you options (once he knows your not going to be a pain in the butt!!)
I am now the proud owner of a white butchers coat and he's going to show me (and then test me on) how to dress chickens properly.
And as a treat - he sharpened my knives for me too!
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Wow, I'm just drinking in all the information!
I would love a mobile butcher to slaughter the pigs here but I can't find one in Cambridgeshire.
The trouble with asking to go and see the butchering is that this time it's during the week when I'm at work, next time I will be more organised and fix it for a time when I can go and watch (if they will let me).
I really want to have a go at sausage making but I'm a bit worried about how long the meat can hang around for, the pigs are being dropped off at the butchers on bank holiday monday evening and slaughtered on the tues but then put in cold storage and butchered the next week, how long will the pork be ok before it needs freezing?
Are any of you sausage/salami/ham/bacon making experts? anyy advice?
Hilarysmum? you sound like you know about sausage skins! Is it worth doing?
I'm keen to have a go but read that it can be potentially dangerous as bacteria can be spread through the sausage, you don't hear about many pig keepers dropping down with botulism or anything, does cooking kill the bacteria?
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Thanks Folks as ever,
We have no real choices in South Bucks as there are so few abbatoirs left. I have found Mutch Meats in Whitney (50 miles away) who will slaughter and joint but not make sausages etc. They have said we can have a 'bag of bits' to take away and get our local butcher to make them up. Sounds a bit starnge to me - any thoughts?
sal
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Sarah sausages are simple. I try to do them as soon as the meat is back from the butcher. MOst important keep the meat for sausages in the fridge at 4 deg. c.
My recipe is to mince only once, through a smallish plate. 100 gramms breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons salt, 3 ice cubes worth of very cold water mix well. Then mix into 1 kilo sausage meat.
Now the hard part, if you dont have a stuffer: find a large funnel, and a wooden spoon with a long very clean handle. Manouevre the skins on to the end of the funnel. (Its better to dampen the funnel first as this helps to slide them on. Also have the skins in salted water to keep them fresh. Keep everything as cold as possible). Keep sliding the skins on till the funnel will not take any more. Shove a good handful of the mix into the funnel, push down with the wooden spoon, then manipulate the end of the now forming sausage, its hard to explain but obvious when you are doing it. Keep going, play some soothing music and fill a wine glass with wine. Its tedious by this method but the results are well worth it.
Bacon: dry cure method : about 400 grammes of brown sugar to a kilo of salt. (Fine salt is best). 1 teaspoon of black pepper mix well. One piece of boned out (and preferably skinned) belly or loin. Rub the cure into all the crevices and cracks. Rub well over the whole piece. (Rubber gloves are essential as the salt "burns" the fingers"). If leaving the skin on use only 25% of the cure on the skin side. Seal into a large polythene food bag. Put in fridge for around a week. If the bag is well sealed its unnecessary to do anything until the week is up. Then wash well. Leave to dry in fridge for around 2 days. Chill to almost frozen before slicing. (Vary this recipe to taste).
Wet cure method: Boil up 6 litres water with aprox. 800 grammes salt and 350 grammes sugar and a half teaspoon of sel nitrate (optional) (don't know the English equivalent ask in the chemist) when salt and sugar are well melted skim off any scum, take off heat, leave to cool. (Using iceblocks helps). When cool enough pour into a plastic container and leave in fridge. In the meantime chill the meat for curing. Put the meat into the brine leave for around 1 day per half inch thickness of meat plus 1 day. Take out, wash, leave to dry,
Kate has put some brilliant recipes on here. Dont get stressed when doing this, chill out, have a couple of glasses of wine, (helps the bacon to taste better I always think) it will taste great. If its too salty just soak before cooking.
Sorry for poor English have had French hat on all day, brain is confused.
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Sel Nitrate = Saltpetre, Potassium Nitrate. It's an oxidising agent,most commonly used in explosives,so don't buy too much in once place at one time,you might have SO9 knocking on your door! ;D
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http://www.fryingcolors.com/saltpeter.html
the above is a link telling how to make saltpetre....If memory serves me right ? it is more or less the same way I made some years ago. I used it to cure some skins , it did the trick very well and was free.
Russ
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Thanks for those, I am going to try bacon this time but might leave sausages until next time as I am planning to put a mincer/sausage stuffer on our wedding list this summer!
The butcher we are using this time will make sausages for 80p a pound but doesn't do bacon. I'm gong to ask for the casings though, am I right in thinking I can freeze them?
I was reading some bacon recipes that were talking about re salting the bacon daily and draining off the liquid, but the leaving it in the fridge sounds much better.
I was also reading about saltpetre and how it can be dangerous (not just in bombs Mr Ree!) as it can be toxic and potentially carcinogenic. The site said that most butchers now use an alternative but didn't say what it was! I will post it if I find out.
I suppose that you can find a website claiming health risks with almost any substance though... :o)
There seems to be a lot of contradiction, one person seemed to be saying that you could use the stuff you get from garden centres instead of foodgrade saltpetre! Don't think I will be trying that.
Thanks for the link rustyme, that looks like the kind of job Will would love, he's just a big scout at heart!
I rang the butcher and gave him my wish list for cuts etc, I gave him a list based on yours Hilarysmum, he seemed to think I was a bit mad though. I am just hoping that there will be enough room in the freezer for all the piggy bits.
Just tagging to be done this weekend and they are off at 7 on Monday night.
Had an inspection from trading standards yesterday, apparently we have excellent animal welfare and very good paperwork!
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Good luck for Monday, Sarah. Yes you can freeze skins. Ask at the chemist for the alternative to salt petre or try
http://www.sausagemaking.org/
Postage is free in UK but horrendous to France. Their forum is a useful source of recipes.
If you use a piece of belly for your first attempt at bacon its not quite such a loss if it goes wrong. Although it shouldnt.
HM
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We are about to send our first pigs off to slaughter and have worked out we need metal ear tags, thanks to you all. But...which number are we putting on the tag? Also we have heard of mobile slaughtermen who can come to your farm and do it all there with no tags. Is this legal in UK?
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Hi,
Have a look here - we sell lots of these.
https://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/pig-identification-c-98_109.html (https://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/pig-identification-c-98_109.html)
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Kelchums.co.uk is about 75 % cheaper than supplies for smallholdings.
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Hi,
As mentioned on the other post, please use a calculator, if the budget doesnt run to one we will gladly post one to you FOC ;D
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50-80 pence is ok. the ketums site does not give a price. if you only want a couple try your feed merchents. SFS do you do the pliers to go with the tags.
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Hi Paul,
Yes we do the pliers to go with the Qwiksilver tags - Pliers are priced at £12.10 including Vat.
Management numbering can also be printed on the tags at no extra charge.
Thanks
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SFS tags are very good Even allowing for postage to France they were still far cheaper than buying direct here. (Brittany)
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Supplies I would like a calculator please I will forward you my address could you please make it a solar powered one so that i do not need to buy batterys as i have no budget pmsl
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Dear Mr. D.Hens
Thank You, I got the pm with your address - I will pop a calculator in the post for you tomorrow.
I dont think a solar powered one would be much use for you though. as:
a) It won't get enough light from a single candle to make it work, and
b) I've already determined you are a canny man with an eye for a bargain, so it will be a poundland special to suit your tastes ;-)
Have a great night