Author Topic: kill or cure (Read 9505 times)

Hilarysmum · « **Reply #15 on:** December 13, 2010, 08:59:09 am »

We found tammies a little slower to fill out than gossies, so from memory, if fed at the rate of 1lb per day per month of age up to a max. of 5 lbs. males went at around 6 months as porkers, and females at 8 months for bacon.

Lord now my taste buds are starting to tingle ......

Mr Pig · « **Reply #16 on:** December 13, 2010, 09:15:08 am »

The fact that the meat was almost inedible points to boar taint. If you keep entire boars for meat then get them slaughtered by 24 weeks of age or 75kg l/w. Plenty of people will tell you they've never had a problem sending bigger/older boars for killing but boar taint is random and does affect traditional breeds and thus by keeping entires for longer, you are playing Russian roulette with the eating quality of the meat.

princesspiggy · « **Reply #17 on:** December 13, 2010, 10:04:55 am »

prob be cheaper too. does anyone know optimum time to slaughter them? - meaning - amount of feed going in and amount of meat coming out for tammies? plus what makes them baconers and not porkers, is it just size or is flavour or less tenderness?

Eve · « **Reply #18 on:** December 13, 2010, 04:18:09 pm »

I thought strictly speaking porkers are up to 60kgs. We just send our GOS boars off at 6 months without weighing them, and they're always entire.

If the problem was boar taint, there would have been a strong urine-like smell. Then I thought that the meat would have been rotten, but that would have stank even more. So no idea, I'm afraid...

We normally get the heads, trotters etc back. They also let us pick up the carcasses, we put them on a new shower curtain in the boot of the car, covered with a clean sheet. But then I suspect not everything is done as it should where we went to. We're changing to a new abattoir in 2011, we'll see how it compares.
It's not unusual to see some hairs still, though. Just not a rug full, if you know what I mean. We recognise our pigs by their spots as they're all GOS.

What a shame you can't eat that meat! The pigs have died for it, after all.

princesspiggy · « **Reply #19 on:** December 13, 2010, 06:03:33 pm »

it didnt smell like animal, say goaty, rammy or piggy, just strange. i thought maybe in my ignorance i was supposed to soak it, as being brought up with supermarket meat, true reality can be not what u expect. i presume it was cured with salt not nitrates. but didnt taste nice or healthy infact. even with soaking and cooking with strong flavours it, the taste and smell was still there. well, we live and learn! cure it yourself - and send away earlier! and choose butcher wisely! they had a wonderful life but a shame to not enjoy them when they died for me! i do admit to crying outside abattior cos was rather fond of them, they use to join us for walks around the farm. bless them. positive note - they made me decide that tamworths are the most glorious pigs to look after - confirmed completely by black x-breeds we had after that - plain characters and plain tasting pork. our very first pigs were tammies that we used for the most fantastic pork ever -so good, the kids would be around table begging whilst it was carved up, hardly ever did meat get as far as the plate - thats how good meat should be!!

pikilily · « **Reply #20 on:** December 13, 2010, 06:23:43 pm »

my friend bred tamworths, and we had some bacon from his pigs- I just couldnt eat it- just didnt like the taste. Yet the bacon from our berkshires is devine. Berkshires arent supposed to be as good for curing as they are for pork! well that is what I have read!! so it must depend on a number of things: breed, feeding, and curing included!
Emma T

princesspiggy · « **Reply #21 on:** December 13, 2010, 06:29:59 pm »

i read berkshires are great for pork and tammies are great for bacon. i thought tammies pork was amazing. never tried other purebreeds though.

pikilily · « **Reply #22 on:** December 13, 2010, 06:40:06 pm »

I am now totally a Berkshire lass!
Emma T

HappyHippy · « **Reply #23 on:** December 13, 2010, 06:46:07 pm »

Quote from: pikilily on December 13, 2010, 06:23:43 pm

my friend bred tamworths, and we had some bacon from his pigs- I just couldnt eat it- just didnt like the taste.

I'm afraid I'm not a lover of 'porky' pork either

(Yes, I know how bad that sounds

) the GOS x Large Black I've got in the freezer now is less strong flavoured than some, but delicious, moist and sweet and suits my tastes

Quote from: pikilily on December 13, 2010, 06:23:43 pm

Yet the bacon from our berkshires is devine. Berkshires arent supposed to be as good for curing as they are for pork! well that is what I have read!! so it must depend on a number of things: breed, feeding, and curing included!
Emma T

I think (this is just my take on it

) that Berkshire's are disregarded as a 'bacon' pig because generally, bacon pigs are bigger (to give a bigger eye of bacon) and Berkshire's are reputidly prone to becoming over fat the older they get. BUT I've not slaughtered any Berkshires so don't know for sure. My last lot (GOS x LB) were 6 months but I did get some cured for bacon and yeah, it's a wee bit smaller than the stuff in the shops - but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in taste

Everybody has different tastes and that's the good thing about having so many different breeds to choose from (and the enjoyment of getting to know them)

Karen x

Eve · « **Reply #24 on:** December 13, 2010, 07:32:48 pm »

The funny thing is: we all have our favourite breeds and are ever so proud of them thinking they're best!

We have GOS, use them for both pork and bacon, love it and keep being told by others that it tastes so good - more flavourful and sweeter than they're used to. GOS sausages are supposed to be the best but we have nothing to compare to. Same thing with Berkshire's crackling, but again we haven't tried so can't compare.

Maybe we should start trying all the breeds

pikilily · « **Reply #25 on:** December 14, 2010, 04:13:07 pm »

LOL, we could start the porker bacon and sausage club.....a bit like the Pudding Clubs that are all the rage in the pubs. Call it the Bacorpork Club??

Emma t