Yes shaved and cleaned (I think they called that 'plotted' ??- dipped in hot water), skin on, head on, tongue out, kept the offal for me (abattoir cost £19 a pig)- kept the pigs for 6 days and I arranged with Duff the wholesale butchers based at the abattoir to transport them (£10 a pig - my butcher felt this was a bit of a rip-off as he was delivering anyway) to my butcher in Glasgow, who kept them till we did the butchering the following Sunday, so they had hung 10 days. The private kill pigs are on a Thursday morning - not sure if this was always the case.
Butcher said the meat was firm compared to the usual commercial pigs he gets. Incidentally he said he buys his wholesale pigs for the same price as I reckon it took for me to buy the weaners and feed till killed - £160.
The plain sausages taste great - but they really just taste like my butcher's own sausages which I like anyway and he has fairly strongly spiced; I've not tried the herb and pork ones yet. We had a shoulder joint the other night and it roasted great with crunchy but soft (if you know what I mean) crackling, very tender meat. Too late we found the friend we were having to dinner does not really like pork! But she was converted; she thought it tasted more like lamb and I can see why she thought this. It was quite fine-grained and carved quite like lamb. I thought the meat had a sweet taste to it, so the edge bits were a bit like caramelised. Very tasty with bramley apple sauce. Good as cold with salad yesterday. Looking forward to the last of it in sandwiches at lunchtime today.
You are right Sally I never want shop bought again.
Sorry you can see I am a bit obsessed with my pork.
Topic: First lot of pork (Read 7028 times)
