[JulieS]

I have a fantastic family run abattoir that I use, but their butchery dept isn't very reliable.....can take up to 2 weeks to get the meat back and it's never on the day they say it will be. 

So I've decided to put together a butchery/cutting room here so that I can cut and produce sausages and bacon for my growing (slowly)  list of customers.  I will be able to pick the carcasses (sp?) up the day after slaughter and so will be able to offer a much more personal and better service.

I've been gradually  buying up secondhand machines and cold room and the room itself is almost ready.  The environmental health guy is coming next week to inspect.

Hubby and I have both been on butchery and food hygiene courses.  We also have a local guy who is an experienced butcher on hand who is coming over to help with anything we need.  He also let us borrow his cutting room to do our last lot of pigs, which went really well.

So I think we're ready for our first girls that are going off soon.


Anyone have any words of advice?

[WinslowPorker]

Enjoy, i cannot think of anything that would be more enjoyable than actually processing the animal that you have reared and going 'full circle' from birth to plate.
That would vertainly form part of my wish list when we up and move (notice i didnt say 'if')

[WinslowPorker]

Julie,
A friend of mine at work managed to acquire a professional sausage make from a sale at his local butchers who had gone under, dont know if you are already sorted but just a thought 

[JulieS]

Many thanks Graeme......I'm so pleased to see you used 'when' and not 'if'!!   

All sorted with equipment now thanks.  Managed to get a secondhand Mainca 30lb sausage maker.

[Snoopy]

Good Luck Julie - our business went from stength to strength once we could butcher our own meat
and make sausages - and once you are health board approved the sys the limit and you will be able
to market your stuff without any worry.

Just a little thought though, make sure that you take out product liability, so that if someone accuses
one of your sausages from making them ill you do not lose everything - its not expensive, we have
our whole market, employer, employee, product and public liability with Quinn Insurance, but others
offer it too.

Julie 

[JulieS]

Many thanks Julie, that's excellent advice.   

[Hilarysmum]

Julie S good luck, I am sure your business will expand and expand.  From my experience I would say just stick to a few flavours of sausages and don't try to please all of the customers all of the time, otherwise you will end up exhausted.  Hope that doesn't sound like Granny trying to teach you to suck eggs!!!

[JulieS]

Not at all Hilarysmum, all advice is great 

The last time we made our own 'special', basic sausage, some pork with apple and pork with chilli.....All very popular and orders already for the next lot. 

[Hilarysmum]

There isnt a salivating smiley here  ..........

[JulieS]

 no, can't find a salivating one, will this do?   

[WinslowPorker]

Sounds a wicked recipe to me, will have to pack some up to bring home with me!

[JulieS]

Definitely!   What's your favourite?

[mr.pitt]

there is a good family run company that are based in bradford w.yorkshire that specialise in sausage seasonings and bacon cures as well as mixes for burgers and pies, search the internet for the dalesman group.

As for sausage machines it depends on the scale you are working to, for a small batches of sausage to sell ebay have some good manual sausage fillers (hand operated) they are cheap too 150 quid and below, if for a large sausage trade a larger electronic operated machine is needed.

Texture can be all down to the skins used, natural casings or artifical. best cuts of meat to use for sausage i would recommend shank side of the shoulder meat is best  as it is even with lean meat and fat, also the blade side is best for a boned and rolled roasting joint, and the tail end of belly pork as has more fat to help bind the mixture together.

Hope this helps

[ceilwart26]

Am I allowed to butcher my own pigs if they are for my own consumption, or will I need to find a butcher to do it for me?
Thanks
Jan

[Hilarysmum]

Not living in UK cant answer that question, but have you butchered before?  Because it takes quite some time, and with the weather warming up keeping the temperature low enough for long enough might be a problem?  Good luck though if you do go ahead.