Hog Back From The Butcher

[EPic1856]

After 3 weeks I got my meat from Harmony Meats. 116 lbs of deliciousness. I happy with how the meat came out it has been vacuum packed, weighed, and labeled. Now I need some recipes.

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

wow...They did a GREAT job packaging the meat. Let us know how it taste. How big was ur hog and what was the cost to process?

 

[EPic1856]

wow...They did a GREAT job packaging the meat. Let us know how it taste. How big was ur hog and what was the cost to process?

the carcass weighed 116 lbs at the butcher when I dropped it off. It had already been field dressed and skinned. Initially they quoted me $1.25 per lb, but when I picked up the meat they reduced it to $1.00 per lb. I didn't ask why they lowered it, but I talked directly with the owner when I picked it up.

 

[spectr17]

Nice score Epic. You're gonna be eating good for awhile.

 

[Richmellott]

Yup, time for a bbq. You have to empty that freezer soon, so you have an excuse to go back out hunting! I'm in the same boat, but I am throwing a party for my wife's B-Day.

 

[DeanW66]

:eat-burger::smiley_green_with_e and :drool: since I can't find an actual drool smiley (there's a TON but no drool? how can we be missing drool??? rayin

 

[asaxon]

Sausage intel?

I checked out Harmony Meats site but I didn't see anything about making various types of sausage. Did you have them make sausage for you, i.e. Cajun, Italian style etc. If so, do you know how much additional they charge for that?

 

[Fugaloo]

Sausage

I made some sausage with mine that I shot a few months ago.

I picked up some pork fat from safeway, Call them early in the morning before they start cutting and they will save as much as you want for you.

I like the Aidel's Turkey and mango sausage because it has a good sweet flavor to it. I tried to replicate that flavor and texture on my own. The flavor was real good but the texture is lacking. I think that I overmixed it, or I did not have enough fat in it. My mother in law makes a great meatloaf, and swears by not mixing the meat anymore than you need too. I don't know if that carries over to sausage but I can imagine it does.

I also made a couple of more dinner type blends that turned out OK. What I have found is that unless you have a proven recipe, the best way to go about it is to make a small batch, fry it up and taste. If you like what you have increase the ingredients proportionally and go to town.

I used peaches and mangoes, a little bit of salt, and enough fat to make it look like a 30 - 40 /70 - 80 mixture to meat.

I would recommend against using the game fat as it will give the sausage an oft flavor.

I used large casings ordered from Cabella's and made links about 8-9 inches in length. I spun the links as they came off the stuffer. But my buddy who is a seasoned butcher said he likes to make one long (4 to 6 feet) sausage and then spin it while it is on a table. Of course that's easier to do when you do it in a butcher shop.

Smoking the sausage is the most important things to do in my opinion. It gives the sausage a great flavor and keeps it from drying out. Then you just reheat when ready to serve. I used a wood smoker with charcoal/mesquite briquettes. I used a few small pieces (three or four handful size) of mesquite wood chips too, but I have found that too much smoke leaves an overpowering smoke flavor.

Good luck

 

[EPic1856]

I checked out Harmony Meats site but I didn't see anything about making various types of sausage. Did you have them make sausage for you, i.e. Cajun, Italian style etc. If so, do you know how much additional they charge for that?

To answer your question, the answer is No and yes. They did not charge me extra for the sausage meat, but stated that it will be in bulk (without casing). If I wanted smoked sausage, then they would charge extra. I think it was about $3.00 per lb. They stated that they would have to send it out, since they dont have a smokehouse.

 

[asaxon]

Thanks. That is what I was interested in. I may take my next hog there to see how they do on the sausage depending if I get a hog on the next hunt and the time and when I return. The vacuum packing looks great. I've used Green Acres and I thought they did a wonderful job so it willl be fun to compare. They do sausage meat either bulk or in link sausages (i think it was 1.25/lb extra for link) but I didn't ask them about smoked sausage. I appreciate Fugaloo's recipes but I am not going to be making sausage myself. Too much work. As young girl in New Zealand, my wife actually made link sausage (not smoked, just linked) in a butcher shop and she assures me she is having no part of it....