This Little Piggy

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Jun 16, 2013 17:53

We had a pretty good discussion concerning the difference diet made in the quality of the fat and the taste of a pig here about six months or a year ago. barley seems to be one of the more desireable feeds for finishing a pig.

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 14:19

The final chapter of the life of the fat little wild sow was written today when the right side of her fanny came out of the Pro 100 after a 22 hour smoking session. I made a double batch of CW's Canadian bacon brine and added one ounce of Mapleine, injected it with about 18 ounces of the brine and then let it sit soaking in the brine for six days. I pulled the ham when the internal temp reached 148° to hang in the cool evening breeze for three hours before refrigerating overnight. Now it's wrapped and in my freezer awaiting a very special occasion. It might be too beautiful to ever eat. Maybe I'll just take it out of the freezer to look at every now and then, e-mail some pictures of it to my friends.

After letting my freezer dwindle down to make sure I had enough room to fully process the wild pig I find we're all out of smoked chicken and Canadian bacon. This week Safeway has whole pork loin on sale for $1.99lb and whole chickens going for 99≠lb. It's going to be a very busy week with all that smokin'! RAY

Blackriver · Post by **Blackriver** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 17:58

That looks fantastic!

crustyo44 · Post by **crustyo44** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 20:27

Hi Ray,
You done a great job on that little sow. Everything looks beautiful.
Any risk of Trichinosis? Luckily we don't have it in wild pigs here in Australia, makes one wonder though as they are full of other parasites.
We used to shoot wild pigs in wheat fields that were being harvested, easier to shoot them as the standing wheat circle got smaller by the hour.
The wild pigs were fattened on this wheat for months on end.
Cheers Mate.
Jan.

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Sat Jun 22, 2013 21:50

I think with curing and smoking to the proper temperature most chance of bad things happening get wiped out. Then there is always all the pre and post smoke cleaning, for guys like us tidiness is next to godliness. This sow was in the barley fields for awhile which explains the nice layer of white fat covering her. I've killed wild hogs in November and December without a grain field for miles that had thick layers of fat all over them, and others in lean years that were as red as a buck deer, no fat at all.

Woke up this morning to find the weather forecast calling for potential rain tomorrow and a certain sizable downpour coming on Monday. I had six huge chickens that were injected and brining in my cooler for 24 hours, was going to start smoking them early tomorrow morning. Now they are all stocking'd up and the Pro 100 is spewing aplewood smoke like a house afire. RAY

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:28

I had six huge chickens that were injected and brining in my cooler for 24 hours, was going to start smoking them early tomorrow morning. Now they are all stocking'd up and the Pro 100 is spewing aplewood smoke like a house afire. RAY

Ray, ol' pard, I believe there are two types of people. There are folks out there who go about their lives and never slow down long enough to savor anything at all. They never stop or even slow down enough to appreciate or truly enjoy the wonderful little things in life. They miss so very much!
Then there are folks like you who enjoy the simple things - a fine sawhorse, good weather, freedom to explore, and tasty food. Smoked meat is one of those simple things. Yup, some folks take a little extra time and trouble to slow down and smell the hickory!

These are the folks who are not afraid to get their hands dirty and these are the folks who progressively learn new things - because they are not afraid to TRY new things. It is a pleasure for me to be associated with such folks. Keep up the great work and enjoy life's smallest and most subtle pleasures - you're light years ahead of those folks who don't even care about or understand what they are!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Post by **Butterbean** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 16:22

Looks wonderful. I agree with you on the trich. I won't use wild hogs for certain low temp processes but if its going to get some heat I've don't worry. I am very careful when butchering the meat though.