Curing the Hog

The breakfast sausage total from the hog is at 22#.  This may be the best breakfast sausage I've ever made, and I did post the recipe on my recipe blog so that I can make some more of it later.  We got it all vac sealed and packaged for the freezer.  I don't make breakfast links....mainly because sheep casings are so difficult to stuff and we like patties just as well.  No sense in making more work for myself!

I also started a couple of small pieces of loin in a brine in my second attempt at Canadian bacon.  I did this last year for the first time and we were not very impressed with the results.  I'm trying a different recipe this year and we'll know how it turns out in a few days.  All that's left to do now is the regular bacon, which I'll get started tomorrow.  The rest of the hog is packed and in the freezer, or already in cure.  It's a good thing, too...since tomorrow is errand day and then Friday we're butchering a couple of lambs.

Here's a shot of the 22# of pork that we used for sausage this morning.  I just can not say enough great things about growing your own pork using nothing but scraps, goat milk, and fresh eggs!  No mystery ingredients here, this is just succulent pork harvested from a hog that had a good life and fed good food.  What a blessing!!