Sorry I haven't posted in some time. It's not that I haven't been making charcuterie, it's just that summer is typically not the best time to make it, and as usual, work and life gets in the way.
This year I'm switching from Tails and Trotters pork to Carlton Farms, another local purveyor. I've been a big fan of T&T since the past owner, Morgan, was selling pork out of an unmarked rape van ( oops, I mean "cargo" van ). T&T pork quality is without question outstanding, but the legs were just too large ( 35lbs or so) and the fat layers were just too big for my amateur needs, and the legs are taking 2-3 years to complete curing. I'll continue to use their coppa and ground pork, and I think I may buy one leg from them every other year to do a 3-4 year proscuitto, but for my one and 2 year legs, it's going to be Carlton.
Here they are, salted and ready to lose some water weight. One thing you'll notice is that in addition to the standard hind leg ( each about 12 lbs ) that I'm doing front legs/shoulders, to test how they turn out. These would make inexpensive, yet really cool, gifts. Stay tuned.
Just so you don't think all I do is cure meat, here's a pic taken at the Amsterdam Half Marathon Oct 21st. I surprised my wife with a long weekend away and of course we had to run a race while there. It was a great trip and we had a blast.
Finally: I've worked harvest with friends for several years, and have been a fan of Oregon wines since moving here and have often fantasized about making my own wine some day. I have finally taken the first step towards making that happen and have entered in a mentorship arrangement with my good friend, Anne Hubatch of Helioterra Wine . Starting with harvest this year (which we just finished this week ) I'll be working through the entire winemaking process with her instruction and help, from making the wine, to getting licensed, creating and building a brand, to bottling and selling. My first commercial vintage will be 50 cases of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. I'm hoping you enjoy drinking it as much as I'm enjoying making it. With Anne's help, you better believe it will be good!
Of course every winemaker needs a good assistant. Lucky for me, I have the cutest one on the planet.
That's all for now, I wish you all well. Stay tuned as I update the blog as the legs complete the salting process and get hung up to cure.
First off, I love your blog, it is part of the reason I jumped into curing meats. I have a question about hind leg procurement in Portland. I contacted Carlton Farms and was told that their hinds end up 20-22 lbs. How, or where, were you able to pick up the smaller hinds? Of course the tails and trotters ones are even larger.
ReplyDelete