We picked up Kevin from the butcher today. He seemed a little quieter on the ride home than the ride over. Of course, he was in two coolers in nicely wrapped packages of pork so that may account for his somber mood.
It was interesting to talk with the butcher. He showed us the difference between pigs that were finished well and those that weren't. We saw cuts of meat that had an inch of hard white fat along the rim of the cut...a little too fat. We saw cuts that had little to no fat on them at all...a little too lean. We saw cuts (like ours, thank you very much beginner's luck) that were just perfect.
We also talked with him about the difference between grain-fed and grass-fed pork. He said that grass-fed pork makes a wonderful meat. The fat is different. Instead of hard and white, it becomes a buttery yellow color and much softer. He said that the meat itself will have a much "richer" flavor of pork. All in all, he said it is a great way to feed your pigs. He said that the same happens with other meats...the fat turns yellow and soft and the meat has a "richer" taste.
So, here's the break-down of cuts. We had choices with regard to thickness of cut and sometimes a choice between one type of cut or another (tenderloin versus chops), but I think that much of it was just the standard set.
Bacon: 13 x 1 pound packages
Ham: 5 cured hams - one 6.5 pound ham and four 7+ pound hams
Ham Hocks: 2 x 2 pound packages
Regular Sausage: 8 x 1 pound packages and 1 x 1.5 pound package
Spicy Sausage: 10 x 1 pound packages
Shoulder Steaks: 11 x 3 pound packages
Spare Ribs: one 2 pound, one 2.5 pound, and one 1.5 pound package
Chops: 2 x 1lb 12oz packages
Pocket Chops (2 inch thick): five 3 pound, one 2.5 pound, one 2.75 pound, two 3.25 pound, one 3.5 pound, and one 4 pound package
Chop Stuffers: one 1.5 pound and one 3 pound package
We're having pocket chops for dinner tonight. Will let everyone know the verdict.
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