Click on the Question to view the answer. |
| I've been looking all over for F.W. Witts Seasonings like I used to buy. Do you know where I can find them or do you carry any Witts Seasonings? |
| How old is a pig when it goes to market? |
| We have a lot of frozen hams and would like to thaw them, then cut into portions and refreeze. Is this OK to do this? |
| I have a friend that has asked me to slaughter a Pot Bellied pig, so that we can make sausage from it. I would like to know if you have any sausage recipes that would be more suited to a pot belly other than the standard pork, I have found a couple of boar recipes, but would like to know if there is a better one that I could try. Thank you in advance. |
| I would like to know how to deep pit a pig ,from the pit to the rocks to what to do with the pig for prep and how long, what is the whole process? |
| I have tried to make kielbasa quite a few times. Mostly it comes out far too dry. I use a fine ground pork butt with salt, coarse pepper, garlic, non-fat dry milk as a binder. I mix all of the ingredients in water and then mix in the ground pork. I don't want to make it too fatty but when I smoke it, it tastes very dry. I have tried different temperatures to smoke the meat, but the texture is always the same. Can you suggest something else for me to try? |
| My dad gave me some pork (chops, sausage & a roast) that he have butchered professionally. It has been kept frozen. The date on the outside says 1/28/98. My dad says its fine he eats it all the time. I would like your opinion. |
| Where can I find information on sugar curing meat. I'm looking for a tastier way than salt cure to dry store meat for primitive reenacting (18th century events and recipes). |
| We'd like to smoke afresh ham for Easter. Do you have any suggestions? |
| I have gone on a boar hunt. We gutted, skinned, and butchered the boar. We then vacuum sealed the meat and it has been in the deep freeze for 7 days. how do I go about thawing, then curing the hams with out spoiling the meat? Also if we soak the ham in brine can we refreeze it to keep it for a couple months? |
| Should pork ever be served where it is still pink in the middle? |
| Where do Baby Back Ribs come from on the hog? |
Frequently Asked Questions About
Pork Curing, Smoking and Sausage Making |
Meat grinds mushy ?
Chill meat before grinding to 32-34°F. Make sure cutting knife is on properly and locking ring is tight on grinder. |
Irregular flavor in finished product ?
Spices not mixed thoroughly into meat or improper measurement of spices. |
Smoked product not brown enough ?
Lack of smoking time, sawdust to damp, may not burn, blooming period not long enough: at least 2 hours at room temperature. |
Product too salty ?
Cut back 1/3 salt in a cured or finished product. Dry cured requires proper amount of salt. Do not cut back on salt when dry curing product. |
Tough casings ?
Heat to high when initially starting to smoke,
casing may be naturally tough. After flushing natural casings, soak overnight in refrigerator. |
Fat rendering at tip of smoke stick?
Too much heat during cooking. Temperature raised too high and too fast. |
Color faded or smeared at time of stuffing?
Meat too warm. Keep meat refrigerator, take out small amounts at one time. The colder the meat the better for stuffing and grinding. |
Case hardening of sausage?
Sausage dried too quickly, lack of humidity. |
How do I know when to remove my smoked sausage from the smokehouse?
When the internal temperature reaches 152°F. |
Will the 19 mm Collagen (Snack Stick) casings fit on the small stuffing tube?
They will fit a half inch stuffing tube, nothing larger. |
Can I refreeze fresh sausage if the meat was already froze?
Yes, but the more times its thawed, the less flavor it will have. |
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If you are interested in discovering where all of the meat cuts are located on a hog, check out our Pork Charts page! |
Last Updated: Sunday, April 26, 2009 03:55 PM |