[fifeboy]

Robair Robair:

We have had too much corn.

The US government subsidizes it to the point that you can buy it cheaper than it actually costs to produce.
That's why North Americans are getting fat. Cheap corn by products for Coca Cola and pepsi. Cheap feed so beef hamburgers are all of a sudden the most affordable food out there.

And cows didn't evolve to eat corn. When they do eat it, they produce E coli. So now your beef must be bleached before it is served to you. This all goes away if cattle are fed grass instead of highly subsidized, super cheap corn.

In a lot of ways, a corn shortage might be a good thing.

To all you said No , make that

[fifeboy]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

but he might be really good looking )

Oh yeah, that's right. Well, at least according to my wife, that's what I think.

[Canadian_Mind]

bootlegga bootlegga:

Bacon shortage not a threat for Canada: Swine Exporters Association

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybre ... 11043.html

Well, that's a load of my salt-laden mind!

Thank fuck

[Unsound]

fifeboy fifeboy:

Robair Robair:

We have had too much corn.

The US government subsidizes it to the point that you can buy it cheaper than it actually costs to produce.
That's why North Americans are getting fat. Cheap corn by products for Coca Cola and pepsi. Cheap feed so beef hamburgers are all of a sudden the most affordable food out there.

And cows didn't evolve to eat corn. When they do eat it, they produce E coli. So now your beef must be bleached before it is served to you. This all goes away if cattle are fed grass instead of highly subsidized, super cheap corn.

In a lot of ways, a corn shortage might be a good thing.

To all you said No , make that

But if you stop subsidizing corn you piss the farmers off. And farmers vote. So that won't happen.

[pineywoodslim]

saturn_656 saturn_656:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

3) It's corrosive, so if the engine isn't designed for it - don't use it!

Kind of hard to find regular gas without ethanol these days...

Hi, newbie here. Lurked this forum for awhile looking for info about the Atlantic provinces while planning my vacation last spring to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador--loved me some fried cod tongues and seal flipper pie.

I live in Iowa, the largest US corn producer state, and go figure, the state has wide availability of non-ethanol gas. You can get it anywhere at 87 octane and I use it exclusively. 89 octane ethanol is ten cents cheaper per US gallon and 91 octane ethanol is about 25 cents more. But on my drive through the rest of the US and Canada, non-ethanol was mighty hard to come by. Hated putting that slop in a new car.

Nice government subsidies to the corn growers--farmland here is now jacked up in price to about $12,000 an acre. With an average farm size of 700 or so acres, and many farms passed down to heirs and owned free and clear, just do the math and most farmers around here are now multi, multi-millionaires at least on paper.

About bacon--like another poster I too make my own. Got 20 pounds of pork belly curing in the refrigerator as I type, ready for a good hickory smoke next week. It really is the best and cheap too.

[DrCaleb]

pineywoodslim pineywoodslim:

About bacon--like another poster I too make my own. Got 20 pounds of pork belly curing in the refrigerator as I type, ready for a good hickory smoke next week. It really is the best and cheap too.

Welcome!

It really is the best, isn't it? I use Juniper Berries and Bay leaves in the cure, and maple syrup to balance the salt. Then Alder wood smoke it.

Also have some trotters curing for terrine. Got some lamb shoulder from the local Hutterites on the weekend for sausage too.

[pineywoodslim]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

pineywoodslim pineywoodslim:

About bacon--like another poster I too make my own. Got 20 pounds of pork belly curing in the refrigerator as I type, ready for a good hickory smoke next week. It really is the best and cheap too.

Welcome!

It really is the best, isn't it? I use Juniper Berries and Bay leaves in the cure, and maple syrup to balance the salt. Then Alder wood smoke it.

Also have some trotters curing for terrine. Got some lamb shoulder from the local Hutterites on the weekend for sausage too.

Thank you!

Talking about juniper berries makes me think you might also have made some pancetta, and are perhaps acquainted with "Charcuterie" by Michael Ruhlman.

Like you, I also throw in all sorts of stuff into the pork belly cure--garlic, bay leaves, juniper, thyme, black peppercorns, and so on.

Never used alder wood--isn't that the traditional smoke for salmon?

Glad to see a fellow sausage-maker. I am originally from Louisiana and try to keep my traditions alive by making andouille and boudin blanc. Down there, everything's smoked with pecan wood.

Funny thing is---Iowa is supposedly numero uno in hog raising, yet I have to travel 25 miles north to Minnesota to get my bellies and pork liver from local farmers.

You buy your bellies locally or have them shipped? I'm sure it's great quality, but ordering from some place in California was $110.00 for a ten pound pork belly! So, I just find a local farmer and get a 10 pounder for $30.00.

[DrCaleb]

pineywoodslim pineywoodslim:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

pineywoodslim pineywoodslim:

About bacon--like another poster I too make my own. Got 20 pounds of pork belly curing in the refrigerator as I type, ready for a good hickory smoke next week. It really is the best and cheap too.

Welcome!

It really is the best, isn't it? I use Juniper Berries and Bay leaves in the cure, and maple syrup to balance the salt. Then Alder wood smoke it.

Also have some trotters curing for terrine. Got some lamb shoulder from the local Hutterites on the weekend for sausage too.

Thank you!

Talking about juniper berries makes me think you might also have made some pancetta, and are perhaps acquainted with "Charcuterie" by Michael Ruhlman. The section on 'sauces' really got me hooked.

Like you, I also throw in all sorts of stuff into the pork belly cure--garlic, bay leaves, juniper, thyme, black peppercorns, and so on.

Never used alder wood--isn't that the traditional smoke for salmon?

Glad to see a fellow sausage-maker. I am originally from Louisiana and try to keep my traditions alive by making andouille and boudin blanc.

Funny thing is---Iowa is supposedly numero uno in hog raising, yet I have to travel 25 miles north to Minnesota to get my bellies and pork liver from local farmers.

You buy your bellies locally or have them shipped? I'm sure it's great quality, but ordering from some place in California was $110.00 for a ten pound pork belly! So, I just find a local farmer and get a 10 pounder for $30.00.

Yup! "Charcuterie" by Rhulman/Polcyn got me going down this path. Some form of it was already in the family, with tortier being one of my Mother's specialities.

I've only recently started with the fermented meats and sausage. Just got an old bar fridge converted with automated humidity and temperature controls. I have some Panchetta hanging now, and I've also tried some Sopresetta and Summer Sausage. If I survive, I'll let you know if it was good. Andouille and boudin blanc/noir are on my list to try, if I can get ingredients.

Alder is a traditional Smoked Salmon (Gravlox) wood, but I've tried many types with my salmon. The best for me is traditional Gravlox made with fresh Coho Salmon, fresh dill and Maple wood - cold smoked. Mmmmmmm!

I buy my bellies and most pork parts local. There are Hutterites at the local Farmers Market, and I just ask them for anything I need. Back fat, bellies, jowls - they don't even seem surprised when I ask. They raise and slaughter the animals themselves, so the quality is impeccable. (Their chickens and turkeys are incredible!) My local butcher is also trained in traditional German Sausage making, so he is a great asset. He knows where to get the good stuff, although I suspect he gets it from the Hutterites. Hehe.

The rule I have for successful farmers marketing: Find the Hutterites. Buy what they have.

[bootlegga]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

The rule I have for successful farmers marketing: Find the Hutterites. Buy what they have.

^ This!

Hutterites and Mennonites make the best smoked sausages I've ever had. An awesome cross between sausage, steak and bacon.

[DrCaleb]

bootlegga bootlegga:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

The rule I have for successful farmers marketing: Find the Hutterites. Buy what they have.

^ This!

Hutterites and Mennonites make the best smoked sausages I've ever had. An awesome cross between sausage, steak and bacon.

Agreed! But it's more than that too. Carrots. I haven't tasted a good carrot in so long, but I didn't know it till I bought some of theirs. And beets, onions, potatoes . . .they had several big tables full of stuff. And it was all excellent!

Living on the praries has some disadvantages, and one of them is good year round produce.

[Unsound]

I've made quite a bit of sausage. but only fresh. I've been considering picking up a cheap cabinet smoker(big chief or something similiar) to try smoking sausage as well. Is it terribly difficult to do? I'd especially like to try making my own salami someday.

[DrCaleb]

Unsound Unsound:

I've made quite a bit of sausage. but only fresh. I've been considering picking up a cheap cabinet smoker(big chief or something similiar) to try smoking sausage as well. Is it terribly difficult to do? I'd especially like to try making my own salami someday.

Very easy. Go down to Canadian Tire, they have (Canadian made) Bradley Smokers on cheap. The digital ones will not only monitor the temperature of 'hot' smoking, they will change the wood 'biscuits' before they char and give a sour taste to the meat. There are 4 and 6 rack models.

I use an old broomhandle to hang sausage from, instead of the racks.

Then you can make homemade Chipolte, Smoked Salmon, Beef Carpaccia (?), Smoked Chicken . . . . it's my favourite appliance.

[fifeboy]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

I use Juniper Berries and Bay leaves in the cure, and maple syrup to balance the salt. Then Alder wood smoke o.

Back at the turn of the century (19th to 20th) alder was hard to find around Winnipeg and the lakes as it was used in smoking "Winnipeg Goldeye." Really nice golden brown colour and mild smokey taste. Only tried it on fish but bacon sounds interesting.

[Unsound]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Very easy. Go down to Canadian Tire, they have (Canadian made) Bradley Smokers on cheap.

They're not that cheap... dropped almost 500 on my charcoal smoker 2 summers ago, don't think the wife would look kindly on another few hundred for another smoker.

[DrCaleb]

fifeboy fifeboy:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

I use Juniper Berries and Bay leaves in the cure, and maple syrup to balance the salt. Then Alder wood smoke o.

Back at the turn of the century (19th to 20th) alder was hard to find around Winnipeg and the lakes as it was used in smoking "Winnipeg Goldeye." Really nice golden brown colour and mild smokey taste. Only tried it on fish but bacon sounds interesting.

That would be awesome. I've done some different whitefish, and it was excellent. Some fresh veggies, coconut milk, smoked fish . . . makes an awesome carribean soup.

I only wish the Bradley smokers made Juniper wood bisquettes (Wesphallia style back bacon! Think of it!). That's the only disadvantage. Only one wood supplier.

Unsound Unsound:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Very easy. Go down to Canadian Tire, they have (Canadian made) Bradley Smokers on cheap.

They're not that cheap... dropped almost 500 on my charcoal smoker 2 summers ago, don't think the wife would look kindly on another few hundred for another smoker.

Yea, I don't have one of those to smack me when I make random purchases I don't need.