Part 7

• Raise temperature to 170° F and hold until internal temperature reaches 142° to 146° F.

To be fully cooked, it is recommended that the cuts remain in the smokehouse until their internal temperature reaches 152° to 155° F.

For smoking bacon, the following schedule may be used:

• 2 hours - 115° F damper open - smoke off

• 2 hours - 130° F damper closed - smoke on

• Raise temperature to 140° F and hold until internal temperature reaches 127–130° F

Storage of Smoked Meats:

Cured, smoked pork can be handled several ways depending on the final product desired. It can be eaten immediately, refrigerated or frozen for future use, canned, or aged for the development of the characteristic “country-cured” flavor. If the product is to be frozen or canned, follow the recommendations given in the Wrapping or Canning sections.

Canning

If done properly, pork can be satisfactorily preserved by canning. Meat is a low acid, high protein food that allows for good bacterial growth. The use of a pressure canner is vital to ensure that the sterilization temperature (240° F) is reached and maintained for the proper length of time. A water bath or a steamer is not recommended since neither one attains a sufficiently high temperature to produce effective sterilization. Meat may be canned soon after chilling since aging has little effect on the flavor and tenderness of canned meats.

The proper canning procedure is as follows: Use only pint and quart jars. Larger jars are difficult to heat thoroughly to the center. Cut the meat into small strips or cubes. Place meat into a large shallow pan; add enough water to prevent sticking. Cover the pan and cook slowly until medium done. Stir occasionally so that the meat heats evenly. Two and one-half pounds of boneless meat will fill a quart jar.

Pack hot meat loosely in glass jars and cover with hot meat broth or boiling water. Leave 1 inch of head space. For flavor, salt can be added to each jar (approximately one-half teaspoon per pint or 1 teaspoon per quart). Clean any residue from the top of the jar and adjust lids to manufacturer’s specifications and process in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (240° F). Process pint jars for 75 minutes; quarts for 90 minutes.

Allow the canner to cool until the pressure drops to zero. Don’t pour cold water over the canner to hasten the cooling. Remove the jars and space them a few inches apart to cool.

If a jar does not seal, re-can the meat in another jar or use it for food at once. When re-canning, heat the meat through. Then pack and process in pressure canner for the full time recommended. Store sealed jars of canned meat in a cool, dry place and don’t allow it to freeze.

Lard Rendering

To produce a high quality lard with good stability, remove all the skin and lean from the back-fat and other fat trimmings. Fats from around the internal organs should be rendered separately because they yield a darker lard than leaf fat and other body fat trimmings.

Cut the fat into small pieces of similar size for quick uniform rendering. Steam rendering, if available, is most preferable since it eliminates the danger of scorching. When fat is rendered in a kettle over an open fire, it should be stirred frequently and the fire should be kept low to prevent sticking and scorching. Do not use a copper or brass kettle because these metals cause rapid rancidity.

The temperature of the fat during rendering should remain about 212° F. As the process continues, water will evaporate and the temperature will increase. Do not allow it to go above 255° F.

As the rendering process proceeds, the cracklings float to the surface and become brown in color. When boiling (evaporation of water) ceases, the rendering process is completed and heating can be discontinued. Strain the lard through several thicknesses of cheese cloth into lard pails or crocks, and cool immediately at a temperature near freezing. While cooling, stir to a creamy stage to prevent graininess. If the lard is dark in color, it is because it was scorched or there was too much lean left on the fat. Additional lard can be obtained by pressing the hot cracklings in a lard press.

Air and light can cause lard to become rancid; therefore, containers should be filled to the top, sealed tightly and stored in a dark, cool place.

Fresh Sausage

Fresh pork sausage is generally made by grinding and seasoning lean pork trimmings from bellies, hams, and shoulders. Fresh sausage should contain about 20 to 30 percent fat. If more fat is included, the sausage may be too greasy and shrink a lot in cooking. If entire shoulders or hams are used, it may be necessary to add some fat.

Prepare sausage by grinding the meat through a coarse plate (½-inch holes), mix thoroughly, spread thin, add seasoning, and mix thoroughly. Regrind through a finer plate (⅛-inch holes), for a more uniform mix with the seasoning.

For seasoning 100 pounds of trimmings, a suggested seasoning formula would be the following:

• 2 pounds of salt • 6 ounces of pepper • 1 to 2 ounces of sage

Other seasoning such as mace, nutmeg, cloves, or red pepper can be added in small amounts (not to exceed 5 ounces) if desired.

Seasoned sausage should not be frozen for longer than 2 or 3 months since salt hastens the rancidity of pork. Unseasoned ground pork may be frozen for up to 5 to 6 months, then thawed, seasoned, and used.

Sausage may also be stuffed into casings for use either with or without smoking. Artificial casings can be obtained from local butchers or natural casings (small intestines) can be used. Natural casings should be washed thoroughly, cleaned, and scraped prior to use. Stuffing sausage requires skill and proper equipment. It is best to have sausage stuffed and smoked by a local custom processor.