How to Intern in Butchering

What do you get when you have three pigs, two families, a bunch of seasoning, and one intern. A butchering weekend. Matt has been looking forward to this for a long time. When I say forward to this, I mean he's been reading recipes, looking at his butchering items, shopping for more butchering items, plotting and planning what to do with the sausage, and watching oodles of meat cutting videos. Oodles. It's like Christmas but with meat for that man. This was the first time that we tried to do it together as two families, the Mosers and Remynses. Matt has always done it in the past with the firehall guys but between the three sets of couples, we wrangled up all the material, including the pigs. It was fun and it was also nice to do it this way because Michele and Randy wouldn't have been able to participate if it was in Dickinson because of the distance and my parents would have been counted out because of the time of year. I had a good time!

Matt also invited the airport intern, Joe, out for some North Dakota butchering, an experience he'll probably never forget! So to break down the process a bit, a picture is 1000 words. First you make sure you have the seasonings ready. Ours had to make a special trip from SD, across state lines, by secret courier! Then you start bringing the pigs down and "dissecting" them. You cut out the important parts - bacon, chops, hams, etc. Big decisions to be made, how thick the cuts, how many to a package....all decisions that you are sure to evaluate in depth later on while in use. Then you take the not as wonderful cuts and break them down into sausage.  

Then you watch the peanut gallery, who wants nothing more than to sit with you or lick the floor. She'll whine for a bit but will get quiet after you start the grinder. Either that or the grinder is loud and will drown all the whining out. So grind all the sausage parts and pieces. This is very important for Matt because then you can start plotting just exactly what you are going to do. 

Then you take the fat- which you cut off of the sausage chunks, which you plan to give to your grandmother because you love her, and throw them into the grinder. This is prior to the rendering part so you'll have lard for when you make donuts and for cooking.

Then you take the special mixes or personal recipes and mix up your sausage. Matt and I mixed up Italian sausage, Potato Sausage (he's very excited about that), Cajun Brats, and Beer Brats. Mom and Dad had the Lola-Brad Special Breakfast, which we split up and shared, they also mixed a country sausage. Randy took a mixed variety of these home to Michele to sample. That was a really nice aspect about doing meat with family, there was a lot of sharing of the mixes. After mixing, you can stuff into pound bags or you can put into casings. We did both. We made sure Joe got involved in this aspect too, he made links. 

While the guys put it all into casings, Mom was the professional wrapper. She wrapped it all, chops, ribs, boston butts, loins, brats, and she even wrapped up the lard that she has big plans for. Nothing like a big ol' fat ball in a roster to make a weekend fun!

My favorite part hasn't changed much from when I remember doing it when I was little. I loved the sampling part. I can remember the tables and broomsticks of meat when I was younger and the talking and laughter. I can remember the grinder sticking and the totes of meat too.  

We did it all in a day and a half from start to clean up. The only things that Matt has left to do is cure the bacons, On Sunday, he sliced up and packaged all the side pork and also smoked and packaged the country sausage. I'm a little worried about him as he may have "the wedding's over" blues but at least we have a freezer full of meat to keep him too far out of the depression!

Best meal: Samplings of Breakfast, Italian, Cajun, Cajun Honey, Cajun Honey Revised, Beer Brat, Potato, and Country....on a toothpick too!

MJR: Ah meat! My second wife.
ALR: Second?
MJR: Next to you, of course.

ALR: Of course. What about the airport?
MJR: I have a lot of mistresses.