A Weekend of Meat

30 September 2008 This weekend Paul and Nicky came up to help us make sausages and bacon. When Belle came back from the butcher she was in large chunks. It’s been interesting defrosting pieces and trying to work out what part of the anatomy it is. We pulled out a huge slab of meat that we were quite sure was our bacon to be. However, once defrosted we discovered it was actually chops, eye fillet and a bit of back bacon, all complete with bones. Without the proper knives for dissecting Aaron had to fetch a hacksaw from the shed. A quick wipe on the dishcloth and he was poised ready for action. I don’t think so son! Who knows what sort of crap was lingering in the crevices. Much to his disgust I insisted he wash the whole thing. Honestly, if we ever go into commercial production we’ll be closed before we start with that kind of blasé attitude. So he and Paul sawed and sliced away, revealing a large section of chops. On completion I was presented with a pile of Flinstone-sized chops. Oh my god, what the hell was I going to do with those? “Roast them” Aaron said with a smile. Thank you chef. Roast chops? I’d never heard of them. As for roasts, not my forte I’m afraid. Aaron had invited a bunch of other people around this weekend and insisted I roast the huge topside in the freezer. I was terrified. All previous attempts at roasts over the years have been abominations. So anyway, with much trepidation I created a roast meal. Who knew I could f*** things up so badly? In the end the meal was a disaster. I was humiliated in the extreme. Unbelievably the meat was beautifully cooked. It was the vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy that screwed me over. According to Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall roasted aged beef topside makes the best cold roast beef on the planet. My god that man was right. It was beyond a shadow of a doubt the absolutely most fantastic cold roast beef Aaron and I have ever had. Thank you 52. As for the pork chops, I bagged them and froze them until I was brave enough to try cooking them. The Art of Sausage Making This weekend we decided to make chorizo flavoured sausgaes. Paul and Nicky seemed to enjoy sausage making and I think we all had a bit of fun. As for the sausages themselves, I think the recipe needs a bit of modification. Unfortunately I have never liked the flavour of chorizo so it would make it difficult for me personally to improve the recipe as it would be my natural inclination to remove the flavours I don't like. While our sausage making book appears to have some good base recipes I think they need a bit of work. I guess I'm so used to the texture and flavour of commercial sausages that I find it difficult to enjoy a sausage with so much meat in it. How sad is that?! Oh well, I've never been a huge sausage fan anyway. Quite frankly the salamis are what I'm most looking forward to eating and making more of.