First trip to the processors....

[Cornish Heritage]

A report on the tongue

Glad your sausage came back & is being enjoyed by all Just cut up the tongue this evening & so here is a shortened version of the blog post I just did:

Please note that it is important to start with fresh tongue. The tongue was taken from the cow upon slaughter, kept in the refrigerator for 24/48 hours to cool & then the curing process began.

Following a recipe in mum's old cook book:

Wash & scrape the tongue thoroughly to remove all the slimy substance. (Ruby's tongue was not that slimy!)
Rinse in cold water.
Remove gristle & root part if still present.
Due to no nitrates being used I cut slices in the side of the tongue to ensure that the brine could soak all the way through.
Rub all over with coarse salt & leave overnight to drain.

Next day prepare a wet pickle/brine by boiling together for 5 mins Ilb salt, 6 oz brown sugar (I used Turbinado) & 1 gallon + 2pts of water.
Leave until cold.
Pour the cold pickle/brine over the tongue, completely covering the tongue. The tongue will float so you need to use a plate or heavy object to keep it submerged in the water.
Allow to soak in the refrigerator for at least a week.

One week later:

Remove tongue from pickle/brine. Soak in cold water overnight.
Wash thoroughly, put in boiling water for 30 minutes. Throw this water away.
Replace with fresh cold water. Add any flavorings you would like. I used oregano, bay leaves & basil.
Bring to the boil & simmer gently until the tongue is tender. Allow 30 minutes per pound.
Remove from pan & plunge into cold water.
Put on a cutting board & remove the thick skin. (It peels pretty easily.) Slip out any bones from the root & cut off remaining fat & gristle.
Roll it up in a round shape & fit into a cake tin/container. You want a tin/container that the tongue just fits in so that it keeps its round shape. Fill any gaps with pieces of meat.
Fill up tin with liquid jelly stock. I used the liquid it had been cooked in & should have added gelatin.

Put a plate on top of the tongue & place several weights on top to weigh/press it down.
When jelly is set, turn the tongue out and serve it garnished with your favorite herbs etc.

I couldn't be bothered to get the meat slicer out so did not cut ii in large round slices like we used to be able to purchase from the butchers.

Both Richard & I agreed that this tasted very much like what we used to eat as kids. Tongue is an acquired taste. (Richard actually doesn't like it!) The texture is different than regular meat but is good & if we had had any salad available it would have been a good combination.

Due to this tongue not having any preservatives in it, it needs to be treated like any regular fresh meat. Yes it has been brined so the shelf life (in a refrigerator) is a little longer but it is not going to last as long as preserved meat you purchase from the store. Of course if your family likes it, one meal & it will be gone anyways! (Much healthier for you.) A great meat for putting in sandwiches.

Liz

 

[RemudaOne]

Wow! That's very time intensive . Glad you enjoyed it after that effort.

I fixed some of the chops for lunch yesterday. Hubby was tied up at work so he ate his cold. All I had told him was that there were "chops" in the fridge. LOL, just when he sat down to eat he asked "Are these lamb chops?" I said yes. He ate them right up so I guess the sausage made a good spring board for him . The LGDs enjoyed hind leg bones yesterday. I will be doing either a roast or ribs this week.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Wow! That's very time intensive smile.

It really is not that time intensive as most of the time it is in the refrigerator. The time spent handling it is pretty small. We brine/cure all our own bacon here & that is the same. Most of the time is waiting for it to cure in the fridge for 5-7 days. Interestingly we watched a "How do they make Bacon" yesterday & due to all the "chemicals" put in the meat there is no real curing time. I would rather have no chemicals

Glad the chops were good.

Liz

 

[RemudaOne]

I wish I knew someone close by that raised pigs. I can't imagine what fresh, no hormone, bacon, pork chops, ribs, and pork roasts would taste like. My mouth is watering now .

 

[Cornish Heritage]

LOL! Well go buy yourself some to raise. Our Large Blacks are out with our sheep. The only time they cannot be together is in lambing season as fresh wet lamb is too tempting for a pig to resist! Other than that they work well together.

Liz

 

[RemudaOne]

Yeah, but the LGDs would probably enjoy some bacon, ham, etc too. They're really not socialized for anything but the sheep. I can probably find someone local to do it. Might just have to look into that. Hope all is well with you, Liz

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Yeah, but the LGDs would probably enjoy some bacon, ham, etc too.

Hmm... we don't have LGD's so I cannot give any advice on that one. The two dogs we have, one of which is a German Shepherd mothers the piglets to death. In fact she mothers anything that is born here, licking & cleaning them. The other dog is a complete idiot, half blind, half deaf & just likes to chase things.

Hope all is well with you, Liz

Thanks We are surviving this heat but would love some rain. We are feeding hay full time here which is not good not to mention expensive. We are trying to sell our Milking Devon herd as we will not have enough hay to feed through the winter. Hay is scarce & heading up in price all the time. We locked in at a high but OK price for a semi load last week & now just waiting for it to arrive.

Take care,

Liz

 

[Rvrfshr]

The good news is that beef prices are at an all time high.

Those states that are not affected by the drought conditions in many areas are experiencing $2. to $2.20 a lb. on the hoof.

Sorry your weather is so bad. Things will turn around.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

The good news is that beef prices are at an all time high.

Really? Cattle prices have dropped here due to lots of folks selling. Of course once those cows are all processed beef will go high again as their will not be as many to meet the demand.

Liz

 

[gruberguy]

Beef prices here in NE Oklahoma have been VERY rapidly dropping the past 4 weeks now. Of course, alot of people are already feeding due to pastures are burnt up, plus the HUGE wildfires the past week...