I swear, I have gotten 19 (count 'em, NINETEEN) fucking emails warning me of the upcoming pork shortage today. Damn, y'all must think I like bacon or something......
Sorry guys, Hiswiserangel beat you to it last night and I posted it as soon as I got it so y'all can stock up while you can. There is no shame in freezing bacon for storage.
Matter of fact, you might want to think about going to your local hog farmer or meat processor (you know, where you take your deer) and check out the prices on a half or whole hog. There's huge savings that way and most of them will butcher, wrap and freeze it for you. A lot of places will even rent you freezer space if you don't have a chest freezer or something along those lines.
Stole the video from Irish
I remember a couple of years ago I was chasing coyotes around the internet and somewhere, somehow I ran across a quiz titled "Are you a bacon addict?" So naturally I had to take it....... The very first question was 'How many times a week do you eat bacon? A)Twice a week B) Three times, Four times, etc.
I thought to myself Fuck, this must be a misprint - they must mean how many times a day. But I continued on and finally realized that it wasn't a misprint, these fucking lightweights were serious! Damn, I was eating bacon at least 3 times a day back then. Hell, for lunch Sunday Lisa packed me a smoked ham and bacon sandwich. That fucker rocked, too.
But I've mellowed some since then, I actually am down to 4 or 5 times a week. I don't know why, but I am.
I'm not sure I should be proud of beating everyone to the punch on this. I feel like the Bacon Angel of Death.
ReplyDeletePork shortage? Hell, just go out and hunt down a few of these wild boar and make your own!
ReplyDeleteCruachan!
Highlander
Many farmers are taking stock to slaughter due to high and expected higher feed costs.
ReplyDeleteGet familiar with the difference between live and hanging weight. If you can, buy from the producer, NOT the butcher/slaughter house - you'll save money! You'll pay a flat per pound cost to the producer and slaughter and cutting fees to the butcher. Smoking will run extra. Get familiar with pork cuts beforehand so you know what you want; not everything is bacon! "Bigger" is not better with pork. Ideal weight is around 250#'s live weight. This yields about 160# of pork or more. Don't be put off buying this way - once you try it you'll keep going back. Another suggestion is to try the bacon from a shop that slaughters - that way if you don't care for it you won't be stuck with several pounds of it.
If you're real lucky you might be able to find a farmer to custom raise for you! Or, in my case, you can raise your own. Anyone who wants more info can ask wirecutter to contact me.