I'm making bacon. Anyone else make their own food or drink stuff?

[sir albion]

You got a dead pig in your kitchen?

 

[Chicken Run]

It's day 2 of bacon curing here at Tubthumper Towers. My venture into the world of making my own bacon. The big day is Saturday when it will be unpacked and sampled.

I know of one other bacon maker, who has been helpful with some tips, and a beer brewer. Anyone else make stuff?

Brilliant, now can this be moved to "other non relevant stuff " please?

 

[Mr Bridger]

 

[Prince Monolulu]

 

[The Merry Prankster]

Never tried butter - good idea. Any tips?

I make my own bread, jam, marmalade, and hot and cold smoked meats and fish. Latest dalliance is damson jelly.

Dbl cream. Salt or not. Beat until buttermilk separates. Squeeze out remaining buttermilk in muslin (use buttermilk for soda bread, American pancakes or marinating chicken or haloumi). Pat to shape.

 

[Seagull]

Harvested all my grapes last weekend, got the Mrs out in the garden to tread them old school style in a massive deep pan in the sun. She quite enjoyed it and said it was like walking on soft bubble wrap. Made 11 litres of grape juice which tastes surprisingly good! Not a whiff of athletes foot, but no idea how long it will keep!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

You got a dead pig in your kitchen?

Not a full one, just 1.5kg of salted pig in my fridge

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Brilliant, now can this be moved to "other non relevant stuff " please?

Can you be moved to "other non relevant stuff " please?

 

[beorhthelm]

Made 11 litres of grape juice which tastes surprisingly good! Not a whiff of athletes foot, but no idea how long it will keep!

you do know theres an excellent method of preserving grape juice involving yeast?

how many vines get you the 11 litres?

 

[Goldstone1976]

Butter is just a question of churning full fat milk, you can do it in a jam jar. Cheese though is a real bugger to get right. Interested how you make your own fish though.

You do it by hand?? Blimey back!

For hot smoking, I've converted an old bbq into a slow burn device (mostly by blocking most of the holes) and burn a combination of oak (for length of burn) and apple (for flavour). After about a hour, I put the fish in on a grill pan (sometimes pre-brined, but that's not essential), often with a bit of dill oil (evoo and dill marinated for a couple of months) and leave it for 2 hours. Job's a good 'un. Best fish is oily - salmon, trout, char, mackerel, pike. Likewise meat - needs to be quite lean meat and it's much quicker to use thin slices (bresaola-style), than a joint. I once hot smoked a whole duck - delicious, but takes a day!

For cold smoking, I've punched some holes in an old fish kettle and introduce (mostly) cherry wood smoke and gin vapour - I pretty much only cold-smoke salmon these days.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Dbl cream. Salt or not. Beat until buttermilk separates. Squeeze out remaining buttermilk in muslin (use buttermilk for soda bread, American pancakes or marinating chicken or haloumi). Pat to shape.

Ta. That's Sunday morning planned then.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Just this minute got a loaf out the oven, which looks a fine specimen. What's your recipe? Mine came via a friend, who works for a bakery in your parts, called I think The Pump House Bakery. Three days from start to finish, although it doesn't entail too much work in between.

Pump House is proper bread! I can't stand sour dough (even after 7 years full time in SF). Routinely, I make a white bloomer, a whole meal tin and a granary cob. I can do fancy stuff for special occasions, but don't do so more than half a dozen times a year. Flour comes from either the Cotswolds or from a local miller here who is dippy as buggery. Fresh yeast from a village bakery. 50% of the advised salt content. 3 proves for the heavier mixes.

 

[Nitram]

Make my own bread occasionally. Must say that your fridge is well stocked Did the Tzatziki gatecrash the party?

 

[The Merry Prankster]

Ta. That's Sunday morning planned then.

Ther is a good review of the Kilner butter churn in the Guardian online today.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Make my own bread occasionally. Must say that your fridge is well stocked �� Did the Tzatziki gatecrash the party?

Thanks. I like to have a nice selection of crafts on hand. Tzatziki: Greece solidarity.

 

[looney]

Pump House is proper bread! I can't stand sour dough (even after 7 years full time in SF). Routinely, I make a white bloomer, a whole meal tin and a granary cob. I can do fancy stuff for special occasions, but don't do so more than half a dozen times a year. Flour comes from either the Cotswolds or from a local miller here who is dippy as buggery. Fresh yeast from a village bakery. 50% of the advised salt content. 3 proves for the heavier mixes.

All the fresh yeast stuff seems a bit anul to me at times. Years back I daily baked unlevend bread and thats great fun, ie quick and easy and if over baked then instant ryvita lol .

 

[BadFish]

I have been making a range of different homebrew over the last few years. All very drinkable with many being very good.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I have been making a range of different homebrew over the last few years. All very drinkable with many being very good.

What beer styles do you make?

 

[BadFish]

What beer styles do you make?

Not made any for a while to be honest but my mate and I have tried Pilsners, Bitter (tried a recipe for Harveys Best which was nice although not much like Harveys), different types of Pale Ales (seems to be a wide ranging area over here). i think the best we made were a couple of Amber Ales that we made from scratch.

It is a nice way to spend the day (whist drinking the previous batch obviously). Going to have another crack soon. Any recommendations/recipes?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not made any for a while to be honest but my mate and I have tried Pilsners, Bitter (tried a recipe for Harveys Best which was nice although not much like Harveys), different types of Pale Ales (seems to be a wide ranging area over here). i think the best we made were a couple of Amber Ales that we made from scratch.

It is a nice way to spend the day (whist drinking the previous batch obviously). Going to have another crack soon. Any recommendations/recipes?

I'm purely a consumer at the moment so no recipes I'm afraid. But this is something I've considered getting involved in myself, even commercially with one of the many micro craft startups here. There is another home brewer on this site so maybe he can suggest something.