Nose to Tail Pork Processing Workshop

October 29th -- 31st 2005 at MOFGA's Common Ground

Sustainable agriculture doesn't end at harvest; efficient use of every crop component is an important part of sustainable production. Friday, October 29th through Monday, October 31st, MOFGA will offer a workshop that will demonstrate how you can get the most and the best out of a sustainably raised pig, from slaughter to sausage, using every part but the squeal.

The workshop will cover all the basic techniques of humane slaughter, carcass preparation, breakdown of the major components, and demonstrations of sanitary fresh and preservative processing using the entire animal. Eric Rector, Matthew Heintz, and Chris Cavendish will lead the daily sessions.

This workshop is inspired by chef Fergus Henderson's notion that "it would be disingenuous to the animal not to make the most of the whole beast; there is a set of delights, textural and flavoursome, which lie beyond the fillet." Together with hands-on demonstrations, the workshop will include discussions of hog husbandry, a review of state regulations on meat slaughter and processing, the preparation of recipes for fresh and preserved meat, tastings of various finished products, and the history and tradition of putting up meat for the winter.

[from an interview with Henderson in The Scotsman, 9 Oct 2004: "The gastronomic possibilities of an animal are expanded hugely when you start to enjoy those other parts - what the Americans coyly call "variety meats" - such as a trotter, so delicious in their unctuousness. It seems much more appropriate, once you've slaughtered an animal, to enjoy it all. It's courteous to the beast. I think a lot of vegetarians appreciate that approach."]

On day one we will cover a history of the animal, discuss hog husbandry and feeding, after which we will demonstrate humane slaughter, and the efficient preparation of the carcass for subsequent processing. After showing the steps to creating a clean carcass ready to be butchered as soon as it has cooled, there will be a traditional butcher's picnic, serving several primal parts of the butchered pig to give thanks to the workers and the animal itself.

Day two will take the cooled carcass and break it further into the major cuts: shoulder, loin, bacon, and hams. Each cut will be considered for its properties, and we will demonstrate storage and preparation of all cuts, including methods of salting and smoking the meats.

On day three, we will further process those cuts into fresh and preserved finished products, including sausage (fresh and cured), ham, bacon, pates, and lard processing. Various cures (wet and dry) will be discussed and demonstrated.

The Nose to Tail Pork Processing Workshop will take place at MOFGA's Common Ground in Unity, Maine; all equipment for the workshop will be provided; participants are encouraged to bring their own knives on days two and three if they would prefer working with those.

The registration fees are as follows:

Day One(slaughter) and Day Two (butcher) : $75 per person
Day Three (further processing): $50 per person
All Three Days: $100 per person
Fees cover materials, take home documentation, a small breakfast, and a full lunch each day. Registration will be limited to ten participants per day.

Your non-refundable payment, which will reserve your space in the workshop, should be sent with your name, address, phone number, and (if you have one) email address to:

MOFGA
Pork Processing Workshop
PO Box 170
Unity, Maine 04988