pork pies

[Oddley]

Paul the last half pig I bought cost about �54 for 34 kg This was at Smithfield. If you are making that much it may be worthwhile to go down there.

Enjoy your sausage making. I have found the calories don't count if you are just checking the sausage mix for taste...

[Paul Kribs]

Oddley, I did my sausages, used Franco's mixes. Had a friend wanted some traditional, he appears to be well pleased. Did some leek and stilton, the wife has now decided that she will try some... she used to be indecisive but now she's not so sure. I also did a batch of Franco's Jalapeno mix.. I added 12 finely chopped birdseye chillies to a 2 kilo mix and used the mix at 50 grms per kilo instead of 20-40. Hope they blow my socks off. One needs a chilli hit now and again. Will have to give the Jamaican Jerk sausage on Len Poli's site a go soon, don't know about '6' Habanero's (scotch bonnets) though.. I like chilli but....

I will consider going up to Smithfields for half a pig, although it's a fair trip. My local is local.. just wish they would give me a bit of discount. They let me off 10 pence today on a �30 order, LOL. It is nice to see breast of lamb, kidneys, livers hearts etc, again, without a cling-film wrapper. Will have to consider buying bigger mixes as well from Franco, just been buying the 250's.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Oddley]

I agree with you a chilli hit is a life essential. But a chilli hit is not a chilli hit unless you are red faced and sweating. Sausages sound good.

[Wilf]

Paul I just had a look at the jamaican recipe and its not too bad, slightly high as it about 1- ish a pound, they will be hot, as we minced 1 big one into a pound before with some jerk paste we had, but it was the amount of black pepper in the paste that got my mouth, I seem ok with chillis but not a lot of black peeper........strange.

Habanero's have got a lovely flavour if you can take the heat, a seasoned sausage with just habanero should be good as the flavour will carry if left to mingle a while, try frying of a small pattie to get mix how you can take it before you ruin them all, someone has posted making a salsa on my forum with 2 habaneros, dipped 2 tortilla chips in, exploded and chucked the rest away!!!

[Paul Kribs]

Wilf, had to smile at the salsa.. I have had home grown habernero's and a piece 1/4" x 1/4 " was very very very hot, and like yourself I am not averse to a bit of heat. I will get round to making a jamaican jerk sausage, but may utilise the jar of Dunnes River Jerk Paste, just a case of finding the limits of a recipe without making it unbearable. I particularly love pork belly marinated for 24 hours with the jerk paste, then BBQ'd.. also chicken thighs done in the same way. Even with those it would seem that very gently is the way to go.

I recall seeing a program on TV with 2 guys who had a fish, think it was a barracuda about 5 lbs.. they made a marinade up with loads of scotch bonnets, cooked it and ended up throwing it away... I just knew they would..

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Wilf]

The Pork belly sounds a great idea with the jerk paste, will try it as Ive only used it on chicken........if weather will permit a BBQ again

[Platypus]

Paul,

That pork belly sounds great I'll have to try that next time we BBQ (if we ever get a summer)

My chilli plants are still only a couple of inches tall at the moment, but I can't wait till the harvest starts. I've got a lemon flavoured one and a very hot one called Lipstick this year. Sorry Wilf but these came from Vida Verde, next year I hope to get some from you though as you have a much bigger selection.

[Paul Kribs]

Platypus,

If you do marinate the belly in the jerk paste, I have found it best not to cut the strips too thick.. the thinner the better about 3/8" is good. I normally put some crushed garlic in with it as well as some oil.
For the non-meat eaters "What are you doing on this forum?".. seriously, mackerel fillets take this marinade very well if used sparingly.

I find both pork belly strips and chicken thighs takes the 'chinese' style marinades very well, as does chicken breast. I like to slash the chicken quite deeply. The marinade consists of:

Hoi sin sauce.
Soy sauce.
white wine.
Sugar.
Salt,
Crushed garlic
Bay leaves
whole cloves
star annise or cracked fennel seeds.
cinnamon stick
(I suppose that 5 spice powder would do a similar job instead of the last 4 items)

I can't recall exact quantities, but the amount of salt and sugar would initially seem quite alarming. I normally do it by taste, using my dedicated tasting implements (forefinger and mouth)make sure the sugar and salt are dissolved, then I like to marinate the meat for at least 8 hours, preferably 24hours. If anybody wants the quantities I will take note next time I 'knock it up'. I maybe doing the wrong thing here but I always strain any remaining marinade of the 'big bits' into a container and into the fridge. It lasts for weeks and weeks with NO ill effects.

I wish this weather was a bit better for the BBQ.. I still use it most of the time but the warm sun tends to add to the atmosphere of the afternoon and evening... along with the alcohol.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Wilf]

Platypus, Ive grown Lipstick but it was a sweet pepper

http://chillisgalore.co.uk/picpages/lipstick.html

and also the lemon one which may be the same

http://chillisgalore.co.uk/picpages/lemon_drop.html


Paul, Ive found any cut of pork to work with hoisin, preferably the tinned stuff not sharwoods, especially the char sui pork steamed buns......now I am getting hungry

[Paul Kribs]

Wilf, I get my hoi-sin from See Woo, a chinese cash & carry in Charlton, southeast London. It is made by AMOY and is imported from Hong Kong. The soy sauce is made by Pearl River Bridge and is imported from China. Can't say as I've seen the Sharwoods one. When I go into the store I'm like a kid in a chocolate factory.. they do so many things that you can't get elsewhere. I have even seen skinned frozen snake.. don't fancy that though. They do an expansive range of dumplings as well. They even have mirror and grass carp swimming around in large tanks, other tanks for turbot, other for lobsters etc. They are quite expensive for some items but well cheap on others. Their fresh produce is cheap, ginger, chillies, coriander etc. I buy it and freeze it in small packets. The coriander doesn't freeze well, but I use it finely chopped/pulped in thai green curry, it retains its flavour well.

I get my squid and baby octopus there, and they do those massive Greenlip mussels, either in the half shell or clean..

Enough, I sound like an advert for See Woo.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Platypus]

Wilf,

Sorry I got a bit mixed up, 'Lipstick' is the sweet pepper I grow along with 'Healthy'. The chilli I was refering to is actually 'Albertos Locoto' (C. pubescens) a really nice full flavoured chilli that can be grown as a perennial, but so far I have only grown it as an annual.

Yes, 'Lemon Drop' is the one I've got. It's the first time I've tried it, what did you think of it? Is it on your must grow list, or is it just a bit of fun?

[Wilf]

Lemon drop is a bit of a fun one although I do have one plant again this year going, most of the small ornamentals are only fun ones as well although they are all edible, thay only give heat without much flavour. Ones we like to grow to use are....

Ancho Poblanos good for roasting and stuffing -Mild
Anaheims good for BBQing with a bit of cheese in -Mildish
Jalapeno's -Medium
Some sort of Wax like Hungarian Wax or Bulgarian Carrot -Med/Hot
Caribbean style chinense style like a Habanero or Bonnet -V.Hot but great flavours
Super Chilli is a good one to fill your freezer with as it gives a huge crop -Med
A pubescens style for something different Rocoto etc they are furry leaf and stemmed with black seeds



Here is a quick guide to the naming. The genus is Capsicum from the Greek kapto, 'to bite' and then there are five species:

* annum, meaning "annual," which is an incorrect designation, this species include most of the common types like Nu Mex, Jalape�o, Bell and Wax
* baccatum, meaning "berrylike," which consist of the South American chillis known as aj�s
* chinense, meaning "from China," which is also an incorrect designation, this species include the habanero's
* frutescens, meaning "shrubby or bushy," includes the Tabasco's
* pubescens, meaning "hairy," and includes the rocotos.

I think we've gone a bit off topic here, I was going to make a pork pie!

[Paul Kribs]

Wilf, the pork pie will happen later.

I recall reading in the paper pretty recently about a chilli that was so hot, many many times hotter than habernero.. Think it was cultivated in India, and seem to recall it was dangerous to health, wondered if there is any truth in it... As you are the chilli guru I wondered if you knew.

Regards Paul Kribs

ps, I do notice many of these threads tend to wander off the subject, but most of it has relevance, in a roundabout way. If we keep going we'll end up back on pork pies.

[Platypus]

Off topic?

Maybe, but it has got me thinking of making a chilli pork pie...

A finely shredded Jalapeno or two added to the pork mix, some whole Anaheim's placed on the top and glazed with the jelly. The whole lot served up with a large bowl of Tai sweet chilli dipping sauce.

[Wilf]

Paul the one your thinking of is the Naga, but when you get into the realms of habanero heat a bit up or down is not really that noticeable, our local curry house does a curry with naga pickle in, it is hot but has a very distinctive flavour


Platypus That pork pie does sound good now with the chillis I'll be round to try it