November has been a busy month so far...Weaning, breeding, loading, turkeys, winter market, board meetings, and we even got a mailbox!
Our September piglets have been weaned and are in the process of being trained to the electric fence. They will move up in graduated steps from a hot wire inside a physical barrier to a pen with three hot wires and eventually a single strand of electrified wire will keep them in no problem! With that said, the sows will get some time off to regroup after the stresses of child rearing and be bred back over the next couple months for Spring piglets.
We have been busy sorting pigs: deciding which top prospects will be retained for continued breeding and which will be heading to the processor. These quick and cheap sorting pens made from pallets and t-posts allows for us to easily work the pigs and divide them off. It also makes it much easier to convince them to load into the trailer. Thank you for everyone that purchased a half and whole hog. If you were unable to get a deposit in on your whole and half we will still have retail porlk cuts available all winter!
Turkeys have headed to that permanent freezer camp! This was our first year raising turkeys at any real scale and we have to say that we are pretty proud of how they turned out. As with any new livestock on the farm there is always a learning curve but we feel that we were really able to produce a perfect holiday turkey for you to enjoy. Thank you to everyone that pre-ordered a turkey this year. If you have not yet heard from us, pickups for your reserved turkeys are on farm by appointment, Saturday November 23rd at the Winter Farmers Market at Western Dakota or in Martin on Thursday afternoons in front of the New American Legion. We do still have a few turkeys left for the last minute turkey shoppers so be sure to get in touch today if you still need one!
Say hello to the newest elected Black Hills Farmer's Market Board of Directors Member! After a grueling, mud-slinging campaign season and race last week at the annual Black Hills Farmers Market Vendor Meeting (pictured below) Matt was unanimously elected to a position on the Board of Directors. The Winter vendor meeting was full of enthusiasm and ideas as we look to continually work together to expand and improve the Black Hills Farmers Market. Be sure to congratulate Matt when you see him on his new board position.
We are on the Map! The county is slowly but surely putting up 911 addresses and with that, for the first time, we will no longer have to travel 20+miles to our PO Box! If you want to send us a postcard our newly "acquired" address is 79 County Road 16, Batesland, SD 57716...it still won't do you much good to punch it into google maps though, so we will keep you updated on if or when that improvement comes our way.
Sweet and Savory Side Pork!
This slab of side pork is a perfect cross between dinner and dessert!
Side pork, also sometimes referred to as pork belly, is from just as it sounds, the belly and side of a hog. This is typically the meat that is used to make bacon. While we are never going to judge anyone for choosing bacon, we have to admit that we love fresh side pork. We cook it sliced just like we would bacon with a touch of salt and pepper added OR we keep the slabs into 3-4lb uncured, fatty goodness side pork roasts.
Here is a picture of the thawed out side pork roast. It weighed in at 3.62lbs. You can see the thick layers of fat and muscle lining.
A quick and easy dry rub really helps add to the flavors of the meat as it makes a nice crust on the grill. This dry rub could go on just about any cut of pork I can think of: 2tbsp Salt, 1tbsp. Paprika, 1tsp. black pepper, 1tsp, garlic powder, 1tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper.
Before I mixed the spices together and rubbed it on the meat I drizzled honey on the slab of side pork for some sweetness(a cup of brown sugar would work great too but I happened to run out of brown sugar that day).
The coals got dialed in at about 235*F indirect heat and a tin foil boat was put under the meat to catch any and all drippings. I knew that there was a lot of delicious fat that would render down and make an awesome gravy later. This 3.62lb side pork roast was on the grill for about 4.5 hours with my best effort to keep it right around 235*F. When it came off it was soft and sweet and melt in your mouth on the inside like a delicacy that can only be described as "eating candy for dinner". The smoke from the grill and the dry rub made the outside a crispy, bacon wrapping full of awesome flavor.
The side pork got sliced thick and put onto dinner rolls for sandwiches. Chopped onions, caramelized for toppings and fresh gravy made from the drippings soaked into the bread. Homemade applesauce and sauerkraut as sides paired perfect.
Ingredients:
3-4lb side pork roast
2tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. paprika
1tsp black pepper
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
Honey
Directions:
1. Drizzle honey on top and bottom of roast. Mix spices in a bowl and sprinkle on all sides to cover entire roast.
2. With a drip pan underneath to catch juices, cook on grill, indirect heat at 235*F for approx 4 hours until internal temperature reaches 165*F. Exterior should have a crisp, bacon bark.
3. Slice thick and serve on buns with gravy, applesauce and sauerkraut.
