Farmstead Meatsmith Workshops Oct. 21-24, 2013

With the man himself, Brandon Sheard of farmsteadmeatsmith.com and podcast 260 on Homestead Butchering.

October 21- Pig Slaughter
This is a hands-on class imparting traditional slaughter, scalding, scraping and eviscerating methods. All too often, farmers labor to produce beautiful pigs only to have them skinned on the day of slaughter. This sacrifices all the back fat, the cracklin' on your roasts and the bacteria essential to traditional curing. In resolute opposition to this waste, we will scald and scrape with efficiency and conviction.
--Scalding and Scraping
--Offal harvest
--Blood harvest

October 22 - Pork Butchery
Working with two pigs, we will have four sides. The purity of traditional butchery is in its simplicity. We work with cleavers, sharp knives and wood chopping blocks. While the art of butchery is infinite, you will come away with the ability to break down any four-legged livestock carcass. The secrets are sharp knives and artful quartering. Successful butchery serves cookery.
--Quartering
--Seam Butchery
--Hand tools, no band saws

October 23 - Pork Preservation
This is where we reclaim our heritage. Curing pork belongs in the home kitchen as a cornerstone of its economy. Too often, the process of curing meat is depicted as, first and foremost, extremely dangerous. You will learn that this has more to do with the quality of the pork than the dangers of curing. We will adopt the traditional lens which empowers the home cook with generational confidence and knowledge based on experience. We will learn what curing is, why it is so delicious, how to do it and why nitrates are not necessary.
--Home cured bacon, jamon, guanciale
--Brining hams, hocks and heads
--Rendering Lard
--Rillettes

October 24 - Peasant Pork Cookery
The end of slaughter, butchery and preservation is cooking. We will draw from the depth of peasant culinary practice to not only eat the whole pig, but to make it indisputably delicious. Working with fat and salt, and the basic understanding gained through the previous harvesting processes, the pig’s sacrifice will be vindicated.
--Rustic Pate
--Headcheese
--Blood Sausage
--Fresh Pork cookery

Each day is $220/person for hands-on - limited to 10 participants.
Observers are $90/person - limited to 30 participants.

These workshops are bookended by two October RMH workshops.

Register by sending payment via PayPal to paul at richsoil dot com (and he will let me know).

More info on housing available upon registration and in the workshop & visitors housing thread.

As with the rocket mass heater workshops, these workshops do not include food, but Paul may invite you to join him at his table for lunch.

We still have room!

Hi...was wondering what the difference is between 'participant' and 'observer' is (other that the large difference in price- $90/day vs $210) thanks

scott brodie wrote:Hi...was wondering what the difference is between 'participant' and 'observer' is (other that the large difference in price- $90/day vs $210) thanks

Participants get hands-on experience actually harvesting, cutting, creating the charcuterie, etc., under the tutelage of Brandon. Observers are just that - there to observe. Did that help?

One workshop attendee will be staying at a nearby lodge and is willing to share the space/fee. Contact me by e-mail or private message if this interests you.

Gorgeous photos

Dammit Jocelyn. Now I'm hungry !

Deep roots folks may attend the Farmstead Meatsmith workshops for free in addition to the rocket stove mass heater workshops.

Now listed at the Mother Earth News Homesteading Education page.

Does anyone here know the proportions of the ingredients for Brand's pate recipe?

I've taken a lot of pictures of both the first RMH workshop and now the just finished Farmstead Meatsmith workshop. I have already posted them on facebook in the tail end of an album on this six week roadtrip, so it might be simpler to just view them there: http://tinyurl.com/timothys2013roadtrip. Feel free to tag yourself if I haven't already tagged you.

I love this picture of Cameron at the new butcher block table built the day before the workshops by Armin, Lori and Ryan; with a maple block top cleaned up and shipped to us by Alan Hunter.

Would love to come to one of his workshops someday. I really like, and want to support what Farmstead Meatsmith is doing. I'm also looking forward to Brandon's interview with Jack (as well as Paul's) coming up soon on http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/

After watching Farmstead's videos I can't bring myself to buy pork, or pretty much any meat for that matter, from the local grocery store.

Love what you guys are doing and may the empire continue to expand

Nice video bart....last I checked I thought I spelled my name like this...Kristie ....

We are still working on organizing and improving the kitchen, but thought folks would want to see this.

Tony sharpened the scimitar to slice into the dried bacon/pork belly.

Looking good! You will have some very fine prosciutto in a year or two. . . The key to enjoyment is an exceptionally sharp knife and paper thin slices. It's really more of a condiment than a protein source, when it's that salty.