More Kitchen Progress

The kitchen is definitely coming along.

Below are some photos of the meat processing facility I’ve built over the past three months. It is exactly as big as it looks…an 18′ x 12′ stretch of real estate (aka, my former garage).   There are some tweaks to make still, but the space is exactly what I had in mind.  After reading chapter 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 9 chapter 3 part 417….to be exact) numerous  times, I’m getting very close to applying for a grant of federal inspection on this space so I can sell some meat made here. There are a lot of rules to follow that don’t seem directly related to the production of amazing sausage, but the intent of the USDA is to keep people safe and healthy, and I’m on board with that.  But with a 3-comp sink the size of my old Chevy Citation (works more reliably than the Citation) and FRP walls all around for easy cleaning, this room is built to do exactly what its meant to do…..cut, grind, spice, stuff,  package, and (hopefully) sell a ton of great sausage.

That’s Herschel on the table. I pulled out the leg just for the photo shoot. A bit like Waldo or the red couch.

I don’t know if it was a good idea, but I managed to successfully put 4 castors on the refrigerator without assistance. I didn’t break the fridge or my back. Not bad!

Big shiny knives are the reason I do this. I don’t want to explain.

Below are sample packages of sausage I made last week using Tails & Trotters hazelnut-finished pork from Portland, OR. I used 67 pounds of meat to start testing the new kitchen and test all of my equipment and processes. There’s a lot of Italian and Jalapeno sausage ready to share. So far, so good.

Oh…..and Herschel is just about 12 months old. Since salting and hanging that prosciutto a year ago, I’ve learned an awful lot about meat. Fun stuff!