Farmsteadmeatsmith. Strange Name. What Does it Mean?

So Brandon Sheard. What a guy. He was homeschooled and then went on to a very prestigious college. He has a wife who's education is in Theology (or the study of God). They have a passle of boys and one new baby girl. Why do I care about this family? He is giving people the gift of good food, specifically good pig. Not pork, pork is just cut up meat that you stick in the freezer. He is giving us good pig. Every part of the pig. Pig that can be safely process and eaten at home without refrigeration of any kind. How much does it cost me to have our local butcher kill, skin, and eviscerate (remove entrails). About $150 for a 220 lbs. pig. That leaves half the weight of that pig on the ground and makes it impossible to make charceuterie.

To make a cured ham you must have skin on the ham to retain some of the moisture that will allow good bacteria to turn that meat into something close to medicine. You cap the thicker end of the leg with lard rendered from the same pig or the one you butchered last time. For bacon the skin is left on, salted and hung to cure  in smoke just like the ham. So many parts to use but you have to know how to do it. In walks Brandon. His free videos that made me want to get pigs in the first place are here: http://anatomyofthrift.com/

For his in-depth, detailed instructions on butchery and use of the pig:

On Pig Slaughter:
http://www.farmsteadmeatsmith.com/shop/pdfs/pig-slaughter/

On Bacon:
http://www.farmsteadmeatsmith.com/shop/pdfs/bacon/

On Cutlery:
http://www.farmsteadmeatsmith.com/shop/pdfs/cutlery/

These are a few, he has more. His videos are beautiful, his explanations floral and visually descriptive. If you want to give an amazing gift to a farmer or yourself, go check him out. Tell him I sent you!