General Chat

Yesterday I waltzed off to one of the big Australian supermarket chains (C*les) to buy a pork hock.

Given our continuing run of hot weather I wanted to make some jellied meat.

Went to the Butchery/Meat section: plenty of pork of all descriptions, but no hocks :-(

Saw three guys boning some meat out and asked them if they had any hocks in stock (no pun intended :-D)

The reply: No we don't start getting them until another month or so! :-0

Initially, I was gobsmacked, but then told the guys that the provision of hocks was not seasonal as they were implying but that pigs were killed every day.

Although I didn't tell them that due to my profession and training as an Environmental Health Officer I had been associated with the Meat Industry for nearly fifty years.

Nor did I point out that Bacon hocks are available every day of the week in the same Supermarket.

Went to the local butcher, which is actually a retail branch of a nearby abattoir and asked them.

Yes they had two and when I asked about the size the butcher disappeared into the chillier and came out with a full shoulder, complete with hock.

Jointed it with no problems and I now have a bowl of jellied meat sat in the fridge :-D :-D

well as far as I'm concerned, it's all yours - you can scoff the lot - yuk

who's the little fella in your avatar?

'Tis me, AnnC, aged 9 months :-D :-D

yeeuuuck!

My brother and I were force-fed a similar concoction when we were kids.

Mum & her Mother made this awful stuff every summer..... not with pig hocks, but with sheep heads! The house stank for days.

I was offered a similar mess in Minnesota......... their Swedish granny's recipe .... not sure what was in it, but they called it "head cheese" (the name is enough to put me off). My granny called it Potted Hough or Potted Heid.

As well as the jellied yuck, we were fed boiled tongues.

I swore I'd never eat anything like that once I left my parents house!!

Scozz, I love tongue. That will be my next purchase but direct from the abattoir. I love offal of most types but have not had kidneys for years as OH can't stand the smell. I've told her to soak then in milk....but no :-(

ain't you cute - mine is me about 12 months!!! snazzy swimsuit doncha think :-D

:-D :-D :-D :-D

I love offal. Not too keen on brawn - apart from that made by my late father in law. I prefer ox tongue to pork tongue.
Kidneys are lovely - and versatile :-D

I'm still searching out a butcher who sells tripe.

Deer liver is luscious, though I find red deer liver a bit strong. I'm fortunate in that there's a stall on the market selling venison and wild boar. As I'm one of his few customers who buys offal, he will tell me exactly what variety of deer the offal comes from - and when and where he shot it.

Are we offal lovers a dying breed?

Maggie, one of the abattoirs I worked in in WA produced its own tripe.

When I was a child my Mum would shop in the local UCP shop ( a big chain in Lanacashire) and we'd often have tripe for tea.

I love black puddings as well.

About the only offal I won't eat, or try, is brain.

One of my favourite breakfasts used to be lamb's fry with baco and black pudding.

And for Scozz's information, whilst lamb's fry in Australia refers to liver (which I also enjoy) in the UK, at least in the North, it refers to two other things ;-)

As a child, we regularly had tripe (and our family have Southern roots - mum from Southampton, dad from Cornwall).
I love 'proper' black pudding - not the stuff with a plastic covering :-(
I googled lamb's fry (northern version) - hmmm not sure about that.
My gran fed me sweetbreads once, and (strangely) it put me off mushrooms for quite a long time :-S
I'd love to try them now - but sadly very few butchers have them.
I only ever liked my late father in laws Brawn (brain). I won't buy shop produced stuff.
I don't like haslet either.

Why don't people like offal - it has so much more flavour and texture than the 'usual' cuts, and there's such a diversity of flavour and textures? The first time I had deer liver, I was astonished at the soft texture. So different from my other favourite liver - that of pigs.

Yeeuchchch!
Can't you afford 'proper' food.?

:-S

B

Allan your choice of food is offal :-P

The taste of much offal is very good, it is just that people do not want to know where it has come from.

I cannot eat venison because I see lots of little Bambi's.

We are just too squeamish nowadays.

Also, various 'bits' got banned after BSE appeared.

Barbra, your line in puns is as bad as mine ;-) :-D :-D

patchem, We love venison; there is a farm near us in Margaret River where we buy meat when we are down that way, but as they cater more for the gourmet venison offal is not usually sold as such but put into pates etc

Berniethatwas, I've heard it said that the only part of a pig that you can't eat is the squeal. Same goes for most food animals. People these days are too fussy. It's the same with the cheaper cuts of meat: cooked correctly they are tender and succulent :-D :-D

I eat other meats, but prefer venison, as I know it hasn't been stuffed full of antibiotics, it hasn't in a van for hours before being slaughtered, it hasn't had to stand around hearing it's fellows being slaughtered.
The deer just trundles around the forest, then, Bang! it's dead :-D
I also only eat outdoor reared pig. :-D :-D

I find it strange that people are squeamish about offal, but are more than happy to eat chicken foetuses!!

Lol Maggie; and sausages! :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

I love kidneys - an ex of mine (chef) used to do wonders with them. Also like liver now and again. Don't like anything 'jellied' though, nor tongue. Had sweetbreads once and they were nice.

I miss liver a bit and I have not eaten meat for forty years.

I like liver and as a child was given stuffed heart regularly. I also like tongue and don't mind if it's jellied. The one I really don't like is kidneys - we were given saute kidney for breakfast when I was in the WRNS and it put me off for life!!