Thread: Getting back to living off the land.....

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

@Jhon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5rJdcZEyB4

Thats a decent "old" Billy for sure. I confess I would have left him other than for dog tucker. Great job on the slow cooked leg, I reckon I could taste it from here

@Jhon Wrong again ha ha Took it to friends and they reckoned it was as good as hogget. And I agreed it was super mild

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

@Jhon Wrong again ha ha Took it to friends and they reckoned it was as good as hogget. And I agreed it was super mild

Yup, always try it out on friends first, what they're for lol

Not exactly living off the land because I just love seeing the eels about, But the property is also providing me with free entertainment. I often think that as we age we return to the pursuits that we enjoyed as kids..... You can have food for the tummy and food for the soul off the same property. Both are pretty important....

Feeding the eels in my creek. It's the simple things that are the most fun. I love going down the creek once every 10-days or so and feed the eels. Love watching their gracefulness.... And the thought that if I fell in and drowned, the same would happen to me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct3kNzCQZ_U

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

Not exactly living off the land because I just love seeing the eels about, But the property is also providing me with free entertainment. I often think that as we age we return to the pursuits that we enjoyed as kids..... You can have food for the tummy and food for the soul off the same property. Both are pretty important....

Feeding the eels in my creek. It's the simple things that are the most fun. I love going down the creek once every 10-days or so and feed the eels. Love watching their gracefulness.... And the thought that if I fell in and drowned, the same would happen to me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct3kNzCQZ_U

Our "pet" eel, Muriel. Tap your foot on the little jetty and out from the lily pads she comes. 2-3 pint size ones so inhabit the pond which has a small stream running thru it. Muriel is known to beat the smaller eels up, protecting her turf. Many an eel died on the end of my home-made spear as a kid. Happy to share space with this one and admire her grace. We toss the odd bit of meat to her but not so much as to make her dependent.

I only feed mine once every 10-days at the maximum. Often only once a month so I don't make them dependent too

Making up a brine today to cure and smoke some goat legs

Three wild goat legs a brine to make smoked goat hams. Brine of salt, raw sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, mustard seeds, peppercorns, whole allspice, bay leaves, ground ginger, thyme. They'll now cure in the fridge for 10-days.
Some say that meat should be dry cured and not brined. That's rubbish, but the hams must be left to thoroughly drain for a time before smoking

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

Three wild goat legs a brine to make smoked goat hams. Brine of salt, raw sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, mustard seeds, peppercorns, whole allspice, bay leaves, ground ginger, thyme. They'll now cure in the fridge for 10-days.
Some say that meat should be dry cured and not brined. That's rubbish, but the hams must be left to thoroughly drain for a time before smoking

Attachment 179263

I think I'm going to have to make your acquaintance Sir!

The 3 wild goat hams are starting to take on the brine colour after 1 day of curing

Great ! I will be interested in your published report after you've eaten some. It has a real 'ham' or 'corned' look about it. I have a prejudice about such things in that I think copious fat is essential for full enjoyment. Maybe I should set my old ideas aside and try it.

I've made heaps of them; they're nice. As for fat; you're pushing the proverbial uphill with a stick to get too much on a wild goat!

eels are neat critters....still give me the heebee geebees if encounter them while in water fishing.....used to gut rabbits at same wee bridge and after a week the eels would be waiting when I came back from shooting.... Ive pulled eels in on line and they were longer than fence post,not stressed at all so I cut line happily...no way was I putting hand near that mouth. Ive tried some smoked and its good...but I just cant get past the slimey eel thing...same with possum...

Maybe I've missed seeing the info somewhere.... so forgive me. But how will you cook the hams? Will you boil or roast them whole?

Just a slow simmer; just below boiling