OkieFarmer

All you are so awesome for all this help, I can't begin to tell you'll how much of a confidence builder you guys are. I was about to give up and just buy something close.

I never thought about youtube thanks pastrygirl I will try using the 3to4oz

Thanks and thank your friend for me. Lard is no problem for me I butcher a lot of hogs

Kayb from what I been reading shortening or lard is used for the real thing

I easily see this happening, once you break down a fore or hind quarter it has no choice but to start losing moisture content. I started cutting after the Army in the mid-seventies my day off was Monday the same day as our supplier killed. I spent many Mondays their free labor learning all I could about carcass beef. Now in my sixties, I still am far from knowing it all. there are complicated aging parameters that must be followed.

Thank you for the informative link cakewalk, the recipe they post looks like it may be somewhat less completed for me other than as you stated the shaping. I don't think it will matter it's going to be pressed. Had to Google what strong flour is, from what I understand it's just another term for bread flour. Thank you for your time and help.

Need help from the pro's I finally came up with a good Cuban marinated pork. Real Cuban bread seems to be a problem, My baking skills have been compared to nailing jelly to a tree I found a recipe using 1 cup AP 1 cup bread flour with lard and yeast, it does not say how thick or long to make the dough or how much it will rise or should I proof them first? I need 6" rolls for the sandwiches. Any tips on what I should or should not do or should I just move on to some other type of bread? Thanks

. I avoid fully processed brats like in the picture, I call them convenience store sausage. if I'm out of casings I will pick up some fresh ones from time to time, not a bad sausage.

Great question Crepes. Depending on the packer or slaughter splitting the carcass and how far down the cutter is willing to cut down the chine bone on an off center split, this mainly applies to hanging beef the cutter has to separate the sirloin and square off the short loin for a uniform cut. As the tail of the tenderloin narrows consumer consumable loss is increased. Interestingly you bring that point up, back in the seventies we tried cutting T-bone steaks a little different they were the "last to sell" by trimming off the fat behind the tenderloin and thinning down the chine bone yielding more meat less fat. Those altered steaks in the display case were avoided like the great plague. It only took us a few times to avoid making that mistake. Our conclusion was although it was more beneficial from the consumer stand point, the steaks simply did not have any uniformity or eye appeal.

The forgotten porterhouse steak. In my opinion, the best of the short loin steaks. Most of the younger generation do not even know what a porterhouse steak is much less many adults. To break it down there are two ways to deal with a short loin, bone in or bone out. The first is bone in cuts The porterhouse is cut first following the pin or wedge bone what squares the short loin for cutting (Hanging Beef) the porterhouse contains a full tenderloin on the bottom side, next cuts are T-bone with less than full to no tenderloin. Modern day cutting techniques play to your advantage by paying the same price for the superior cut with a full tenderloin. One example is you may have it cut a full 1" thick then separate the tenderloin and strip, Wife gets the tender and you get the strip saves a lot of money from buying two steaks or just enjoy your porterhouse. The second method is boning out the loin you end up with the top (strip) and the bottom (tenderloin) I will focus on the strip everyone is well educated on the tenderloin. You will notice in many stores the strip is sold under different names. The KC Strip or NY Strip, Delmonico or simply strip steak the later being what it truly is. Why I point this out as I've seen in markets both labels with different prices but in the end, it's the same cut. From time to time, you will hear about the origins of the strip steak starting from KC first naming the steak to NY could not sell a steak called KC to other claims that a KC is bone-in and NY cutting it thicker, even some claiming it as a Delmonico named after the NY restaurant way of preparing it. But those myths and opinions will remain till the end of time. Notes; try to avoid steaks that the tails have not been trimmed or removed it will lesson the flair ups on the grill and in most cases, it's something your buying and not eating. On the top front of the strip, you will notice a small piece of cartilage just cut it off because that is most often your first bite and the first bite is the first impression of a nice steak.

Well done! That okra is simply over the top

Just by looking at some of these wonderful pictures I can't decide if I am in the company of great chefs, master photographers or food artists maybe some of all of the above, well done.

Thank so much for the warm welcome guys, Nice to be home after a few days of checking cattle. Been pretty wet, just now gearing up for drilling wheat. Have about 300 acres of creek bottom we were not able to get to because of flooding, we were driving through that " 7' tall weeds" Thursday checking for ground moisture it was a scene from Jurassic park wild hogs were bedding in it, alls you could see was the grass moving in front of us heading for the creek as fast as they could run. Good times lol Thanks, Chris OKIE STRONG. Smithy thanks, I would like to try to post a pic of my favorite Bull or maybe my smoker with one of those hogs that did not run fast enough. I'm not very computer savvy. Thanks again for the warm welcome

Being a cheese lover I am not much of a fan of cheese on burgers. But when the mood does strike blue cheese specifically Danish Blue, mild and creamy, A very small amount on the burger gives a nice edge without stepping all over the grilled beef flavor.

Growing up in Oklahoma, My life has always been involved in farming and cattle. I am a retired butcher "custom cutter" having the pleasure to work over the years in a few of the best meat markets, I now work as a supervisor for a construction company. However, I still remain very active in meat processing, sausage making and smoking meats. I own an electric smoker that I use from time to time but am at heart a hardcore offset stick smoker preferring to cut, season my own wood, Work-related traveling throughout Oklahoma and Texas I can be found 24/7 with a saw handy in my truck. Matching types of wood curing time to the type of your own quality processed meat being smoked is the ultimate challenge and screw up I do from time to time, Oddly enough I really don't care much about eating it. But feeding smiling friends and family after staying up all night tending a smoker loaded with meat that you have put all your skill and heart into is fuel for the soul. At 60+ years old Most of my old friends and kids are pretty well convinced I am a nut case. As my free time is very limited and I am available, I'm always happy to share some insight of my personal years of experience. Thanks. OkieFarmer