You do not have to butcher your own hog to do this, you just need pork that has not been treated with stuff. For example, don't buy a ham or anything smoked etc. Just buy the meat.
This recipe calls for a pork leg roast. I don't remember what I used, but it wasn't a leg roast. It did have a bone in it. I don't think that a bone-in is a requirement though.
Ham:
Put the pork leg roast in a large glass bowl. Soak it for 3 days in the refrigerator in the following brine:
2 c water
1/2 c salt
1/2 c brown sugar (I used sucanat)
1 T pepper (optional)
1 T powdered ginger (optional)
Make sure the brine covers the roast. If it doesn't, double the brine recipe.
3 days later, when you're ready to cook your roast, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place roast in a pan in the oven and baste periodically with lard (I did not do this). Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the roast. When it nears 160 degrees, remove the roast from the oven and apply a thick, pasty mixture of honey and brown sugar to the top. Return the roast to the oven until done (170 degrees internal temp). Some of the pasty mixture will melt off, but most should stay on it. When done, remove from oven, cool slightly. Move it to a serving plate and slice very very thin, about 1/8" thick or less, against the bias. Let the slices drop onto the platter for a pretty presentation. The roast shoujld be tender, juicy and flavorful.
I did not do all of that. I brined it and then roasted it in the oven without adding all the honey/sugar paste. It was wonderful. Another time I brined it then chopped it up and added it to another recipe and then cooked it in the recipe. Wonderful again! So the important part of this recipe is the brining. Whether you follow the cooking instructions or not is optional.
Here is a recipe for sausage, but it is for pork sausage not beef. I don't know how it would work for beef. I will type it as is, but remember you can tweak it to suit your tastes.
Mix the following seasonings:
2 1/2 t sage (when I was out of sage once I used Pampered Chef Italian Seasoning -- it was the best)
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t red pepper
3/4 t pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 bay leaf crushed
dash celery seed (once I used fennel seed instead for a more italian flavor)
You can mix all this into the raw ground pork and let it sit in the fridge overnight to let the flavors meld together (I do this then form it into sausage patties), or, you can add it in the frying pan while the pork is cooking for a crumbled sausage (like on a pizza). I usually use all of the seasonings for one pound of ground pork, but the recipe actually calls for several pounds. I don't think there would be enough flavor if you had more than a pound!
The Beckers have a recipe for turkey sausage in their red cookbook which I have used in beef before. It is: 1 t sage, 1/2 t thyme, 1 t salt, 1/8 t pepper, 1-3 T water. Knead into meat til thoroughly blended. Let sit in fridge 2-3 days to allow flavors to blend or use right away.
Happy cooking!
