Recipes

The best pastry ever using lard from free range pigs

 

The Best Pastry Ever

This is hands down the best pastry I have ever tried. I probably made more sausage rolls and pies in the last year than I have made in 20 years because it works so well.

You can double the recipe and freeze it if you like.

I use this pastry for my meat pies which have gravy in them and I don’t get soggy bottoms! It is also perfect for sausage rolls.

Ingredients 

  • 1 level cup all purpose flour 

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 3oz frozen butter (I use salted butter but you can use unsalted)

  • 2 tablespoons Berkshire pork Lard

  • ¼ cup iced water

Directions

food processor

  1. Put the flour and salt in your food processor.

  2. Add the lard and frozen butter - I find the butter easily breaks or you can grate it if you prefer, though I don’t find it necessary.

  3. Pulse fat into the dry ingredients.

  4. With the motor running pour in ice cold water until the ingredients start to come together. Stop the machine as soon as the dough starts to clump together. Don’t overmix .

  5. Take the pastry out of processor and form into ball .

  6. Put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours before you use it.

    to make the old fashioned way - By hand

    1. Put all dry ingredients into a bowl

    2. Cut butter into chunks and add to dry ingredients with lard

    3. Add most of the water and bring the dough together - you may need to add the rest of the water

    4. Wrap the pastry in parchment and put it into the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill.

 
,

How to make your own sausages at home without any special equipment

,

Did you know you can easily make sausages at home and you don’t need any special equipment?

When I do test batches at home this is how I do them. The hardest part is stuffing them into casings - so we skip that step.

Even though I have a small meat grinder with a sausage stuffer attachment I never use it. It takes too long to set up and clean and I would rather just hand mix the meat and spices, then wrap the sausagemeat in clingfilm or parchment. - you can also make the mixture into burgers.

All you need is

  • meat

  • fat

  • spices

  • binder (optional) - wheat crumb, potato starch (for gluten free) - again this is not necessary , though it helps to keep the fat in the sausage making a juicier sausage.

  • water - mixing your spices in water helps them mix easier into the meat - you can leave it out

  • A mixing bowl

  • parchment or cling film

Many sausages use a binder - usually wheat crumb, or for gluten-free - potato starch.

We prefer to use only meat and spices but if you want a binder you can use breadcrumbs (about 3 tablespoons/lb meat).

Garlic & herb sausage

  • 1lb ground Berkshire Pork

  • 3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1.5 teaspoons your favourite mixed herbs

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder - not garlic salt. OR you can use 1 or 2 garlic cloves grated

  1. Mix all ingredients together. You can use your hands or a stand mixer.

  2. Divide the mixture into 4 or 6 - depending on how big you want your sausage. I make them about 8 inches long.

  3. Get 4 or 6 - (depending on how many sausages you want to make) pieces of cling film or parchment - they need to be big enough to wrap your sausages tightly.

  4. Roll the pork mixture into a sausage shape and roll it up tightly in the cling film

  5. Put in the fridge for about 24 hours for flavours to blend and the sausage to set up.

  6. Gently unroll and either fry or broil like you usually do until internal temp is 165 degrees F



If you like this recipe you may like some of my other sausage recipes

 
 

Click on the topics below to find more blog posts

If you found this helpful and would like to buy me a coffee I would greatly appreciate it!

Small Pig Farmers Guide to Pork Processing
Small Pig Farmers Guide to Pork Processing
CA$25.00

Homemade Bisquick recipe using lard from free range pigs

I love having a tub of this mixed up and ready to use in the fridge. I use it more in winter to make pot pies when I don’t have time to make The best pastry ever recipe

HOMEMADE BISQUICK MIX

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 cup flour

  • 1 cup Berkshire pork lard

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 3 tablespoons baking powder

METHOD

  • Sift flour, baking powder, and salt three times into a large bowl.

  • Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

  • Store the mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.

Or

  • Put all ingredients into a food processor and blitz

Our traditional Christmas Table - Celery and Stilton Soup

For years we had prawn cocktail as our Christmas starter but one year I made Celery and Stilton soup and every year since someone would call me for the recipe.

I always use stilton but you can use any blue cheese you like.

Ingredients

  • 1lb celery washed and sliced thinly (save the leaves for garnish)

  • 2 oz butter

  • 7 oz potato peeled and cubed

  • 1 small onion finely chopped

  • 1 pint (570 ml) stock I use chicken or pork bone broth

  • 5fl oz 150ml cream

  • 5 oz stilton

  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a large pan melt the 2oz butter and stir in the 1lb sliced celery, cubed potato and chopped onion. Stir everything well to coat with butter . Cook on low heat with a lid on for 10 mins.

  2. Add the 1 pint pork or chicken stock, turn up the heat and when the soup starts to simmer put a lid on and cook gently for 30 mins until the vegetables are tender.

  3. Remove from heat. Stir in the cream and use an immersion blender or liquidizer to blend until smooth.

  4. Taste and then season with salt and pepper.

  5. To serve - reheat gently - do not boil.

Our traditional Christmas table - Grannys Bread Sauce

Christmas dinner is one of our favourite meals of the year. It’s the only time we cook turkey.

I love the leftovers even if the turkey has gone and we are down to veg, bread sauce and gravy.

Bread sauce Originates in medieval England when using a stale loaf of bread to thicken a sauce, stew or soup would have been cheaper and more accessible than animal fat or eggs. After all bread is just flour and we use that all the time as a thickener.

Even though bread sauce doesn’t sound as appetizing as the Spanish Romesco sauce or the Tuscan soup Ribollito (both use bread as a thickener) it is delicious.

I always looked forward to my gran visiting at Christmas. We only saw her once or twice a year because it was a 4 hour trip - which doesn’t sound much to a Canadian but in the Uk it’s a horrible drive.

Gran was a great character. We would sit in The front room at Christmas watching whatever was on Tv and she would give me a nudge and say “don’t tell your dad” and sneak me extra chocolates and a sip of port.

I always got the job of taking her shopping because the rest of my family got embarrassed when she tried haggling with the grocer over the prices of oranges and potatoes, which she insisted were not as good as the ones she could get back home lol. Of course the grocer knew it was all in fun and he even called her Gran. Everyone called her Gran.

When I think about her I always remember her strirring a massive pan of damsons to make jam - she always left the stones in - which is why as kids we didn’t like it much. She would have a cigarette in her mouth, which would slowly become a tube of ash and I would be trying to stop the ash falling in the jam.

Luckily her bread sauce wasn’t subject to stirring because we cooked it in the oven. Nowadays I just make it on the stovetop because it’s quicker but it can be cooked in the oven or even in the microwave.

Her bread sauce doesn’t really have any measurements, like most things she made. Basically, you fry up a bit of chopped onion, add bread, cover with milk, and season well with salt and pepper.


My grannies Bread sauce

  • About 4 inches stale white bread - crusts removed and cut into small cubes

  • A handful of onion finely chopped

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1 bay leaf (optional)

  • 1 pint full fat milk - approx (enough to cover the bread and a bit more)

  • Salt and pepper to taste

    Directions

  • Soak bread cubes in milk

  • Melt butter over medium heat

  • Sauté finely chopped onion until soft

  • Add bread and milk and heat on a low heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens

  • season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Our Traditional Christmas Table -Sage & Onion Stuffing.

Christmas is time for family and food, overindulging and making memories.

Up until we left the UK my mum always hosted Xmas dinner and I cooked. Anyone who was going to be alone would be invited, it was usually a very strange crowd but we had so much fun.

Our last big family Christmas was in 2003. Even though it’s just 2 of us I still cook a massive oversized turkey because it’s tradition!

Leftovers are part of Christmas for us and they are freezable! I freeze turkey dinners for Carl’s lunches and Boxing day is left over turkey curry day.

The first Christmas I cooked for a large crowd I really did overextend myself. Nowadays I don’t stress, anything that can be made a day ahead takes some of the pressure off - the stuffing, bread sauce, soup and boiled potatoes ready for roasting can all be done early.

A good stuffing is an essential part of our traditional Christmas and my favourite is sage & onion. ( Back home we used to have chestnut stuffing but I don’t have the patience to peel them so I only make it if I find peeled chestnuts - this year I actually found some in the frozen section of an Asian Grocery store.)

Our stuffings are different from the bread type stuffings that are popular here because they are mainly meat and yes it only uses 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs - which you can leave out if you prefer

I use our Cumberland Sausage or you can use ground pork and I don’t actually stuff the turkey anymore because it takes too long to cook. Instead, I cook the stuffing in muffin tins - sometimes mini muffin tins or even in a loaf tin. I have to make extra because we can’t help picking!

“It’s the best stuffing ever! I made it in a loaf tin and sliced it. - It’s delicious and very easy to make with a few ingredients.”
— Nana K

Sage & Onion Stuffing

2lb Cobblestone Farm Sausages or ground pork

4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1 large onion finely chopped

1 heaped dessertspoon dried sage

1 beaten egg (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Mix breadcrumbs, onion and dried sage in a bowl.

2) Add sausagemeat/ground pork and egg if using, mix well.

3)Season with salt & pepper. (Fry a little of the stuffing up to taste it)

4)Put in muffin tins or loaf pan (or Stuff into turkey) and cook at 425 degrees for about 40 mins or until cooked through

Check this out for the best Thai recipes including a recipe that cooks pork in 30 seconds

As the main cook in our house - well only cook really - I often get in recipe ruts.

Cooking is the easy part.. deciding what to make every day is frustrating.

Luckily I am surrounded by food lovers and recently my friend Sarah sent me links to some Thai recipes.

The website is called Hot Thai Kitchen and Pai, a Thai chef does short, entertaining video tutorials and demystifies Thai cuisine. Her recipes are deeelicious and you may even learn some of the language.

I am so hooked on these recipes that I signed up as a Patreon member, bought the book and may even get the tee shirt!

The first recipe Sarah sent me uses ground pork and was perfectly timed because this summer I had so much mint in the garden. I was blown away at how easy it was to make and how delicious it was.

Laab Moo - Ground Pork and Mint Salad

The second recipe I tried - Spicy Garlic Lime Pork takes 15-30 seconds to cook the pork!! - that’s insane and yes it is cooked properly - There is a little prep time and you have to velvet the pork for 20 mins but such a quick dish to cook and soo good!

Moo Manao - Spicy Garlic Lime Pork.

The recipe calls for pork shoulder but you can use loin so I used pork chops.

TIPS-

  • You have to thinly slice the pork against the grain - so it is a bit fiddly if you use pork chops and you do need a sharp knife - it's a little easier if the chop is partly frozen.

  • If you are worried about thinly slicing the pork you could cut the slices a bit thicker and pound them thinner with a rolling pin.

  • If you have a large pork roast you could take a few slices off for this recipe then you can roast the rest - 2 meals from 1 roast!

Here are some more recipes I tried

so far they have all have been delicious

I would love to hear from you if you try any of the recipes from this site or if you have any suggestions that I should try.

Easy Instant Pot Salsa Verde using green tomatoes

Do you plant tomatoes? We plant a lot. Along with onions, garlic and wine 😁 they are a staple for us. I can make many meals with this combination - the wine is for drinking lol.

I used to buy a lot of tinned tomatoes but last year I decided I was only using fresh and frozen tomatoes. The frozen are perfect for my "homemade tomato pasta sauce". Although the skins come off easier once they are frozen I don't bother taking them off - I just blitz them with an immersion blender after they are cooked.

Right now we are waiting for some ripe tomatoes but in the mean time I am going to make a recipe that one of our lovely customers sent me.

It’s a Chicken Salsa Verde from Kenjis cooking show - I substitute green tomatoes because I don’t grow tomatillos (and I can’t get them locally anyway)


Tomato storage tips -

  • Do not refrigerate.

  • Store at room temperature, stem side down (out of the sun)

  • Freeze whole washed tomatoes in a ziplock bag. These are perfect for sauces, purees and salsas.

Join our mailing list for more recipes, tips, priority ordering and farm updates.

Instant Pot Jerk Pork 2 ways


Doesn’t time fly - we have been in Canada almost 18 years now and we just celebrated our 21 st wedding anniversary. It was lovely to dig out our wedding photos. We had a small wedding ceremony and a large fancy dress party at night where Carl dressed as Henry the 8th and I went as Catherine Parr (the last of King Henry’s wives - I didn’t want to be one of the beheaded wives)

We saved most of our wedding budget for our honeymoon in the Caribbean. It was an all inclusive holiday so all you can eat and drink - soo much that I can’t remember what we ate but we drank lots of cocktails.

I wanted to make a Caribbean inspired meal to celebrate - I have no idea where the inspiration came from to call it “ Drunken Jerk” maybe I have said those words before lol.

I made a drunken jerk pulled pork using the instant pot with one of our Boston butts and used the juices for a jerk bbq sauce and the rendered pork fat to roast the potatoes. Omg it was sooo good!

We enjoyed it so much I made it again using one of our boneless pork legs. This time I used homemade pork stock because I didn’t have any beer.

Both were a big hit with plenty of leftovers.

The pork shoulder leftovers I made pizza using the bbq sauce (instead of a tomato base) I topped it with pulled pork, cheese, onions and tomatoes.

The leftovers from boneless leg were enough to give us plenty of Sandwiches and a huge pot of jambalaya.

I used the Instant pot but you can make it in a slow cooker or in the oven too.

Tip - Cook potatoes in the jerk stock before roasting them - they are so good and why waist all that delicious flavour.

I also froze the left over jerk stock just for cooking potatoes in.

I also did a small 90 second video on Instagram with some of our wedding pics and memories. (You don’t need to be on Instagram to watch it) It should work if you click the link is below.

If you watch until the end - that is what we feel like now lol.

This is us 21 years ago

How to cook an Easter Ham or Gammon plus 2 of my favourite glazes

When we were kids we usually just ate Easter Eggs, no special meal on Easter Sunday because we were in the middle of lambing - this means all our sheep were having their babies and it’s all hands on deck for 6 weeks.

We were very good at fending for and feeding ourselves. Cereal was kept in a cupboard that we could reach and we would often make toast if we were hungry - there is nothing like toast made on an Aga (a massive cast iron cooker common in many farmhouses back home - it also doubles as a heat source and most farmers I know used them to revive hypothermic or sick lambs. We used to sit on top of it and warm our legs in front of the top oven when we were cold - first back in the house got the warm spot! - this also meant that we had let all the heat out so mum wouldn’t be able to cook in it until it got back up to temperature.)

Those days are long gone for me and I do have time to cook an Easter meal - though I don’t yet know what it will be yet this year. I am sure mum still doesn’t cook anything - and I can’t ask her because she will be busy in the midst of lambing! If I could I would send her one of our part cooked Hickory smoked hams as they basically only need reheating.

Tips

  1. You can slow cook a smoked ham - it’s really easy, my friend Christie always cooks her smoked ham from frozen. She said she takes it straight from the freezer, puts it in the slow cooker in the morning and in the afternoon it’s done and delicious! You can’t get easier than that!

  2. You can precook your gammon and glaze it just before you need to serve it - I never do this because Carl eats it all before I get a chance to glaze it! The upside of that is the whisky maple glaze is great on ice cream lol! -It’s my new favourite glaze!

  3. You will need a longer glazing time for a precooked cold ham. Approx 45 mins from a room temperature.

  4. Before carving your cooked ham, let it rest 15 minutes to redistribute juices and firm up the meat.

Cola Ham

Ingredients

  • 4lb Cobblestone Farm Bone-in Gammon

  • 1 onion (peeled and cut in half)

  • 2 litres coca-cola - must be the full sugar stuff and this is the only time I buy cola & it is Christmas

  • Cloves for studding the fat

Directions

  1. Put the gammon in a pan, add the onion, then pour over the Coke.

  2. Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, though not tightly, and cook for 2 hours. Or Cook in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours.

  3. If the gammon's been in the fridge right up to the moment you cook it, you will have to give it a good 15 minutes or so extra so that the interior is properly cooked.

  4. Make your favourite glaze.

  5. Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each diamond with a clove.

  6. Carefully apply your glaze

  7. Finish in a 450F oven for about 10 mins until glaze is bubbly.

Oven-baked Smoked Ham

Ingredients

  • 4lb Cobblestone Farm Smoked Ham

  • Glaze of your choice


Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F

  2. Score the fat.

  3. Put ham in a roasting pan cut-side down.

  4. Brush with your favourite glaze.

  5. Tent it with foil.

  6. Bake it for approx 20 minutes per pound until it reaches 160 internal temp.

  7. Every 20 minutes or so, brush the ham with more glaze and baste it with the pan juices.

  8. To finish, remove the foil tent, brush the ham with glaze and pan juices one more time, and turn the oven to broil.

  9. Broil for about 3-to-5 minutes until the outside glaze is deliciously caramelized -- but watch it closely so it doesn't get too dark.

Whisky Maple Glaze

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup melted butter

  • ¼ cup of maple syrup

  • ¼ cup of whisky - I used salted caramel whisky, it was delicious - I don’t know if you can stiill get that

  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Whisk together ingredients

  2. Carefully pour over ham

You could use rum instead of whisky.

Honey Mustard Glaze

Ingredients

  • 1 heaped tablespoon honey

  • 2 teaspoons English mustard powder

  • 2 tablespoons turbinado or brown sugar

Directions

  1. Carefully spread the honey over the fat.

  2. Gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat.

A quick tip on the best way to pull pork from Prairie Smoke & Spice

With spring fast approaching I am looking forward to digging out my BBQ - yes it is actually buried under 8 ft of snow right now! I am craving some BBQ pulled pork and yes I know I can make it in the house but my stove broke before Christmas so I am limited to my cooking options right now.

For pulled Pork I just sprinkle salt and pepper onto one of our Berkshire Bone-in Pork Butts and cook it low and slow - but I never knew that how you pull it makes a difference.

For the best BBQ tips I follow Rob Reinhardt at Prairie Smoke & Spice on Instagram. Last week Rob did a quick video about the best way to pull pork. Who knew there even was a best way?

Sometimes the simple tips are the best! No need for forks or after-market tools just use your hands. They pull thousands of pork butts every year and Rob says that pulling pork into thumb-size chunks gives a better end result that doesn’t leave you with dried out pork.

Based in Regina, Prairie Smoke & Spice are Canadas most decorated BBQ team with

  • 23 Grand Championships

  • 2 World Championships

  • over 250 awards

If you want to learn from the best Rob also does BBQ classes starting on March 2022

Roast Leg of Berkshire Pork

Remember when Sundays were a Lazy day?

When we were kids we always had a family Sunday dinner when it was ready which was about 2 pm. After all the animals were fed, watered and checked we would have the rest of the day off. Lunch, maybe a movie & always boiled eggs for tea. It actually was a day of rest.

When you live at the same place you work, on the farm, it’s really hard to take time off. We can always find something to do and it is usually means working.

Over Christmas I realized we needed to get off the hamster wheel and slow down. Since the beginning of the year we have managed to have old fashioned Sundays, it’s been great! Proper Sunday Roast dinners in the middle of the afternoon and then doing nothing.

Last weekend I also realized that I couldn’t remember when I last cooked a Roast leg of our Pork. How bad is that for a Pork producer lol. Omg, it was delicious. just a sprinkling of salt on the scored fat - yum.

Lazy Sundays and Roast dinners are definitely back on our menu.

Roast leg of Berkshire Pork

 

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.

  2. Pat skin dry. Score the fat with a sharp knife about 1/2 “ intervals. 

  3. Rub salt into skin and fat.

  4. Put in a roast pan and roast at 425F for 20 mins uncovered.

  5. Then reduce temperature to 375 F and cook for 30 minutes per lb, plus an extra 30 minutes.

  6. Do not cover pan. 

  7. Cook to internal temp 165 -( the old way is to make sure juices run clear).

  8. The drippings make the best gravy. I make a roux with the pork fat (equal parts fat and flour) then add juices from the roast and either pork stock or water from any veg I have cooked) Once it has boiled I add soy sauce and pepper. The soy sauce adds a wonderful flavour as well as colouring the gravy.

Tip - for the most delicious crispy fat and to be honest our favourite - grind equal quantities of fennel seeds, black pepper and sea salt in a pestle and mortar and sprinkle on scored fat…. It’s delicious!

Home made “not baked” beans an easy to make Comfort Food recipe

When it comes to comfort foods I have a long list - I just love food! A full English Breakfast has to be close to the top - bacon, sausage, black puddings, eggs and baked beans. Really it's good at any time of the day not just for breakfast.

Admittedly I could leave out baked beans but Carl likes them so I always used to try and have a tin in the pantry. When we were craving a proper full English breakfast and didn’t have any I had to make beans from scratch.

Now the law has been passed by Carl he said the home made are way better than Heinz beans - I just made myself more work lol. They are easy to do so I just make up large batches and freeze them now.

It's a great recipe for using up saved bacon fat or smoked ham bones (even the small ones in a ham steak can be added for a great smoky flavour)

This is not baked but made on the stovetop and you can freeze the leftovers. It works well with both tinned and dried beans - we like dried navy beans, it just takes longer to make.

You can also add some leftover cooked sliced sausages to the beans. Top with some bacony breadcrumbs (Pulse 3 or 4 slices in a food processor with a small amount of melted bacon fat and a clove of garlic) Put under the grill to crisp up. Quick, easy and Delish!

These are also great served with sausage rolls or cheese and onion pie.

(Not Baked) - Baked Beans

Ingredients

  • 9 oz dried beans (or 1.5lb drained beans) - You can use any you like - I use dried navy beans or tinned black beans

  • 1 dried bay leaf

  • 1 tbsp bacon fat/butter or lard

  • 1 large onion diced

  • 1 stick celery

  • 2 cloves garlic grated

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 1/2tsp smoked paprika

  • 3⁄4 tsp dried oregano

  • 3⁄4 tsp dried thyme

  • 1 tbsp tomato puree

  • 1 tin whole tomatoes

  • 1 tbsp molasses

  • 500 ml berkshire pork bone broth

  • 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

  • 1 tbsp butter

  • Salt and pepper to taste

    1.If using dried beans cook them according to package instructions with the bay leaf.

    2. In a separate large pan heat bacon fat (or lard or butter) over medium heat and fry diced onions for about 10 mins until soft.

    3. Stir in celery, garlic, spices and herbs and cook gently for 5 mins.

    4. Turn up the heat and add tomato puree, tomatoes, molasses, pork bone broth, salt and pepper and cook for 30 mins

    5. Add the beans and simmer with a lid on for 30 mins. Remove lid towards the end to thicken the sauce if needed.

    6. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter then add tamari - it is salty so add a bit at a time and keep tasting before adding more. Tips - For a smoky flavour you can add a smoked ham bone or use smoky bacon fat.

enjoy!

Delicious Berkshire Pork and Apple Burger

Here is another of my favourite ground pork recipes. Is so good as a burger but you can also use it as a stuffing. We have ours with potatoes cooked in bacon fat - delicious!

Berkshire Pork & Apple Burgers

  • 1lb Berkshire ground pork

  • 1 tsp coriander seeds

  • 1 tsp black peppercorns

  • 1 tbsp dried sage or 5 sage leaves finely chopped

  • 2 dessert apples

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1/4 cup fresh pressed sweet apple cider or 1 small apple peeled and cored (i liquidized it)

  • juice of 1/2 lemon

  • 1 tsp lard or oil for frying.

Directions

  1. Toast coriander seeds and black peppercorns for 1-2 mins in a dry pan until fragrant. then crush them in a pestle and mortar until well crushed.

  2. Peel, quarter and core 2 apples then chop into 3- 4mm cubes and squeeze lemon juice over them

  3. Liquidize 3rd apple if you don’t have apple cider

  4. Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly.

  5. shape into 4 burgers and chill for at least 30 mins.

  6. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add lard.

  7. Add burgers and fry for 10-15 mins until cooked through (165 degrees F)

  8. Remove from pan and let rest for 5 mins.

  9. Enjoy.

Variation - Put a piece of mature cheddar cheese in the centre of the burger before you cook it.

If you make this recipe I would love to know what you think - you can leave a comment below.

Berkshire Pork Pernil

I saw this on Guy Fieris big bite and it is so good - Our new favourite pork shoulder recipe.

I set out with the best intentions of following his recipe to the letter but as always I got distracted and forgot to put it in the oven so had to use the Instant Pot to speed up the cooking time, then I finished it off on the bbq…. and I even managed not to burn it! (unlike my sausage rolls - they just did not work on the bbq)

It was delicious. I also used 1/2 cup orange juice instead of fresh squeezing it and I didn’t have chipotle so just used the adobo sauce. To be honest it is just as good without the adobo sauce.


Ingredients

  • 1 Cobblestone Farm Berkshire pork shoulder - bone-in, (5 - 6lb)

  • 6 cloves garlic

  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

  • 1 small bunch fresh cilantro 

  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin 

  • 4 limes, juice (and zest if you feel like zesting them)

  • 2 oranges, juiced or I used 1/2 cup orange juice

  • 1 chipotle in adobo, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (optional)

  • 3 tablespoons salt

  • 1 tablespoon pepper (black or white)

  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

Directions

  • Place the Berkshire pork shoulder, fat-side up, on a cutting board. Score the fat in a criss-cross pattern, making diagonal cuts about 1 1/2 inches apart and cutting into the meat (but not right to the bone) so the marinade can penetrate.

  • Put the pork shoulder in a large re-sealable plastic bag set over a baking dish or you can use a bowl.

  • Put the garlic, oregano, cilantro, cumin, lime juice, orange juice, chipotle and adobo sauce, salt and pepper, olive oil in a blender.

  • Blend until pureed. Pour the marinade all over the pork and make sure it gets into the deep cuts. Seal the bag and refrigerate overnight - up to 24 hours (I turned mine and squished the marinade around a couple of times)

    Oven method

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  • Add 1/2 inch water to a roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. Remove the pork from the marinade and place in the center of the rack.

  • Cover with foil and roast for about 3 1/2hours - Remove the foil and roast for 30 mins more until fat is deep brown in colour.

  • Transfer the pork to cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before slicing into thick pieces. Spoon any remaining pan juices over the meat to serve.

    Instant pot method & Bbq Method

  • Put pork and marinade in Instant pot - I rinsed the bag out too to get all the flavour

  • Cook on high pressure for 1 hour

  • Let pressure release naturally

  • Preheat bbq to 350

  • Put the pork in a roasting pan - or any tray you can put on bbq

  • cook uncovered on bbq for 1 hour until fat is crispy

BBQ Berkshire Pork Gammon Steaks with Charred pineapple salsa

Gammon Steaks are one of Carl’s favourites. Usually we have it with a slice of pineapple & cheese sauce or eggs and chips but it’s way too hot right now.

When we came to Canada we couldn’t find Gammon so we made our own. A true British favourite made from pork legs that are cured but not smoked.

He loved this new pineapple salsa twist, especially as he had a massive 2lb gammon steak plus chips and pesto mushrooms on the side. Of course this is enough for 2 people.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large Berkshire Pork Gammon Steak

  • 1 tbsp honey

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil

For the Salsa

  • 8 oz fresh pineapple

  • 1 tbsp olive oil or melted butted

  • 1/3 cup orange juice

  • 2 tbsp brown sugar

  • 1 crushed garlic clove

  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

  • 4 scallions or 1 shallot finely chopped

  • 2 red chillies, de seeded and finely chopped (or sriracha sauce to taste)

  • 10 fresh basil leaves finely sliced

  • salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Make 1” Slices in the fat all around the edge of the Berkshire Pork Gammon Steak. This will stop the Steak from curling when you cook it.

  2. Mix together soy sauce, honey and melted butter/olive oil and brush on either side of Berkshire Gammon Steak.

  3. Cook Gammon on bbq for about 8/10 mins on each side until internal temp is 160F

  4. Take the top and bottom off the pineapple and remove skin

  5. Slice pineapple into 1/2” slices and brush with melted butter or olive oil

  6. Barbeque for 3 - 4 mins per side until golden and charred.

  7. Put orange juice, sugar, garlic, white wine vinegar, chopped shallots/scallions, chillies and sliced basil into a bowl.

  8. Chop pineapple into bite-size pieces and add to the rest of the salsa ingredients.

  9. To serve, pile the pineapple Salsa onto The Gammon Steaks and serve with chips (fries) and grilled mushrooms.


We love ham and pineapple together but it’s another of those great debates - Fruit with meat- what do you think?

Enjoy xxx

Basil & Garlic Rubbed Berkshire Pork Chops

 I went a little overboard with my basil this year and have so much growing in the garden right now - it seems a perfect time to make this!


Basil & Garlic rubbed Berkshire Pork Chops 

Serves 4 

Ingredients

  • 4 bone-in Berkshire pork chops 

  • 2 cloves garlic (peeled)

  • 1 cup fresh basil (packed)

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh)

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions

  1. With machine running, drop garlic through feed tube of food processor to mince.

  2. Add fresh basil, and process until chopped. 

  3. Add lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper and process to make thin wet rub. 

  4. Spread both sides of pork chops with basil mixture. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes.

  5. Heat bbq to 400F. 

  6. Grill chops, over direct heat, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a 3-minute rest time.

Berkshire Pork Sausage Rolls

On those rare days when rain stops play what better than to do some baking.


I don’t usually make a lot of pastry but this recipe adapted from a Julia Childs recipe worked so well. I ended up making Quiche Lorraine, Garlic mushroom Quiche, Sausage rolls and Quail egg and sausage rolls.

My preference is to use a food processor but of course it can be made without one.

Ingredients 

  • 1 level cup all purpose flour 

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 3oz frozen butter 

  • 2 tablespoons Berkshire pork Lard

  • ¼ cup iced water

  • 4 Cobblestone Farm Breakfast or Cumberland burgers/sausage

  • 1 Cobblestone Farm Free Range egg beaten

Directions

  1. Food processor. Pulse fat into dry ingredients then with the motor running pour in cold water until the ingredients start to come together. Stop the machine as soon as the dough starts to clump together. Don’t overmix

  2. Take pastry out of processor and form into ball - go to step 6

  3. OR Put all dry ingredients into a bowl

  4. Cut butter into chunks and add to dry ingredients with lard

  5. Add most of the water and bring the dough together - you may need to add the rest of the water

  6. Wrap the pastry in parchment and put it into the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill.

  7. After chill time preheat oven to 400 F 

  8. On a lightly floured board roll out the pastry into a rectangle shape ⅛” thick.

  9. If you are using sausages you can remove them from their skins otherwise shape burgers into a fat sausage shape.

  10. Put sausage in centre of the pastry rectangle. Make sure the pastry can cover it then dab water along the pastry edge. Fold pastry over and seal edges with a fork.

  11. Prick top of sausage roll with a fork every inch or so.

  12. Brush pastry with beaten egg and place in the oven for about 30 mins until golden brown and the sausage meat is 165 internal temp.

HP or Ketchup?

HP or Ketchup?

African Pork and Peanut Stew

Do you ever get in a recipe rut? I love to cook but hate deciding what to cook. I will take out a pork shoulder and start searching through about a million pulled pork recipes. Not that there is anything wrong with pulled pork, I just want to cook something different.

To mix it up a bit I decided to cook by Country instead of cut of meat. Now Carl has challenged me to do 80 recipes in 80 days! He doesn’t ask much! He didn’t say 80 consecutive days lol so I might be able to stretch it out a bit!

The first one is African-inspired Pork & Peanut Stew - I cut up one of our bone in pork shoulder roasts and threw the bone in for extra flavour.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Berkshire pork lard - or peanut oil

  • 2 lb Cobblestone Farm Berkshire pork shoulder cut into 1” cubes

  • 1 chopped onion

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt) or 2 cloves fresh chopped garlic

  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 cups Berkshire pork bone broth - or you can use chicken

  • 3 tablespoons tomato puree

  • 1/2 cup peanut butter

  • 2 chopped tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup peanuts

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

  1. Heat lard in a large skillet on high heat.

  2. Add pork cubes and brown on all sides.

  3. When pork is browned add the chopped onion and spices and cook on med heat for 1 min.

  4. Stir peanut butter into stock and add to the pan with tomato paste & chopped tomatoes.

  5. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 45 mins or until pork is tender.

  6. Stir in the peanuts.

  7. Serve with rice and garnish with fresh coriander.

Cumberland Sausage with Beer & Cheese Fondue

Apparently, I cook with a lot of booze - sometimes you just need to - so let’s not break the habit. Sausage, beer and cheese - what’s not to love!!!

Cumberland Sausages with Beer & Cheese fondue

Serves 4 

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, peeled & thinly sliced

  • 1 lb ish (4) Cobblestone Farm Berkshire Pork Cumberland sausages

  • 2 garlic cloves grated

  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

  • 1 can your favourite beer

  • ¾ cup water 

 Cheese Fondue

  • 1/2lb quality Mature English Cheddar (We use Cricketers) - grated

  • 1 oz smoked cheddar - grated

  • 1 cup liquid from cooking sausages

  • 1 tablespoon English mustard

  • 1 tsp cornstarch

  • Salt and pepper to taste 

Preparation

  1. Toast coriander seeds in a dry pan over a medium low heat - until they are fragrant… be careful not to burn them - Then grind in a pestle and mortar.

  2. Put onion slices, sausages, ground coriander seeds, mustard seeds & garlic in a frying pan with beer and water.

  3. Put a lid on then bring to boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 5 mins or until liquid is reduced by half. 

  4. Strain & reserve beer liquid from sausages.

  5. Gently cook sausage until skins are brown - you can add oil or lard if you need to.

  6. For the fondue - Mix together the grated cheese, cornstarch & English mustard

  7. Bring reserved beer liquid to a boil and add the cheese and mustard stirring all the time.

  8. Season to taste

Serve sausages on a bun with onions and fondue