What are you doing this weekend? If butchering a pig has long been on your list, listen up.
Learn to smoke a swine, where sausage comes from and a great deal more Oct. 23-25 at the nose to tail butchering and charcuterie workshop run by culinary school Edible Island on Deer Isle.
The intense class led by master butcher Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman, co-author of “Charcuterie” and “Salumi,” gets you up close and personal with a heritage pig.
“This brings in people from all over the place who are interested in furthering their understanding of curing meats,” said John Altman, owner of David’s Folly Farm in Brooksville, where a portion of the workshop is held.
Designed for chefs and food lovers, the experience delves deep.
“It starts with a small bit of field study. We talk about where pigs are raised, then we go into the kill,” Altman said. “A pig is brought up to the barn, and the whole process of eviscerating takes three to four hours.”
A large black heritage pig raised up the road will be used in the class. Some will watch, and others will roll up their sleeves and get busy.
“It’s an open barometer to what people want to take on,” Altman said.
After the slaughter, “a pig is put on ice and broken down.” Instructors will demonstrate American and European style cuts and share whole hog butchery tips. Education on hog husbandry and breeds is revealed over the weekend.
When not in the barn, students will meet in a Deer Isle kitchen and learn to make charcuterie. They will get a handle on dry curing, sausage making, using offal, smoking fundamentals and other charcuterie topics. The session includes a festive traditional butcher’s dinner featuring wood-fired meats and salad.
The popular course taught in the past is always packed.
“We have a lot of people that come back,” Altman said. “Now that food is so popular, some want to do this in their own backyard and see the end of our food chain.”
The cost for three days is $350. Sign up by visiting edibleisland.org or call 367-5888.
