Dive into the complete episode list for A Meatsmith Harvest. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Pub. Date
Title
Duration
01 Sep 2022
Episode 79: Of Goose classes, the Exodus, and the 'Our Father': A Review of Fr. Vincent McNabb's The Church and the Land, Pt 1
In this episode, we talk about our upcoming Martinmas Goose class, all the events Brandon is participating in, our thoughts on The Church and the Land by Fr. Vincent McNabb, the four causes, and leaving the cities.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
This November, come to our 2-Day Goose Martinmas Harvest and celebrate the fat and meat of this most noble bird. The dates are November 10-11th, and tickets are $1,045. The class is limited to eight students to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. So jump on this chance and sign-up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/martinmas-goose-harvest/
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Topics for Episode 79:
Goose Harvest class, 2:36
Traditional Skills Summit, 14:33
The Ozark Homesteading Expo, 16:59
White Oak Pastures Backyard Butcher Workshop, 19:07
Melissa Noris, 21:54
Fr Vincent McNabb, 23:15
A departure from order and philosophy, 26:49
The four causes, 28:31
Corn as it's acted upon by its four causes, 33:20
Isolate the material causes, 37:00
What a city is, 42:25
Liberalism and communism have the same end, 47:10
Reasons to leave the city, 54:09
The order in The Lord's Prayer, 1:01:18
The section of The Church and the Land by Fr. Vincent McNabb that Brandon reads includes a quote from Rural Roads to Security by Mgr. Ligutti, and then flows into another from Alternative to Death by the Earl of Portsmouth.
In this episode, Part 1 of a 2 part series, Brandon and Lauren talk about their own kitchen principles and habits. They describe how these habits have come along slowly; but that since before they were married, and to this day, they have always cooked and eaten all three meals together as a family. They describe mealtimes as anchors to their day -- "like monastery bells ringing us in".
Learn what a typical breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack-time look like for the family, and how Brandon and Lauren build their menu around seasonally available ingredients to create nutritious, economical meals for their large, growing, energetic family.
10 Oct 2018
Ep 17: Homesteading Grab Bag Part 2
00:48:26
Part 2 of 2.
Brandon and Lauren answer listener questions about farmsteading and animal harvesting. Topics range from how they seem to “do it all” to the heartache of processing animals to using every part of the animal, including blood and parts. They also talk about evaluating priorities and getting help when you can.
Learn more about the episode as well as Farmstead Meatsmith classes and opportunities at https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/episode-16-17-homesteading-grab-bag
22 Jun 2018
Ep. 12: Meat Preservation, Part 2; Meat Fermentation
01:26:21
Brandon and Lauren discuss their approach to traditional, small scale salami production, and how to make a unique salami, not just a pleasant one. They talk about how environment and climate affect (in fact dictate) successful meat fermentation, using both science (which includes-not ignores-your senses) and an artful, aesthetically motivated approach.
Brandon reveals the literature that has helped him shape his understanding. They also end with a short discussion on what it would take (theoretically) to produce this salami for sale in America. Policy may be a burden, thought it may not be impossible.
Topics Discussed
Introduction and Announcements:
Ignatia Ann Therese was born! (plus the birth story)
In these episodes Brandon and Lauren discuss holiday meal topics of all kinds focusing mainly on roasting a pig's head. We also discuss head cheese, lard, lardo, roasting a whole piglet, and more!
*** We apologize for the sound quality; we had technical issues and salvaged what we could. Thank you for listening.
Ep. 60: Meatsmith Grab Bag (Tractors, Geese, Pastrami & ...), Part 2
01:00:40
In this episode, part 2 of a 2 part series, Brandon and Lauren discuss: their new geese project; pastrami; and the new free Farmstead Meatsmith content they've posted on YouTube which includes several videos on the artful harvesting of poultry.
04 Feb 2023
Episode 81: Recap of our Busy Season and Community vs. Society Part 1
00:55:45
In this episode, we recap our Fall harvest season, all the classes we taught, fasting for advent and feasting over Christmas, preserving and losing meat, our upcoming beef and lamb classes, and a bit on raising rabbits.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Come to our 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class this June and use your hands to turn four lambs into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The dates are June 8th-10th, and tickets are $1,390. The class is limited to eight students to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. So jump on this chance and sign-up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/martinmas-goose-harvest/
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Topics for Episode 81:
Can you visit the farmstead?, 2:40
Limping through our busy season and Christmas, 5:50
Burdened by the abundance of the harvest season, the obligation of feasting, and advent, 8:00
Efficient means of dealing with the EPIC quantities of meat, 17:40
Losing meat, 20:00
Blood bread, 22:45
Our 2-day BEEF class that focuses on cookery, 32:00
In Episode 27, Brandon and Lauren discuss the need to be decisive and aggressive when killing an animal in order to protect its dignity and to show it mercy. They explain how a sharp knife is critical in making this happen. Other topics covered are: the intimacy of killing an animal with a knife, how to make the cut and manage the animal as it is dying, collecting blood for blood sausage, working with the animal's nature throughout the kill, and whether a knife or gun is the best tool to use.
And finally, for those that have been asking.....information on Brandon's gambrel and where you can purchase your own.
Brandon and Lauren answer listener questions about farmsteading and animal harvesting. Topics range from how they seem to “do it all” to the heartache of processing animals to using every part of the animal, including blood and parts. They also talk about evaluating priorities and getting help when you can.
Learn more about the episode as well as Farmstead Meatsmith classes and opportunities at https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/episode-16-17-homesteading-grab-bag
04 Dec 2021
Ep 70: On Moving, Tradition, and Truck Tipping, Part 1
00:56:32
In this episode, we talk more about moving to Oklahoma, tradition, and leaving behind what our kids will want to inherit.
Introduction and Announcements:
We have two Family Pig classes in Spring 2022. Our classes make incredible gifts for anyone interested in the whole processing narrative. From the kill to butchery to cookery, the experience gained at Family Pig is unparalleled.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. By becoming a patron, you'll help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60daytrial." Use it along with the Newsletter Special option to sign up.
Show Notes:
Intro and our kids' enthusiasm for Oklahoma, 1:03
Family Pig dates changed, 6:37
Moving to Tornado Ally, 10:36
Getting the shop ready, 12:10
Come to a class with your family, 17:56
Project with Justin Rhodes, 17:56
Leaving Vashon, 21:53
Moving with cured meat, 23:00
Moving the beams, 29:54
Passing things on to our kids, 32:34
Piety, 36:09
Story of Pinocchio, 42:15
Hungry for tradition, 44:40
Links for Episode 70:
Justin Rhodes - https://homesteadersofamerica.com
Around the Year with Maria Von Trapp - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5857650-around-the-year-with-the-trapp-family
11 Feb 2023
Episode 82: Community vs Society Part 2
00:57:40
Episode 82: Community vs. Society Part 2
In this episode we chat about community, its different forms, positives and negatives, its lack of definition, its function in ideology, and what it offers. We compare it to society, how the family is the essential unit of society, and the grace family provides to a community.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Come to our 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class this June and use your hands to turn four lambs into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The dates are June 8th-10th, and tickets are $1,390. The class is limited to eight students to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. So jump on this chance and sign-up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/martinmas-goose-harvest/
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Topics for Episode 82:
Meatsmith is a social business, 1:01
Question from a fellow meatsmith, 3:15
How big of a factor does community play, 6:10
The communities we've been in, 9:05
Criticism of 'community,' 14:30
How community functions in ideology, 17:47
Community is a 'talismanic' word, 21:44
Feeling isolated as a farmer, 29:45
What does society offer the family?, 31:19
Society prevents isolationism, 32:05
Rugged, individualist, perseverance; 33:03
The family is the essential unit of society, 35:33
You don't get grace through community, 39:00
Sacramental marriage, 39:13
The temporal order cannot survive on its own terms, 41:11
Community gets that kind of grace from the family, 43:35
Ep. 59: Homestead Grab Bag (Tractors, Geese, Pastrami & ...), Part 1
00:46:00
In this episode, Brandon and Lauren share the big "new things" in their lives: a new baby, new geese, and a new tractor! Learn how Brandon is putting his tractor to use in ways he never anticipated and how having a competent and efficient tool affects your psychology. Brandon discusses methods of fattening poultry, including the art of gavage; and Lauren shares the numerous benefits of a Farmstead Meatsmith membership.
Introduction and Announcements:
CHRISTMAS IS COMING!
Family Pig Classes -- Fun and educational -- a great gift! Registration now open for our spring 2021 classes!
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
New videos available on: the home birder; the home eggery; emulsified sausage; the philosophy and mechanics of killing and eating goat kids; pithing ducks; lamb tartar; and comparing curing environments.
To Harvest a Pig Nicely is available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
FREE - Murray Carter's Blade Sharpening Fundamentals film now available free of charge on YouTube!
Gain membership to our exclusive Facebook Meatsmith Table group and help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Part 1 Show Notes:
We bought a tractor!, 2:03
Putting it to work in more ways than we anticipated, 7:47
composting (8:04), stacking wood (11:56), making wood chips and debedding (16:15)
How a competent and efficient tool affects your psychology, 12:35
Tractor purchase and maintenance considerations -- and how it's different than buying a car, 17:25
Fat content in poultry and the art of gavage, 24:24
Farmstead Meatsmith membership - it offers so much!, 37:35
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren discuss fasting and how fat compliments it so beautifully. They share their experiences with fasting, how it has enhanced their lives, and some of the meaning behind it. In Part 2, they talk about the challenges of living in an abundant and convenient world.
Help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon:
Episode 99: Farming, Wine, & Modernity with Kelsey Beck Fernandez of Finca Fernandez, Part 1
01:09:34
In this episode, Kelsey and Brandon chat about farming and processing livestock in urban California, wine culture in Europe vs. the US, Kelsey's Family Pig class experience, and his first solo pig slaughter.
Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class:
Hands-On Harvest Classes -Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer pork, beef, lamb, and goose harvest classes in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/
Meatsmith Membership -We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruit of our labors (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of more than six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join today and partner with us ingrowing your home around the harvest.Monthly memberships are $17.49/month plus a $29.99 signup fee. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49/year with no signup fee, saving you $50.38. There’s a 7-day free trial for Annual memberships. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/membership/
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 99:
0:00 Graduate school connection to Kelsey Beck Fernandez (Faith vs. Atheism)
10:29 Getting into homesteading via wine production in California
17:27 Sourdough, 2020, and moving further into homesteading
20:53 Kelsey coming to our Family Pig Harvest class
28:53 Our classes are life-changing
33:56 Kelsey's first pig slaughter
41:55 Reckless inefficiencies of food production
49:20 Trying to make sense of reality
54:28 The Family is the irreducible unit of society
58:04 Challenging your likes and dislikes with bacon and wine
Ep. 32: Slaughter Stories and Sustainability, Part 1
00:51:24
In this episode, part one of a two-part series, Brandon and Lauren talk about the current stage of their business, changes they're making to it, and what they're currently focusing on. They also share some interesting slaughter stories: what Brandon has been up to, the variables of farm-kill (you've got to expect them), why you've got to have "a hawk's eyes and a bat's ears" if you own your own slaughter business, and the benefits of benevolent confinement of your animals over winter.
In the up-coming second part of this series, Brandon and Lauren will discuss sustainability.
In this episode, we chat about our new baby, our kids keeping the fast, Easter week, St Thomas Aquinas's 'all knowledge comes through the senses' and De Regno, and reason vs. instinct.
Announcements:
Come to the last 3-Day Family Pig Harvest class of the season, May 16-18, whereyou will use only your hands to turn two pigs into kitchen-sized pork cures, cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Come to a 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class, June 20-22 or October 3-5, whereyou will use only your hands to turn four sheep into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The main difference between the Family Lamb and Family Pig is the skinning of sheep. Removing the hide from sheep, deer, elk, etc, ought to be learned by hand for an efficient and satisfying harvest. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/
Our one and only St Martinmas Goose Harvest class will be November 15-16. Just eight students will transform a small flock into undiluted goods for the family table through the culinary traditions of the premodern peasant. The goal of this earnest, hands-on course is to impart the actual virtue of goose provender, from kill to confit. Sign up today at https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/martinmas-goose-harvest/.
Meatsmith Membership A gift that gives all year long! More than 45 Harvest Films, Brandon's Harvest Journal, and our community FaceBook group. 60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the coupon code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign up today at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 95:
0:00 We're about to have a baby
3:00 Our kids are keeping the Feast
5:24 Slaughtering a lamb for Easter Week
12:55 In every account of the Resurrection, they're preparing and eating food
22:00 Homeschooling at the dinner table
27:54 St Thomas Aquinas on manual labor
29:00 Family Pig & our most potent sense: touch
42:09 De Regno (On Kingship) by St Thomas Aquinas - Reason vs. instinct
In this episode, we review The Church and Farming and The Rulers of Russia and the Russian Farmers by Denis Fahey. We also chat about The Prairie Troubadour, our Membership program, and our sense faculties as they relate to farming and all life.
Introduction and Announcements:
Family Pig classes are happening in the Fall on Sept 29th-Oct 1st, Oct 13-15th, and October 27-29th. Our classes make incredible gifts for anyone interested in the whole processing narrative. From the kill to butchery to cookery, the experience gained at Family Pig is unparalleled.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. By becoming a patron, you'll help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60daytrial." Use it along with the Newsletter Special option to sign up.
Ep. 28: Raising, Slaughter and Hanging of Beef, Part 1
01:01:54
In Episode 28, Lauren and Brandon discuss the husbandry of beef, to include grass-feeding and finishing. Other topics discussed include: the effect genetics plays in the overall quality of the meat produced, and the wonders of dry-aging beef.
Brandon and Lauren also make a few exciting announcements:
1) Brandon films in L.A. for an upcoming cooking show! Stay tuned for more info.... 2) Pork shares are now on sale, and registration is open for spring Family Pig classes!
Part 2 (Episode 29) will cover the slaughter and hanging of beef.
Ep. 39: Interview with the Intellectual Agrarian, Part 2
00:34:59
In this episode, the second half of a two-part interview by Terrance Layhew of The Intellectual Agrarian, Brandon and Terrance discuss: on-farm processing standards; how locally-raised food contributes to a healthier environment; the backlash of "modern efficiency"; how savvy cooks and consumers contribute to the production of higher quality meats; the unique skill set needed by mobile slaughtermen (and the daily challenges they face); and other topics.
Brandon and Lauren start by reviewing the important information: Meatsmith has 3 holiday gifts you can offer your loved ones this holiday season! Membership, the (spanking new) Knife Folio, and harvest classes.
The meat of the episode covers 3 questions offered by members of our intimate Patreon community. The first is about vacuum sealers. The second pertains to ruling out botulism in your cures.
The third is more rumination on commodity use and commodity value, which results in general admiration for the working tradesman. They arrive at a solution (for the problem of exploitation in the food industries) of individual consumers educating themselves to further invest in and support (never altogether abandoning) local communal economies.
22 Aug 2017
Ep.2: First Things, Part 1
01:11:25
Brandon and Lauren discuss their story; how Farmstead Meatsmith was born of necessity, and how creative things usually do--from businesses to home-cured bacon.
They talk about the sensibility or prowess that is cultivated as a meatsmith, balancing research with experience, knowing that the best scientific knowledge is derived at with one's own practice and observation.
Authors who have most influenced them in their journey are divulged, all British of course. And lastly, they consider the principle that most drives them to persevere in their work, love.
28 May 2022
Ep 75 Philosophy 101 & Family Farming Part 2
00:56:26
In this episode, we chat about the breakdown of the family farm, private property, the notion of the Soul, The Church and Farming and Russian Farming by Denis Fahey, William Cobbett, and more.
Introduction and Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. By becoming a patron, you will help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Membership -- The essential Meatsmith resource
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are categorized for quick searching.
Access to our private Meatsmith Facebook community.
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout.
Topics:
The breakdown of the family farm, 1:01
Summary of The Church and Farming and Russian Farming, 17:38
Private Property, 17:38
The notion of the Soul, 27:04
'Not just a baptized version of conventional farming,' 30:35
Ep 78: The Virtue of Pig Killing; Brandon’s talk at The Prairie Troubadour 2022 Symposium
01:17:39
Episode 78: The Virtue of Pig Killing; Brandon’s talk at The Prairie Troubadour 2022 Symposium
The Virtue of Pig Killing; Brandon’s talk at The Prairie Troubadour 2022 Symposium. From sonnets to Cottage Economy, from Thomas Aquinas to selling cured meats, Brandon distills much of what we've been discussing over the years into this talk.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Our 3-Day Lamb Harvest course is back! We haven't taught this class for five years and are so happy to be able to offer it again, November 17-19th, at our new homestead just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our classes make incredible gifts for anyone interested in the whole processing narrative. From the kill to skinning to butchery to cookery, the experience gained at our Lamb class is unparalleled. And all instruction is entirely translatable to any other ruminant harvesting, including goats, deer, elk, beef, etc. Find all the details at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/.
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Topics:
Intro to how we provision our home, 2:25
Sonnets (they relate to pig killing, we swear), 7:05
Having to purchase meat again, 10:10
The virtue of killing pigs, 11:20
Cottage Economy, 11:30
Pig hierarchy, 16:50
Why Brandon left academia, 22:20
clouded by emotions when killing livestock, 29:00
Three powers of Thomas Aquinas, 39:09
Cooking is an essential part of slaughter, 41:33
Catching blood & blood sausage, 44:22
Making andouille sausage, 47:33
100% yield from your livestock, 49:45
Pig killing requires you to use your senses, 56:11
Cottage Economy by William Cobbett https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243534.Cottage_Economy
G. K. Chesterton https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7014283.G_K_Chesterton
Thomas Aquinas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas
02 Oct 2017
Ep. 5: First Things, Part 2; Cutlery
01:29:06
Brandon and Lauren recount their journey from the obtuse existence of using dull knives, to learning simple but scary sharp sharpening techniques.
They discuss the difference between the stainless steel 'package' (protective gear, multiple shape knives, pistol grip) and the high-carbon steel blade.
Lastly, they share the usefulness of a good cleaver and chopping block. Romance comes through too as they discover what truly sharp looks like!
21 Mar 2024
Episode 93: Agrarian Thomistic Philosophy with Dr Richard Meloche, Part 1
01:31:55
In episode 93, we chat with Dr. Richard Meloche of the Alcuin Institute about the music in our home, Thomistic philosophy, 'coming to farming' for the food, the spiritual parfait of Grace and Nature, textual references to 'The Good Life,' and why the rural life is the best way to obtain the necessary bodily goods.
Announcements:
Come to a 3-Day Family Pig Harvest class, April 25-27, May 2-4, or May 16-18, whereyou will use only your hands to turn two pigs into kitchen-sized pork cures, cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Come to a 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class, June 20-22 or October 3-5, whereyou will use only your hands to turn four sheep into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The main difference between the Family Lamb and Family Pig is the skinning of sheep. Removing the hide from sheep, deer, elk, etc, ought to be learned by hand for an efficient and satisfying harvest. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/
Meatsmith Membership A gift that gives all year long! More than 45 Harvest Films, Brandon's Harvest Journal, and our community FaceBook group. 60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the coupon code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign up today at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 93:
0:00 Denying proper tools for music & the kitchen
8:49 The promise of flavor is nutrition
11:15 Introducing our guest Dr. Richard Meloche & Thomistic philosophy
16:34 Why we call it The Family Pig & household economy
25:25 St Thomas Aquinas's works & farm philosophy
35:30 The camaraderie of The Family Pig
40:45 How we met Dr. Meloche & 'coming to farming' for the food
55:26 The spiritual parfait of Grace and Nature
1:05:16 Textual references to 'The Good Life' & necessary bodily goods
1:12:51 Why the rural life is the best way to obtain the necessary bodily goods
1:22:40 Cookbooks written about peasant agriculture traditions
In this episode, Brandon and Lauren talk about not only the process of killing a pig - the challenges, techniques, and tools - but also the philosophy behind the practices they use to slaughter an animal peacefully and effectively. Learn why pigs are so hard to kill (and therefore why your tools and trajectory are so important), hear Brandon tell some stories of pigs he has missed, and why you should keep pigs with their herd up until the end.
Learn more about the episode as well as Farmstead Meatsmith classes and opportunities at https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/episode-14-the-slaughter/
03 Mar 2022
Ep 71: On Moving, Tradition, & Truck Tipping, Pt 2
00:56:55
In this episode, we continue our conversation on moving from Washington State to just outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. We chat about the changing landscape, packing up our business, and tipping our slaughter truck.
Introduction and Announcements:
Family Pig classes are happening in the Fall on Sept 29th-Oct 1st, Oct 13-15th, and October 27-29th. Our classes make incredible gifts for anyone interested in the whole processing narrative. From the kill to butchery to cookery, the experience gained at Family Pig is unparalleled.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. By becoming a patron, you'll help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60daytrial." Use it along with the Newsletter Special option to sign up.
Episode 71 Show Notes:
Absconding fathers, 1:01
Slaughter truck packing, 13:15
Eating out on the road, 25:00
Changing landscapes, 29:23
Purging before moving, 35:49
What our new place offers, 38:00
Dewlap Toulouse geese, 40:22
Daniel Firth Griffiths interview for the Robinia Institute, 42:56
In these episodes Lauren and Brandon discuss fundamental principles to employ during the lead-up to a kill. They go in depth on how to avoid a chase to and keep a herd calm when cornering a sheep or goat. They also explain the mechanisms for bringing down and subduing a ruminant.
Lauren and Brandon discuss the landscape of heritage breed pork production in the U.S. on the small scale. You'll see that for being heritage breed enthusiasts they hesitate to encourage everyone to go get the first heritage animals you can get your hands on.
For the sustainability and long term conservation of these breeds we need to expand the focus from only the 1) breeding and 2) raising (the first two links in the chain of their lifespan) of these pigs, and start 3) processing, 4) marketing and 5) eating (the latter 3 links in the chain) these pigs as they should be....which is very different from how lean pigs ought to be processed, marketed and eaten.
Topics Discussed
Introduction and Announcements:
Join us on Instagram! We do stories several times a week on what Brandon's doing in the shop and on the field.
Meatsmith Mangalitza Pork Share partnership with Westland Distillery; you can sample our pork paired with their whiskey at Cochon 555 competitions throughout the country in 2018. Come taste it out in Seattle April 22nd, Austin in May, as well as Miami and Denver in June.
One more Mangalitza share is available for purchase now!...and more to come this summer, so email us to reserve one: harvest@farmsteadmeatsmith.com
Membership will be open through April 11th!.... (extended from the original April 8th deadline.)
Come to the Feast of Divine Mercy! April 8th, 2018, or any 2nd Sunday of Easter in the future (the Sunday after Easter Sunday). Check out the Vimeo film below and email us for details.
Content: Making heritage breed livestock sustainable; a straight-shooting conversation on the pork heritage breed landscape in America.
'Heritage' is a confusing term; 'lard pig,' 'bacon pig,' and 'lean pig' might be better to indicate the actual physiology of the pigs you're growing, processing and eating.
Pastured Pork? This can be a misleading term.
The allure of taking 'free' heritage/rare breeds (or any livestock!) before you're ready.
Lauren's 5 step (another phase outline :) narrative for the heritage livestock you're supposed to breed, raise, process, sell and eat.
Breeding (often the only step small agriculture wants to promote and improve).
Husbandry
Processing
Selling
Eating
Hardships exist at each stage of the heritage animal's biological and economic lifespan. For the sustainability of small farmers growing them, butchers harvesting them, and consumers purchasing them, we must raise the bar at each of these phases.
Tangent on Pig Psychology...which is especially important to consider when slaughtering non-heritage breeds.
Discerning lard pigs from bacon pigs from lean pigs to help you in your husbandry plan.
Economic realities of the custom processor in America: they are all setup (infrastructure, personnel, work flow, etc.) to process all pigs as if they are lean pigs....thereby rendering much of the hard-won/husbanded fat on the lard or bacon heritage breed. This can mess with the financial expectations of the farmer, or (if a processor does grant the customer all the fat that the farmer asked for) many times a consumer may be--at best--confused or--at worst--frustrated, and forego purchasing a heritage breed again: this creates a vicious cycle that is hard to extract oneself from, no matter where you stand in the narrative.
No more blaming the Heritage breed for problems that are a result of monkey wrenches in the system between farmer, processor and consumer!
Where the rubber meets the road is setting the price...farmers must charge properly, and consumers must pay properly. This is the beginning of real value and real economy; no one is getting exploited.
We must also think of heritage breed fat as treasure, rather than burden....which will help the economic sustainability of the consumer in the long run.
Episode 85: Of Land Hurricanes, Candle Light, and Large Living, Part 1
01:01:16
In this episode, we discuss recent extreme weather, how much 'rejection of technology' is reasonable, what technology keeps you from learning, and attending the Mass by candlelight.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Come to our 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class this November and December and use your hands to turn four lambs into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The dates are November 16th-18th, November 30th - December 2nd, and December 14th-16th. Tickets are $1,530 per person, with a limited capacity of just eight students to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign-up today!https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
In this episode Brandon is interviewed by Steve and Joseph of The Working Title podcast. Brandon shares the winding path that led him into the butchery trade; the unique approach of Farmstead Meatsmith; and how Farmstead Meatsmith came into being. Other discussions include: how technology has left the domestic scale behind (dulling the edge of human nature in the process); factory farming vs. veganism; the butcher's duty to kill well; the cost of our existence; and what a random morning in Brandon's life looks like.
Introduction and Announcements:
Membership is open!
New content available on: lamb butchery, curing red meat, lamb curing, and lamb carpaccio!
Membership forum topics now categorized for easy browsing!
Watch Brandon compete on The History Channel's The Butcher!
To Kill a Pig Nicely now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren discuss fasting and how fat compliments it so beautifully. They share their experiences with fasting, how it has enhanced their lives, and some of the meaning behind it. They also suggest ways that fat can be incorporated into one's practice of fasting.
In the way of side topics, Brandon shares what he has been up to on the farm; and Brandon and Lauren muse over the unique personality characteristics and culinary delights of geese.
Introduction and Announcements:
Join one of our summer Family Pig classes! July 22-24 and Aug 5-7
Martinmas Great Goose Class coming up this fall! More information to follow.
New goose killing video up on our website under Membership.
To Harvest a Pig Nicely is available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Gain membership to our exclusive Facebook Meatsmith Table group and help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Part 1 Show Notes:
Brandon's morning, 2:10
Brining and smoking meat, 2:12
Planting nut trees to feed animals and pigs, 3:10
Planning a new poultry fattening house and a new goose harvest class, 6:56
On Geese, 9:25
Fasting and fasting with fat, 19:25
Our experiences with fasting,
Not all backfat is created equal, 45:12
Ways to cure lardo, 51:04
Other ways to incorporate fat into your fasting, 55:08
Benefits of lardo vs. fat destined for rendering, 57:26
Ep. 54: Meatsmith Homeschooling & Parenting, Part 2
00:59:38
This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
In this episode, Brandon and Lauren share what has worked well in their homeschooling and parenting efforts. They provide a glimpse into a typical day -- how they balance school, chores, meals, and business. They discuss: how homeschooling and self-sustainability are a natural extension of their lifestyle; the critical roles virtue and self mastery play within the home; and how technology needs to be harnessed to the role of tool - not enslaver.
As a final topic, Brandon and Lauren talk about Brandon's new films on lamb tartare and cabrito, now available under "Membership" on the website.
Introduction and Announcements:
To Harvest a Pig Nicely is now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
In these episodes Brandon and Lauren discuss sausage: its history and versatility, as well as its degradation in modern times. Best of all, they give you the tools you need to make and season truly delicious sausage at home, using quality ingredients (it all starts with a happy healthy pig) in the right proportions.
To Harvest a Pig Nicely is available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Gain membership to our exclusive Facebook Meatsmith Table group and help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Part 1 Show Notes:
Charcuterie prayer, 1:07
Podcast becoming more philosophical, 3.19
Natural Law, 5:41
Natures cues, 6:55
Inviting guests onto the podcast, 10:40
Membership Meatsmith education, 12:20
Summer classes and pork shares, 14:54
Learning Natural Law through raising livestock, 16:12
Emotional reactions to slaughter, 20:03
Definition of Natural Law, 25:19
Pigs are always piggish, 33:22
The Creator and his order, 37:31
Natural Law vs. Naturalism, 39:24
Raising chickens anecdotes, 44:10
Assuming the nature of things is either perceivable or non-existent, 45:30
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren discuss Natural Law, what it is, and how it is observable on the farm.In part 2, they continue to illustrate Natural Law with livestock death and how urbanization erases the weight of Natural Law upon us.
Introduction and Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, in both filming and editing. By becoming a patron, you'll help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60daytrial." Use it along with the Newsletter Special option to sign up.
Part 1 Show Notes:
Charcuterie prayer, 1:07
Podcast becoming more philosophical, 3.19
Natural Law, 5:41
Natures cues, 6:55
Inviting guests onto the podcast, 10:40
Membership Meatsmith education, 12:20
Summer classes and pork shares, 14:54
Learning Natural Law through raising livestock, 16:12
Emotional reactions to slaughter, 20:03
Definition of Natural Law, 25:19
Pigs are always piggish, 33:22
The Creator and his order, 37:31
Natural Law vs. Naturalism, 39:24
Raising chickens anecdotes, 44:10
Assuming the nature of things is either perceivable or non-existent, 45:30
Part 2 Show Notes:
The good in Natural Law, 1:51
Metaphysical assumptions 3:03
Essentialism, 3:03
Teleology, 5:23
Emotional regard, 6:53
Mrs. Beeton anecdote about emperor Charles V, 11:05
In Episode 44, Brandon introduces "The Finisher", a new tool he's discovered for pithing ducks (rather than slitting their necks) which allows for a more attractive presentation and preserves the blood, within the animal, for such dishes as Duck a la Press. Brandon and Lauren discuss the struggle that exists between humane killing and efficiency, and question whether pithing or neck slitting is the more humane method of poultry slaughter. Other topics include: making Duck a la Presse; how poultry plumage acts as a veil for an animal, but simultaneously reveals its nature and reality; how commodified forms of meat, as currently sold in supermarkets, allow us to forget that we are a burden to the earth; and how to preserve meat in its own fat in the form of confit and rillettes. Finally, Lauren discusses her maiden venture into making hand soap from lard and her new Keto diet.
Introduction and Announcements:
To Kill a Pig Nicely now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Membership is open!
New content available on: lamb butchery, curing red meat, lamb curing, and lamb carpaccio!
Membership forum topics now categorized for easy browsing!
In this episode, we chat about the time of year to harvest pigs, the Mangalitza pig breed, our longhorn escapade, fast vs. slow stitch animals, and extraneous livestock.
Announcements:
Come to the 2-Day The Art of Foie Gras class in Louisiana this January 19-20. You'll learn the art of goose harvesting from Brandon and the art of gavage from Ross McKnight of Backwater Foie Gras. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://backwaterfoiegras.com/foiegrasclass
Our Fall classes have SOLD OUT. Come to a 3-Day Family Pig Harvest class, April 25-27, May 2-4, or May 16-18, whereyou will use only your hands to turn two pigs into kitchen-sized pork cures, cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Come to a 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class, June 20-22 or October 3-5, whereyou will use only your hands to turn four sheep into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The main difference between the Family Lamb and Family Pig is the skinning of sheep. Removing the hide from sheep, deer, elk, etc, ought to be learned by hand for an efficient and satisfying harvest. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/
Meatsmith Membership A gift that gives all year long! More than 45 Harvest Films, Brandon's Harvest Journal, and our community FaceBook group. 60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the coupon code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign up today at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 91:
0:00 Intro & Family Pig classes
3:52 THE time of year to harvest pigs
6:13 Mangalitza pigs
11:51 Our Longhorn escapade
26:56 Fast vs slow twitch animals
30:38 Extraneous livestock
Thank you, Patrons!
Ellen Bloomfield, Monica Allen, Will Eichler, Tim Jones, Dennis M Carlson, Matthew Klimczak, Nate Crown, Tim Colton, Jeremy Wood, Warren Lund, Dohrman Farm, Ps42, Danielle, Alan Fortini-Campbell, Meghan Hickman
Become a Patron by going to Patreon.com/meatsmith.
15 Nov 2018
Ep. 20: Holiday Grab Bag Q&A, Part 1
00:47:57
In this episode Brandon and Lauren discuss holiday meal topics of all kinds focusing mainly on roasting a pig's head.
04 Oct 2023
Episode 87: Culling, Cattle Rotation, and Gregorian Chant, Part 1
01:01:28
In this episode, we chat about the Assumption, our current virtue building, guilds & slaughterhouses of old, how our classes can get you off industrial meat, the meaning of culling, and rotational grazing on our farm.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Come to our 3-Day Family Pig Harvest class this November and December and use your hands to turn four lambs into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The dates are November 16th-18th, November 30th - December 2nd, and December 14th-16th. Tickets are $1,530 per person, with a limited capacity of just eight students to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today!https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Our 3-Day Lamb Harvest class is SOLD OUT.
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 87:
0:00 Intro & Assumption tide
5:47 Our current virtue building
9:00 Guilds & slaughterhouses of old
15:08 Our classes get you off industrial meat
26:20 The meaning of 'to cull'
31:46 The Slaughterman's Creed
42:04 There is waste in life
47:12 Rotational grazing on our farm
Links for Episode 87:
Slaughterman's Creed from Haslingden Old And New, Blog - Thursday, 23 January 2014 by Bryan Yorke:
Ellen Bloomfield, Monica Allen, Lisa Treat, Chris Sugg, Nan Wilson, Will Eichler, Tim Jones, Dennis M Carlson, Matthew Klimczak, Don Lang, Larry Kapigian, Nate Crown, Tim Colton, Jeremy Wood, Alana Quevedo, Dekota Donnell, Philip Durso, Warren Lund, Mujahid Abdallah, Dohrman Farm, Ps42, Danielle, Alan Fortini-Campbell, Meghan Hickman, Maria
Become a Patron by going to Patreon.com/meatsmith.
25 Jul 2017
Ep.1: Who Harvests?
01:00:04
Brandon and Lauren Sheard of Farmstead Meatsmith sit down together to start a conversation (a rare treat amidst a large household and growing homestead) that will continue in the months and years to come.
They begin a discussion on death, humane killing of animals, industrial meat system solutions, terminology of the home harvester and the varied topics they'll cover in future episodes.
Most importantly they identify that every human can be part of the harvesting of her meat. From urban rabbitry to small-scale carcass cutting and curing, every home can embrace many tasks of providing meat for it's members.
02 Jul 2024
Episode 97: Catholic Farm Dad Stuff with Mark Wertin, Part 1
01:12:04
In this episode, we chat about Mark's beginnings in farming and his experience as a dairyman, teaching children and preserving their innocence, and how smartphones are demonic.
Hands-On Harvest Classes -Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We're currently offering a 3-day pork class (Sept 12th-14th), a 3-day lamb class (Oct 3rd-5th), a 2-day goose class (Nov 15th-16th), and a 2-day beef class (Dec 6th-7th). Spots are limited to just eight students per class, so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/
Meatsmith Membership - We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruit of our labors (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of more than six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join today and partner with us in growing your home around the harvest.Monthly memberships are $17.49/month plus a $29.99 signup fee. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49/year with no signup fee, saving you $50.38. There’s a 7-day free trial for Annual memberships.
11 Apr 2019
Ep. 37: Lamb Butchery (& Cookery)..., Part 2
00:50:34
In Episode 37, part 2 of a 2-part series, you will learn Brandon's approach to butchering a lamb; and why he believes that if you learn to butcher a lamb, you will be able to butcher any other member of the quadruped family. Brandon and Lauren explain why the physiology of quadrupeds determines the placement of your cuts when you quarter them. They teach us that "butchery is the servant of cookery", and that the best method to use for cooking a particular cut of meat is determined by the function those muscles performed for the quadruped while it was alive. Finally, they discuss how you, through your own powers of observation and intuition, can grow in your butchery and cookery abilities.
In this episode, Brandon and Lauren talk about culture, the medieval village, the virtues of the intellect, science and First Principles, and the intelligence of farmers.
Introduction and Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, in both filming and editing. By becoming a patron, you'll help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60daytrial." Use it along with the Newsletter Special option to sign up.
Part 2 Show Notes:
Choosing Oklahoma, 1:00
The moving process and Clear Creek Abby, 11:32
Virtues of the intellect, 12:53
Curing recipes and the intelligence of farmers, 23:38
Episode 83: Of Blood Bread, Beef Classes and Building Society, Part 1
01:15:18
In this episode, we chat about raising beef and dairy cows, blood bread and modern food, and we continue our discussion on Community vs. Society.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Come to our 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class this June and use your hands to turn four lambs into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The dates are June 8th-10th, and tickets are $1,390. The class is limited to eight students to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. So jump on this chance and sign-up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/martinmas-goose-harvest/
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Topics for Episode 83:
Beef breeds for our classes, 3:32 Sheep husbandry, 13:52 Goose class and Family Pig classes, 15:47 Raising dairy cows, 17:51 Blood bread, 23:53 Modern food tricks us into eating more, 28:33 Back to Community vs. Society, 39:25 Feed both the body and spirit, 40:28 Story from Physiology of Taste by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, 42:59 Eating in the context of natural order & hierarchy, 50:29 The etymology of Community, 52:20 Losing community to unity, 1:03:32 Excess of Community on the Right and Left, 1:05:55 An authority that distributes common goods, 1:11:48
Ep 38: Interview with the Intellectual Agrarian, Part 1
00:35:44
This episode is the first half of a two-part recording of Brandon's recent interview by Terrance Layhew of TheIntellectual Agrarian. During the interview Brandon and Terrance discuss such issues as: the lack of first-hand experience within modern-day academia; the burden of abundance (utilizing 100% of an animal carcass); and the existence of a widespread estrangement, within our current society, from the anatomy of animals. Additionally, Brandon dispels a few "on-farm animal harvesting" myths.
Episode 98: Catholic Farm Dad Stuff with Mark Wertin, Part 2
00:50:26
In this episode, Mark and Brandonchat more aboutsmartphones, the value of mundane farm tasks, breeding Jersey milk cows and bulls, fencing for cows, and teaching folks (and your kids) to shoot pigs.Also,Mark wrote and performed a beautiful sonnet about shooting pigs for Brandon.
Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class:
Hands-On Harvest Classes -Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer pork, beef, lamb, and goose harvest classes in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited tojusteight students per class to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/
Meatsmith Membership -We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruit of our labors (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of more than six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing,cookery, and charcuterie.Join today and partner with usingrowingyour home around the harvest.Monthly memberships are $17.49/month plus a $29.99 signup fee. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49/year with no signup fee, saving you $50.38. There’s a 7-day free trial for Annual memberships.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 98:
0:00 The value of the mundane repetitive farm chores
14:16 Breeding Jersey milk cows and bulls
25:22 Fencing for cows
36:20 Teaching kids to slaughter livestock
43:44Let Thy Belly Meet The Earth!Sonnet Mark wrote Brandon
In this episode, we discussed farm tasks that build virtue, our upcoming The Art of Foie Gras class, farming as an art, the myth of "do what you love," what is the Good Life, the burden of abundance, foie gras as preservation, and horses and cows in our future.
Announcements:
Come to the 2-Day The Art of Foie Gras class in Louisiana this January 19-20. You'll learn the art of goose harvesting from Brandon and the art of gavage from Ross McKnight of Backwater Foie Gras. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://backwaterfoiegras.com/foiegrasclass
Come to a 3-Day Family Pig Harvest class, April 25-27, May 2-4, or May 16-18, whereyou will use only your hands to turn two pigs into kitchen-sized pork cures, cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Come to a 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class, June 20-22 or October 3-5, whereyou will use only your hands to turn four sheep into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The main difference between the Family Lamb and Family Pig is the skinning of sheep. Removing the hide from sheep, deer, elk, etc, ought to be learned by hand for an efficient and satisfying harvest. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/
Meatsmith Membership A gift that gives all year long! More than 45 Harvest Films, Brandon's Harvest Journal, and our community FaceBook group. 60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the coupon code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign up today at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Ellen Bloomfield, Monica Allen, Will Eichler, Tim Jones, Dennis M Carlson, Matthew Klimczak, Nate Crown, Tim Colton, Jeremy Wood, Warren Lund, Dohrman Farm, Ps42, Danielle, Alan Fortini-Campbell, Meghan Hickman
Become a Patron by going to Patreon.com/meatsmith.
13 Dec 2018
Ep. 22: Sausage, Part 1
01:03:27
In these episodes Brandon and Lauren discuss sausage: its history and versatility, as well as its degradation in modern times. Best of all, they give you the tools you need to make and season truly delicious sausage at home, using quality ingredients (it all starts with a happy healthy pig) in the right proportions.
Musings on the Oxford English Dictionary and the history and definition of the word "sausage", 01:34
Versatility of (and traditions in) sausage....The sky's the limit!, 15:30
Suffering of modern-day sausage, 20:23
Material components of delicious sausage, 24:55
Meat from a happy healthy pig, 25:15
Salt (2% by weight), 28:09
Pork back fat (1/3 of the weight of the sausage), 32:36
Casing, 40:40
The best sausage ingredients serve dual purposes, 45:15
How to make your own sausage, 50:59
13 Mar 2019
Ep. 33: Slaughter Stories and Sustainability, Part 2
00:44:18
In Episode 32, Brandon and Lauren talk about the current stage of their business, changes they're making to it, and what they're currently focusing on. They also share some interesting slaughter stories: what Brandon has been up to, the variables of farm-kill (you've got to expect them), and the benefits of benevolent confinement of your animals over winter. Brandon also explains why you've got to have "a hawk's eyes and a bat's ears" if you own your own slaughter business,
Episode 33 is all about sustainability. How do you price your product in such a way that you can sustain your business, provide for your family, and support a locally-based agrarian economy? Tune in for Lauren and Brandon's insights!
Ep 77: From Finance to Foie Gras - Interview with Ross McKnight of Backwater Foie Gras, Part 2
01:25:45
In this episode, we chat with Ross McKnight of Backwater Foie Gras about the practical element of gavage, why gavage isn't force-feeding, breed of duck, feed used, legally selling farm products, prose, and poetry.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Our 3-Day Lamb Harvest course is back! We haven't taught this class for five years and are so happy to be able to offer it again, November 17-19th, at our new homestead just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our classes make incredible gifts for anyone interested in the whole processing narrative. From the kill to skinning to butchery to cookery, the experience gained at our Lamb class is unparalleled. And all instruction is entirely translatable to any other ruminant harvesting, including goats, deer, elk, beef, etc. Find all the details at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/.
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Topics:
The practical element of gavage, 1:02
Gavage is a natural form of agriculture, 13:55
Muscovy or mallard, 10:40 & 15:05
How much to feed them, 16:00
It's not force-feeding, 17:42
Using whole corn, 21:04
Write this down and frame it for your kitchen, 22:23
Why foie gras?, 43:03
Age of the muscovies, 29:12
Using milk, 32:49
Pre--gavage treatment, 34:42
Meatsmith & Backwater Foie Gras should offer classes together, 45:15
A PMA (Private Membership Association) as an alternative to selling retail, 46:56
Millers Organic Farm as a PMA example, 54:36
The power of bureaucracy, 57:21
A PMA in every state, 1:04:00
Food safety regulations are written for industrial-scale, not small farms, 1:06:00
Food prices at farmers market, 1:07:52
Culinary ignorance, 1:12:36
You can make a living farming, 1:17:28
Swimming with the current that is the natural order, 1:20:39
In these episodes Brandon and Lauren are talking about hunting and preparing deer. Brandon talks through deer processing, and talks about that “gamey” flavor everyone uses when talking about venison. He and Lauren also discuss the culinary challenges of venison and how they bring more fat into the preparation of such a lean meat.
Learn more about the episode as well as Farmstead Meatsmith classes and opportunities at https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/episode-18-19-hunting-deer-eating-venison
25 Oct 2017
Ep. 6: First Things, Part 3; Continuing
01:15:10
Brandon and Lauren discuss the economic realities of 'good meat' market culture from the standpoint of several audiences: the 'good food' consumer (hopefully all of us), the homesteader raising their own meat and selling a little as well, and also the small-scale butcher and educator.
They confront both hardships and opportunities when valuing their products and services, and encourage others to allow their esteem for the things they sell and buy to fit how they monetize these items too...for the sake of the true sustainability of the good food movement!
They also speak briefly about monetizing their own podcast venture. Please do consider supporting this mission if the podcast has been of support to your food goals: you can find their donation platform at www.Patreon.com/meatsmith.
29 Mar 2020
Ep. 51: Cooking Through a Side of Beef, Part 1
00:57:50
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren explain why they finally broke down and bought a side of beef for their family; why Brandon decided not to freeze any of it; and how they worked through the side of beef removing chunks of meat, as needed over a three month period of time.
Brandon will convince you that the best way to eat beef is -- VERY aged, and offers suggestions on how to entice your family to eat it, despite the colorful mold.
Finally, Brandon and Lauren reveal their three time-tested and proven pillars of beef cookery, and the cooking techniques they recommend in preparing each cut of beef.
Introduction and Announcements:
To Kill a Pig Nicely now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
New content available on: beef mold, SlaughterDay Fry, fenalår
Membership forum topics now categorized for easy browsing!
Join us for one of our upcoming spring Family Pig classes!
Help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Part 1 Show Notes:
Why we broke down and purchased a side of beef, 9:48
Our decision not to freeze any of the beef, 19:01
The way to eat beef is ... very aged, 22:02
Mold on aged beef, 33:12
How to get your family to eat dry-aged beef with mold, 43:45
How we broke down and cooked our side of beef, piece-by-piece, 49:44
Skirt steak and flank, 49:44
Foreshank, 51:52
Braising (plate, brisket, flank), 53:58
Continued in Part 2.....
Links for Episode 51:
There are no links for Episode 51.
12 Dec 2019
Ep. 46: Cookery Methods, Part 2
01:04:21
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren discuss braising, pan-frying and roasting — the only techniques you need to cook any cut of meat deliciously! Learn how, by starting with fresh meat from well-raised animals, you will eliminate your need for fancy recipes, extensive ingredient lists, and excessive time in the kitchen. Also learn which cooking method is best for each cut of meat (based upon the part of the animal it comes from) … Is it tough or tender? Fatty or lean? You’ve got this!
Introduction and Announcements:
To Kill a Pig Nicely now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Membership is open!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: “60 Day Trial”
New content available on: lamb butchery, curing red meat, lamb curing, and lamb carpaccio!
Membership forum topics now categorized for easy browsing!
Join us for one of our upcoming spring Family Pig classes!
Help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Part 1 Show Notes:
Idaho Pastured Pigs (IPPs); 3:21
The three methods of meat cookery: braising, pan frying and roasting; 15:48
Receptivity to the results of your cooking; 31:05
Definitions of braise, pan fry and roast; 36:08
Braise – 37:01
Pan Fry – 38:17
Roast – 38:40
Unique facets of each cooking method; about 41:34
Larding; 43:22
Determining whether to braise, pan-fry, or roast; 48:27
Lauren’s X-Y grid, 49:48
How Brandon cooks various types/cuts of meat, 54:59
Fatty and tough (ie. belly) ; 55:06
Continued in Part 2 ……
Part 2 Show Notes:
How Brandon cooks various types of meat (continued from Part 1), 1:02
Lean and tender (ie. meat from the loin, chops, steaks); 1:02
Tough and lean (ie. bottom round, top side, silver side); 5:39
Brining; 8:26
Fatty and tender (ie. back fat, baby-back ribs, loin steak); 12:53
More on braising; 19:27
Deglazing; 23:26
Summation of Lauren’s x-y grid meat cookery graph; 27:40
Recommended meat cookery cookbooks; 45:32
Delighting in the family meal: If you want to digest well, you need to be happy; 53:07
In this episode, wechat aboutsymbolism and learning through analogy, rational creatures participating in the eternal law, Reason in exchange for physical protection, and the Four Ends of Labor.
Announcements:
Our Fall Family Pig Harvest class will be September 12-14. Join us to use just your hands (and a sharp knife) to turn two pigs into kitchen-sized pork cures, cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Come to a 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class, June 20-22 or October 3-5, whereyou will use only your hands to turn four sheep into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The main difference between the Family Lamb and Family Pig is the skinning of sheep. Removing the hide from sheep, deer, elk, etc, ought to be learned by hand for an efficient and satisfying harvest. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/
Our one and onlySt Martinmas Goose Harvest class will be November 15-16. Just eight students will transform a small flock into undiluted goods for the family table through the culinary traditions of the premodern peasant.The goal ofthis earnest, hands-on courseisto impart the actual virtue of goose provender, from kill to confit.Sign up today at https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/martinmas-goose-harvest/.
Meatsmith MembershipA gift that gives all year long! More than 45 Harvest Films, Brandon's Harvest Journal, and our community FaceBook group. 60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the coupon code 60daytrialat checkout. Sign up today at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 96:
0:00 Intro
1:00 We learn through analogy
17:07 Rational creatures participate in the eternal law
25:10 Humans lack physical protectionbutwe have Reason
29:41 The Four Ends of Labor
33:13 The primary end of all manual labor serves food production
37:42 The secondary end of labor is to remove idleness
45:22 Morality is simply practical Reason
52:40 Agriculture has a built-in limitation on concupiscence
Ep. 29: Raising, Slaughter and Hanging of Beef, Part 2
00:59:21
In Episode 28, Lauren and Brandon discuss the husbandry of beef, to include grass-feeding and finishing. Other topics discussed include: the effect genetics plays in the overall quality of the meat produced, and the wonders of dry-aging beef.
Brandon and Lauren also make a few exciting announcements:
1) Brandon films in L.A. for an upcoming cooking show! Stay tuned for more info.... 2) Pork shares are now on sale, and registration is open for spring Family Pig classes!
In Episode 29, Brandon and Lauren cover the slaughter: waiting for the right shot, where to aim, and the kill. They also discuss skinning, evisceration, and hanging.
In this episode, Part 2 of a 2 part series, Lauren and Brandon discuss the benefits and challenges of taking on various farm "side' gigs (pigs, broilers, goat kids, rabbits, beef, sheep, duck eggs, vegetables). They highlight important factors that need to be taken into consideration in deciding which endeavors to invest in: what your locale is, what your land is suited for, and what your customers want and will buy.
07 Nov 2018
Ep. 19: Hunting Deer & Eating Venison Part 2
00:53:38
This part two of a two-part episode.
In these episodes Brandon and Lauren are talking about hunting and preparing deer. Brandon talks through deer processing, and talks about that "gamey" flavor everyone uses when talking about venison. He and Lauren also discuss the culinary challenges of venison and how they bring more fat into the preparation of such a lean meat.
Learn more about the episode as well as Farmstead Meatsmith classes and opportunities at https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/episode-18-19-hunting-deer-eating-venison
23 Feb 2018
Ep. 8: Tools
01:10:40
Brandon and Lauren discuss the tools that have most defined their meatsmithing journey: tools that allowed them to get started in the business, as well as truly harvesting for their own family on a budget.
They start with the few high-ticket items for their shop, and end with a few necessary field tools....as well as what may be in store for them as they continue to grow.
Join them on their Patreon account to give them questions, topics and engage in the conversation on A Meatsmith Harvest.
28 Aug 2020
Ep 57: Bacon, Beef & Feasting, Part 1
00:54:26
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren discuss: Murray Carter's Blade Sharpening Fundamentals film (now available free of charge on YouTube; Brandon's refined method of making lower-salt bacon; the human connection to pigs and bacon; and feasting and fasting.
Introduction and Announcements:
FREE - Murray Carter's Blade Sharpening Fundamentals film now available free of charge on YouTube!
FAMILY PIG CLASSES -- a great Christmas gift! Registration now open for our January 2021 classes!
To Harvest a Pig Nicely is available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Brandon and Lauren discuss the important step of pig depilation, or the removal of the hair from the pig. While there a couple ways to do this, Brandon favors dunking the pig into a drum of hot water - it’s more efficient, generally works better, and allows more precision.
In this episode, you can also hear Brandon talk with Graham Meriwether, director and producer of the new movie Farmers for America, about his first memories around food and farming.
Learn more about the episode as well as Farmstead Meatsmith classes and opportunities at https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/episode-15-pig-depilation/
14 Oct 2019
Ep. 43: Harvesting and Preparing Duck, Part 1
00:56:08
In Episode 43, part 1 of a 2 part series, Brandon shares his new-found method of killing duck (and other poultry) and the newly discovered tool he uses to do it. Other topics include: the tyranny of abundance; Brandon's reason for generally avoiding nitrates (the reason may be different than you think); the magic of rennet; and a well-loved side topic -- salami (it's so delicious!)
25 Oct 2023
Episode 88 - Culling, Cattle Rotation, and Gregorian Chant, Part 2
01:17:14
In this episode, we chat about Gregorian chant; what it is, how it's different from modern music, and how it impacts our lives.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Come to our 3-Day Family Pig Harvest class this November and December and use your hands to turn four lambs into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The dates are November 16th-18th, November 30th - December 2nd, and December 14th-16th. To keep the hands-on experience undiluted, classes are limited to just eight students. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long! More than 45 Harvest Films, Brandon's Harvest Journal, and our community FaceBook group. 60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 88:
0:00 What is Gregorian chant?
12:00 How Gregorian chant is different from modern music
15:06 You will understand even though it's in Latin
Episode 84: Of Blood Bread, Beef Classes and Building Society, Part 2
00:52:37
In this episode, we discuss the gift that is Community, Nature, Grace, & Original Sin, farming in reparation to God, the uselessness of smartphones, and the virtue of pork chops.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Come to our 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class this Juneand use your hands to turn four lambs into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The dates are June 1st-3rd and June 15-17th, and tickets are $1,390. The class is limited to eight students to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. So jump on this chance and sign-up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/martinmas-goose-harvest/
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Topics for Episode 84:
Community doesn't save your soul, 1:01 Community & friendship can concur, 4:22 Choosing between community, worship, and land, 7:41 Nature, Grace, & Original Sin, 13:29 Farming is reparation to God, 17:33 Choose worship, 29:06 Communities formed around pilgrimages, 35:31 Smartphones are immensely useless, 43:00 The virtue of pork chops, 45:02
In this episode, Part 2 of a two-part series, Brandon and Lauren talk about slaughtering goat kids and sheep, what rennett is and what it is used for, and the art of duck gavage. They also delve into more philosophical topics such as: humane slaughter vs. natural death, the danger of compassion in the slaughter, and why eating meat is brazen.
Introduction and Announcements:
To Harvest a Pig Nicely is now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
In Episode 36, Brandon and Lauren discuss the factors that contribute to the spoilage of fresh meat, and the environment you want to create in your home butchery operations to avoid it. They also cover: why sheep are "so simple" (to raise and butcher); the contribution rancidity makes to the flavor of meat; how to cure a leg of lamb; and how cooking oils vary from culture to culture. They also extend an invitation for you to join them at the Divine Mercy Lamb Roast they are hosting, on April 28th, on beautiful Vashon Island.
In Episode 34, Brandon and Lauren discuss how to overcome your child's reluctance to eat the meat you've raised. In doing so, they provide some helpful strategies to employ and explain why time is on your side. They also explain: why it is no contradiction of the tenderness with which you raise your animals, to kill them; the inescapable truth that our lives come at a cost; and the belief that we should endeavor to deserve the gift of an animal's life, as well as honor it in the way we prepare its meat.
Other topics include: the shelf-life of blood, whether you can freeze it; and a few stories from Brandon's recent slaughters of a large sow and a bloated sheep.
Episode 35, our upcoming podcast, will cover butchery rationale.
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren discuss braising, pan-frying and roasting -- the only techniques you need to cook any cut of meat deliciously! Learn how, by starting with fresh meat from well-raised animals, you will eliminate your need for fancy recipes, extensive ingredient lists, and excessive time in the kitchen. Also learn which cooking method is best for each cut of meat (based upon the part of the animal it comes from) -- Is it tough or tender? Fatty or lean?
Introduction and Announcements:
To Kill a Pig Nicely now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Membership is open!
60-day free trial available!
New content available on: lamb butchery, curing red meat, lamb curing, and lamb carpaccio!
Membership forum topics now categorized for easy browsing!
Ep. 11: Meat Preservation Part 1; Whole Muscle Curing
02:04:21
Brandon and Lauren discuss becoming one's own authority for curing meat by using one's own senses, the science of water and salt on meat, as well as a well developed prowess. They discuss whole muscle curing (as opposed to fermentation and confit methods of preservation) in a way that can fit the entire narrative in one's mind for use in the domestic scale.
Topics Discussed
Introduction and Announcements:
Taking our time with these podcast episodes (less but longer episodes) due to our desire to attend to where our conversation leads.
Meatsmith Pork Shares for sale! Mangalitza (summer/fall) and Gloucester Old Spot (winter) Shares available now for reserve. Email harvest@farmsteadmeatsmith.com to secure a share. See here for pricing and details on what's included: https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/pork-shares/
Testimonial that blew us away: listen at minute 7:20
First, a reference to our new favorite cheap beer :)
Breaking down meat preservation into 3 categories: Whole Muscle Curing, Fermentation & Fatting
So...What is whole muscle curing? 33:00, holding preservation and flavor in balance as the way to achieve harmony...not necessarily acceptance from the dominant discourse voices.
Addressing the little devil of fear on our shoulder
What is botulism? 104:35
How would you cure different muscles (of different thicknesses)? 120:00
Salt Peter vs. Nitrate vs. Nitrite, 135:00
A final encouragement to go for it!...and to trust our innate spoilage detection capacity as humans. 146:00
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren talk about their decision to move to Tulsa, Oklahoma. From practical things like needing more room in the home and on the farm to the spiritual necessity of being closer to the Mass.
Introduction and Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, in both filming and editing. By becoming a patron, you'll help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60daytrial." Use it along with the Newsletter Special option to sign up.
Part 1 Show Notes:
Charcuterie prayer and intro, 1:10
Thee classes in November, 2:05
2-Day Family Lamb class November 5-6th in Husum, Washington
1-Day Hog Harvest class November 20th at New Woodlands Farm near Russellville, AR
1-Day Beef Butchery Workshop November 27th, hosted by the Robina Institute in Nelson County, Virginia
Fall Make Do Farmstead is hosting a 2-Day Family Lamb class in Husum, Washington on November 5-6th - For registration, email or call Nicholas at nicholasclaremccormick@gmail.com, 509.774.7035. You can find him on Instagram at @makedofarmstead.
Episode 100: Farming, Wine, & Modernity with Kelsey Beck Fernandez of Finca Fernandez, Part 2
01:13:11
In this episode, Kelsey and Brandon chat about biodynamic agriculture, tradition, loss of culture, Kelsey's experience at our Foie Gras class with Backwater Foie Gras, growing regional grape varieties, wine in the Mass, the Protestant Reformation, differences between Protestants and Catholics, authority vs. power, and living in a nation of tyrants.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 100:
0:00 Biodynamic agriculture & paganism
3:42 The diversion of agriculture equals diversion of culture
8:15 Traditions is 'that which is passed down'
11:54 Were born materialists
16:15 Kelsey's experience at our Foie Gras class with Backwater Foie Gras
26:11 Regional grapes & changing your likes and dislikes
36:49 Wine in the Mass
42:38 The Protestant Reformation & differences between Protestants and Catholics
54:20 Authority vs. power
1:01:50 We get the leaders we deserve & how to live under tyrants
Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class:
Hands-On Harvest Classes -Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer pork, beef, lamb, and goose harvest classes in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/
Meatsmith Membership -We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruit of our labors (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of more than six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join today and partner with us ingrowing your home around the harvest.Monthly memberships are $17.49/month plus a $29.99 signup fee. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49/year with no signup fee, saving you $50.38. There’s a 7-day free trial for Annual memberships. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/membership/
22 Sep 2017
Ep. 4: Poultry, Part 2
00:53:15
Brandon and Lauren discuss harvesting backyard poultry. They consider the different approaches when harvesting whole flocks for customers vs. a handful of birds for your own home.
Fois gras emerges as a fun topic for them, the dis-advantages of the popular 'wax-method' of feather removal, as well the advantages of hanging birds after slaughter, but before evisceration, European Market style.
13 Nov 2021
Episode 69: Bonus Episode with Daniel Firth Griffith and the Robinia Institute in The Conversationalist Webinar Series.
01:26:11
In this episode, Brandon talks with Daniel Firth Griffith of the Robinia Institute in The Conversationalist Webinar Series. The topics discussed range from descaling agriculture to Aristotle.
Introduction and Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. By becoming a patron, you will help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Family Pig classes are happening in the Fall on Sept 29th-Oct 1st, Oct 13-15th, and October 27-29th. Our classes make incredible gifts for anyone interested in the whole processing narrative. From the kill to butchery to cookery, the experience gained at Family Pig is unparalleled.
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout.
Show Notes:
Our move to Oklahoma, 1:39
Intro to The Conversationalist Webinar Series, 7:07
Pursuing a philosophical goal, 12:09
Regionally specific habits, 23:17
The PNW has no ham curing traditions, 25:56
Descaling agriculture, 29:55
The high demand for butchery in every state, 38:10
Transparency of slaughter, 43:10
What does it mean to be a good slaughterman, 47:18
Liberating the harvest, 55:23
Descaling all the way back to the family farm, 57:07
Carry all the responsibility yourself vs. dependence, 1:00:00
Where can people learn more about harvesting livestock, 1:03:18
“An agriculture using nature…as its measure would approach the world in the manner of a conversationalist. It would not impose its vision and its demands upon a world that it conceives of as a stockpile of raw materials. …Now we must think of marriage.”
In this episode, we chat about Brandon's recent travels to teach classes in other states, family farms, and land management trends.
Introduction and Announcements:
We have two Family Pig classes in Spring 2022. Our classes make incredible gifts for anyone interested in the whole processing narrative. From the kill to butchery to cookery, the experience gained at Family Pig is unparalleled.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. By becoming a patron, you'll help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60daytrial." Use it along with the Newsletter Special option to sign up.
Show Notes:
Intro and meandering, 1:03
Family Pig classes, 2:26
Brandon's Travels, 9:39
Washington- Sheep harvest class 11:23
Family farms, 11:58
Low tech classes, 15:44
North Carolina - Justine Rhodes' farm, 20:49
Arkansas - New Woodlands Farm, 23:18
Classes and teaching, 26:32
Sourcing feed in Oklahoma, 32:38
Sterilization, 37:22
Family farms as the ideal environmental strategy, 39:47
Virginia - Robinia Institute, 41:49
Land management trends, 47:02
Subsidiarity, 50:57
Nature saved by our stewardship, 55:54
The exception is sickness, 59:26
Links for Episode 72:
William Cobbett - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12532490-cottage-economy
Ep. 41: Competing on The History Channel's The Butcher, Part 2
00:52:51
In Episodes 40 and 41, Brandon does Hollywood!
In this two-part series, Brandon talks of his experiences competing against three other highly-skilled butchers on the History Channel's premiere episode of its new show The Butcher. Hear Brandon describe the three different rounds of the competition: 1) splitting a pig using an old-school hog splitter, quartering it, and then butchering to a list; 2) cutting steaks, and eye-balling them to weight without a scale, and 3) in the final round of the show, "Meat the Monster", butchering a mystery "beast" to maximize its retail value. Learn what it was like behind the scenes, the unexpected challenges the contestants faced, and how personal butchery preferences, philosophies, and practice (in addition to experience and skill) affected the outcome of the competition.
Introduction and Announcements:
Watch Brandon compete on The History Channel's The Butcher!
To Kill a Pig Nicely now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Membership is open!
New content available on: lamb butchery, curing red meat, lamb curing, and lamb carpaccio!
Membership forum topics now categorized for easy browsing!
In this episode, we discuss the French monarchy, the difference between power and authority, the history of botulism (or lack thereof), Brandon's aversion to recipes, and our upcoming Art of Foie Gras class with Backwater Foie Gras in Louisiana.
Announcements:
Come to the 2-Day The Art of Foie Gras class in Louisiana this January 19-20. You'll learn the art of goose harvesting from Brandon and the art of gavage from Ross McKnight of Backwater Foie Gras. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://backwaterfoiegras.com/foiegrasclass
Come to a3-Day Family Pig Harvest class, April 25-27, May 2-4, or May 16-18, whereyou will use only your hands to turn two pigs into kitchen-sized pork cures, cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Come to a 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class, June 20-22 or October 3-5, whereyou will use only your hands to turn four sheep into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The main difference between the Family Lamb and Family Pig is the skinning of sheep. Removing the hide from sheep, deer, elk, etc, ought to be learned by hand for an efficient and satisfying harvest. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/
Meatsmith Membership A gift that gives all year long! More than 45 Harvest Films, Brandon's Harvest Journal, and our community FaceBook group. 60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the coupon code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign up today at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Who's the heir to the French throne? Unknown. There is evidence to suggest that the line of Louis XVI continued through Louis XVII, but mysterious circumstances surround the child-king's imprisonment and potential escape. He was 11 years old when he was imprisoned by the Revolutionary government, and yet a 14-year-old boy was found deceased in his cell. The KNOWN senior Bourbon descendant is Louis Alphonse de Bourbon (if crowned, would be Louis XX)
The Uprising in the Vendée occurred as a response to Revolutionary incursions into the Vendée, persecution of faithful priests, the murder of Louis XVI, the attempted installation of apostate priests in the parish churches in the Vendée, etc. It was a peasant uprising, nonetheless, led by noblemen and soldiers. It was successful for 3 years until the military campaign of the Catholic and Royal Army of the Vendée failed in the Loire valley. However, resistance to the Revolution continued for years after the destruction of the counter-revolutionary army.
La Nouvelle Vendée www.newvendee.com. Their recent conference in Arnaudville, Louisiana, launched a sort of Catholic Counter-Revolution in Louisiana.
Ellen Bloomfield, Monica Allen, Will Eichler, Tim Jones, Dennis M Carlson, Matthew Klimczak, Nate Crown, Tim Colton, Jeremy Wood, Warren Lund, Dohrman Farm, Ps42, Danielle, Alan Fortini-Campbell, Meghan Hickman
Become a Patron by going to Patreon.com/meatsmith.
27 Mar 2019
Ep. 35: Butchery Rationale
01:07:29
22 Jan 2022
Episode 73: Family Farms Part 2
00:49:45
In this episode, we chat about animal family groups, cow, pig, and goat hegemony, natural law vs. naturalism, suffering, and Mass.
Introduction and Announcements:
Family Pig classes are sold out for Spring 2022. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when we schedule the next round of classes. Our classes make incredible gifts for anyone interested in the whole processing narrative. From the kill to butchery to cookery, the experience gained at Family Pig is unparalleled.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. By becoming a patron, you'll help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. You can find us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60daytrial." Use it along with the Newsletter Special option to sign up.
Show Notes:
Gearld Fry, all knowledge comes through the senses, 1:20
Family units and order, 11:44
Types of naturalism, 21:21
Costly sacrifice, Mass, 31:05
Suffering, 36:15
Links for Episode 73:
Gearld Fry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46PF8JpE5xc
Animal Reproduction and Animal Health by Charles Walters https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25750569-reproduction-and-animal-health
Steve Campbell https://www.youtube.com/user/thinkmwc/featured
Clear Creek Abby - https://clearcreekmonks.org/
01 Sep 2017
Ep.3: Poultry, Part 1
01:13:33
Brandon and Lauren discuss 4 species of backyard birds for the smallholder: geese, turkey, chicken and especially ducks.
They consider breeds and husbandry and cutout right before discussing harvesting methods, which will be a full second part episode. They consider supplementary topics such as foie gras, raising birds with a family and the advantages certain breeds have when feeding them becomes difficult.
01 Mar 2019
Ep. 31: Skinning and Eviscerating Cows, Sheep & Goats, Part 2
00:53:09
In this episode, part 2 of a 2 part series on the skinning and evisceration of ruminants, Brandon and Lauren discuss one of the biggest challenges in skinning haired animals -- keeping the hair off the meat! Other topics include fisting, how to remove guts without puncturing or ripping them, and how to overcome the smells associated with processing animals. As a final side topic, Lauren and Brandon discuss the curing of ruminant flesh.
Episode 94: Agrarian Thomistic Philosophy with Dr Richard Meloche, Part 2
01:03:54
Agrarian Thomistic Philosophy with Dr Richard Meloche, Part 2
In this episode, we continue our conversation with Dr. Richard Meloche on the use of natural elements in liturgies, the epistemological benefits of rural living, the loss of imagination and unique individuals due to technology, encountering Resistance in reality, indifference, setting artificial limits, and the beauty of natural order.
Announcements:
Come to a 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class, June 20-22 or October 3-5, whereyou will use only your hands to turn four sheep into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The main difference between the Family Lamb and Family Pig is the skinning of sheep. Removing the hide from sheep, deer, elk, etc, ought to be learned by hand for an efficient and satisfying harvest. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/
Our one and only St Martinmas Goose Harvest class will be November 15-16. Just eight students will transform a small flock into undiluted goods for the family table through the culinary traditions of the premodern peasant. The goal of this earnest, hands-on course is to impart the actual virtue of goose provender, from kill to confit. Sign up today at https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/martinmas-goose-harvest/.
Meatsmith Membership A gift that gives all year long! More than 45 Harvest Films, Brandon's Harvest Journal, and our community FaceBook group. 60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the coupon code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign up today at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 94:
0:00 Intro
1:01 Working with the potency of nature
9:26 The use of natural elements in liturgies
12:58 Epistemological benefits of rural living
21:19 The loss of imagination and unique individuals through technology
26:33 Ordered towards relation vs. every man seeking their own benefit
39:41 Encountering Resistance in reality, indifference, & setting artificial limits
Ep 76: From Finance to Foie Gras - Interview with Ross McKnight of Backwater Foie Gras, Part 1
01:04:02
In this episode, we chat with Ross McKnight of Backwater Foie Gras about how he began his farming journey, why he chose foie gras, tradition and moving to the land, and the mortification of farming.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Our 3-Day Lamb Harvest course is back! We haven't taught this class for five years and are so happy to be able to offer it again, November 17-19th, at our new homestead just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our classes make incredible gifts for anyone interested in the whole processing narrative. From the kill to skinning to butchery to cookery, the experience gained at our Lamb class is unparalleled. And all instruction is entirely translatable to any other ruminant harvesting, including goats, deer, elk, beef, etc. Find all the details at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/.
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Topics:
Our new baby, butchershop, and lamb class, 1:01
Brandon's recent interviews, 6:53
Interview with Ross McKnight starts, 12:51
Ross introduces himself, 16:42
From an English major to finance, 20:25
From an auto-immunity disease to a farmer, 34:03
Creating beauty makes life worth something, 42:33
Why foie gras?, 43:03
We want tradition, 47:40
The camaraderie with other farmers, 49:20
Moving to the land with religion as the motive, 52:53
In this episode, Part 2 of a two part series, Brandon and Lauren continue explaining how they worked through a whole side of beef, removing chunks of meat as needed over a three month period of time; without freezing any of it.
Brandon will convince you that the best way to eat beef is — VERY aged, and offers suggestions on how to entice your family to eat it (despite its colorful mold). Finally, Brandon and Lauren share their three time-tested, and proven, pillars of beef cookery; and their preparation techniques for each cut of beef.
Introduction and Announcements:
To Kill a Pig Nicely now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Brandon and Lauren review the timeline of their shop outfitting, truck building and the money it took (at various stages in the process...and at just the right time!) to get their basic infrastructure in place making them fully operational, safe and efficient.
From 2010-2018, they note 5 distinct phases of buildout, the last one they're finishing this year (2018). They talk about different models of growth, waiting and more waiting (specifically for their slow growth model), the volume vs. diversity models of small business, and how they had to adopt different hats along the way to make it all happen.
They hope the story can offer some ideas and food for thought for your own agrarian operations.
14 Jul 2019
Ep. 40: Competing on The History Channel's The Butcher, Part 1
00:58:59
In Episodes 40 and 41, Brandon does Hollywood!
In this two-part series, Brandon talks of his experiences competing against three other highly-skilled butchers on the History Channel's premiere episode of its new show The Butcher. Hear Brandon describe the three different rounds of the competition: 1) splitting a pig using an old-school hog splitter, quartering it, and then butchering to a list; 2) cutting steaks, and eye-balling them to weight without a scale, and 3) butchering a mystery beast to maximize its retail value in the final round of the show, "Meat the Monster." Learn what it was like behind the scenes, the unexpected challenges the contestants faced, and how personal butchery preferences, philosophies, practices, in addition to experience and skill, affected the outcome of the competition.
Introduction and Announcements:
Help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Episode 86 - Of Land Hurricanes, Candle Light, and Large Living, Part 2
00:59:56
Episode 86 - Of Land Hurricanes, Candle Light, and Large Living, Part 2
In this episode, we chat about soft communism, weaning yourself from the comforts of urban life, and fasting. We continue our community vs family conversation, making a case for owning a bigger home, bodies needing space, and the duty to teach your children.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Come to our 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class this November and December and use your hands to turn four lambs into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The dates are November 16th-18th, November 30th - December 2nd, and December 14th-16th. Tickets are $1,530 per person, with a limited capacity of just eight students to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign-up today!https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Timestamps/Topics for Episode 86:
0:00 Intro
1:04 Soft communism
5:07 Fasting could be the first step toward farming
16:35 Community vs faith/family continued
21:43 We need larger living spaces because bodies need space
In these episodes Brandon and Lauren discuss smoking. They explain its spiritual and cultural importance among traditional societies, its critical role as a pre-refrigeration meat preservation technique, and its incredible ability to enhance the flavor of any meat.
They also cover: brining as preparation for smoking, utilizing wood as a fuel source, the difference between hot and cold smoking, why blue smoke is preferable to white, special considerations for smoking sausage, and why smoking and drinking go hand-in-hand.
Finally, Brandon discusses the design of his smokehouse and why he loves his Weber grill.
In this episode, Brandon and Lauren discuss: methods of cooking lean meats - barding, larding and confit; preserving (and tenderizing) a side of beef by hanging it; how it is that beef can be both dry and juicy at the same time; and how to make a deliciously tender meal from a tough cut of meat.
Introduction and Announcements:
FREE - Murray Carter's Blade Sharpening Fundamentals film now available free of charge on YouTube!
FAMILY PIG CLASSES -- a great Christmas gift! Registration now open for our January 2021 classes!
To Harvest a Pig Nicely is available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Membership forum topics now categorized for easy browsing!
Gain membership to our exclusive Facebook Meatsmith Table group and help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Part 2 Show Notes
Barding and larding lean meats (and confit), 1:28
The key to not curing beef - hanging, 4:10
How dry-aging tenderizes beef and makes it more juicy, 5:36
Bacon lattice chuck roast, 15:18
Conventional names of the back end of a beef, 23:57
We've discovered Pho! Another use for our broth..., 32:02
In this episode, part 1 of a 2 part series, Brandon and Lauren discuss the virtue of making bacon -- how it is about so much more than just putting food on your table -- and how it can lead you to excellence through virtue. Learn what you can anticipate when making bacon for the first time and what some of the difficulties you might encounter in eating home made bacon are. Find out which new tools Brandon has been dreaming about for his shop lately, and what factors he must consider as he discerns whether or not to purchase them.
Introduction and Announcements:
To Kill a Pig Nicely now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Membership is open!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60 Day Trial"
New content available on: lamb butchery, curing red meat, lamb curing, and lamb carpaccio!
Membership forum topics now categorized for easy browsing!
Join us for one of our upcoming spring Family Pig classes!
Help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Part 1 Show Notes:
Announcements (and what Brandon's been up to), :59
Dreaming of a bacon slicer, 2:17
... and a wall-mounted paper dispenser.... and a bowl chopper, 18:38
On what basis does one decide to upgrade their home meat production set-up? 23:23
What one can anticipate when you first start making bacon, 32:28
How to overcome some of the difficulties in eating bacon:
abundance, 33:35
rancidity, 36:15
Virtue acquisition through bacon making; 39:18
The ends of cooking: the natural and the supernatural, 46:33
Episode 80: Of Goose classes, the Exodus, and the 'Our Father': A Review of Fr. Vincent McNabb's The Church and the Land, Pt 2
00:57:12
In this episode, we share more of our thoughts on The Church and the Land by Fr. Vincent McNabb, building topsoil with people, fleeing the city, and the dignity of the farmer.
Announcements:
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
This November, come to our 2-Day Goose Martinmas Harvest and celebrate the fat and meat of this most noble bird. The dates are November 10-11th, and tickets are $1,045. The class is limited to eight students to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. So jump on this chance and sign-up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/martinmas-goose-harvest/
Meatsmith Membership -- a gift that gives all year long!
More than 45 Harvest Films by Brandon.
Forum topics are now categorized for easy browsing!
60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page ad apply the promo code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign-up for Meatsmith Membership at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Ep. 61: Eating Geese, Broken Truck, and 'Side' Farming, Part 1
00:50:05
In this episode, part one of a two part series, Brandon and Lauren share the complexities of trying to deal with a broken slaughter truck, during the middle of harvest season, while living on an island, with seven kids in tow. They discuss methods of cooking goose to reach its highest and best expression; making carnitas from previously frozen meat and sausage from cured back fat; and their parental desire to build seasonal family traditions to pass along to their children.
Brandon and Lauren also discuss the many ways you can give the gift of Farmstead Meatsmith this Christmas. There's something for every budget!
27 Dec 2018
Ep. 24: Smoking, Part 1
00:49:42
In these episodes Brandon and Lauren discuss smoking. They explain its spiritual and cultural importance among traditional societies, its critical role as a pre-refrigeration meat preservation technique, and its incredible ability to enhance the flavor of any meat. They also discuss: brining as preparation for smoking, utilizing wood as a fuel source, the difference between hot and cold smoking, why blue smoke is preferable to white, special considerations for smoking sausage, and why smoking and drinking go hand-in-hand. Brandon also discusses the design of his smokehouse and why he loves his Weber grill.
Ep. 30: Skinning and Eviscerating Cows, Sheep & Goats, Part 1
01:16:56
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren discuss the skinning and evisceration of ruminants, to include cows, sheep and goats. Part 1 covers the mechanics of skinning....how to do it in a way that will maximize the fat left on the carcass. If you question why you would want to do this, Brandon's explanation will make it clear.
Ep. 53: Meatsmith Homeschooling & Parenting, Part 1
01:03:03
This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren respond to the unexpected and rapid changes that the Coronavirus has thrust upon families across the world, and the way that they operate on a daily basis.
As a couple that has the benefit of having both worked from home and home-educated their children for several years now, Brandon and Lauren offer their "two cents," providing encouragement and advice and reminding us that, as parents, we have always had the role of being the primary educators of our children.
They share the many benefits of implementing an ordered rhythm to your family's day -- one that provides balanced (but flexible) time for meals, chores, school work, quiet time, outdoor activity, and breaks; as well as the ability to slow down to "smell the roses" along the way.
They hope this episode will be helpful to you in this time of unique challenges and transition. You've got what it takes. You are equipped to take on this new role!
Introduction and Announcements:
To Kill a Pig Nicely is now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
In these episodes, Brandon and Lauren discuss the virtue of making bacon -- how it is about so much more than just putting food on your table -- and how it can lead you to excellence through virtue. Learn: how emotion, passion, virtue, and temperament relate to the slaughtering of animals and making bacon; what you can anticipate in making home-made bacon for the first time and the difficulties you might encounter in eating it; and the new tools Brandon has been dreaming about for his shop as well as the factors he must consider in discerning whether or not to buy them.
Introduction and Announcements:
To Kill a Pig Nicely now available FREE of charge on our YouTube channel!
Membership is open!
60-day free trial available! Promo code: "60 Day Trial"
New content available on: lamb butchery, curing red meat, lamb curing, and lamb carpaccio!
Membership forum topics now categorized for easy browsing!
Join us for one of our upcoming spring Family Pig classes!
Help us produce more episodes by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Part 1 Show Notes:
Announcements (and what Brandon's been up to), :59
Dreaming of a bacon slicer, 2:17
... and a wall-mounted paper dispenser.... and a bowl chopper, 18:38
On what basis does one decide to upgrade their home meat production set-up? 23:23
What one can anticipate when you first start making bacon, 32:28
How to overcome some difficulties of eating bacon:
abundance, 33:35
rancidity, 36:15
Virtue acquisition through bacon making; 39:18
The ends of cooking: the natural and the supernatural, 46:33
Part 2 Show Notes:
Why do we cook? 1:02
The dichotomy between work and gift, 5:09
Animals and the hunt, 10:47
Emotions and the kill, 14:15
Emotion, passion and virtue, 23:18
Excellence in the ordinary; filling your life with humble delight, 30:04
How emotion and temperament affect the kill, 38:29
In this episode, we chat about affection for extraneous livestock, raising longhorns for our classes, how temperament is the most important thing with cows, harvesting a cow out of a ditch, culling fencing jumping cows (and their horns), and Wallace's Three Hearts Pilgrimage.
Announcements:
Come to the 2-Day The Art of Foie Gras class in Louisiana this January 19-20. You'll learn the art of goose harvesting from Brandon and the art of gavage from Ross McKnight of Backwater Foie Gras. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://backwaterfoiegras.com/foiegrasclass
Come to a 3-Day Family Pig Harvest class, April 25-27, May 2-4, or May 16-18, whereyou will use only your hands to turn two pigs into kitchen-sized pork cures, cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/the-family-pig/
Come to a 3-Day Family Lamb Harvest class, June 20-22 or October 3-5, whereyou will use only your hands to turn four sheep into kitchen-sized lamb cuts, sausage, and charcuterie. The main difference between the Family Lamb and Family Pig is the skinning of sheep. Removing the hide from sheep, deer, elk, etc, ought to be learned by hand for an efficient and satisfying harvest. Spots are limited to just eight students so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/3-day-complete-lamb-harvest-course/
Meatsmith Membership A gift that gives all year long! More than 45 Harvest Films, Brandon's Harvest Journal, and our community FaceBook group. 60-day free trial available! Use the Newsletter Special option on our sign-up page and apply the coupon code 60daytrial at checkout. Sign up today at FarmsteadMeatsmith.com/product/membership/.
Support our podcast on Patreon! Production of each episode takes hours of work, filming, and editing. Becoming a patron can help us keep our episode quality high and allow us to continue filming. Become a patron today at https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith.
Ellen Bloomfield, Monica Allen, Will Eichler, Tim Jones, Dennis M Carlson, Matthew Klimczak, Nate Crown, Tim Colton, Jeremy Wood, Warren Lund, Dohrman Farm, Ps42, Danielle, Alan Fortini-Campbell, Meghan Hickman
Become a Patron by going to Patreon.com/meatsmith.
24 Mar 2020
Ep. 50: Meatsmith Kitchen Economy, Part 2
00:57:20
In this episode, Part 2 of a two-part series, Brandon and Lauren talk about their own kitchen principles and habits. They relate how most of these habits have come along slowly; although cooking and eating all three meals together, daily, as a family, is something they've been doing since before they were married. Brandon and Lauren describe mealtimes as anchors to their day — “like monastery bells ringing us in”.
Learn what typical breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snack-times look like for the family; and how seasonally available ingredients are the foundation from which this large, energetic household's daily meals are created.
03 Aug 2018
Ep. 13: Whole Animal Barbecuing
01:49:46
Topics Discussed
Introduction and Announcements:
Podcast year 2 commences.
Film production beginning this summer...
To that end, WE'RE HIRING! Please see links below if you or someone you trust is interested in a Content and Media position with us.
Ramping up podcast production to 1/ week soon!
We're developing new branches of our online education...Support us in two ways:
Patreon support will help us expand: https://www.patreon.com/meatsmith. We really, really, mean it this time; we want you to join our team and mission.
Membership is open!! Join us. A full year of content is there. Registration is open through mid-August.
-Tartine Bread book for flat bread: https://www.amazon.com/Tartine-Bread-Chad-Robertson/dp/0811870413/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1532633436&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=tartine+bread&psc=1
-Todo Sobre el Asado: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6079360/
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