Ribs. That's why.

We still have a good amount of pork in the freezer.  And deer season is just around the corner.  So exactly why did I end up buying another 240 pounds of meat at the fair?  Well, besides the fact that I was unsupervised and had a couple of bucks in my back pocket.

Because each hog has a limited amount of bacon and only two slabs of ribs:

Half slab of yummy porky rib goodness from last year's hog.

Now if the science geeks and the animal husbandry guys can get together to make a hybrid hog that puts out a carcass that yielded only ribs and bacon, I'd be one happy camper.  Although I wonder what the hog would look like.  Wait a second, don't even go there, you'll ruin my happy dream of a BaconRib Hog.

Freezer space is going to be at a premium very, very soon.  That is why I intend on canning everything possible from our deer hunts.  I made shredded BBQ deer, stew chunks & ground venison and canned it last year.  I really like the convenience of having "Heat & Eat Meat" on the pantry shelves especially when I haven't defrosted anything from the freezer.  Open a few cans of beans, tomatoes, seasoning & add the ground venison for an easy homemade chili.  Grab a package of hamburger buns on the way home from work (or make your own), heat up the BBQ venison and you've got yourself a mean sandwich.

I haven't canned anything pig related though, and I might try that this year.  Because even if I do end up canning or jerky'ing all the deer meat we'll still be tight on freezer space after we butcher Yummy in a few weeks.

I might have to defrost the last slab of ribs in order to make more room in the freezer.  I'm sure my daughter won't mind another helping.

Have any of you canned pork?  If so, would you like to share recipes with us?  I'd be grateful for the help and ideas :)