Smoked chorizo and McIvor Farm Foods

Pork and Smallgoods

At Hagen’s we make all of our smallgoods in-house using techniques and recipes we’ve been perfecting for years.

We use a natural nitrate derived from celery in our smallgoods, then smoke them using sustainably sourced local red gum.

Our approach sourcing meat for smallgoods, like all of our other products, is to source the highest quality meat that has been sustainably and organically farmed, but also tastes delicious. We use pork in a number of our smallgoods including our ham, bacon and chorizo products.

Pork can be one of the most challenging meats to produce organically. Producing organic pork can definitely be achieved, but there are of challenges pig farmers face when producing high quality pork products in Australia. When producing meat that is certified organic all steps that go into producing the product from: the land the animals are raised on, what they eat, stocking density and animal welfare, conditions of the transport of the animal, certification of the abattoir and the handling of the meat thereafter, all need to be monitored and certified as organic. If any part of this chain fails or is unable to meet the regulation criteria for certification, the product will not be certified as organic.

One of the biggest challenges facing Australian pork farmers is the certified organic feed for the pigs, not only is this product at times difficult to source, but given the vast amount the pigs consume over their life time, it is often financially unsustainable for farmers to keep pigs and still make enough money to run their farms. The cost of raising high quality certified organic pork almost always outweighs the return for farmers, resulting in their farms operating at a loss and often going out of business. 

We choose to work closely with producers like Jason from McIvor Farm Food who adopt organic farming methods that ensure high level of animal welfare and no antibiotics, or synthetic pesticides or herbicides are used on the farm. We know that the McIvor Farm pigs enjoy happy and stress-free lives, which is ultimately better for the pigs, the farmers and consumers and the planet. We enjoy eating meat, but we want to ensure we are consuming mindfully paying our respects to the animals, and the producers who have dedicated their lives to farming in Australia.

We’ve cooked up some of our smoked chorizo for a delicious addition to any tapas plate.

 

INGREDIENTS:

Two lengths of smoked chorizo, sliced about 5mm thick

Half a white onion, diced

Two cloves of garlic, crushed

Tbs of olive oil

 

METHOD:
Turn on stove and heat skillet to a high temperature. Add olive oil, then chorizo, onion and garlic. Stir around the pan until onions are translucent and chorizo colours and goes crisp.

Serve with olives, sundried tomatoes, dips and breads and a glass of red wine.