The Whole Hog: Nose to Tail

Hapuku Kitchen, in collaboration with the team at Middlehurst Station, are offering a one-day pig butchery course giving you the opportunity to learn about every part of a pig, from nose-to-tail.

On arrival at our small “farm” you’ll enjoy some tasty treats prepared by the Hapuku Kitchen chefs.  You’ll then be guided around the Hapuku Kitchen gardens and to the happy pigs, discussing how they are raised and cared for.

Instructors and meat nerds Hapuku Kitchen owner, Chris Sturgeon, and local Kaikōura Middlehurst butcher, Shanon Freeth, will share their extensive knowledge on the joy of pigs and everything porky. You’ll learn how to butcher a side of pork, helping to understand the primary cuts, secondary joints and how to cook them. The class will cover practical knife skills and butchery techniques.

Attendees will bone out the shoulder for mincing, ready for making sausages in the afternoon, separate various cuts and prepare the belly and loin for roasting.  

Weather permitting we will crank up the outside wood-fired oven and cook some delicious cuts.  We’ll then relax and enjoy a feast accompanied with wine or beer from local Canterbury and Marlborough winemakers and brewers. 

During the afternoon, you’ll work your way from nose-to-tail, learning which cuts are best for roasts, braises, sausages and terrines giving you confidence to match different cuts of meat to your favourite recipes and dishes.

Over the course of the day you will learn:

• how to choose good pork based on source, appearance and breed
• diverse cuts of fresh pork and their culinary uses
• simple butchery techniques and knife skills
• hand-cutting, mincing, stuffing and tying techniques for sausages
• how to prepare homestyle smoked bacon
• how to create and tie a porchetta or Italian-style pork roast
• lots of recipes to continue the nose to tail journey at home.

Attendees will also make products to take home and enjoy including traditional Italian-style fennel sausages and home-style cured bacon.

Dietary Restrictions and Allergies
When making your booking, please inform our team about any food allergies. While we do our best to cater for dietary requirements we may not be able to cater for all requests.  Please contact us to discuss this further.