Do you raise your own pigs ?
Or have you ever considered purchasing a whole hog from a local farmer ? If so , then you may have late looked into the prices of get someone process meat for you .
Well , do n’t be surprised when that sweet nub suddenly get a little more expensive .
However , you could salvage some money on the processing part of raising or buying sweet meat by study how to work an animal yourself .
If you are interested , I recommend that you first havelook at how to slaughter a hog . Then read on so I can tell you what to do with it once the fauna has been slaughter and is quick to head for your freezer .
How to Process Your Pig
Here is what you do :
1. Let the Meat Take Some Time Off
Once you ’ve butcher a pig bed , you ’ll shortly learn that it is n’t a lightweight task . I remember the first time we slaughter a pig . One of our friends called us up and pronounce they had a hogget that they ask to get disembarrass of and did n’t have the way in their freezer .
They offered it to us . We had never butcher a hog before so they offered to walk us through the process , and we could keep the kernel too .
Obviously , this was a no - brainer for our family . We have a mess of thirsty mouth to feed !
Naïve to the process , we carry off to their house to cull the pig . Then we loaded it in the back of our hand truck . We should ’ve known that the process was going to be a lot dissimilar than a cervid ( which we had plenty of experience with ) when we had to apply a backhoe to lift the pig up into the truck .
However , when I feel that pernicious clunk as the back of our truck started feeling the loading , alarm clock start up ringing . This was break to be much more physically taxing because a hog is a punishing animal . The rest of the process was exchangeable to slaughter other beast , but just trying to maneuver the dead - weight of a pig was interesting .
Plus , when youbutcher a deer , you could slither your tongue into hip socket and things of the nature to get the os to release a little easy from each other .
Well , that is n’t the case with a pig . You need a hand saw or Sawzall at the least to get the core away from the skeletal arrangement of the animal .
Again , you may have a look atthe tutorial for the entire process . I will say , now that we ’ve slaughter more hog , it has become a little less taxing , and we gave ourselves a better set - up for handling butcher pigs too .
Even so , it still is a physically task job because pigs are super impenetrable . Once you get the animal slaughter , you will have to let the sum respite for a day or so . We put our sum in alarge cooler on icefor a 24-hour interval or two to let any excess blood enfeeble out of the meat . It take a crap processing less messy , and the centre taste better in our opinion .
Also , we go ahead and part our meat out during the butchering procedure . substance , when we load the meat in the cooler we have 2 jambon , 2 front shoulder , and then the 2 side of the pig . I do n’t just impart the Sus scrofa divided in 2 and place the 2 complete halves in the tank . It is too bulky and more employment when I go to process it .
2. Get Your Equipment Ready
Now , when you decide to action your own kernel there are a few items you will definitely need . The first item is a goodbutchering knifeand tongue sharpener . Butchering meat pass away so much easier if you have a knife that is loose to handle and stays sharp .
However , butchering meat will also muffle any knife so you require aquality sharpenertoo .
Next , you ’ll need a decentcutting boardto edit out the inwardness . We have a board that I can take with me anywhere . Sometimes we ’ll swear out meat in our kitchen , other times we ’ll use our outside kitchen area . I have been have intercourse to march meat ( when it ’s raining , and I do n’t require the lot in my kitchen ) on a sanitized butcher platform in our service department .
If you have a solid cutting display board to work with , then you could consist it on a self-coloured surface anywhere and swear out your meat .
Then you ’ll need a practiced qualitymeat grinder . You are probably going to make sausage balloon out of some of your pork , but if you do n’t have a decent heart torpedo the task can be very tedious .
Also , you ’ll involve ahand sawbecause when dealing with the rib , you will have to get wind through the pearl so as to work them expeditiously .
Finally , you ’ll need a path to seal off your food for thought . you could use avacuum sealer , or simply some fumbler paper and some deep freezer bags . It is really about druthers . I ’ve used both , but I in reality prefer the stumbler composition method because it goes quicker and does a decent caper storing the solid food .
When you have all of your materials together , then you are quick to get down to commercial enterprise with this abundance of porc waiting to be process .
3. Do You Like Ham?
We always treat with the ham first because there are so many option for them . you could cure them and change by reversal them into state hams . If you are interested , here is how you do that .
Please know that curing ham consume time , and you ’ll need asmokehouse , so you may both hang them and fume them in there . If you are willing to take on those projection , then I highly recommend render your hand at area ham . We ’ve begun this hobby and are loving it ! The outcome so far has been delicious .
However , if you are n’t a huge rooter of country ham , or you are n’t up for all of the projects to create them yourself , then you should look at either grinding the ham into footing pork to use as ground porc or as sausage , or you could suspend the fresh hams and when ready to apply change by reversal them intocity hams .
As you’re able to tell , there are quite a little of alternative for those hams so you ’ll necessitate to do a little preparation before you begin process .
4. Head for the Shoulders
Next , we take on the shoulder . A pig ’s shoulder joint is jolly big with different undercut of nub to it . You ’ll have the upper and meaty part that you ’ll utilise . This is where you ’ll get your Boston butt .
We have learned when process pigs that they have stemma where bonier sections end and meatier incision start . You ’ll hear through processing a few that if you follow those lines ( in most cases ) you ’ll get the proper excision .
Look at the shoulder and see if you’re able to identify the personal line of credit where the meatier section stops , and the bonier part get .
Then you simply apply your acuate tongue and hack down that line . The meatier part , again , is your Boston butt . While the slimmer section of the berm will be your pork outing . I utilise this for barbecue , but you may expend it for sausage balloon or in stews too .
5. Divide Out the Mid-Section
Now , the midway division is where you are going to get a lot of dissimilar cuts of meat . allow ’s start out at the top part of the in-between section .
First , you ’ll have the loin in the top incision . Your pig will be split into 2 at this point , so you should have 2 face . This will be identical on both side . The upper portion of the middle ( where the ribs are located ) is where you will site your pork barrel loins .
you’re able to will them either as large loins , or edit out them down into porc chops . Sometimes we ’ll split up the large lumbus into a slimmer lumbus , a roast , and then some chops . It is up to you as to what you ’d like .
Then you ’ll move down to the ribs . This is where processing a pig generate interesting because you will need a hand saw as you will be sawing through bone . The lower portion of the ribs will be your spare ribs . The upper meaty portion will be your country expressive style rib .
Finally , you ’ll have the belly section left . You ’ll have to cut this into manageable sizes , so you could cure this and make delicious , homemade bacon .
However , you could also get salt pork barrel from this section or grind for sausage or merely , solid ground pork .
As you’re able to tell , you are go to get a lot of meat from one hog . Hopefully , you ’ll get lots of use !
6. Putting It Away
The final step in processing a pig is actually putting it aside . You ’ll have to check that that you have decide on a packaging method before you got started .
Once your center has been divided out , you ’ll have to box it consequently . Be sure that you label the meat with the engagement ( I use the calendar month and year ) , what is in the package , and the amount .
For instance , when I put away pork chops , I put away what we ’ll use for 1 meal . We are a syndicate of 5 so I put around 5 pork chop in each battalion .
However , there will be some battalion that will get a little extra because that is just the way the numbers fall .
I mark that so I know to use that camp when we have company instead of on a regular weeknight for dinner .
Then you ’ll put everything off in your deep freezer for safekeeping until you are ready to employ the meat .
However , I also practice this time to make a list of what I ’m putting into the deep-freeze , so I can keep up with what I actually have on handwriting .
Then I ’ll mark thing off as I cook them . It is just something I do so I do n’t terminate up wasting anything or purchasing something because I do n’t know I have itburied in my Deepfreeze .
Hopefully , this has given you some focussing on how you might desire to sue your pig ( or a future hog . ) I also hope it prove you that process a bull is n’t that hard of a task . The with child challenge is probably dispense with the rib because they do require a saw .
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