It has a rounded edge the allows you to cut with the leading edge without puncturing the skin. Bleeding out, skinning and gutting a pig takes about an hour. Once the pig is skinned and gutted, the hard part is actually pretty well over, but the work is just beginning. Cutting the pig into 1 to 2-pound packages and vacuum sealing, along with chopping sausage meat into small pieces to fit through the grinder takes us hours in total.
The first time we made sausage, we used the meat grinder attachment on a KitchenAid stand mixer. We timed it, and the KitchenAid attachment took a full 5 minutes to grind a single pound. Not only did we get really clean sausage, without the mashing or emulsification from the KitchenAid attachment , but it was really efficient. Instead of 5 minutes per pound, we were able to grind 7 pounds per minute. You read that right, 7 pounds of meat turned into sausage in just 60 seconds!
A rope of homemade chorizo before it was pinched off into individual links. Instead of leaving whole bone-in shoulders, I boned everything down to small roasts and cut a bulk of it up into sausage chunks. This is the first year we experimented with making cased sausage, and it came out beautifully. They come pre-packaged in salt. Scott is a true artist, and all of his videos are well made and informative:. On top of that, you have oddments like lard, bones and organs that are still usable and tasty.
We make and can pork bone broth for our winter soups and stews, and the organs make a tasty organ stock. A single pig yielded enough bone and organs to pressure can 42 quarts of stock. Beyond meat and stock, we were able to render 5 full gallons of lard. Five full gallons of rendered lard.
Pigs are usually harvested much younger than 1 year old because feed conversion is better. We planned to breed this pig, but plans changed and into the freezer she went. We first grind the fat to make it easier to render, and then slow process it on the stove at low heat.
Grinding the fat before rendering lard increases surface area, which dramatically improves lard yields. Now, the big question: How do you know when those pigs are ready to butcher? Most pigs in the U. Butcher ready pigs will have wide hams, flat wide backs and a double chin. You want to pick the best time to butcher so that the pigs give you the meat you want, whether that is leaner or having more fat.
Before we get started, please realize that there is no ideal weight for everyone. This is your pig, the ideal weight is whatever you want to feed the pig up to in order to get the results you are looking for. There is no magic to the pound finishing weight. That is just a pork industry average number for most hogs in the U. Most of this information will be for finishing hogs at the higher end of usual, more like pounds. This is the range we are aiming for with ours.
We like bigger cuts and more meat. One of the easiest methods to figure out when your pigs are ready to butcher is to simply keep track of their age. Most pigs will reach butchering size and weight at 5. This is for a pound pig. The only catch here is you need to know when they were born.
If you buy your feeder pigs directly from a farmer, all of this is easy. Just ask! If you purchased your feeder pigs at an auction, then you will have to make an educated guess as to their age when you bought them. Feeder pigs at the lighter end, more like pounds are closer to two months old. Feeder pigs at the heavier end, around 60 pounds are closer to three months old. Once you have a guess as to their farrowing birth date just count days on the calendar and pick a butchering date.
Go longer if you want a bigger, fatter pig and shorter if you are wanting leaner cuts and a bit smaller carcass. This is a second way to figure a butchering date for your pigs is with another counting method. Most people would just use the first way. This time you count the amount of feed consumed by your pigs. Your pigs will gain one pound of weight for every three pounds of feed eaten.
As an example if you are planning on finishing the pigs at pounds the generic finishing weight in the U. Place your finger into the vein as a handle and cut between the vein and the backbone towards head of the carcass. Then, loosen the connective tissue around the heart to remove the heart, lungs, and trachea together. The abdominal cavity is lined with a large amount of fat known as leaf fat. Use your hand to separate the fat from the muscle using caution to not put your hand under the thin layer of muscle along the belly.
Leaf fat can be used to make lard if desired, otherwise it can be disposed of with the other organs. Take a moment to inspect the organs for any signs of illness or infection. Palpate the lungs for any hard lumps, inspect the liver for signs of parasitic infection small white lines or abscesses, and cut open the heart.
In general, look for anything that looks suspicious. If you want to save the liver, heart, or kidneys, separate them from the rest of the organs. Remove the gallbladder from the liver and pop the kidneys by lightly scoring them and peeling back the thin membrane. Using a knife, cut through the pelvic girdle between the back legs.
On a younger carcass, it should easily separate. If you have trouble, you can use a saw. Next, using a saw, split the sternum down the middle so only the backbone is holding the two sides together. Then, standing facing the inside of the carcass, use a bone saw or reciprocating saw to split the carcass in half down the backbone. If you have used a gambrel to hang the carcass, leave the last inches of skin connected near the shoulders to make sure the gambrel stays balanced.
If you used chains or ropes to hang the back legs independently, you may completely separate the sides. Look over the carcass for any signs of contamination dirt, hair, fecal matter, ingesta from a punctured intestine, etc.
Any contamination should be trimmed off the carcass to reduce chances of food borne illness such as Salmonella, E. Coli or other illnesses. Many harmful bacteria thrive in fecal matter. Using hot water if possible, spray the carcass down beginning at the hind legs and working toward the front legs. Allow the carcass to drip for a few minutes.
Acetic acid is the acid found in white vinegar. If you do not have access to those facilities, the carcass needs to be fabricated cut into manageable pieces. Use Figure 2 as a guide to help you make these cuts.
Lay one side of the carcass down on a clean surface so the skin side is down. If you do not wish to keep the feet, they can be cut off using a saw above the knee or hock joint of each leg.
Then, locate the 2nd rib counting from the anterior end closest to the head. Using a saw, cut through the backbone and sternum between the 2nd and 3rd ribs. You will also have to saw through the shoulder blade which lays below the backbone. Once you have cut through the bones, you can finish removing the shoulder with a clean boning knife.
Next, locate the aitch bone, which is a teardrop shaped bone at the ham. Using a saw, make a cut perpendicular to the length of the back leg about 2 inches towards the head from the aitch bone. You will cut through the last few vertebrae and the pelvic bone.
Again, once you have cut through the bones, finish the cut with the boning knife. Finally, separate the belly from the loin. Start by looking at the end the ham was removed from. Locate the tenderloin, which is a small round muscle that sits just under the backbone.
At the ham end, make a mark at the edge of the tenderloin. Then, on the shoulder end of the loin, locate a spot about inches toward the belly from where the ribs meet the backbone and make a mark. Then return to the ham end. Using a knife, cut towards the mark you made on the shoulder end. You should get about half-way through the cut before reaching the ribs. Then, use a saw to cut through the ribs and finish the cut with a knife.
You should now have 4 manageable pieces of a pork carcass to cool. Do the same thing to the other side.
Then wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place into iced down coolers for 24 hours. Be cautious to not over pack the coolers. Leave space around each cut for ice to ensure it cools properly. The black lines on Figure 2 indicate the locations to cut the carcass into primal cuts for chilling. The organs, hide, head, feet, or trim you removed from the carcass should be disposed of properly. If you have access to an animal disposal pit, you can dispose of it there.
You can also contact your local land fill to see if they allow animal disposal. This article is intended to provide guidance on the proper techniques for fabricating a pork carcass at home. This article is intended to provide guidance on the proper techniques for packaging meat and storing meat at home. Skills Needed Before making the decision to slaughter a pig at home, there are several important skills that you should possess: Firearms: You should have the skills necessary to handle and fire a gun safely.
Most people prefer to use a. You should be able to safely and accurately fire the gun to ensure the animal is stunned properly and humanely. Knives: You should be confident in your ability to sharpen and handle knives and saws. A dull knife is much more dangerous to use than a sharp one because dull knives require more pressure to cut, increasing your chances of injury.
Animal Handling: You understand humane animal handling and the ability to safely restrain the pig or keep it in a small area. If the pig is able to move around, it is much harder to safely and humanely stun the animal. Patience: You should have the patience and attention to detail to follow all of the necessary steps to safely handle the animal, carcass, and meat to reduce the chances of animal welfare or food safety issues. Essential Equipment If you have determined that you have the skills necessary to slaughter and butcher a pig yourself, the next step is to conduct an inventory of equipment.
Firearm for stunning the pig and ensure the firearm is sighted in for the appropriate range. Several sharp boning knives. We recommend at 6-inch blade. Metal barrel or other container to heat water.
Note: You will need a significant amount of water. Strong rope, chain, or gambrel. Tractor or pulley system to hoist the carcass into the air.
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