Pig butchering advice?

[DanConnor]

Hi all,

I live in the country, and have access to a number of farms that will sell me a half or whole organic, pastured pig, delivered to the butcher. I know I can just tell the butcher to do his thing and I will get typical results, but probably a lot will get discarded, or maybe it won't be the best way. If anyone has an opinion about directions to give the butcher, any at all, I'm all ears! Thanks.

[jackal10]

http://shop.rivercottage.net/rcv2/shop/onl...op=courses#1195

[Fugu]

Let your butcher work his craft but ask him to set aside any part that he might want to discard. When you pick up your packages, you decide what parts you want to keep or throw away.

$.02

[kpzachary]

Tell your butcher to save it all, from snout to tail. If there is a specific cut you desire, ask for it. I am sure that the butcher would be willing to do everything from primal cuts, to head cheese, as long as you are willing to pay for it. Ask him to keep all the bones and trim for stock. Remember, the entire animal is useful in oneway or another. As far as what to do with it all, that is for another thread.

If it were me, I would butcher it myself or roast it whole for a party.

Edited July 30, 2007 by kpzachary (log)

[tim]

Dan,

You might want to look at the following website with your butcher to select how you want your pig butchered.

Porcine Myology

Tim

[Anna Friedman Herlihy]

You can also butcher it yourself, as I do. I just dove in with not much experience in such matters (I had done a deer, a lamb, and half a cow prior--the cow was by far the toughest, btw). Some cuts may not look quite as perfect as the butcher, but you will be able to rest assured that you have salvaged all the scrap for sausage and have all the bones for stock.

I had the pig split down the backbone into the two sides (since you need a powered bone saw for this step). The rest of the cuts can be made with two good knives (I use a boning knife and a scimitar knife) and a hand-held bone saw (basically a large hacksaw--which you could also use provided you sterilize and clean it properly).

Different processors are licensed to give you different things though--some can't give you the beast with skin on, some can't give you the head, most (if not all) can't give you the blood. A lot of processors doom most of the offal to the dog food bin, so if you want the heart, tongue, liver, etc. you will have to make sure. You will have some surprises--for example, I didn't realize that the processor that slaughtered my pig cut the liver into thin slices, so if you want it whole, be sure to specify. Many processors do not even know what caul fat is, so if you want that be very sure to say so. Same with the back fat--many won't even think to give you all this instead dooming it to the rendering plant or into pre-made sausage that they will give you (which brings me to an important note--if you want to make the sausage yourself, make sure that they don't give you the scrap pre-ground, but rather still in pieces). Many processors will not only make fresh sausage for you, but also cure and smoke hams and bacon and make smoked sausages.

You can also have it partially butchered into the primal cuts, and then take it from there. That way, for example, you can cut up the belly into pieces for bacon and the like to your specifications and the loin into chops and roasts as you like.

Ruhlman/Polcyn's Charcuterie has an excellent description of how the pig primals break down into their various parts.

If you do get it fully butchered, I would highly recommend repackaging the cuts into vacuum-sealed bags instead of just leaving it in the butcher-paper packages. This will extend your freezer life significantly.

If you're interested in trying your hand at butchering it yourself, just PM me, and I can send you some references and diagrams that I have found helpful.

Enjoy your properly-raised pig. You will never, ever go back to supermarket meat after you buy farm-direct! (And perhaps, like me, you will end up with not one, but two large upright freezers and a separate dry-curing fridge).

[stephle]

And don't forget to ask your butcher what part he likes best (and how he likes to cook it).

I've gotten some really good ideas just by asking what cut/part they personally like and how they like to cook it. A local butcher is how I discovered my first flatiron steak years ago before word got out on the street that this was a tasty cut o'meat.

[DanConnor]

Thank, you all for the great advice, Anna particularly. Having done 25 chickens, I'm thinking maybe doing my own butchering is not really for me. In fact, I'd keep raising chickens but I can't find a way to outsource the cleaning etc!

I'm going to split a pig with a friend, and maybe the following year put piglet or two out back.

[azureus]

Having done 25 chickens, I'm thinking maybe doing my own butchering is not really for me. In fact, I'd keep raising chickens but I can't find a way to outsource the cleaning etc!

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Regarding poultry, don't give up on it too soon. It takes practice and experience. It does eventually get easier. Having a another person to help out makes everything more efficient.

April

[Mallet]

Dan,

You might want to look at the following website with your butcher to select how you want your pig butchered.

Porcine Myology

Tim

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That website is amazing! Do you know of any similar sites for beef/poultry?

[DerekW]

That website is amazing! Do you know of any similar sites for beef/poultry?

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Bovine Myology