Baymule's Feeder Pigs 2017

[baymule]

And this brings us up to date. Tomorrow I'll be making sausage. I hope this helps anyone comtemplating slaughtering their own hogs. I am no butcher, by any means, but if I can do it, so can you.

 

[baymule]

Thanks for sharing! Gosh, I miss homegrown pork. We used to butcher, but didn't process the meat ourselves. It's something I'd love to learn to do.

Well I just gave you a pictorial to follow!! It's not that hard, if you make a mistake, just eat the evidence and nobody will know!

 

[sumi]

Well I just gave you a pictorial to follow!! It's not that hard, if you make a mistake, just eat the evidence and nobody will know!

That can work!

 

[sumi]

If they taste as good as they look…

 

[lcertuche]

Baymule what a fantastic tutorial indeed! I have went from 'I think I can' to 'I know I can'.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Bay is right- if you mess up, eat the evidence! Everything can be made into sausage, if you cut off too much, and pork tastes like pork even if it's not perfectly cut. Basically if you follow the muscles and go, that's a decent size roast, cut it out. Lol it's only a daunting task because of the sheer size of it.

 

[baymule]

Thank you @waretrop for you nice compliments, especially about the cleanliness. I was very careful to keep the meat clean as we slaughtered. I have cleaned gut shot deer before-not a pleasant experience! I certainly didn't want gut goosh all over my meat! We had waiting ice chests and only had to drop the quartered pieces in and cover with ice. In the kitchen, I scrubbed with a Clorox solution and washed everything between each hunk of meat processed.

Some of that rubbed off on our neighbor Robert. He went home with his meat, which was all packaged, except the bacon and stuffed sausage, as he was going to smoke them himself. His wife started to hand wash the containers and he stopped her. He insisted on Clorox and running them through the dishwasher. Why? his wife asked. He told her, because it had raw meat in it and you gotta clean it real good!

 

[waretrop]

That is nice you set such a good example. Even when I buy meat at the butcher store and repack it, I clean everything in between packages including my hands...people just don't get that stuff..

 

[CrealCritter]

Thank you. That is why I posted and took so many pictures. We learn from each other! This was the first time I ever tackled a domestic hog. I've processed deer, feral hogs, rabbits, chickens..... We were pretty proud of ourselves and like the smoked bacon, smoked sausage and pan sausage better than last year's hog that we had processed. @crealbilly you can do this, but I don't think it's gonna be Miss Pork Chop!

You wouldn't want to wager on that would you? Miss Pork Chop will be table fare. albeit not a feeder hog, I think she'll make a fine family pig pickin pig or maybe... A little meat for the freezer - I haven't decided yet.

 

[Mini Horses]

Wow!!! I feel like such a wimp now. I can butcher out a buck pretty well but man all that pork meat looks absolutely delicious. I need to learn - I guess there is no better time to start learning than right now re-reading though this thread

Yes -- Bay has made a great tutorial !!

And you have Miss Pork Chop to deal with. Smaller than those Bay processed!! I liked my AGH hogs because of that. When mine were ready I took them for a "kill & chill"...so picked up a whole hog gutted and chilled. Had them cut into large sections to transport and process at home. In years back, the head, feet, everything but the squeal would be used. I wasted the heads, guts, etc. Now have a source for person who will use for dogs. Suld have cut the jowl meats out...didn't. Smoke those ears -- they're $1 each at pet store.

Yes -- it can be difficult to butcher an animal you watched grow and you MUST, MUST have that mindset at the beginning. Butchering is "messy" and Clorox, a lot of clean surface, tubs, equipment is needed. Others to help is a real good thing!! But some are not agreeable to it all.

My hardest is a rabbit....cute factor....never did the deed but helped butcher & clean once done. That is an animal that has great meat production & quality, with less demand & expense while growing out. If I were in a place that I needed to slaughter, I could -- survival pushes us forward.

I have to be "food certified" card holder to do the demo jobs, so I observe temperatures, containers, wash hands & equipment, use gloves, change often, etc... but, I know that home slaughter day has it's own challenges. We do as much as we can and I'm eating the results -- still alive to tell about it.

So, Bay, I know you raised rabbits for meat and a lot of them! How did you find the best way to dispatch them?