Got my first 300lb hog. Is this a good turnout from the butcher?

[Enderfenrir]

Here is the breakdown

2 packages of ribs

23 packages of pork sausage 1lb

26 packs Italian sausage 1lb

14 packs iowa chops 2 per (1 single)

6 packs of shoulder steaks (2 steaks per, maybe 8 oz steaks)

10 packs of smoked ham steaks

13 packs of bacon, plus pack of 1 end pieces

19 packs of cheese brats 4 per, plus one with 2


Grand total came to $667

The shoulders seem light I almost think they gave me half a hogs worth.

 

[chopsaw]

The shoulders seem light I almost think they gave me half a hogs worth.

and 26 pounds of Italian sausage .

 

[Enderfenrir]

and 26 pounds of Italian sausage .

Not to mention I asked for half regular and half cheese brats. Only got cheese so that made me wonder. The ribs were also trimmed to shit. I let them use ham hocks for the trim so that's extra. The shoulder steaks are freaking tiny.

 

[slavikborisov]

Here is the breakdown

2 packages of ribs

23 packages of pork sausage 1lb

26 packs Italian sausage 1lb

14 packs iowa chops 2 per (1 single)

6 packs of shoulder steaks (2 steaks per, maybe 8 oz steaks)

10 packs of smoked ham steaks

13 packs of bacon, plus pack of 1 end pieces

19 packs of cheese brats 4 per, plus one with 2


Grand total came to $667

The shoulders seem light I almost think they gave me half a hogs worth.

what the total weight of everything....you should be able to yield 50% at least of hanging weight.

 

[Enderfenrir]

what the total weight of everything....you should be able to yield 50% at least

what the total weight of everything....you should be able to yield 50% at least of hanging weight.

Looks like it was around 196 based on my receipt. Haven't noticed that till just now.

 

[slavikborisov]

Yeah that’s completely normal… 300lb is live weight… hanging weight is gutted and skinned… what you received will be less than that after butchering.

Looks like it was around 196 based on my receipt. Haven't noticed that till just now.

 

[Enderfenrir]

Yeah that’s completely normal… 300lb is live weight… hanging weight is gutted and skinned… what you received will be less than that after butchering.

Oh absolutely. Shoulders content just seemed lacking. Figured I'd have at least twice as many steaks. But, also my first, so I expected expectations to be crushed a little, I think that area was just a bit of a surprise.

 

[chopsaw]

I'm just making the point that you're not gonna get whole shoulders and over 50 pounds of sausage .
Different cuts / use cross over into the same areas of the animal .
Hocks for trim won't yield much .

 

[Enderfenrir]

I'm just making the point that you're not gonna get whole shoulders and over 50 pounds of sausage .
Different cuts / use cross over into the same areas of the animal .
Hocks for trim won't yield much .

Sounds like the all bits that aren't from the roast got turned into trim guess that makes more sense. Disappointed it wasnt the whole shoulder cut into steaks, but that's probably not what makes them money so not how they are used to doing it.

 

[tallbm]

Here is the breakdown

2 packages of ribs

23 packages of pork sausage 1lb

26 packs Italian sausage 1lb

14 packs iowa chops 2 per (1 single)

6 packs of shoulder steaks (2 steaks per, maybe 8 oz steaks)

10 packs of smoked ham steaks

13 packs of bacon, plus pack of 1 end pieces

19 packs of cheese brats 4 per, plus one with 2


Grand total came to $667

The shoulders seem light I almost think they gave me half a hogs worth.

I calculate 33% yield on my game animals, and usually come out at that number or not far off. Feral Hogs have a lot of weight in head, hide, and guts so you lose a lot of weight there.
I'm not sure this is a farm raised hog or a feral one.

If you got about 100lbs back and some ribs then I think you got a good amount of meat out of your animal. $667 is a lot of money for it though but I understand not everyone can harvest/slaughter and process themselves.

Finally, if this was a farm raised pig, where is all the extra fat and skin?? Should have been scraped and scalded and pork skin and extra fat for lard or sausage making is awesome to have :D

 

[Enderfenrir]

I calculate 33% yield on my game animals, and usually come out at that number or not far off. Feral Hogs have a lot of weight in head, hide, and guts so you lose a lot of weight there.
I'm not sure this is a farm raised hog or a feral one.

If you got about 100lbs back and some ribs then I think you got a good amount of meat out of your animal. $667 is a lot of money for it though but I understand not everyone can harvest/slaughter and process themselves.

Finally, if this was a farm raised pig, where is all the extra fat and skin?? Should have been scraped and scalded and pork skin and extra fat for lard or sausage making is awesome to have :D

Yeah they didn't offer it at all. They looked at me like a was insane when I asked for whole pork belly skin on. Ended up just doing the bacon just for ease. It was a farm raised show pig. 300 for the pig, 367 for the processing. Processing breakdown, 194 for the pig, 60 for slaughter and disposal. The rest is for curing, and seasoning and stuff. If I had to do over I'd say no curing and be very specific I wanted as little trim from the shoulders and only ground pork from the trim and I'd do the rest myself. Plus all the fat.

What would you say a good price should have been?

 

[chopsaw]

. Disappointed it wasnt the whole shoulder cut into steaks, but that's probably not what makes them money so not how they are used to doing it.

I've always filled out a cut sheet showing what you want . They should tell you if there is an overlap in end product . So if you marked so many pounds of pork steaks and the same in grind , they should clear that up before any processing is done .

 

[Enderfenrir]

I've always filled out a cut sheet showing what you want . They should tell you if there is an overlap in end product . So if you marked so many pounds of pork steaks and the same in grind , they should clear that up before any processing is done

.

This was their menu

 

[thirdeye]

Here is the breakdown

2 packages of ribs

23 packages of pork sausage 1lb

26 packs Italian sausage 1lb

14 packs iowa chops 2 per (1 single)

6 packs of shoulder steaks (2 steaks per, maybe 8 oz steaks)

10 packs of smoked ham steaks

13 packs of bacon, plus pack of 1 end pieces

19 packs of cheese brats 4 per, plus one with 2


Grand total came to $667

The shoulders seem light I almost think they gave me half a hogs worth.

EDIT - I didn't see the cut list until after I posted.

Welcome Aboard!! I guess the best answer to your question is: How good of a deal do you feel you got? When it comes to hogs, buying a whole, half or a pork 'package' has different value to different people. The supplier is VERY important, as is the skill level of the meat cutters.

For some history, I make my own sausage, belly bacon, loin bacon and prefer to make ham from front shoulders instead of rear legs. I like to sort through racks of ribs for the best ones, I have no problems buying whole loins and tenderloins, and I shop at certain markets that know how to cut full-size pork steaks, or pork chops to order. When I grind pork I use pork butt, and adjust the fat content through trimming for different applications.

Looking at your deal through my perspective my comments are below, and no disrespect intended, I'm just being honest based on my personal likes and experiences.

1. The 50 pounds of sausage does not appeal to me because I don't know the fat ratio, and might not like their seasoning (and especially their salt ratio). This would be a big gamble unless I had sampled each recipe.
2. I don't know what Iowa chops are, but will assume they are a good product.
3. The 8 oz pork steaks would be too small for my liking.
4. The 10 packs of smoked ham steaks sounds good.... but I've not tasted many 'ham' products from local producers that I liked. Custom butchering is one thing, but being a custom butcher AND smokehouse is harder to come by.
5. The same ^^^ holds true for bacon, I just really like my homemade bacon. And when I do buy bacon from the markets, I'm super picky on the lean-to-fat ratio and thickness of slices.
6. I like brats, but again... would I like their brats?
7. Things I didn't see on your list are, hocks, shanks, a neck roast, or plain ground pork. Plus, I would have asked for a coarse grind (aka chili grind).

 

[Enderfenrir]

EDIT - I didn't see the cut list until after I posted.

Welcome Aboard!! I guess the best answer to your question is: How good of a deal do you feel you got? When it comes to hogs, buying a whole, half or a pork 'package' has different value to different people. The supplier is VERY important, as is the skill level of the meat cutters.

For some history, I make my own sausage, belly bacon, loin bacon and prefer to make ham from front shoulders instead of rear legs. I like to sort through racks of ribs for the best ones, I have no problems buying whole loins and tenderloins, and I shop at certain markets that know how to cut full-size pork steaks, or pork chops to order. When I grind pork I use pork butt, and adjust the fat content through trimming for different applications.

Looking at your deal through my perspective my comments are below, and no disrespect intended, I'm just being honest based on my personal likes and experiences.

1. The 50 pounds of sausage does not appeal to me because I don't know the fat ratio, and might not like their seasoning (and especially their salt ratio). This would be a big gamble unless I had sampled each recipe.
2. I don't know what Iowa chops are, but will assume they are a good product.
3. The 8 oz pork steaks would be too small for my liking.
4. The 10 packs of smoked ham steaks sounds good.... but I've not tasted many 'ham' products from local producers that I liked. Custom butchering is one thing, but being a custom butcher AND smokehouse is harder to come by.
5. The same ^^^ holds true for bacon, I just really like my homemade bacon. And when I do buy bacon from the markets, I'm super picky on the lean-to-fat ratio and thickness of slices.
6. I like brats, but again... would I like their brats?
7. Things I didn't see on your list are, hocks, shanks, a neck roast, or plain ground pork. Plus, I would have asked for a coarse grind (aka chili grind).

Any of the extras got counted as trim. I wasn't expecting 50 pounds of ground. Maybe 25. They definitely over killed it. Just found their cut sheet and I'm absolutely missing a lot.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Yeah they didn't offer it at all. They looked at me like a was insane when I asked for whole pork belly skin on. Ended up just doing the bacon just for ease. It was a farm raised show pig. 300 for the pig, 367 for the processing. Processing breakdown, 194 for the pig, 60 for slaughter and disposal. The rest is for curing, and seasoning and stuff. If I had to do over I'd say no curing and be very specific I wanted as little trim from the shoulders and only ground pork from the trim and I'd do the rest myself. Plus all the fat.

What would you say a good price should have been?

I would say your deal was a good one all around judging by my local cost.
Whole hogs are 2.00 a pound rail weight,
Processing:
75.00 kill fee
1.20 per pound of rail weight for cut/wrap and grind
1.75 per pound extra for cure meats.

So your 196 pounds rail would have cost 392 for the hog
235 to process
137 for cured meats
75 for kill fee
all in 447 for the processing
392 for the hog
equals, 839 out the door around here, I’d say you did good.

I never let them cure anything or make any sausage, waste of money when I can do that myself and do my way.

 

[chopsaw]

Any chance you ended up with the wrong order ?

 

[Enderfenrir]

I would say your deal was a good one all around judging by my local cost.
Whole hogs are 2.00 a pound rail weight,
Processing:
75.00 kill fee
1.20 per pound of rail weight for cut/wrap and grind
1.75 per pound extra for cure meats.

So your 196 pounds rail would have cost 392 for the hog
235 to process
137 for cured meats
75 for kill fee
all in 447 for the processing
392 for the hog
equals, 839 out the door around here, I’d say you did good.

I never let them cure anything or make any sausage, waste of money when I can do that myself and do my way.

Any chance you ended up with the wrong order ?

all had my name on it. Im actually thinking they prioritize ground, and took minimum for that at 15 pounds a style then left me with whatever they could of the hams and shoulders. Really stupid way of doing it considering I had gone down the list and only did brats because I was told there would be "plenty" of trim. Now I think im just angry.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Looks like it was around 196 based on my receipt. Haven't noticed that till just now.

Correct me if my numbers are wrong, 300# hog and 196# rail weight?

Hogs generally finish out 60% of live weight or that’s close to what rail weight is.
my math would be 300 x .60 = 180# so your yield was better than 60%. Now they say about a 30% loss during process you won’t all of that rail weight back because of butchering loss. So again 196 x .70 (yield) = 137 pounds final yield.

Kind of tough to get an exact total weight from your original post but I added as best I could and come up with 121# of packages then add the two packages of ribs, I have no idea how big they are, and you are darn close to where you should be.

 

[Enderfenrir]

Correct me if my numbers are wrong, 300# hog and 196# rail weight?

Hogs generally finish out 60% of live weight or that’s close to what rail weight is.
my math would be 300 x .60 = 180# so your yield was better than 60%. Now they say about a 30% loss during process you won’t all of that rail weight back because of butchering loss. So again 196 x .70 (yield) = 137 pounds final yield.

Kind of tough to get an exact total weight from your original post but I added as best I could and come up with 121# of packages then add the two packages of ribs, I have no idea how big they are, and you are darn close to where you should be.

That sounds pretty spot on. I think they just messed up and ground way too much. Based on their cut sheet of approximate weight. Hams and shoulders are barely at half their proposed weight for a side. So that rubs me pretty wrong. Bacon seems a little light too.they knew I was a first timer and am fearing they took advantage. Or they just went grind crazy.