Getting my hands on a whole hog.

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What was I thinking? Oh well, I've started it, might as well finish! I got a lot of leaf lard out of the pig. I've read that the lard rendered from leaf lard is the best lard money can buy...it's in a pot on the range right now cooking out! I hope the house doesn't smell too much from it.
 
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I was totally carried away and forgot to take pictures from the very beginning. Here is a shot of the two boneless loins waiting to be cut into chops.

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The leg. Note the slash in the middle. I wasn't too happy with the quality of work coming out of the slaughter plant. The pigs were skinned and I definitely prefer dehaired.

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Here is a shot of the good side of the leg. Although I would rather not have skinned pigs, I have to say that the skinning job is clean and impressive.

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All the boneless chops off of one pig. Note some of the roasts in tied in the background.

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Leg boned.

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I made a last minute decision to render the leaf lard. It started on the stove top but then due to spousal commentary I took it out to the grill and finished it on the side burner.

Here the lard and cracklings are cooling. I may have some cracklings for berakfast tomorrow. That will do me for a few years. Wouldn't want my arteries to clog prematurely!
 
Before and after. Hot and cold.

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The colour seems alright. It might not be quite as white as lard from done by a professional but I am happy with it myself. The smell is slightly fried but not "piggy". I call it a success.

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During the fall and spring kills I'd take in hogs to cut up for farmers.  They'd butcher them, either scald or skin them, split them and bring to me.  We had a a rail beam hanging scale to weigh them on and I'd get 10¢ / lb to cut them up, make their sausages and grind their lard, then dad would get 10¢ / lb. to cure and smoke their hams, bacons, shoulders, whatever they desired.  We'd brand the custom and cure it, then smoke it, along with many many others (usually during peak kills, 4-6 55 gal. barrels a day).

Mom would hang around and take the order for me to do the cut-up; she had a vested interest as she got to see the hog and ask if they wanted to render their own lard or for us to "toss it away" for them, lol... if it was a nice looking hog or hogs and 'smelled' right, she'd pin "ML" on the hog sides - MOM"S LARD lol!  She'd snatch unwanted clean lard for herself, I'd grind it and she'd take it upstairs and bake it in the oven to cook it down in meatloaf pans!  Then she'd wrap them in double-layer parchment paper and freeze them... NOTHING was better than home-rendered pig lard for pie crusts, bar none! NOTHING!

After work i'd come back to the store and cut up hogs; my wife would often help me, our son in the cradle, her foot rocking it while she'd stand at the block skinning out the lard while I'd cut up the hogs.  I could process 4 or 5 whole hogs in a night and make extra money for us to buy furniture or appliances!
 
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During the fall and spring kills I'd take in hogs to cut up for farmers.  They'd butcher them, either scald or skin them, split them and bring to me.  We had a a rail beam hanging scale to weigh them on and I'd get 10¢ / lb to cut them up, make their sausages and grind their lard, then dad would get 10¢ / lb. to cure and smoke their hams, bacons, shoulders, whatever they desired.  We'd brand the custom and cure it, then smoke it, along with many many others (usually during peak kills, 4-6 55 gal. barrels a day).

Mom would hang around and take the order for me to do the cut-up; she had a vested interest as she got to see the hog and ask if they wanted to render their own lard or for us to "toss it away" for them, lol... if it was a nice looking hog or hogs and 'smelled' right, she'd pin "ML" on the hog sides - MOM"S LARD lol!  She'd snatch unwanted clean lard for herself, I'd grind it and she'd take it upstairs and bake it in the oven to cook it down in meatloaf pans!  Then she'd wrap them in double-layer parchment paper and freeze them... NOTHING was better than home-rendered pig lard for pie crusts, bar none! NOTHING!

After work i'd come back to the store and cut up hogs; my wife would often help me, our son in the cradle, her foot rocking it while she'd stand at the block skinning out the lard while I'd cut up the hogs.  I could process 4 or 5 whole hogs in a night and make extra money for us to buy furniture or appliances!
I love that sort of social history, a much simpler time . Butcher used to come to us to cut up steers we did lamb ourselves.

They were the best pie crusts,butcher used to sell lard in a sort of a milk carton. Steak & kidney pie ain't it funny the stuff you remember?
 
 
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