So, I just bought a 275# pig for $100 bucks.

[mneeley490]

Heck of a deal, even with breaking down yourself.
In my area, hogs from the farms fetch $3+ lb. hanging weight, plus butcher fees. $5 lb. or more if it's a heritage breed.

 

[indaswamp]

Heck of a deal, even with breaking down yourself.
In my area, hogs from the farms fetch $3+ lb. hanging weight, plus butcher fees. $5 lb. or more if it's a heritage breed.

Yep. The Dad that was feeding the pigs put in at least $600 in just feed alone. They are not paying much at auction, but he could have gotten more than he charged us.

 

[indaswamp]

Here's the culatello...
It is in a bag in the fridge along with the Fiocco

with:
2.7% sea salt
0.3% cure #2
0.25% cracked Black Pepper

The Fiocco will take 25 days, the Culatello 36 days.

 

[pc farmer]

Good looking pigs. Knife work thou during the skinning. LOL

 

[indaswamp]

Good looking pigs. Knife work thou during the skinning. LOL

I know...Not much I could do about it... I was not happy either.

 

[pc farmer]

I know...Not much I could do about it... I was not happy either.

I was just picking. Its not a big deal

 

[indaswamp]

Good looking pigs. Knife work thou during the skinning. LOL

Nice pig. what did that one weight?

 

[pc farmer]

Nice pig. what did that one weight?

350 ish

 

[Fueling Around]

Yep. The Dad that was feeding the pigs put in at least $600 in just feed alone. They are not paying much at auction, but he could have gotten more than he charged us.

Overfed was your win.
Nice clean hogs to harvest the organs.
Did you keep the intestines or too busy butchering while the "helpers" watched the process?
If you didn't I won't poo poo. A lot of work cleaning them while busy with the good stuff.
Sucks about losing the skin.

 

[indaswamp]

Overfed was your win.
Nice clean hogs to harvest the organs.
Did you keep the intestines or too busy butchering while the "helpers" watched the process?
If you didn't I won't poo poo. A lot of work cleaning them while busy with the good stuff.
Sucks about losing the skin.

...if I'd a had experienced help, I would have saved every damn thing I could. It's not their fault really, they just didn't know what they didn't know. I don't really need the hog casings as I can get those fairly cheaply from a local butcher supply shop. It's the Cajun/Italian in me that hates to see anything go to waste. Shame of it is, the skills to process a hog with no waste are being lost.....I learned it all from the annual hog butchering at my Grandfather's Hunting camp. They'd do 2 hogs, and have at least 30 people pitching in to help. Nothing wasted. The Boudin Rouge (blood boudin) is what I miss the most. Now there is a dying art...making blood boudin.

 

[Fueling Around]

Not a blood sausage fan. Blod Klub is the Scandinavian version. Just too metallic a taste for me.

 

[indaswamp]

Back then, it was made fresh that day, and consumed that day. There was never any left over to refrigerate, which makes the flavors much stronger.

 

[indaswamp]

20.75Kg. Shoulder, Butt and trim from coppas
7.4Kg. back fat
7.8 Kg. Belly trim (Had to trim extensively because the belly of one pig was butchered pretty bad when skinned)
7.6KG. Bellies curing for Bacon
2 Kg. Ham trim for Strolghino salami
2.2Kg. Liver, 0.25 Kg. hearts
I also have about a 5.5Kg. culatello, 1.7Kg. Fiocco, 2 tenderloins, and 1 loin.

 

[indaswamp]

Wow...that was a lot of meat to process. I'm fortunate it was so cold that everyone stayed home... I processed meat all week. Put the cullatelo and fiocco to cure, got the bacon curing, broke down all the other cuts, put the coppas to cure. Then I portioned out 6 bags of 3.5Kg lean meat to freeze for salami. If I lived in a colder climate with a cantina, I would have processed it all at one time into salami. But I can only fit about 20-25Kg. in my chamber. And I have to put 5Kg. in the chamber in stages 10 days apart so the dehumidifier can keep up. I made Strolghino Salami this week. Since it was only 2Kg., I made 6Kg. of Ciauscolo as well. I'll post a thread about that one next week. I have it cold smoking with pitmasters choice pellet dust along with 2 TBSPS. ground up juniper berries. Will do 3 nights of cold smoke.

 

[indaswamp]

I pulled the bellies out of the cure tub tonight....been curing for 20 days. Got them hanging in the fridge until tomorrow night...gonna do 4 nights of cold smoke on them. 32 hours...

 

[indaswamp]

Bellies are finished cold smoking...

Now a rest in the fridge wrapped in Kraft paper.

cold smoked 32 hours (4 nights/12 hours per night) with 20%Maple 20% cherry and 60% Apple dust in my Amazen Tube packed tight for a thin blue smoke.

 

[Fueling Around]

Bellies are finished cold smoking...
...

Wow that is a beautiful slab bacon
How much weight did you lose after the cure and smoke?

 

[indaswamp]

Wow that is a beautiful slab bacon
How much weight did you lose after the cure and smoke?

about 15%...

 

[indaswamp]

I pulled out one of the 3.5Kg. bags of meat from the hog along with 1.5kg. heritage hog fat from my butcher I had in the freezer and about 200 ml of pepper sauce I had frozen. It's gonna storm next two days so I'm making more Calabrian Sopressata.