For months Pat and I had been planning our first pig slaughter. It wasn’t something we took lightheartedly. Even though we only had experience with smaller animals we knew with some foresight and thought that it was possible.
For me, to be able to use the whole animal is one of the main reasons to slaughter and butcher an animal yourself. Also to appreciate where your food comes from and how much work is involved in the whole process is something everyone should experience at least once whether it is a chicken, deer, or in our case a pig.
We invited some friends to help us out. Working together with like-minded people makes a day of work into a work-party! Thanks to everyone who showed up and got their hands dirty.
Below- lowering the scalded pig onto the table to scrape the hair off. Unfortunately we did not have the temperature hot enough to scrape the hair off! Something to keep in mind when we do this again next year…
Portioning the pig into primary cuts to allow the meat to cool before butchering any further.
More butchering!
We didn’t have the capacity (or time) to hang the carcass overnight to cool. So we cooled portions of the pig in ice cold water for a few hours.
Cleaning out the intestines to make sausages!
