So, 3 weeks ago, a friend called, and she wanted to get rid of 2 pigs. I expected 45-80 lbs pigs, but these where between 180-250. I got one, and have feed it for 3 weeks, and I'm going to stop this weekend. The way I figure it, I'm in a 200+ lbs pig for $39 in feed, so I'm not going to pay a butcher. I've processed deer, and helped skin a pig, but never cut pork chops, made bacon, ECT. Any tips? I will be shooting it at my pen, loading on trailer and taking it around the street to friends house with skinning rack.
You definitely want to chill the meat after you split the carcass, preferably overnight. I built a small walk in cooler as we do a couple a year + a beef, but you can get by using an ice bath in a watering trough or a chest freezer not running (or run it an hour, cut off for several, run it an hour.....be a LONG night
) Hog killing season is usually around Thanksgiving or later here to take advantage of near freezing temps at night....that's why I built a cooler...both mine are done for the fall.
We skin ours as well. 200lb pig, your halves will weigh in the 75lb range, so they won't be too hard to handle.
As for cutting, couple good butch knives and a bone saw and you can get by.....that is what I started with. Now have a small band saw, good Weston grinder for sausage/hamburger, and a good Weston vac packer. There are plenty of real good videos on Youtube....that is what got me started.
Lard is easy to render in a crockpot....cut into 1" cubes, start on high, switch to low so you don't scorch it. Ladle off thru cheesecloth lined strainer, and you have the best cooking fat going, bar none. 200lb pig probably won't have a lot.....they don't start really putting on the lard until 300 or so, so you may not have enough to fool with.
I brine cure my bacon and hams. You can use Morton's salt cure dry, but I find it get's the meat too salty for my taste, so I found a brine cure recipe on the net, and cure mine in stone crocks....but again, you need refrigeration while they cure.
