I need to build me a butcher shop!

[farmhand78]

So I notice my neighbor doing chores in his hog house across the road from my house... then my phone rings and it was him. He had an injured hog in the 180 lbs range that he didn't think would make it to market and offered it to me for free... well since I don't have anywhere indoors that I could skin and split it I had to pass. Mid teens for temps, IMHO, is dangerous to be using a knife! Last summer he had a heifer in the feed lot that ended up being bred, long story short he lost the heifer, I skinned and quartered it for him but
my cooler is barely big enough to hang deer in, let alone a 800 lbs beef carcass, even quartered!

Knowing so many farmers, and them knowing me from 7 years at the local locker I get calls like this all the time. I gotta build ma a small Butcher shop!

Later,
Nathan

 

[timstalltaletav]

Hell of a problem to have!!! Lol!

 

[bensweeney]

Build yourself a little, 8x8 or so, super insulated shed and put a coolbot in it to turn it into a walk in cooler.  Then in the winter you could just put a little heater in it on a thermostat to keep it above 32 and below 40.  If you get free offers like that all the time it wouldn't take too long to pay for itself.

 

[farmhand78]

Yeah... heck of a problem!

I've called coolbot (great customer service) I might go that route, but my HVAC guy is working on getting a cooler unit on the cheap. Just need to bite the bullet!

Nathan

 

[nrdk]

Sounds like a wonderful problem to have, let me know if you ever end up with too much meat and I'll help relieve ya of some of that 

What part of SE Iowa ya from neighbor?

 

[farmhand78]

I'm just north of Fairfield. Will be sure to let you know if I ever have to much meat. Funny story... When I worked at the locker some family friends always had 1 and 1/2 steers and 3 hog butchered every year. I noticed they had several freezer locker spaces rented and looked into it, they had beef in there that was over 3 years old. I pointed it out how much meat they had in storage and how much it was costing them... I ended up buying a locker of meat from them for what they had spent in locker rent... that was some cheap beef! It amazed me how many people kept getting the same amount of meat cut every year even after kids left home.... a lot of freezer burnt meat has been waisted that way!

 

[nrdk]

I'm just north of Fairfield. Will be sure to let you know if I ever have to much meat. Funny story... When I worked at the locker some family friends always had 1 and 1/2 steers and 3 hog butchered every year. I noticed they had several freezer locker spaces rented and looked into it, they had beef in there that was over 3 years old. I pointed it out how much meat they had in storage and how much it was costing them... I ended up buying a locker of meat from them for what they had spent in locker rent... that was some cheap beef! It amazed me how many people kept getting the same amount of meat cut every year even after kids left home.... a lot of freezer burnt meat has been waisted that way!

Not too far away at all, friend of mine actually invited me out on a hunting trip down in that area during deer season but I was traveling at the time and missed out.

Hate to see waste like that, can't believe people would keep ordering. Just weird in my head that someone would place an order with a full freezer.

My SOP is ordering a half from a family friend between my parents and brothers, and we reorder whenever we run out. Lately it has been one in the spring and one in the fall but thinking we're gonna have my uncle step in and we'll do a whole one every spring starting this year, less hassle that way.

 

[stonearcher]

Whoa! A sub 200#'er and ya had to turn it down for weather! Bummer. I've had to make emergency butchering calls exactly like you stated here in the past.

Here's what I do: t-shirt, under armor, flannel or two, carhart bibs, ice kings and a warm chook. The important part however is: white cotton gloves and a size or two too large blue butchering gloves. When skinning I'll use a cheap mechanix style glove, (channel-lock brand) the cold and wet make it a real b**** to try to pull hide with frozen hands. If it's above, say ten degrees, that's my setup.

If it's a real ball-froster out there, I'll blue glove my left over cotton and use good choppers on my knife hand. Or a good thin winter glove under one of those heavy BBQ orange gloves on my left and a meat-hook. After primal cuts, on the dinner table she goes! A hook is almost mandatory for when it's below zero. Stay outa the wind and work fast!

I don't like to cut bone or spine, so I usually have to make more cuts than others. So I really have to be quick in meat freezing weather. The hardest part is getting the hide off for me. But, I like to wash the animal down if it's dirty, and they usually are on emergency calls.

I don't normally glove up like I should, but when it's colder out I do. You can't let it hang like you'd like to in the fall, but to be honest I see little gain in swine hanging. Beef can be air aged later on your higher end cuts.