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



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2021)

Will be butchering Saturday. Gonna be a perfect day for it...low 32, high 45. Picks to come...


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## TNJAKE (Feb 9, 2021)

Wow nice score


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## chilerelleno (Feb 9, 2021)

Stole that pig, yes you did.


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## pc farmer (Feb 9, 2021)

Watching for action shots.


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## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2021)

To scald or to burn...that is the question....


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## pc farmer (Feb 9, 2021)

indaswamp said:


> To scald or to burn...that is the question....



Or skin?


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## Wurstmeister (Feb 9, 2021)

indaswamp said:


> Will be butchering Saturday. Gonna be a perfect day for it...low 32, high 45. Picks to come...


What a  midnight requisition!!!   My head would be on a swivel watching 360 degrees acting like "I don't know what happened, the pig's gone and there ain't nothing you can do about it" all the way home !!  LOL!!!


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## jmusser (Feb 9, 2021)

I have no clue what a whole pig goes for but I would have to guess that is a pretty good deal. That seems like a lot o meat dude! Sounds like perfect temps. Never done but wouldn't pass at that price. Would love to be there to help.  Sweet man! Sounds like an adventure. Good luck!


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## SmokingUPnorth (Feb 9, 2021)

100$. Let’s see some pics. That’s awesome


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## GaryHibbert (Feb 9, 2021)

Great price, Inda
Gary


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## Fueling Around (Feb 9, 2021)

What kind of hog?
50¢ / pound is really good.  (I'm giving 1/3 loss to discard)


indaswamp said:


> To scald or to burn...that is the question....


My 2¢
Prepare hot water.
Kill.
A soak in the hot tub to scald the skin.
Hang to bleed as you scrape.  It really doesn't take as much effort to scrape a hog as they whined about in the video you posted.
2 people can scrape and wash a scalded hog in 10 minutes.

Have fun.  Wish I could join you.  My Saturday forecast is  -26°F low and -9°F high


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## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> What kind of hog?


I was told grey with a white belly... Not real sure what breed and don't really care for the price. They were raised for show hogs, did not make the cut at the show this past Saturday and Grandpa is culling them for the cost of new piglets. I _think_ they are Herefords. Not certain though. Pigs are 7-8 mos. old and 250-300# and that fits a Hereford. I'll know more in the coming days. But if it is a Hereford, it's an even better deal!


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## Fueling Around (Feb 9, 2021)

Not a swine breed follower. Just wondered if it was a commercial or something other.
Show pig?
O oh it might have a name


 pc farmer
 is the resident expert?


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## rc4u (Feb 9, 2021)

Herford's are cows , red n white face,  unlike angus all black.. Yorkshire or landrace is probably the breed. if its white


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## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2021)

rc4u said:


> Herford's are cows , red n white face,  unlike angus all black.. Yorkshire or landrace is probably the breed. if its white


There is a Hereford breed of swine:
https://www.roysfarm.com/hereford-pig/


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## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2021)

pc farmer said:


> Or skin?


That is a possibility...depends on what my friend finds out on the breed. I will be saving both livers though for boudin!


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## indaswamp (Feb 10, 2021)

Might not be a pure breed...but I assumed that it was being a show pig...

Anyone with any idea of what breed it might be? Grey with white belly. That is all I have to go on at this time. More info soon though.


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## forktender (Feb 10, 2021)

Bleed it then bleed it more. You can dump more blood if you pump the legs 10 to 20X after opening up the neck to bleed it.  After the death throes grab its legs and start working them as much as you can it will pump more blood doing so. Sounds like you scored!!!


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## SmokinGame (Feb 10, 2021)

My guess is a mixed, although it could be a Poland China or Berkshire with a little off coloring. We raised hogs when a I was a kid (many moons ago), mostly Hampshire and Chester Whites. 

You got a great deal. Should be some good eats. Congrats!

Before I was born my dad and granddad showed a Chester White boar that weighed in just over 1,000#. Dad said he was a pain to handle in the show ring and even worse, wasn't the best eating later, but there was a lot. I saw an old black and white pic of him and he was huge. I always wished they had a pic of my dad next to him. Would have been a great contrast because dad was 5' 2" and never weighed more than 135#.


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## indaswamp (Feb 10, 2021)

jmusser said:


> I have no clue what a whole pig goes for but I would have to guess that is a pretty good deal. That seems like a lot o meat dude! Sounds like perfect temps. Never done but wouldn't pass at that price. Would love to be there to help.  Sweet man! Sounds like an adventure. Good luck!


I had 1/2 of a tamworth X magnalista hog lined up back in Dec., but my buddy in michigan got swamped with animals to process bcause the processors were shut down from Covid. He was selling me that 1/2 pig (250-275# on the rail) for $4/#. But that was a free range hog on 110 acres. I want the hog for salami. I may still get it, depends on how this year goes with Covid....

So when this deal came up, could not pass it up! $100 for 275# pig.


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## kit s (Feb 10, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> What kind of hog?
> 50¢ / pound is really good.  (I'm giving 1/3 loss to discard)
> My 2¢
> Prepare hot water.
> ...


If you have or a friend has a steam cleaner...t is great for scraping...no dipping...just scrape as you wash..walla...


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## daveomak (Feb 10, 2021)

https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lsddhps.pdf
		


That pig shoulda cost you near $180 +....  show pigs are very well fed.....
You fell into it again and came up rosey !!!


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## indaswamp (Feb 10, 2021)

daveomak said:


> https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lsddhps.pdf
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How do you interpret that page Dave to get that price?

And yes, the pig has been very well fed. Been eating protein pellets and green kitchen waste up to the show. Has been on corn since the show. Not the best feed for salami fat production, but it'll eat for everything else.


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## daveomak (Feb 10, 2021)

DAILY DIRECT HOGS PLANT DELIVERED as of 1:30 PM ...Carcass price....  live price.....

That's based on 100# basis..


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## indaswamp (Feb 10, 2021)

daveomak said:


> DAILY DIRECT HOGS PLANT DELIVERED as of 1:30 PM ...Carcass price....  live price.....
> 
> That's based on 100# basis..


Gotcha...thanks Dave.


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## forktender (Feb 10, 2021)

I'd have snatched it up quicker than spit nice score.

By a bandsaw with a meat blade if you don't have access to one a cheapo Harbor Freight with the lifetime warranty would be my choice.


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## bill1 (Feb 11, 2021)

daveomak said:


> ....  show pigs are very well fed.....


Exactly.  This is going to be some great-tasting pork no matter the breed!    
Just hope things aren't too bad for the seller.  Selling off your herd at a potential loss just so you can buy piglets to do the same thing again in 6-12 months sounds like a recipe for financial disaster.


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## daveomak (Feb 11, 2021)

_I was told grey with a white belly... Not real sure what breed and don't really care for the price. They were raised for show hogs, did not make the cut at the show this past Saturday and Grandpa is culling them for the cost of new piglets. _

It's a good lesson for the kids, the pigs not making the cut...  Next year they will have to do better...  Whether it's select better stock or feed different chow...   Either way, it's a valuable learning experience....   Failure is the best learning tool their is...


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## bill1 (Feb 11, 2021)

daveomak said:


> ...It's a good lesson for the kids, the pigs not making the cut...


Good point Dave...I might have overlooked that the "seller" here could have been kids in a 4H or Future FarmersOA club.  Kids are definitely "allowed" to make a few unwise financial decisions!  Giving up is the exact last thing you want to teach kids.  

Thanks for opening up to me a whole new way of looking at this!


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## Fueling Around (Feb 11, 2021)

Thanks 

 daveomak
  for your info.

"Show" food animals are raised for 3 separate judging categories. 
1. live only 
2. live and slaughter
3. slaughter only

Outer and inner beauty is the eye of the butcher?


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## indaswamp (Feb 12, 2021)

Both pigs are Hamshire hogs...not Berkshire.

(Stock photo, not the pigs we are buying)







https://www.roysfarm.com/hampshire-pig/


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## indaswamp (Feb 12, 2021)

Butcher day tomorrow....starting early, 5:30am we meet up. I'll take some pics.....


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## Fueling Around (Feb 12, 2021)

And a good day it will be.
Hope you have lots of help.
Processing in the commercial kitchen?


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## indaswamp (Feb 12, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> And a good day it will be.
> Hope you have lots of help.
> Processing in the commercial kitchen?


Will be four of us butchering 2 hogs. Will not be in the commercial kitchen I have access to...we are doing it At a guys house, but from what I'm told he is set up to do it. I'll find out in the morning...

And with that, I'm gone to bed....long day tomorrow.


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## indaswamp (Feb 13, 2021)

Long day indeed...
I got about 130-140 lbs. of meat. Not bad for $100 bucks. We horse traded between each other,  he wanted more ham and loin for chops, I wanted more bacon, butts, and coppas...we are both happy. I kept one ham, he kept one butt, I got all 4 coppas, 3 butts, and all 4 bacon sides. He kept 3 loins, I kept 1.

I will be processing and curing meats tomorrow, putting 25# of bacon to cure, trussing and curing a culatello, fiocco, and a lomo, and breaking down the rest of the parts and sausage trim.

I also have both livers, hearts, and all the flair fat for lard, which will be use to make the sugna for the culatello and fiocco.

Few pics.











We got them split then took a break for lunch. Air temp. was 37*F so we let them hang a bit to chill before breaking down. Tractor definitely made it easy, and a cordless sawsall with a 12" blade made splitting a breeze!






For lunch I pulled out some of 
P
 PolishDeli
 's Lemon brats... put those on the grill to heat up, then on a bun. Damn fine lunch!





I'll post more pics. tomorrow of the cuts...but boy are they pretty! These Hamshire hogs were too heavy...too much fat on them..that is why they did not make the cut at the show, but it just made them better for what we wanted! 2" fat cap on them.


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## indaswamp (Feb 13, 2021)

I had all rookies with me today. They did not want to burn or scrape so we skinned. I broke down all the cuts, butchered the Italian way, cut the shoulders between the 5th and 6th rib; got the full coppa cut. They learned how to do it, now they can butcher a pig if they ever need to....


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## Fueling Around (Feb 13, 2021)

Thanks for the update.

Nice job.  Appears you did most of the work, plus you had to feed them?

You got some great cuts.


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## indaswamp (Feb 13, 2021)

Didn't have to feed them, but I needed to make some room inda freezer! HA! LOL!


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## indaswamp (Feb 13, 2021)

I also kept both livers (about3-4# each) for boudin, and both hearts too...I'll put those in smoke sausage.


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## jmusser (Feb 14, 2021)

That is a big process there Inda. Great deal and lotsa fun to have furthering the process. Sounds like an awesome game plan going on. Gonna be busy for a bit. Thanks for sharing!


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## mneeley490 (Feb 14, 2021)

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.


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## indaswamp (Feb 14, 2021)

mneeley490 said:


> 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.


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## indaswamp (Feb 14, 2021)

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.


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## pc farmer (Feb 14, 2021)

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


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## indaswamp (Feb 14, 2021)

pc farmer said:


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



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


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## pc farmer (Feb 14, 2021)

indaswamp said:


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




I was just picking.   Its not a big deal


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## indaswamp (Feb 14, 2021)

pc farmer said:


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


Nice pig. what did that one weight?


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## pc farmer (Feb 14, 2021)

indaswamp said:


> Nice pig. what did that one weight?



350 ish


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## Fueling Around (Feb 14, 2021)

indaswamp said:


> 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.


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## indaswamp (Feb 14, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> 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.


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## Fueling Around (Feb 14, 2021)

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


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## indaswamp (Feb 15, 2021)

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.


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## indaswamp (Feb 18, 2021)

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.


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## indaswamp (Feb 19, 2021)

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.


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## indaswamp (Mar 7, 2021)

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...


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## indaswamp (Mar 15, 2021)

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.


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## Fueling Around (Mar 15, 2021)

indaswamp said:


> Bellies are finished cold smoking...
> ...


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


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## indaswamp (Mar 15, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


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


about 15%...


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## indaswamp (Mar 15, 2021)

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.


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