processing your own hog?

[JNDEER]

Hey guys,
going hunting this saturday on a newly found friends private property....good chance for pigs, but i was wondering how to go about processing the pig yourself? does it have to be cured, if so how can i do it? or can you just let it age some in the fridge, cut, package and eat??

any advice would be greatly appreciated...

thanks,
Josh

 

[boarbuster]

jndeer.

I cut up most of mine myself. I have never cured them. If you dont have access to a walk in freezer then i just quater them and put them in the fridge for 24 hours. take them out, cut package, and enjoy. Good luck on saturday.

 

[billrob]

JNDEER,

It pretty easy. I took 2 small ones earlier this year and after quartering in the walk in at Bryson, I brought them home and butchered the rest right on the kitchen counter.

The only problem I had was that stinking food saver. They are ok for fish and rabbits but they just don't have the hp for larger cuts of denser meats.

 

[rodneyshishido]

I am far from being an expert on this subject, but, as far as I no, pork is not aged. If you have enough refrigerator room, it is nice to let it cool and drain before packaging. I am not so fortunate. I skin and then package immediately. I package each of the quarters, the ribs are packaged separately as with the neck and the back I package in about 10" sections. I do not bother to debone. That I usually leave until final preparation for cooking or processing into sausage.

 

[JNDEER]

excellent...thanks guys......my grandfather, who grew up on a farm, told me we would have to cure them, but i didn't think it was necessary so i figured i would ask the experts!!

i will let you'all know how i do..crossing my fingers..

 

[BDB]

I butcher them the same as deer for the most part. Once done I take in a bag of scrap meat to the butcher to make sausage for me if I am not going to make them myself. I also take in one or both hams to be cured, smoked and then center cut (so I get 2 smaller ones instead of one big one). The place I used to use (now closed

) would charge me $1 a pound to cure and smoke the hams (dirt cheap) and they were spectacular. The other thing I would do is leave the backstraps on the spine and when done processing cut out the spike with backstraps in place and take that in with my hams and have them make bone-in smoked chops. The first time I did that I swore I would never again NOT do that, they were little peices of heaven

. But with that butcher now closed I don't know of any real good ones within 45 mins of the San Francisco/Oakland area so I'm sure what will happen with the next porker.

I like keeping large chunks from the front quarters and maybe one from the hind quarters to throw in a crock pot. I do far less sausage out of my pigs or deer than a lot of people I think. Out of a 180 pound (live weight) pig I generally only do 25 pounds at the most in sausage.

 

[billrob]

If your grandad was a farmer he may be talking about old fashioned country ham cured and hung.
Man are they good (salty too) but the best ham I have ever had in my life bar none.

 

[Freedivr2]

I also butcher my own hogs, not a big deal and once you do one or two of em, you'll have it down, you'll see. Read up on it, it's purty straightforward. As far as the hams go, we have a butcher in Torrance who will take a hind quarter, inject it with curing salt, then hang it in his smokehouse for a couple days. They come out pretty good, but, the steaks you can cut out of a ham are darn good also. Just bone out the ham, then take the boned out quarter and put it in a freezer for a couple hours to firm up the meat. Then, cut your steaks from it, package and freeze.

I have a vaccum sealer, but never use it after SDHNTR showed me a great way to package meat (and fish). Wrap your cuts in saran wrap, squeeze out all the air that you can, then wrap it in freezer paper. That technique I swear works better than any other thing I've tried.

Lastly, do not let your hog hang for 5-7 days in a cooler like you do with deer to age em. The main reason why is because the meat will not glaze over like a deer, it will start drying out, losing moisture. Although I've always butchered my hogs within 3-4 days of taking them, I asked our guide that just a few weeks ago, and that was what he told us with regards to letting hogs hang in a meat locker. Just thought I'd pass that one on. Cut and wrap as soon as you can.

 

[canadagoose]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BDB @ Nov 8 2007, 11:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

But with that butcher now closed I don't know of any real good ones within 45 mins of the San Francisco/Oakland area so I'm sure what will happen with the next porker.[/b]

I've never used them, but Los Gatos Meats will process wild game. Has anyone here tried them?

 

[BDB]

A bunch of guys here have used Los Gatos Meats and have all reported very good things. Its just too far for me to drive unless I really have too. Give them a try, I doubt you'll be dissapointed from everything I have heard. Like anything good in the Bay Area, it's not cheap though.

 

[myfriendis410]

I find that I DO like to hang my pork for several days prior to processing and the reason is that the meat is more tender with some time for bacterial action to occur. Drying of the meat may also influence the character as well. I have had pork that was processed almost immediately and it was very tough. Aging for four or five days has always given a nice tender cut of meat. Any longer and you could experience spoilage with pork. Just my opinion.

 

[LKN4HOG]

I do my own hogs as well. I put them in the fridge in as large pieces as possible for a few days if possible. Than debone and seal with a food saver. I have not had any sausage made yet as I dont know how to. I got the grinder but not the know-how. As they say, do a couple and you will be a pro at it.

Good luck on the hunt and keep us posted.

R