How to Slaughter a Pig (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Pigs, whether wild or farmed, can provide a very high amount of meat. If you know how to properly raise and slaughter them, the cuts of meat will last for months in your freezer; you just have to learn which parts of meat to unwrap and the most useful tools.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: The Preparation

Step 1. The tools

From a pig weighing about 113 kg you can get 52 kg of prime quality meat. You certainly do not want all this good things to go to waste because of the wrong tools! Here's what you need:

• A stainless steel knife of at least 15 cm.

  

• Hooks and hoists for hanging the animal.

  

• Hacksaw and boning knife.

  

• A tank large enough to hold the pig and a heat source that can bring the water to a boil.

  

• A bucket.

  

• A flat outdoor surface, or a makeshift one, created with planks resting on trestles.

  

• (Optional) A meat grinder for processing meat.

  

Step 2. The pig

The ideal animal is a young male castrated before his sexual maturity or a young sow. Generally it is preferred to slaughter them in late autumn, when they have reached 8-10 months and a weight of 80-115 kg. Leave the pig on an empty stomach for 24 hours so that its intestines are empty at the time of slaughter, but let it drink plenty of fresh, clean water.

• Boars, older, uncastrated pigs, have a stronger flavor due to hormones. The same for adult sows.
• If you decide to slaughter a wild boar, you will need to remove the genitals and the gland located at the level of the thighs, to prevent the meat from becoming contaminated. Some hunters remove fat from wild boar and fry it to evaluate its flavor before proceeding to slaughter. If you do not mind these subtleties and have no taste problems, go straight to the next step.

Step 3. The operation

The goal is to kill the pig quickly, avoiding it as much as possible. The blood must come out of the body immediately, so that the meat does not take on a bad aftertaste.

• First, find out about the regulations in your area regarding home slaughter. It may be that in your country it is not allowed to slaughter animals outside the appropriate structures; moreover, these rules often vary from region to region, even from province to province.
• The first phase is that of stunning. The animal must be stunned, so that the next operation does not entail any suffering for him. The two most used methods for stunning are the captive bolt gun and electronarcosis, i.e. the application of electric current to the pig with the consequent total disappearance of sensitivity and reflexes, but the permanence of breathing and blood circulation.

Step 4. Cutting the throat

Once the pig is stunned, find its sternum and insert the blade of your knife a few inches higher, making a vertical incision of about 6-8 cm. Now work upwards for about 12 cm, holding the blade oblique, so that it forms a 45 ° angle to the pig's tail. Then turn the knife and pull it out. The blood should start flowing immediately.

• It is not so easy to find the exact spot to slaughter the pig. If you're not sure, just find the jugular. Some choose to cut down the throat all the way down to the spine. You will immediately notice that you have reached it, because the blood will flow copiously.
• Be very careful if the pig is not dead yet and is moving. If you've just stunned it, it may need to be slaughtered before you can hang it up. Maybe it moves with involuntary convulsions and it could be dangerous to approach it with a sharp knife! It is best to get help from someone who can hold the pig still while you slaughter it. Turn him on his back and hold his front legs in place with your hands.

Step 5. Hang the pig

Before cutting the pig's throat, you should hang it, preferably on a metal hook, of those used in slaughterhouses. It resembles a coat hanger to which you will need to tie a chain and a hoist.

• Slide the hooks at the base of the hook under the pig's legs and go deep so that it can hold the weight of the entire animal. If you have a hoist or winch, lift the pig and leave all the bleeding work to gravity, which must take place shortly after the animal's death. After 15-20 minutes the bleeding will be completed.
• If you don't have hooks, make an incision along the tendons of the pig's hind leg and insert a piece of wood or a piece of tube into it. Secure us a chain and that's it!
• You can hang the animal on the beams of a barn, but also on the lower branches of a tree, if they are sturdy enough. The important thing is to find a place close to where you are going to kill the pig, because you certainly don't want to carry more than 100 kg of pork over long distances. Use a wheelbarrow if necessary.
• Use a clean, sterile bucket to collect blood if you want. In order not to let a drop out, put the pig's head inside the bucket. Nothing is thrown away from the pig, the saying goes, and the blood can be used to make cakes or excellent sausages.

Step 6. Remove the skin

By "skin" we mean the bacon and the real skin, delicious parts with which to cook fantastic dishes. If you want to preserve and use pork skin, blanch it several times in boiling water and scrape off the skin thoroughly.

• To heat the water, light a fire in a safe place and place the basin in it, even raised on a grill. The water does not need to boil, but it must reach at least 65 ° C, so, with the pork still hanging from the hooks, dip it in the water being careful not to burn yourself and wait 15-30 seconds before taking it out.
• If you don't have a large enough basin, you can try to get the same results by soaking a burlap sack in boiling water and using it to wrap the pig for some time. It will be easier to remove the bristles and skin.
• Generally, wild boars have a thicker and more difficult coat to remove. Shorten it with shears before soaking it in hot water.

Step 7. Discard the bristles

Once the skin is blanched, place the pork on a work table (planks on two trestles will do) and prepare to remove the bristles with a sharp knife. The animal will need to be roughly at the level of your waist.

• Start from the pig's belly and use the blade with smooth strokes in your direction and perpendicular to the pig's body. It will take some patience. If there is any hair left at the end, use a small flame to burn it.
• There are specific tools to refine the pig's skin, but they are difficult to find, which is why many opt to remove the last traces of fluff with fire.

Step 8. Discard the skin

If you do not intend to use the skin, or do not have the proper tools to perform the previous steps, remove the skin of the pig with all the bristles.

To remove the skin, use a specific knife and work carefully, in such a way as to leave the fat of the animal. This will take you about 30-60 minutes

Part 2 of 3: Remove the Organs

Step 1. Make a cut around the pig's anus and remove it

The first step to remove the entrails is to use a small knife to make a cut around the anus and the entrance to the vagina that is about 5 cm deep. The distance from the anus must always be about 5 centimeters, to avoid tearing the colon. Once pushed out, use a zip tie or rubber band to wrap and close it so you can remove it from the front when you open the pork rib.

• Some butchers do not remove these organs immediately, but wait until they have eliminated offal and intestines, but in any case you have to be very careful, because they are the parts that can contaminate the rest of the animal.
• If you haven't already, remove the intact animal's testicles by wrapping them in an elastic band that holds them together, then cut them off. This is one of the first things to do when slaughtering an animal. To remove the penis, pull and stretch it and cut it off at the base with a knife. Work along the muscle that leads to the tail.

Step 2. Make a cut that goes from the sternum to the groin

Pinch the skin below the breastbone, just where the abdomen begins, and pull the skin towards you, then insert the blade and work straight through the pig's belly, between the two rows of udders, towards the groin. Be very careful to avoid tearing the internal organs and stop when you are level with the two hind legs.

Gravity will soon come to your aid and the organs will begin to fall out of the body. Have a bucket ready and collect them. The innards are heavy and you need to proceed carefully

Step 3. Reach the hollow near the groin and pull down

With minimal effort, everything in the digestive tract should come out, even the large intestine you tied earlier. With the knife you will have to finish the job, eliminating all the connective tissue, while you can keep the kidneys and pancreas, as they are completely edible.

• The more experienced will also retain the intestines to make sausage casings, but this is easier said than done.
• The adipose tissue is found at the level of the pig's kidneys and is preserved to make lard. It is not necessary to remove it immediately, but extract the kidneys carefully if you do not want to ruin this part; you can also do it with your bare hands.

Step 4. Divide the sternum to separate the ribs

You are left with the ribcage organs to remove, and you will need to use a knife to separate the ribs from the breastbone by working on the cartilage. It shouldn't be difficult without a hacksaw. Remove all internal organs and preserve the heart and liver.

• You can choose to work from the neck to the stomach of the animal, taking advantage of the cut made previously.
• You should freeze the organs you intend to store and use as soon as possible. Wash them thoroughly in cold water, wrap them in butcher paper and place them in the freezer (1-4 degrees).

Step 5. Remove the head

Cut from behind the ears and along the throat, following the jaw. You may need to cut the spine with a well-placed cleaver stroke.

• If you want to preserve the cheeks and get some great cheek, you will need to cut towards the corners of the mouth and along the ears as you remove the head. Some prefer to leave the head intact and use it to make pork head cup.
• You can also remove the legs by cutting at the hip, along the joint. Help yourself with a hacksaw or a specific tool.

Step 6. Wash the meat with water

Some hairs are hard to remove and, before letting the meat rest for a full day, you will need to remember to give it a good clean with fresh, clean water. Leave the carcass hanging so that the water can drain.

Step 7. Cool the carcass for at least 24 hours before processing (approximately 1-5 degrees)

The optimal situation would be to use a cold room, or to slaughter the carcass in a very, very cold climate.

• Slaughtering meat at mild temperatures (even just at room temperature) is next to impossible.
• You can also fill a bowl with ice, pour a few handfuls of table salt and dip the meat in it.
• If you don't have enough space, divide the carcass into smaller pieces and put it in the fridge. A good idea is to use a hacksaw along the spine and across the pelvis bones to split the carcass into two halves, which you should do later anyway.

Part 3 of 3: Sectioning the Meat Cuts

Step 1. The ham

Locate the end of the spine. Nearby you should find the fleshy part of the thigh: here is the ham! Use a boning knife to remove it.

• Find the thinner spot and cut from the belly along the line of the thigh, towards the spine, then proceed until you have reached the pubic bone. Take the hacksaw and cut the bone to remove the leg. If you've done the cut correctly, this shouldn't be too difficult.
• Ham is usually treated ("cured ham") or smoked, so you could use the knife to give it a regular shape, especially if your pork was very fatty. You can use the meat stuck in the spine area for fantastic roasts. It is really true that nothing is thrown away from the pig!

Step 2. The shoulder

To remove it, turn the pig on its side and raise the foreleg to expose the armpit, where you will insert the knife. Cut along the joint.

Together with culatello, the shoulder is a perfect cut for slow cooking and for making "pulled pork". It is a cut of fatty meat and, if you smoke it slowly, it will be very tender when cut

Step 3. Ribs and tenderloin

Turn the carcass onto its side and locate the third or fourth rib from the bottom. Between two ribs, use a hacksaw to cut through the spine, cut out any remaining meat below that line, and save it for the grinder if you like. This is easier if you have a butcher's electric saw.

• Turn the carcass so that you can see its back and locate the loins, which should be close to the spine. This is a darker area of meat next to the spine and surrounded by fat. Use a tool (hacksaw or cleaver) perpendicular to the ribs, and cut through them to separate the part of the tenderloin, which you can further divide, from the lower ribs, from which you will get the tasty ribs and bacon.
• Position the section of the fillet horizontally, as you will need to cut into chops by making slices as if you were cutting bread. Cut the bones with a knife and switch to a hacksaw if it seems too difficult. The chops must also be 5 centimeters thick.
• Eliminate bone splinters so that they do not go to pierce the butcher paper in the refrigerator, to avoid contamination. Thoroughly clean each chop and remove excess fat (no more than 2 cm should remain). Use fresh water to get rid of any splinters as you work.

Step 4. The bacon

The underside of the pork flank contains the most favorite cuts of meat: ribs and bacon! First separate the bacon, which is right under the last rib and is visibly high in fat.

• Insert the blade under the ribs and cut along the connective tissue by pushing against the ribs. Leave the cartilage attached, but remove the bacon, which you will either slice or leave whole for easier storage.
• Leave the rib section intact, as is commonly done, or separate them one by one, as you choose.

Step 5. Neck and sausages

The rest of the meat is ground to make sausages. Remember that it is best to cool it again before putting it in the grinder, as it will grind more easily.

Cut along the neck and separate the meat from the bone. You don't have to be too precise, because there is a lot of meat that will need to be minced

Step 6. Store and preserve the meat

As soon as you have dissected the pork cuts, wrap them in clean butcher paper, label them and write the date of slaughter. You can put in the fridge the cuts you want to use in a few days and in the freezer everything else (it will be a lot of meat).