As COVID - inspire orders swan in and replete meat processing appointment books all over the commonwealth , why not take the extended wait times to do a little soul explore , analyze a most - expressed inquiry at the processor ’s door .
Is the butcher steal my meat ?
Spoiler alert : Probably not . Look , I get it . If Jesus Christ himself was my butcher , and I took in a 300 - Egyptian pound hog and got 400 pounds of gist back ? I ’d still be shady .
It ’s human nature after fondly rearing a rare and precious brute for eight to 10 months ( maybe longer if you ’ve got Kunes ) , to deliver all dominance to whatever happens behind shut doors . And if you ’ve heard a story about a butcher from a farmer , it probably was n’t good .
But the more we familiarize ourselves with our animals and the vainglorious word picture of modest - meat processing , the more we have name our fearfulness to be in vain .
Here are some tips for select the ripe pigs for your farm .
Know how much fat covering is typical for your breed and method of management so you don’t get caught off guard by low yields. (Lyndsey Teter)
Is That Even My Hog?
Unless you are obtain your grunter back in less than a week , prospect are , yes , that ’s your pig . At least most of it .
The paint to sleuthing the truth , meat detectives , is just asking the proper questions .
Are you getting your meat back in speedy step , especially cured ham actor and bellies ? Well , you may be frequenting what is cite to in the industry as a “ sub ” facility .
Know how much fat covering is typical for your breed and method of management so you don’t get caught off guard by low yields. (Lyndsey Teter)
That is , they take the pounds of heart and soul your creature provide and switch them for the same number of prefabricate pounds in the freezer . This is rarefied , and obviously a nightmare to those evoke inheritance breed . So it ’s significant to enquire ahead of reservation .
For our purposes , the immense bulk of small country and Union scrutinize processors practice as “ pocket billiards ” facilities .
That means whole heftiness cuts ( pork chops , roasts , Viscount St. Albans ) from your individual animal come back to you . But dry land meats , bone and fats ( for rendering ) are often pool with others turn off the same daytime , then undercoat and divided and packaged proportionately .
If you want something done right and also very unprofessionally, do it yourself. The home butchering experience is guaranteed to be enlightening. (Lyndsey Teter)
Before you ’re bummed out , make it is space- and labor - prohibitory for most deftness to trace earth fat and lean 100 percentage from item-by-item beast through the integral process . If you could find a adroitness that does this , expect to pay for that service . A lot . jazz how much fat covering is distinctive for your breed and method acting of direction so you do n’t get caught off guard by low yields . ( Lyndsey Teter )
Know Your Animal
We hump our full - embodied squealer and believe they make a no - brainer superior product to ceremonious pork . But we also realize that the same thing that clear them delicious will also murder the “ typical ” fruit percentage .
That ’s right-hand : Fat . Delicious , flavorful , moisturizing , level-headed blubber .
Take - habitation packaged yield are hurt worse if you go wrong to communicate to a butcher that your Deepfreeze is a safe quad for fatso cut . Over the years , the majority of customers at small processing flora desire the fat trimmed off , ( horror ! ) and butchers want happy client .
Have the conversation beforehand if you ’d like them to lighten up up their trimming hand . communicating is key . What we ’re doing is n’t “ normal . ” Not yet , anyway .
Can you read a bungler ’s cut card ? Here ’s a quick primer .
Bacon Bits
The item counted with the most side - eye from the farmer ( for good reason ) is 1st Baron Verulam . Made from the hog ’s sides , bacon bellies can be trimmed to fit specific equipment . Thus , a larger pig will experience some loss .
They also may trim several pounds of belly avoirdupois from on an to a fault fat cop . Again , just ask them about their outgrowth .
There are thousands of grunter issue estimates out there , but they will only evoke suspicion . Available information is weighted for a leaner , more conventional carcass . Expectations for newbies coming in hot with these estimate are mellow . lour them .
Breed , pipeline and status all make for a purpose in the amount of bacon that make it home .
Percentages depend on whether the processor removes the skin or scalds the pig on the kill floor , and what they admit in the wall hanging or “ dressed ” weight . Some facility may leave the hog ’s head , organ , trotters and your carefully curated 3 inches of back avoirdupois on the putting to death elbow room floor .
It ’s your problem to receive out what body component are included in each measure of the summons when determining issue as a percentage of live weight and hang weight unit . It ’s a lot of navigating . And a deal of math .
Be patient and ordered . You load Sus scrofa on a house trailer — you could do anything .
Good imagination for heritage breed - specific carcassesexist out there . But nothing on this Earth will guide you on the path of righteous accusation better than specific numbers from your own beast .
Keep records from every cross of creature you send in . If you could , break down a carcase or two at home . I promise that when you ’re elbow joint - deep in a few hundred pound of pork carcase , local processing services will seem highly underpriced .
When mistakes are made and weights seem humiliated , ask if a draw a blank corner is hiding in the back of the freezer . That ’s the culprit way more often than a butcher stealing customers ’ nitty-gritty . If you desire something done right and also very unprofessionally , do it yourself . The home butcher experience is guarantee to be enlightening . ( Lyndsey Teter )
Partners in Struggle
The relationship between blunderer and those who kindle Sus scrofa , though integral , is often hostile and full of distrust decent out of the gate . It ’s very common for a butcher to be criminate of stealing substance .
But butchers face a muckle of the same hurdles that Farmer and homesteaders do :
Processors take the extra burden of heavy regulatory pressure sensation . They sometimes deal out with traumatic stress or genial health disorder from the tax chore , too .
today , with the global pandemic in full swing , butchers are adding shifts and bolt down dates , work at 100 percent capability or above , and essay to keep employees safe during a orbicular pandemic . It ’s even more than common to juggle , so it ca n’t hurt to check in and see how you could make their job easy .
We ’re on the same team .
Are there bad eggs ? Absolutely . Are there thieves out there ? Of of course . But we need the good ones around , or we ’re on our own . Do n’t add to their hassle by wrong accusing the butcher of stealing your meat .
