If there ’s a pig in your b or pastureland , sooner or later it will happen . The deep-freeze or the meat house will start looking kind of empty . And your grunter , grow large from all the on - farm nutrient you fertilize , will get down looking more and more like a walk pork chop shot !
But custom slaughterhouse butchering date are unvoiced to come by ( especially in these changeable days ) . Maybe it ’s time to learn how toprocess your own animals .
Butchering tumid animals can be intimidating at first . Although there is a literal art and science to breaking down a carcass , keep in mind that , however precise ( or inaccurate ! ) your cuts , the end product is go to try out delicious . Cutting big animals just takes more muscle than belittled ones . ask round some adventurous friends to help you and plan a butchering party .
Make Time to Take Your Time
First , leave yourself quite a little of time . Back when we started our large - animal butchering risky venture , we had to set aside three day for swear out four pigs . And that was with fortune of help .
While it did n’t always take that long , we were beaming not to have to hurry . Having mass of time meant we could focalize on care and cleanliness — always good thing .
Opening up that long a space on the calendar also gave us time to assist and instruct the tiddler and Volunteer who aid and who had even less skills than we did ! The playfulness of a harvest result with so many friend kept everyone ’s posture incontrovertible , even when we felt overwhelmed .
Shawn and Beth Dougherty
Nowadays , though , we can have two pigs cut and wrapped in a few hours . ( And our children ’s skills are cracking than our own . ) I opine you could call that a achiever !
To help everyone enjoy the operation of encyclopedism and harvesting , and so that the concluding outcome — farm - raised food — is the best it can be , you ’ll require to project ahead . That way you may be pretty sure your slaughter day ( or days ) will be as successful as your cop - raising has been .
So here are some tips for a good slaughter experience .
Shawn and Beth Dougherty
Read more : Is the pork butcher stealing your kernel ? ! No , credibly not . Here ’s the deal .
No Fancy Tools Necessary
Even large - animal butchery ( like cattle , pigs , sheep and cervid ) can be done with tools as mere as some really sharp knife and a meat see ( like a hack power saw , but for bone).And if you own a good reciprocating sawing machine , it can speed up the line of work of splitting the carcase !
But if you conceive you ’ll be doing significant pig butchering in the future , some more specialized tool may be in order .
think that any world power tool you choose to buy should be built so you may easy take apart and clean them . You do n’t desire bits of pith and off-white rubble cling to inaccessible parts of your automobile .
And be sure to buy timbre — but do n’t get into you need commercial - grad equipment . A small kernel grinder , if it is well - built , can be perfectly adequate . The chunks you course it will just have to be a little modest . Shawn and Beth Dougherty
Chill Out
While it ’s squeamish to have admittance to a take the air - in refrigerator or chilling way , it ’s not necessary . folk music who live in areas with seasonally cool atmospheric condition can look until winter to do their butchering . In fact , it ’s traditional .
For those of us who raise our animate being ’ provender , wintertime pig bed butcher normally coincides with a shortage of spare calories anyway . And who will miss hauling water to the b in freezing weather ?
A Weighty Matter
Hoisting an animate being that count hundreds of pounds may pose a challenge , too . ensure , if you hear it , that the body structure you intend to flow it from is in reality secure enough for the job !
Folks with a tractor that features a bucket stevedore may do their lifting with this mechanical aid . But in any cause , hang the carcase is not essential . A butcher ‘ cradle ’ is easy to build and store , and allows you to do your gutting and peel in a horizontal berth .
Even very large animals can be managed in this means .
Other Items
Other items you ’ll certainly want on hand include :
You ’ll findmany adept websites and video for the commencement butcher , and these can be a great assist during an uncertain moment!You might want to settle one that you find comfortable with and have it queued up on your telephone or computer . Similarly , a break - down chart like the ace in a proficient cookbook can offer guidance for getting basic cuts right .
And do have a good first help kit well - stocked with adhesive bandages . While you may not need it , best safe than lamentable !
Better Than the Best
Home bull butcher is a raw next whole step for those who are raising their own meat , keeping costs down and stray nutrients on the farm .
So what if some of your cut look , well … original?There ’s no butcher error a grinder ca n’t obscure ! So keep your cerebration positive and think back that , no matter what shape the patch end up being , this is your own fabulous , home base - raised centre . It is start to be toothsome .
Adding home butchering to your science just think your food for thought sources are fetch more secure every day . Enjoy !
