# How hard is it to butcher a pig?



## Huntmo1 (Nov 30, 2011)

I've butchered several deer by myself in the past and have no problems with that (although not an expert). I was just curious how many of you butcher your own and what advice would you have for someone who hasn't done it before? 

I don't own pigs yet, but am just trying to educate myself before I get to involved with raising them.

Thanks.


----------



## DutchAcres (Jun 11, 2008)

It isn't much different than butchering a deer, but a pig is usually bigger, depending on the breed, and at what weight you choose to kill it. If you&#8217;ve done deer, you can do a pig. I started on pigs, and then moved to deer. A deer feels a lot easier to me, but only because everything is smaller and lighter weight. I do everything the same on both, except I never cut into or through a bone with deer. Just my preference.
We shoot the pig, then jump in the pen, pull it out by hand and cut the throat. Once it's done bleeding out and kicking we make a slit in each hind leg to expose the bone/tendon gap, and insert a gambrel. The gambrel is attached by hook and chain to the bucket on a front loader, and the pig is hoisted until the snout is just off the ground.
Then we use hot soapy water and a good scrub brush to go over the entire outside of the pig, scrubbing hard until it is super clean. Then we spray them down with the hose. Once that's done, we cut a circle around the bung, and then open them from bung down to the throat, using a small hand saw to cut the ribs and split the pelvis.
Then, starting at the bung, we pull the intestines out, and all the inside organs, saving the ones we like to eat. Then the pig is skinned and hung in a cool place (approx 45 deg F) until the next day. Next morning we cut it in half and process - getting the chops, some ham steaks, the two hams, two sides of bacon, short ribs and lots of sausage.
Hope this helps.


----------



## Habitant (Jul 21, 2010)

Has anyone ever killed a pig without a gun? I wonder how they did it before gunpowder? I friend of mine tells he saw as a boy in Italy pigs being killed just by slicing their throats. I am guessing that that is one of those 'don't try this at home' things.


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

DutchAcres said:


> It isn't much different than butchering a deer, but a pig is usually bigger, depending on the breed, and at what weight you choose to kill it. If youâve done deer, you can do a pig. I started on pigs, and then moved to deer. A deer feels a lot easier to me, but only because everything is smaller and lighter weight. I do everything the same on both, except I never cut into or through a bone with deer. Just my preference.
> We shoot the pig, then jump in the pen, pull it out by hand and cut the throat. Once it's done bleeding out and kicking we make a slit in each hind leg to expose the bone/tendon gap, and insert a gambrel. The gambrel is attached by hook and chain to the bucket on a front loader, and the pig is hoisted until the snout is just off the ground.
> Then we use hot soapy water and a good scrub brush to go over the entire outside of the pig, scrubbing hard until it is super clean. Then we spray them down with the hose. Once that's done, we cut a circle around the bung, and then open them from bung down to the throat, using a small hand saw to cut the ribs and split the pelvis.
> Then, starting at the bung, we pull the intestines out, and all the inside organs, saving the ones we like to eat. Then the pig is skinned and hung in a cool place (approx 45 deg F) until the next day. Next morning we cut it in half and process - getting the chops, some ham steaks, the two hams, two sides of bacon, short ribs and lots of sausage.
> Hope this helps.


Couple of questions for you. What do you use to kill it and where do you shoot it? Also, when you use the saw to cut through the pelvis and ribs before pulling out the intestines, do you worry about nicking or catching the bladder with the saw? We had that problem with a deer we cleaned this year. A very full bladder and couldn't get it out and couldn't hardly cut the pelvis without catching the bladder too. Do you withhold feed and water for 24 hrs before butchering?


----------



## cooper101 (Sep 13, 2010)

Habitant said:


> Has anyone ever killed a pig without a gun? I wonder how they did it before gunpowder? I friend of mine tells he saw as a boy in Italy pigs being killed just by slicing their throats. I am guessing that that is one of those 'don't try this at home' things.


I've also read about just sticking them without stunning. My daughter's 6th grade teacher used to just entice them through a hole in the fence and stun them with a hammer, then stick them.


----------



## DutchAcres (Jun 11, 2008)

With a cow or a pig, mentally draw lines from the top of each ear to the opposite eye. Where the lines cross is where you shoot. I have used a variety of hand gun calibers, and .22 long rifle out of a long gun. They all seem to work the same. It isn't caliber that is the issue, it's shot placement. When done correctly they drop immediately. If you mess it up, they walk or run away, and you have to do it again as soon as you can. Don't panic if you miss. Just get on with it. After done dozens, I missed my first one ever this fall.

I'm just using a little $9 hand saw from the hardware store because I&#8217;m cheap, and it&#8217;s too easy to use the right tool for the job. Ha! I use very short, light strokes. Only the very end of the saw makes any contact with the inside. Also, I have the saw angled almost vertically. I've never opened a bladder, stomach or intestine. For me, the key is going slowly and not pressing down. This is an important stage, so it&#8217;s okay to take a little more time at it. The saw should be sharp enough to cut without downward pressure.

When I'm cutting into a pig or a deer, the bladder is actually right at my eye height. I'm 6'01". I have my neighbor hoist with his bucket loader, and I just have him keep raising or lowering so that it&#8217;s a just the right height for me to work on. He&#8217;s very patient. 
With the pig laying on the ground, I insert the gambrel and have it hoisted about 2 feet of the ground. Now it&#8217;s at a good height to cut around the bung hole. I insert the knife about 2 inches, and since the bung tube passes through the pelvis bone, I just keep the sharp edge of the knife against the bone and go in a circle around the opening. 
Then I have the pig hoisted so that the bung is just above the top of my head. Now I hold my knife with the sharp edge towards the pig, and the tip pointing straight up at the sky. I begin to slice down into the pelvis, right in the center, up near my bung circling cut, and just make a tiny sawing motion until I hit bone. Once I hit bone, I make sure that I&#8217;ve connected to my bung circling cut. Then I drag my knife against the pelvis bone until I&#8217;m off the bone, but just barely. Now I can push the knife tip in a little until I hear the &#8220;whoosh&#8221; of having penetrated the vacuum.
Now I insert two fingers from my left hand and change the orientation of the knife. Now the tip is pointing down, and the sharp edge is facing me, not the inside of the pig. I position the sharp blade between my fingers and just slowly slide it down, slicing open the belly cavity until I hit the sternum where the ribs join. As I do this, I am pushing with my left hand fingers against the skin, which pulls the pig towards me as it hangs, and pulls the skin I&#8217;m slicing away from the organs. This action, combined with the way the pig is hanging, actually keeps your knife well away from the bladder at this stage.
Once I hit the sternum, I put down the knife and pick up my little hand saw. It&#8217;s kept sharp, and butchering is the only job it has. Using only the tip, I kneel down and begin sawing away at the sternum. Short, very light strokes. The tip should not penetrate the cavity much at all, and it shouldn&#8217;t punch the insides, just gently push them. Go slow. I cut all the way down to the neck, then slice with the knife again to the chin. Then I stand up and use the saw to cut through the pelvis, being careful not to grab and tear or cut the bung tube.
Once I&#8217;m through the pelvis (the two legs will sway apart once you&#8217;ve cut though) I usually put a left hand index finger (no jokes now, ) in the bung, and begin pulling down, which pulls the bung tube through the cut I&#8217;ve just made in the pelvis. Once the bung tube is free down to the bladder, I then use my right hand to support the bladder and pull it out and free of the carcass, with the intestines below the bladder coming free too. Take a step back and everything starts to come out. I pull until I can let the bladder hang free down by the pig&#8217;s head. Now it can&#8217;t leak on any meat. Then I just use both hands to begin pulling the rest of the insides out. If you&#8217;re really smart, at this point you can have the guy in the tractor pick it up high enough to position your wheel barrow under it to catch the insides, so you don&#8217;t have to pick them up off the ground.


----------



## DutchAcres (Jun 11, 2008)

I've never tried to stun them with anything other than a gun, or just cutting their throats. I know it can be done. But I do not recommend it for the novice, and I'm not brave enough to try it myself unless I have to. Certainly not with a pig. I butcher my own at 300 to 350 pounds, and I don't want a ----ed off, wounded pig on my hands when I'm in the pen with it. I've butcherd pot belly pigs too, and I don't want one of them mad at me either. I tried using only a knife on a sheep this fall and I didn't do it right. I may try again someday, but not anytime soon, and only after much further research.

I do not withhold feed or water before slaughtering. Many people do, and that is certainly acceptable practice. I just don't see the need for it. I slaughter maybe 50 rabbits a week, and many of them have very full bladders. I'm just really careful, and I don't ever cut towards the bladder.

Just remember, everyone does it a little differently than the next. Just start doing it, and learn from what works and what doesn't. You probably can't go too wrong.


----------



## blaineiac (Jan 10, 2010)

I'll stun small hogs 80-100# with a hammer. I prefer a .22 but on the smaller hogs I feel it's safer to grab an ear and "whack". They still get "stunned", lock up and sit down. I just feel more comfortable with the confidence of a little gunpowder. Everyone has there own way. I feel I can do it with zero stress. And I'm the one eating them so that's all that matters. Good luck and great job on asking about it first. Blaine


----------



## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

Years ago I read that you hang a hog by the rear legs and stick it to kill it. Book said they will go quiet after hanging a few seconds and it is much less stressful for them. We were doing a little 80 lb roaster and I decided to try it. Of course that hog screamed bloody murder the whole time and I was far from my gun so I got the job done with the knife. Every one since and from now on will be shot first.


----------



## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Butchering a pig isn't hard.

The most exacting part is simply the stunning. You want to get that exactly right so the animal is not stressed. You just spent six months or so raising this animal, paying for what ever feed you bought, your labor, the piglet and you want it to be humane to boot. No stress means no release of stress chemicals into the blood that cause bad meat. If you've never done it before I would suggest doing it with someone who knows what they're doing. Note that not everyone who says they know how to kill an animal knows how to do it humanely and stress free.

Stunning can be done in all sorts of ways. Hammer is the old way. Gun works. Captive bolt is the modern equivelant. Electro-shock is now widely used in modern facilities but not for the home slaughter setup. On the farm I use a long rifle .22 rimfire hollow point bullet. I've done a lot of pigs with that and it has always worked perfectly. I shoot in the forehead for the brain. An alternative is behind the ear.

Once the animal is stunned you need to actually kill it through exsanguination - it never feels a thing. Some stunning methods allow revival, others don't. Those that are merely stunning have the actual kill done via bleed-out. This is what is the 'sticking the hog' part. There should be no squeal or scream. If there is you got it wrong and the animal is not stunned. It is not a slitting of the throat but rather a sticking in to cut the blood vessels from the heart above the center of the rib cage in the throat. To the inexperienced they may look the same and this is a reason it is nice to have someone show you the first time.

Once the animal is fully bled the rest is much like gutting any other animal. With pigs you can scald and scrape to remove the hair, burn off the hair or skin it. All these methods work. Each has advantages.

For the butchering I have done it for decades with just a knife, a steel and a bucket of warm water. You don't need fancy equipment. The next thing to get would be a meat grinder. A hand held meat saw is next although a knife can break everything. For home cutting I debone everything. Bones go in the pot for making broth to can. Meat goes tightly wrapped in the freezer or immediately into stew or soup for canning.

Commercial meat cutting is something my wife, our son and I learned how to do in the last few years by apprenticing with a local master butcher. Fascinating craft and something we needed for opening our own butcher shop. But you don't have to get that complicated at home. If you want see the sticky post at the top of the pigs list.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa


----------



## ihuntgsps (Mar 10, 2008)

Not hard to butcher a pig. Just did a second one on my own this last weekend and it took about an hour to slaughter, gut, skin and hang. Then about 3 hrs to cut up and grind what needed ground. Very much like doing deer only no messing around with all the silver skin on the deer
You tube has lots of videos to help you determine the cuts you need/want. also the book basic butchering of livestock and game was helpful to me.
If your cuts arent perfect (and it bothers you) just grind it up!


----------



## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I don't think butchering a pig is hard. It just takes time, is all.

It's easier for me because I want the shoulders whole and the hams whole. The bacon comes off whole, the spare ribs come off in whole slabs, and about all that needs slicing is the pork chops, and even some of that I want in large loin roasts


----------



## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

We just did our first hog and yes it is long hard work. We tried scalding and it didn't work for us. We wasted a lot of time trying to scrape and getting nowhere so then we wound up skinning. It was just the two of us working and we did wind up having to move just as we gutted because a nasty lightning storm moved in and he was hanging from the tractor and we were under two very large oak trees. We've done deer and loads of goats, not much different other than the size. The met cutting is taking longer than a goat or deer because there are simply more cuts that you can get and we want to make sure and get everything we can. But long story short, this hog has been a lot more work than a goat. Blessings, Kat


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Similar to a deer but the skin doesn't come off as easy. A deer is usually field dressed so that part is different. You want to skin a hog before you gut it. I don't split the pelvis before I gut. I cut around the anus and cootchie as deep as I can from the outside before opening the gut and then finish from the inside. I split the sternum with a sharp knife _before_ I open the abdomen, it's a lot easier to split it before the guts are hanging in the way. I've tried various ways to split the carcass and surprisingly the easiest way is to use a sharp hatchet. Just start a short cut with a saw and then lightly strike with the hatchet. The carcass just falls right in two right down the middle. Make sure you follow the spinal cord channel. Make sure you use some kind of spreader to keep the hind legs apart.

ETA; if it is a barrow I skin the penis out back to where it comes out of the hog near anus when I split the skin for skinning.


----------



## captjamie (Dec 3, 2011)

Merry Christmas to all you pork producers. I just finished my first hog. Yesterday Slaughter and skinned, today cut and wrapped. It does take time and a lot longer than a deer, skinning mostly. but really not any harder than a deer just more time. I learned a few things I well do differently on the next one, but all in all a good project. Looking forward to eating him now.


----------



## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

The guys finishing up our hogs. We had 2 hogs, 300 pounds plus each.
Killed them in the a holding pen, bullet in head. Skinned, gutted, quartered them up and hung them in the trees, to keep cats and dogs away. Guys took a quarter at a time, cut it how they wanted it and then into the freezer after rinsing and packaging.


----------

