# Suckling pigs question.



## Sharedspirit (Aug 16, 2008)

What is a suckling pig? How old? Are they fed anything else beside mother's milk? How are they butchered? Can they be frozen whole for use later? They would have to be scalded instead of skinned? We don't butcher our hogs ourselves but maybe could handle doing a suckling pig? How is the taste different? Would like to hear from someone who processes their own.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

A suckling pig is any pig that is still nursing.

You mean like a "roast suckling pig"?. I guess you butcher when they are the right size to fit on your platter whole.

Yes, you can freeze the thing whole, after it has been scalded, scraped, and gutted.

Yes, they would have to be scalded and the head and feet left on. It's a presentation thing. They are served whole with the apple in the mouth thing.

I think that would be some pretty expensive meat if you did it except for very rarely for some sort of special party dinner.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

People's idea of a suckling pig varies. Some want tiny things that have just been born. Seems a wasteful shame to me. Others want 20 to 40 lb small roasters that may or may not yet have been weaned. Technically I would think the term suckling means still sucking but to some people they just mean small roaster. We raise ours on pasture/hay and dairy as the main part of their diet so the diet isn't changing much from the nursing time onward.

Personally, I find the small pigs to have too soft a flesh.

When people buy them they almost always want the pig already slaughtered, scalded, scraped and gutted - ready for roasting in the oven.

We charge $5/lb with a minimum of $150 plus $45 for the butcher. This makes the price the same as selling a live weaner piglet.

As an interesting side note, it takes about five months to produce that suckling/weaner pig - breed, gestate, nurse, wean. In five more months I can raise it to about 250 lbs and sell it for about $630. That first five months is very expensive time for production and the farmer gets a lot less. The cost per pound for sucklings _SHOULD_ be high, very high.

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


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

That being said, they make great pigs for the spit. A neighbor brings me pigs ready to wean that have problems, ie; leg problems, ruptures etc. Sometimes the runt. Cheap meat, nothing wrong with them just not cost effective to raise to fat hogs. I scald and scrape them. No head, no feet, just good meat. I cook them over a wood coal fire on a covered rack, turned half way through, or hang whole in the smokehouse....James


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

There are parts of the world where great status is placed on being able to provide suckling pigs at a meal. Wedding feasts are held after the marriage and the groom by being able to afford to have a sucking pig on each table demonstrates in that society his status and the respect for the purity of his bride. There obviously were a lot of "pure" brides as I never attended a wedding feast, and there were lots, that suckling pig was not served!


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## Sharedspirit (Aug 16, 2008)

Thanks for all the input! A friend of ours is planning on have a few for a wedding next spring so I'll get to try it then. Roasting pig on spit also sounds really good. I'm going to have to dig out the old magazines to see if I can find a way to make a spit!


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## rcornish (Apr 4, 2005)

I think some of what has been said here hints at it, but to clarify, often it suckling pig is as much a status symbol as it is anything.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

We pop over the border to spain and get poodle sized ones for about 20 euros....delicious and good enough for a feast or just a Sunday lunch.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== I'm going to have to dig out the old magazines to see if I can find a way to make a spit! ===


Had a fireplace built in the backyard. Under the spit was a grill and under it, another grill. Used charcoal on one grill, mesquite on the other.

The spit revolved 3 times/minute.

Knew nothing about cooking whole pigs the first time I used it, so did as suggested by a friend.

Placed the ready to cook feeder pig (all parts had been left on) in the bathtub and covered it with lemon juice. Left him/her (don't remember which) there over night.

Ran the spit through the pig's body the next day. 24 hours later we had the most succulent, delicious pork I've ever had! I had also made a turkey on the spit of the gas grill to cover everyone's tastes. A very successful pork and poultry pool party!

Aside from the great taste, the nice thing about BBQing pork is you don't have to baste it!

The pig provided a bit of entertainment as he went around on the spit. When his head was down, his tongue hung out. When his head was up, it went back into his mouth.


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## Sharedspirit (Aug 16, 2008)

Roast pig on a spit does sound tasty! But I'm not sure how the kids are going to take this one! Great idea keeping the pig in the bathtub with the marinade!


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