# Pot belly pigs eatabel?



## lurknessmonster (Sep 22, 2003)

Anyone raise pot belly pigs for eating? I know they make gr8 pets but I hear their the best kinda pig for small farming familys because their the perfect size for dinner.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

They are a very fatty type pigs. Great, I have heard from a chef I know, for bacon. I've never eaten one and don't have plans to as we are not bacon lovers. I prefer a leaner type pork.


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## Tracy in Idaho (Dec 8, 2002)

You bet they are! They had an article in Countryside about someone raising them for meat awhile back I believe.

In Phx, the Mexican fellas would buy them all the time. They were going through the sale for $5 each! This was after they had gotten popular for pets....I assume folks got tired of them once they got to be 100-200 lbs.

Like Tango said, they are a fattier type of pig, but still certainly edible!
Heck, if you are near a bigger city, I would find out if they come through the sale ring cheap or not.

Tracy


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2003)

I've wondered what a 100 pounder would taste like if you stuck a whole one in a smoker and cook it all day with a apple in its mouth.


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## awhobert7 (Jun 1, 2002)

potbellys taste the same,and are easy to handle.


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## Thumper/inOkla. (May 10, 2002)

Wheren't they developed in Asian Countries for the house holds meat suppy?, easier for poor families to catch and feed.


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## okgoatgal2 (May 28, 2002)

yep. done it. yummmmmmmmyyyyyyy


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2003)

Have you people read the latest issue of Countryside. There were several people who responded to the article of buying and eating pot bellied pigs. They were very upset about the article. Just couldn't believe that pets should be eaten.


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## Snowdancer (Sep 23, 2002)

I'm getting to the point I don't believe much in Countryside anymore.  

This last issue pretty much did it for me, there's a 'cleaning tip' with a recipe for bleach and Dawn mixed together. 8O Right on the Dawn bottle it says never mix with bleach. The fumes are really bad from that combo-for asthmatics I think it could be deadly! Don't they check what they print?? I sure miss the old Countryside when there were more than write in, submitted articles. Now anyone can submit and many times the information is really inaccurate. I've written and even called on a couple things and they do put a correction in the next issue but gee that's two months for someone to really screw up their livestock or themselves!
Sorry for the rant, it just seems they should at least check some of those articles out before printing them. New people to the country don't know enough to even question these things yet and they are the ones who would try these suggestions & get in trouble.

I've been a Countryside subscriber since 1983 and this is the first time I've ever considered not renewing.


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## COUNTRYSIDERTX (Sep 16, 2003)

I couldn't renew this past summer because of cash flow issues. I started having withdrawls. When I did finally get the money sent in and they sent me the July/Aug followed a week later by Sept/Oct I had a field day. They lasted about 10 days. They are a small mag. and don't have the staff to check out everything. If they did the price would go up and I don't want that.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

r.h. in okla. said:


> Have you people read the latest issue of Countryside. There were several people who responded to the article of buying and eating pot bellied pigs. They were very upset about the article. Just couldn't believe that pets should be eaten.


When I read the original question I thought of possible replies and have been surprised there have been no inflammatory posts about eating pot belly pigs. Glad this group is more stable than that.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

COUNTRYSIDERTX said:


> They are a small mag. and don't have the staff to check out everything. If they did the price would go up and I don't want that.


Being a publisher they will need to cough up the resources to edit information or face grave consequences if one of their readers suffers due to their negligence. I am not a subscriber and I've only read the magazine once so I am not saying they do or don't edit the content- but there isn't much of a distance from printing misinformation and being useless to someone needing information.


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## COUNTRYSIDERTX (Sep 16, 2003)

I've eaten them and couldn't tell a difference. When I was given them (2) I wasn't set up for hogs so we didn't let them get much bigger than 75lbs. They tasted fine but my brother-in-law, who gave them to me, says the gain slowly.


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## cowgirlone (May 9, 2002)

I remember a discussion awhile back about people getting the pot belly pigs from the humane society and taking them home for meat. Seems like it didn't go over well with some of the posters. 
I still get Countryside magazine. It has changed some in the last few years since JD retired. 
I like the idea that people can write in about what they have experienced themselves, but I sure don't hold what they write as the sole right way to do things. I don't agree with a lot of it and on the other hand I get a lot of ideas from it. I think that's where people actually wanting to learn something for a first time might get into trouble. They shouldn't take the articles in the magazine as the sole truth, they should realize that the article describes how it happened to work out for one person.
Geez I'm windy!


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

cowgirlone said:


> I remember a discussion awhile back about people getting the pot belly pigs from the humane society and taking them home for meat. Seems like it didn't go over well with some of the posters.


I can see where that wouldn't go over well. There is an ethical consideration there that wasn't in this original post. I would also have problems with someone going to the Humane Society for lunch- or animal experimentation- or whatever aside from adopting a pet. There is an implicit understanding that the Humane Society exists for the welfare of animals. Of course I don't see a problem withsome making a destructive pet pig into dinner. I guess it all balances out in the end.


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