Pig killing and processing

[spartacus]

Hello everyone, not quite wild food but it would be similar for the wild boar here. I am just having a stab at getting pictures up on the site and this is my first go.
http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n229/johncree/pig killing/

This is a set of pictures from a pig killing we did at my next door neighbours.

I'll do a running commentary at some point.

Fire away with questions if you have any and if anybody wants a go this is only done in cold weather, basically from November to February. Quite a few get done on Christmas day in the village which to our western mentality is an awful lot of work on Christmas day and Boxing day lol.

I find the process fascinating. It takes at least four strong men to lift the carcass onto the 'colitchka' (my spelling) the horse/donkey cart. Then the work begins.

Well here goes to see if it posts.

 

[spartacus]

Oh well it's there but not quite the way I want it lol. Got loads to do today but I'll check out better presentation in the evenings. Way too much garden to look after lol. Rotavated a huge bit yesterday but the weeds are in serious need of attention in the Stawberries and onions and garlig etc. Bye for now.

 

[bb07]

Interesting. Is the wet blanket (looks hot) used to soften what's left of the hair? Or does it make it easier to scrape the burned skin off? When I was a kid on the farm, we had a tank (similar to a barrel cut in half lengthwise) which was filled partly with boiling water. The pig was put into the tank to soak awhile to soften the hair, and was then scraped clean with knives. When finished, that pig was smoother than my freshly shaved face.
In later years I heard of people using a tiger torch (propane) to burn the hair off. Whew, that must smell! This is what you appear to be doing? It's the first time I've seen it done that way.
Regardless of which method, I know it's a lot of work! Thanks for the pics.

 

[northumbrian]

thats a big pig that one ! when i first left school all 16 and 17 year old jobless kids were made to work on a YTS ( youth training sceme ) for £27.50 a week and i chose butchery !
the whole pigs i used to carry from the fridge to the block were only a third of the size of that one and they weighed well over 100 lbs (including the head too.lol )
i would have loved to been there to process the pig into joints,sausages ,brawn,bacon,ham,black pudding and all the other lovely cuts,lol.
do the locals have the same cuts and sausages,black puddings as us here in the uk ?

cheers andrew.

 

[northumbrian]

Interesting. Is the wet blanket (looks hot) used to soften what's left of the hair? Or does it make it easier to scrape the burned skin off? When I was a kid on the farm, we had a tank (similar to a barrel cut in half lengthwise) which was filled partly with boiling water. The pig was put into the tank to soak awhile to soften the hair, and was then scraped clean with knives. When finished, that pig was smoother than my freshly shaved face.
In later years I heard of people using a tiger torch (propane) to burn the hair off. Whew, that must smell! This is what you appear to be doing? It's the first time I've seen it done that way.
Regardless of which method, I know it's a lot of work! Thanks for the pics.

there's nothing worse than finding a hairy nipple (bad butchering) attached to your piece of belly pork ! lol

 

[sandbender]

Nice pictures, thanks.

Similar set up here in Hungary, our pigs are particularly hairy and propane torches are used, however where the family either don't have or cannot afford one the carcase is covered in straw which is lit and burns the hair away.

The Pig killing season is always in the winter, most of the pig blood products won't readily keep during the warmer months.

 

[spartacus]

Hello there bb07, You are bang on, the blanket is put on then hot water saturated into it and left to rest for a bit. It helps with shaving off the hair then we blacken it with the blow torches and scrape off with very sharp knives the blackened (without cooking) layer. There is a wee knack to this and one of the satisfying things I have found since I came here is that my neighbours take you on as one of their own. My first pig I wasn't allowed near it in case I messed something up lol.

For obvious reasons this food is of mega importance in a selfsustaining community so in essence I have had to serve my apprenticeship which is ongoing when it comes to pigs.

I recently went to help a friend with her sheep, sadly no pictures as the people who were to process the sheep didn't show and I was only there to 'help'. Anyway did it myself and really enjoyed it as it has been more than twenty years since I did that sort of chore. The party next day wea excellent too.

Thanks for the comment.

 

[spartacus]

Sandbender hello. Down here they do not use the blood at all which surprised me. Lots of helpers usually come and someone has a blowtorch, two is better but help is on hand for everyone which is typical of the community spirit here.

 

[sandbender]

Sandbender hello. Down here they do not use the blood at all which surprised me. Lots of helpers usually come and someone has a blowtorch, two is better but help is on hand for everyone which is typical of the community spirit here.

Oh that is criminal! The blood sausage here is fabulous. These are always big family events, often the neighbors help too, an early mornig start, fortified with a little plum brandy, and everyone is working all day. Everything from the pig is used.

 

[spartacus]

Hello Andrew, Our pigs are generally 250 - 300 Kilos and that's why it takes four or five strong men lol.

Now on to a subject close to the heart. Processing. In short Andrew NOOOOOOO! they just basically cut things into chunks, very basic. I have an English friend and ALL she really cared about was proper pork chops lol. I had a job diving in amongst the willing helpers to make sure we achieved that goal. Once shown what she wanted it was no bother and I got usurped again lol.
I'm not that educated on processing the pig but I'm dying to try smoking hams, making salami, sausages etc. I live alone apart from visitors so a huge pig is not really practical for me on my own. I have an old outside loo which is getting a new floor this year and converted into a smokehouse mmmmmmm.

Now given your knowledge I offer you the chance to educate me and come on over, I'll arrange a pig lol. I do have another post with an open invitation but I understand folks reservations. PM me if you are interested and we can go from there.

Two years ago I was invited to a friends house for Christmas dinner away up in the mountains, it was great and she and her husband told me something about Bulgarian custom. It is considered a blessing to have a stranger at your table and some folk even set a place at Christmas just in case a stranger passes by. Cool or what.

Thanks for you interest.

 

[spartacus]

I know, we have the Rakia which can be plum or grape or????? we also have the house wine and like you it all starts around 7am lol it is after all a lot of work. When the beast is cut up every helper is treated to a meal and drinks and thanked profusely and you never leave without a little something (pork meat and bachor which is a sausage/pudding thing). We also have pigs ears and so on done on the bbq whilst working away.

 

[AussieVic]

A great seroes of photos, but I'm curious, did you do the butchering on the trolly or did you hang it up later on ?
The (few) animals I've been involved with were gutted on the ground, then hung up to skin and butcher.

 

[WolfCub]

A flippin big porker ! and a good days work in good company. I'm quite envious of you, thanks for putting up the pics.

did a few pigs in Uganda, tiny by comparison. Sometimes they'd straw and burn, others, if it was a younger one, they just laddled boiling water over and shaved/scraped.

As I'm a butcher some would just let me get on with it. But the older folk in the community liked me to step back and watch, be an apprentice again, which I was more than happy with. Some serious skills on display !

 

[salan]

Hi Are the pics in the right order?
Wasn't sure if they 'went backwards' at one poiint.
My grand dad used to own a piggery and slaughterhouse (LONG time ago). I was brought up being able to gointo the 'outhouse' and cut a slice of gammon for breakfast! mmmmmm
The 'dead weight' of any animal is a lot more then people think.
My sister, when she was doing her training as a nurse had a stint in surgery and the first case was an amputation of a leg. They passed the 'limb' to her to take away.
She nearlly dropped it! it was so much more heavy then she expected.
Blood sausage is fantastic. A great waste if they do not use the blood. (hear we would make black puddings).
I wouls love to learn the butchering skills as although I have seen them as a small boy and do remember some, I have not done any butchering for decades.
Tank you for the pics.
Alan

 

[spartacus]

Hi AussieVic. Everything is done on the horse cart, The fat is up three inches thick and this is cut in blocks to be eaten as 'slanina'. The legs are hung up on hooks to be processed later on and large amounts are just cut up and minced oe left as literally chunks to be cubed or whatever and then frozen. The locals also make sausage type recipes. There is a large sheet of plastic put under the pig, steralised with loads of hot water first.
The belly is cut in strips to show the innards then the offal is removed for cooking there and then to eat whilst working and drinking the rakia or homemade wine. Then the intestines are meticulously cleaned and pushed through it's backside to be used for the sausage. Scrubbed again with soda and an onion. This year I should do a blow by blow article? Would anyone be interested in such a thing?
I have two shhep to do this side of winter too so maybe a few pictures and dialogue?

Whatever, thank youo for your interest and comments.

 

[spartacus]

Hello Alan, sorry but the pictures are not in order at all. This is my first go at posting pics so I'll improve I hope lol. I'm a Scot and lived for a time in the western isles and there we would always have used the blood for puddings. When I do my own animals the least use for the blood is on the compost heap which is another thing they don't do here. A project for here this year is to convert the outhouse to the SMOKEHOUSE lol. I just finished fitting an indoor loo today because tomorrow is my birthday and I have guests staying over so thought I'd better get the finger out and connect the thing haha.

Thanks for posting.

 

[spartacus]

Hi WolfCub, Seen wolf here twice, ever so cool.
The men put in a great deal of work and the banter is good too. The ladies work equally as hard in the background and one or more is there to attend to the male workers with whatever is on offer so it is a big team effort. One of my best ever days here was at a pig killing next door and gifts were given, I gave away my best and favourite knife to the main worker as I really admired his work and was really surprised when I was given a hand made one in return from another of the guys. Brilliant day.

 

[widu13]

Very, very interesting. I worked as a slaughter house boy when I was 12-14 but only got to see a small part of the butchering process I was normally humping heads and intestines about instead. We did have the luxury of a hot water tank that would take Old Spots. From memory it had to be no hotter than 65C to prevent cooking the pig. No work involved in it tho. Crane (hoist) the pig into it and the rollers in the tank turned it and removed the hair. Job done, crane out and butcher.

The Bulgarian version looks like hard graft. I'm envious.

 

[spartacus]

Hello widu13, It is hard work but pleasantly so. Thanks for the post.

 

[spartacus]

Hiya, sorry for the delay, a few mishaps and other events. I think it's called life. All of the work is carried out on the little wagon (carutsa)