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Original poster

Yesterday we butchered two pigs at home. It was brilliant

243 replies

HumphreyCobbler · 09/10/2010 10:38

We made sausages and salami. We had chops, tenderloin, ham, hocks,roasting joints - absolutely vast amounts of meat. We won't have to buy meat for at least six months.

We cure the bacon later and finish packing the sausages. The salami looks brilliant hanging in the shed.

I am so pleased Smile

We do it all again on Sunday, two more pigs are being slaughtered and we butcher them on Friday.

I feel Hugh FW would be very proud Grin

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throckenholt · 09/10/2010 11:09

we have cut a pigs head - I didn't find it repulsive - but not sure I would want to do it on a pig I knew !

What are you going to do with all the skin ?

cornsilk · 09/10/2010 11:11

you could do a massive pork crackling

Lauriefairycake · 09/10/2010 11:12

Thank-you for telling me how you killed them - that is exactly what I wanted to hear.

I know how lovely a life most organic/free range pigs have but it is always how they are killed that bothered me.

I'm so glad you led them away from the others so they didn't know and that death was so quick.

POFAKKEDDthechair · 09/10/2010 11:12

I think it is great. And the pigs have a far better life than they do if reared for public consumption. Brilliant.

Miasma · 09/10/2010 11:12

Loadsa crackling sounds like a good option for that!

Yum

Greensleeves · 09/10/2010 11:12

did you cry? I would have Sad

but I eat meat too, so am certainly not judging you

but your post about leading them to a secluded place, and giving them a nice last meal -

Original poster
HumphreyCobbler · 09/10/2010 11:13

This skin was unsusable for crackling as were burnt the hair off. They were very hairy pigs too. We had an enormous bin bag of wasted stuff, the amount of fat we just discarded was unbelievable.

The worst bit was when we put the head in a bucket of brine and it started twitching Shock

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Original poster
HumphreyCobbler · 09/10/2010 11:15

I didn't cry as I had managed to oganised my daughters second birthday party and lunch for all my family on the morning of the day we killed them. This only happened because the original slaughterman had an accident and we had to change the times.

It was too busy for any emotion, otherwise I would have been in bits I think.

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Original poster
HumphreyCobbler · 09/10/2010 11:16
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POFAKKEDDthechair · 09/10/2010 11:16
Shock

But if people had to slaughter their own meant maybe more would become vegetarians! Certainly they would respect the animal far more, and like you, be loathe to waste any of it.

Original poster
HumphreyCobbler · 09/10/2010 11:19

Funnily enough, my two small children just accepted it. I think they are too little to think it strange. They saw most of the process, except the moment of death, and my son was overheard muttering to himself that "The pigs are going to get dead, we will chop them up and make sausage"

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throckenholt · 09/10/2010 11:19

so if you do it again you'll know to be more careful not to feed them too much - rare breed pigs can put on a lot of fat. We are on our first pair and have no idea if we are overfeeding them - because being pigs they happily eat practically everything we give them :)

Just googled - you can render it into lard - and make lardy cake - if you like that (although you probably wouldn't manage to eat enough to use it all up).

sarah293 · 09/10/2010 11:20

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SecretNutellaFix · 09/10/2010 11:20

Too many people are in denial about where their food comes from.

They had a loved and comfortable life and you made sure that they didn't suffer- so I would enjoy your home reared porkSmile

warthog · 09/10/2010 11:21

i think it's brilliant. except the twitching bit at least. must be chemical reaction of the muscles.

very impressed.

throckenholt · 09/10/2010 11:21

my boys are 7 and 9 - and have been heard discussing which leg they are going to get Grin. Hopefully that means they won't be too upset in a few months time when it is time to say goodbye.

POFAKKEDDthechair · 09/10/2010 11:21

Only squash riven? Shock that must be very hard. How on earth did you come by 30 squash?

SecretNutellaFix · 09/10/2010 11:21

Humphrey- I just lol'ed at your DSGrin

Practical young man you have!

sarah293 · 09/10/2010 11:23

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Greensleeves · 09/10/2010 11:24

can't you cut them up, cook them and then freeze in portions? That's what I do.

throckenholt · 09/10/2010 11:25

Riven - can you beg a bit of space in neighbours and friends freezers ?

sarah293 · 09/10/2010 11:25

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Greensleeves · 09/10/2010 11:26

that's bloody annoying

I don't know how you keep veg fresh apart from keeping them somewhere cold

do you have a shed?

Aitch · 09/10/2010 11:27

i thought the point of squash was that if you kept them in a larder-type situ (clean, cool, aired) that they lasted the winter?

Original poster
HumphreyCobbler · 09/10/2010 11:27

All our family are getting lots of pork that is going into their own freezer straight away.

throckenholt, our main problem was that we let them get too big before slaughter. We could have overfed them too, like you say we really have no idea!

We were pleased to use the apples, in previous years loads and loads have gone to waste as most people in the country have one or two trees themselves that supplies all they need. We couldn't give them away.

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