When we brought our first pair of pigs onto the farm , my wife and I honestly did n’t have a strong plan for raising them , as they ’d been an unexpected housewarming gift from some farmer friend . Our first order of business enterprise was hurriedly constructing a debate - in area to prevail the small hogs ( the fencing was not electric , our eventual containment preference following a series of breakouts ) , then discover a local supplier of overpriced , hand - mixed provender ( we presently take to using our own hands to mix their food for thought ) .
Though we did n’t of necessity want to consider it when those little guys were sport in the pasture ( and occasionally strolling down the drive ) , the sidereal day came when we had to find a place to process our pigs so we could feed our family instead of outsized hogs . Luckily for us , a sustainability tending slaughterhouse be less than an 60 minutes from our farm , so we reach out to set our processing escort . They send us back a cut card , which we eyed with mild confusion and terror .
We ’ve sate out myriad cut cards since , but , looking at one on my screen properly now , I can understand our initial mental confusion . In guinea pig you ’re thinking about raise grunter , I ’m here to take the air you through what you ’ll get from your processor when you set your appointment .
A cut card is merely a set of rough instruction manual for the bungler to follow when taking the saw to an animate being ’s carcass . dissimilar parts of the body afford unlike cuts , and individual body parts have the electric potential to become one of several different package mathematical product .
The first item on many slash lists is chops . Pork chops come from the loin of a pig , or the top of the organic structure . pick are ivory - in or boneless ; if you choose boneless , you have the option to receive back tenderloin as either slice or whole . Some processors let you separate the loin into some chop and some boneless , usually one-half and half , which can give you a skillful smorgasbord for mart . We usually prefer for all bone - in chopper , which many of our customers liked for their ease of broiling .
Next add up the hams , a hog ’s back wooden leg . you could opt to get these back whole or sliced into ham actor steaks . If you have a market for holiday ham actor , you’re able to prefer to smoke and cure one or both whole . Otherwise , I ’d urge ham steaks — whole , uncured hams are very unmanageable to betray at market based on their size and price .
The paunch can cater a few different cuts , but unless you or your customers are really into smoke meat , this part is best sliced and heal for bacon . Pork belly can be very fatty when cooked and plot , but everybody loves bacon .
Speaking of Sir Francis Bacon , custom processing gives you the option to break the boundaries of “ Sir Francis Bacon ” with a few extra selection , such as the submaxilla , or fatty aspect ( impudence , basically ) . Opt to smoke and cure this for jowl bacon , which give you a wide fade that fry up crispy in the cooking pan . Because bacon is the first item to sell out at market , it ’s good to have as much useable as potential .
The shoulder joint is another surface area that can produce bacon , albeit in drier , meatier slices . You wo n’t see this option on some cut cards , though , as this part of the pig is typically delivered as Boston butt , a big , lovesome piece of sum that does toppingly in either a stag party or dim cooker . If you want it as bacon , though , call and ask — a processor can do this for you .
Ribs are rib , plain and simple . A whole rack can be invoke to the right buyer , but one-half and spare ribs can feed more customers .
Picnic hams are the front legs . They ’re smaller and easier to betray whole , or you’re able to slice them into ham steaks . The lower part of the peg where it meets the hoof is the hock — these are nice in a stew , though they do n’t hold as much prayer for the average customer .
It ’s worth noting that you’re able to specify “ ground ” for any of these parts , and some processors will let you determine which percentage of what cuts you ’d like bear as such . But even if you opt to have everything sliced and box , you ’ll have some kernel leave over at the end to grind , and most processors give you some sausage options . Casing is unremarkably spare , but it ’s also not hard to sway citizenry to give a package of bright , red chorizo connect a attempt . We ’ve liked to separate our sausage into a variety of offerings — Polish and breakfast links , and sweet-flavored Italian box were our go - to choices . You ’ll often be call for to provide some secondary choices , too , in case the processor draw out of flavourer .
After you riposte your cut card , you need to start planning your load - in . That ’s awhole ‘ nuther trial by ordeal .
