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Butchering a Hog. The Kill and Slaughter. Warning: Disturbing and Graphic Images.

SGH
SGH Posts: 28,989
edited December 2015 in EggHead Forum
As most of you already know, I killed and cleaned some hogs for a older friend of mine a few days ago. Due to the amount of photos, I'm only posting the kill and slaughter here. I will post the breaking in another thread. 

Equipment:
Homemade chopping block made from a oak tree trunk. The metal band helps keep it from splitting. 

Cleaver, knives and Skinning Racks.



Wild Russian Boar. 178 pounds live weight. Throat cut and bleeding out.

Preparing to skin after nerves and auto reflex has stopped. 


Belly up on the skinning rack.

Skinning in process. 



Carcass has been skinned, trotters removed. Carcass is now hung over gut barrel for gutting and organ removal. 

Opening the body cavity starting with anus removal and proceeding toward the thoracic region. 


View of anus removed. 

Secretions draining. 

Hole in the windpipe from cutting its throat during slaughter. 



Victim #2. Here's looking at you kid ;)



Manually pumping the heart with my foot to aid in bleeding out.

On he skinning rack after bleed out. 

Various gutting shots.


I have have numerous more pics that I will post when time allows. However I'm wanting to see if the amount I have in this thread will even post. Pics test......

Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

Status- Standing by.

The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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Comments

  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    Much respect. Pics may not be for the squeamish, but anyone who eats meat is complicit, and should at least understand what is involved

    you hang them at all before breaking down? As with venison?

    My understanding for cattle at least is that commercially they should be hung for a week or so or at least allowed to go through rigor mortis.

    I don't know if it is the same for hogs (commercially).  


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    Darby_Crenshaw said:
    you hang them at all before breaking down? 


    Yes sir, I let them hang until the meat temp gets down to at least 48 degrees. Any warmer than this and the meat is to soft and pliable to work. Warm meat is a real pain to debone and cut into neat cuts. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    Darby_Crenshaw said:
    Much respect. Pics may not be for the squeamish, but anyone who eats meat is complicit, and should at least understand what is involved


    Brother Darby, I'm merely testing the waters with the pics above. I have some that are far more graphic. Want to see how BGE responds. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Fascinating documentary!!  Interested to see the cardiac compression to aid the exsanguination.  Very informative brother!  Thanks for posting!
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    Darby_Crenshaw said:

    My understanding for cattle at least is that commercially they should be hung for a week or so or at least allowed to go through rigor mortis.

    I don't know if it is the same for hogs (commercially).  


    The above is accurate due to sheer volume of carcasses to be processed. There are 2 distinct stages to concern yourself with when home butchering. Rigor and Rigor Mortis. As long as you process them before the actual Rigor Mortis stage sets in, the meat will be tender. Once Rigor Mortis sets in, it must run its course or the meat will be tough no matter what you do. Due to their sheer volume, this is why commercial meat packers hang for weeks. To complete the Rigor Mortis stage. There is no way to process as much as they kill and slaughter in a single day. At home you can. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Should I send these to my vegan sister?  :o
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    henapple said:
    Should I send these to my vegan sister?  :o
    Uncle Apple I have some real graphic pics that you can send her =)

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    I have several more pics, I'm just waiting to see how the buffalo responds to this post. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • EGGjlmh
    EGGjlmh Posts: 823

    Thanks for sharing, how do you kill your hogs?

    1MBGE 2006, 1LBGE 2010, 1 Mini Max, Fathers Day 2015

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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    The buffalo should be pleased.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,936
    Very, very cool Scottie.  Looking forward to the rest of the story.
    THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    edited December 2015
    EGGjlmh said:

    Thanks for sharing, how do you kill your hogs?

    I shoot them behind the left ear with the barrel angled toward the right eye. This takes out the entire cross section of the brain. I use a 22 Short, 29 grain bullet to avoid the bullet exiting. I immediately cut their throat when they drop to the ground. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    I usually use an RPG...  =)
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    edited December 2015
    EGGjlmh said:

    Thanks for sharing, how do you kill your hogs?

    For years, I killed them with a sticking knife. Now that I'm older, I find less mishaps with the 22 than the sticking knife. However if I'm wanting to salvage the brain for head cheese, I will still kill them with a double edge sticking knife. Short of this, I use the 22.

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    edited December 2015
    Excellent documentary.  I've only see the process once in person with a deer and I was impressed how quick it can go.  How long does it take with the hog?
    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    Ragtop99 said:
    Excellent documentary.  I've only see the process once in person with a deer and I was impressed how quick it can go.  How long does it take with the hog?
    I killed, skinned and gutted 4 hogs pretty much by myself in 1 hour and about 50 minutes. Give or take a little. A few young strong men can do it much faster. In my prime I could skin and gut a hog in about 15 minutes. That's just skinning and gutting, not processing the meat. Atlas, I'm getting old and slow my friend. And my hands are semi-paralyzed to boot.  

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • Davec433
    Davec433 Posts: 463
    Those are some cool pictures. I've only been present for a hog being slaughtered once and we had some Native Americans with us. If I remember right we are pretty much everything that was edible.
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  • Tbent
    Tbent Posts: 225
    Very interesting. Keep the pics and info coming. 
    Do you ever scald and scrape or always skin them?
    L, S, MM, Mini
    Washington, IL
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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    @SGH.... You're a killer 
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    Tbent said:
    Do you ever scald and scrape or always skin them?
    Depending on how I'm going to break them, yes I remove the hair and leave the skin on. However if I'm not going to use the skin, it's much simpler and faster to skin them. Depending on how the buffalo reacts to this post, I have some pics of a very easy way to remove the hair. However it looks barbaric. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    henapple said:
    @SGH.... You're a killer 
    You just don't know Uncle Apple ;)

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    edited December 2015
    SGH said:
    EGGjlmh said:

    Thanks for sharing, how do you kill your hogs?

    For years, I killed them with a sticking knife. Now that I'm older, I find less mishaps with the 22 than the sticking knife. However if I'm wanting to salvage the brain for head cheese, I will still kill them with a double edge sticking knife. Short of this, I use the 22.
    Good work. I've only done some fowl, and a couple of rabbits. I'd supposed a 22 was standard for hogs. Or a big hammer followed by a knife.

    I don't have a problem w. the pictures (other than they too long to download). Go ahead.

    Oh, what knives do you use.? Some of the cutting looks pretty hard.
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 23,179
    SGH said:
    henapple said:
    Should I send these to my vegan sister?  :o
    Uncle Apple I have some real graphic pics that you can send her =)
    Just send her the one titled "view of anus removed". That outta do it. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • anton
    anton Posts: 1,813
    Thanks for the education, very interesting.
     Using a MBGE,woo/w stone,livin' in  Hayward California," The Heart Of The Bay "
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    The Cen-Tex Smoker said:
    Just send her the one titled "view of anus removed". That outta do it. 
    Brother Tex, I have a hunch that you already know this, but for the folks who don't, we use pig anuses to make imitation calamari. Even a very astute tongue can not tell the difference between the anus and real calamari. And fellows, I'm honestly not joking. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • fruitguy
    fruitguy Posts: 303
    thanks for sharing
    very interesting
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  • Hawg Fan
    Hawg Fan Posts: 1,517
    Thanks for posting, it brings back a lot of memories.  Growing up, my family butchered, hogs, goats, chicken, beef cattle, deer and small game.  My first memory of butchering a hog was when my dad used the scolding method on the hog, put later converted to skinning the hog.  He also was a fan of the .22 short.

    Any road will take you there if you don't know where you're going.

    Terry

    Rockwall, TX
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    Hawg Fan said:
      He also was a fan of the .22 short.
    The 22 Short is near ideal for several reasons. First and foremost is safety. In 40+ years of head shooting hogs, I have yet to see the little 29 grain bullet exit. It always stays inside the head. It's usually lodged just behind the right eye. A 22 Long or Long Rifle will exit 80% of the time save for hitting the skull. Also the little Short doesn't damage as much meat. A 22 Long Rifle actually does far more damage than most folks realize. It's a shame that the little 22 Short has declined in popularity over the years. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • Tinyfish
    Tinyfish Posts: 1,755
    Now I know how my bacon starts to make its way to the package. 
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    Tinyfish said:
    Now I know how my bacon starts to make its way to the package. 
    Bacon being separated by hand.




    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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