# Things to have to butcher a hog



## Karl Atkins (Dec 11, 2017)

so what would be a list of thing that I need at butcher time?

This is what I already have :
Meat grinder 1hp motor
Banquet table
Hatchet
Electronic scale goes to 22 lbs

The wife said no on the food saver seal a meal she thinks it would take to much time
So I have to buy some freezer paper. Thanks for the suggestions Karl

The list you guys suggested:

Bone saw / hack saw
Saws all with new blade
Blue shop towels
Bleach spray bottles
#3 steel tub for Guts
Butcher paper
fillet knife
Deer hoist ( to hang the hog)
Gloves ?
Tarps


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## Baymule (Dec 11, 2017)

Cancel the butcher paper unless you like freezer burn. I love my Foodsaver. I have worn this one out and I am going to get another one, bigger and heavier duty. It is a MUST HAVE piece of equipment. So what if it takes a little longer, how long do you want the meat to last in the freezer? 

A LOT of sharp knives. Bone saw. Hack saw with a new blade. On the bone between the legs in the area of the anus, I used a meat cleaver and hit it with a hammer to break the bone apart so I could cut the anus out (tie a string around it for obvious reasons) 

A spray bottle of Clorox water to clean the table. Wash pan, water hose with spray nozzle, couple of towels that your wife doesn't care about. Roll of paper towels. A #3 metal tub to drop the guts in, a bucket just isn't big enough. 

Get the butcher paper, it is clean and helps to lay the meat on it when cutting it up.


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## Baymule (Dec 11, 2017)

Oh, a camera or phone to TAKE PICTURES!!


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 11, 2017)

Any suggestions on a good seal a meal machine?


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 12, 2017)

On Bay's above list, 
I butcher small scale a lot, and like the blue shop rag type of paper towel rolls. They do not shred up or leave lint or deposits on the meat or table surface when rubbed repeatedly over a surface.

Also, on quartering, I use to use a sawzall on deer. It is fast, just use a different blade from your home construction and auto projects.


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 12, 2017)

Pastor Dave said:


> On Bay's above list,
> I butcher small scale a lot, and like the blue shop rag type of paper towel rolls. They do not shred up or leave lint or deposits on the meat or table surface when rubbed repeatedly over a surface.
> 
> Also, on quartering, I use to use a sawzall on deer. It is fast, just use a different blade from your home construction and auto projects.



Oh yeah we picked up a small Electronic scale from Costco it go to 22# is that good?


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 12, 2017)

Okay So I edited my original post and added the item you suggested.


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 12, 2017)

@Baymule have you been doing research on a good seal a meal?


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## Simpleterrier (Dec 12, 2017)

How about something to kill it with say a 22 or I guess you could bless it and then just stick it. A fillet knife works good for skinning and deboneing


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## Simpleterrier (Dec 12, 2017)

Also something to hang the hog off the ground


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## Baymule (Dec 12, 2017)

Foodsaver. Don't buy the cheap ones, they have several prices. The one I have cost $80 quite some years ago. It still works, but I go at it hard and fast, now it overheats and I have to wait for it to cool off. Just jerks my chain...... Going to buy a bigger one.

Do you have a tractor or something to hang the pig from?


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## Mini Horses (Dec 12, 2017)

Foodsaver -- I have two.  You use them for more than just the hog.  LOL.

They have gusseted bags which are fantastic for the hams & shoulders, those bulky, thick parts.   Or large chickens, turkeys, etc.   Also have some attachments to reseal bottles, canning jars, etc.    Not just food......you can preserve papers, matches, etc.    Think about it these are not cheap.   But great for food preservation.  Worth it in the long run.


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 12, 2017)

Baymule said:


> Foodsaver. Don't buy the cheap ones, they have several prices. The one I have cost $80 quite some years ago. It still works, but I go at it hard and fast, now it overheats and I have to wait for it to cool off. Just jerks my chain...... Going to buy a bigger one.
> 
> Do you have a tractor or something to hang the pig from?


We have the food saver V4865 it is a good one we paid $126  I think one of my sons has the same model we will put it to the test in a little over a month


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 12, 2017)

Mini Horses said:


> Foodsaver -- I have two.  You use them for more than just the hog.  LOL.
> 
> They have gusseted bags which are fantastic for the hams & shoulders, those bulky, thick parts.   Or large chickens, turkeys, etc.   Also have some attachments to reseal bottles, canning jars, etc.    Not just food......you can preserve papers, matches, etc.    Think about it these are not cheap.   But great for food preservation.  Worth it in the long run.



Yep we do a lot of canning see the picture above  our food saver we like a lot


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 12, 2017)

Will a deer hoist work for a pig or do they make one for a pig ?


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 13, 2017)

It should work. The big thing to remember is if what is supporting the hoist will support a pig.


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 13, 2017)

We butcher pigs fairly often for ourselves and others. This is what we have on hand to butcher....we are cheap well really DH is cheap i was a sealer machine he says no not now 

First you want a bone saw! Not a hacksaw not a sawzall but a bone saw. We have used all of them and trust me nothing compares to a bone saw for ease of butchering AND clean cuts..i hate bone grit in my meat. FYI a bone saw is for bone not meat, use a sharp knife to cute down to the down bone first and then use the bone saw, the exception here(on pigs) is lower legs/shanks and spine. We split most of our hogs down the middle. The bone saw we have and love is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000T3OV1C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 wait until after christmas to order it if you go this route, i paid $20some for it last year. Excellent bone saw and it will last thru a lot of hogs/deer before you notice even a small change in cutting.

Next we have a gambrel on a chain pulley(hoist). Make sure any gambrel is weighted for over the weight of your hogs as well as your pulley if you use one and make sure you have a place you can hang the rig that will hold the weight of the hog plus the gambrel/hoist and you pulling and hacking on the pig.

Sharp knives, style doesnt matter a whole lot but hog hide is tough so sharp is a must. We have two meat knives and a cleaver. Both knives are slicing/fillet style knives but any sharp smooth blade knife will do the job so just use one you like. Our knives came from GFS and have the white plastic slip resistant handles.

You can use gloves if you like, we do not. You can use a scale if you like, we do not.

We use a manual meat grinder(found the small residential grinders to not work well on pork for long), use what you like. I will tell you, you want your meat cut into chunks/cubes and almost frozen solid. If it doesnt have ice crystals on it, put it back in the freezer. Grinding warm pork just doesnt work out well, you end up with a greyish/pink slime/mush rather then nicely ground reddish pork and the fat clogs all up in the cutting disc. If you have ever processed not quite cold enough venison you have an idea of what i am talking about. We got black dish tubs, cut/cube/chunk your meat, put it in the tubs, then stick it in your freezer. About twelve hours later check the meat at the top of the tub for ice crystals, if you see crystals pull the tubs out and grind all the meat off the top of the tub. You will know when the meat isnt frozen enough anymore, just put it back in the freezer again for a few hours. If you forget about the meat tub and it freezer to much just put it in your fridge to thaw slowly...should take about 1.5-2 days to thaw enough to grind. We have actually just stored our black tubs(covered) in the freezer full of unground pork for about 8 months before grinding with out any issues.

We use freezer paper...i want a sealer but alas. So far more then a year later and no freezer burn. We do wrap in saran wrap first though then freezer paper.

For catching/disposing of the guts, we use our wheelbarrow. We put a tarp in the wheel barrow near the gambrel and a tarp on the floor under the gambrel. Shoot the pig, hook it up on the gambrel immediately, hoist fast, put the wheelbarrow underneath and slit the juglars. The entire act takes approximately less then 60 seconds. The pig is stunned from being shot in the head, we cut the juglars so they loose consciousness as fast as possible. After they are done draining/moving, the guts are removed and let fall into the
wheelbarrow. If we are skinning, the skin is removed and falls into the wheelbarrow. Then the wheelbarrow is moved over by the butcher table for any un-wanted parts(hooves, mammary glands, etc). The wheelbarrow makes it easy to clean up and to move the offal out for disposal, also contains the blood..

Definitely need a table. Bleach water. We use white flour sack towels and keep them in the bleach water for wiping down the butcher table. You will also want running water or a clean place to wash your hands/knives time to time(tub of soapy water or something). I throw the towels in the washer and they are good as new and reusable many times, leave no lint behind, etc.

So our list looks like this
Table
Bone saw
Knives
Grinder
Gambrel and Hoist
Freezer Paper
Masking Tape
Saran Wrap
Wheelbarrow
2 Tarps
Flour Sack Towels

If your planning to scald and scrap....that requires more set-up.

I'm just a bit long winded....sigh


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 13, 2017)

@misfitmorgan.......thank you


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 13, 2017)

Karl Atkins said:


> @misfitmorgan.......thank you



Always happy to help where i can even though i typically write books. We have 3 more pigs to butcher in the next month or so still and we have already done 2 this year and 8 last year total. Lots of pork...next to set up to thaw and brine our bellies and hams so everything can get brined and smoked together...i hope.


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## greybeard (Dec 13, 2017)

Karl Atkins said:


> so what would be a list of thing that I need at butcher time?
> 
> This is what I already have :
> Meat grinder 1hp motor
> ...


Are you anywhere close to me? (put a location in your profile please)
I have a gambrel here..not sure what it was used for..belonged to my father. Has stainless hooks on regular steel frame. If close, and we can meet somewhere, you can have it.

Also have a manual endless chain 1  ton hoist you can have.
Mine's older and not sure the brand, but it's this type:





Too heavy to ship.


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 13, 2017)

The one pictured is the type we use GB, also older dunno brand. Your gambrel also sounds like ours. That set up would work great for pigs i think. Our gambrel is steel with stainless hooks attached to it.

Very kind of you to offer up those things GB i know those hoists go for $100 or more and i have been looking for another gambrel like ours for a few years and cant find one.


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 13, 2017)

greybeard said:


> Are you anywhere close to me? (put a location in your profile please)
> I have a gambrel here..not sure what it was used for..belonged to my father. Has stainless hooks on regular steel frame. If close, and we can meet somewhere, you can have it.
> 
> Also have a manual endless chain 1  ton hoist you can have.
> ...



ILive in Redding CA. Thank you for the offer


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## Karl Atkins (Dec 13, 2017)

misfitmorgan said:


> The one pictured is the type we use GB, also older dunno brand. Your gambrel also sounds like ours. That set up would work great for pigs i think. Our gambrel is steel with stainless hooks attached to it.
> 
> Very kind of you to offer up those things GB i know those hoists go for $100 or more and i have been looking for another gambrel like ours for a few years and cant find one.



Well if you are closer snag it


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 14, 2017)

I am not closer.....michigan 

DH's brother and mother live in texas though....by Austin his mother recently moved i think north of Austin. I always think they live in houston but DH corrected me and said nope austin, though the brother travels all over.


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## greybeard (Dec 14, 2017)

I'm 40 miles North of Houston myself. Lufkin is about 1.5 hrs away from me, straight up US59.


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 14, 2017)

So you must live by cleveland...then? I will let DH know and we can see if we can set something up. DH's brother said he goes to Houston and the surrounding area about once a week or more.


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## Bossroo (Dec 14, 2017)

Don't forget the guest of honor ,    the H O G   !


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 14, 2017)

The apple for the mouth while roasting...
Guess that's more cooking than processing.


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 14, 2017)

Someone is having a hog roast?


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## greybeard (Dec 14, 2017)

8 miles North of Cleveland Fire Dept. (had to measure it for my home owner policy)
Just let me know, I can meet them somewhere, or if they are up for finding my place, they can come here...

Note, observe speed markers on FM2025..the S curves are deceiving and can be treacherous. When making the left turn off FM 945 on to Shaw Rd...MAKE IT! It's in a blind curve and traffic comes around it pretty fast. Off Shaw Rd, then make the 1st left. It's Albright Ln but I know the sign is missing. Take Albright ALL the way to the end, enter and open gate and turn left, following the powerline down to my house. Big green 2 story house. You can't see the house until you break out of the woods into pastureland. White Chevy pickup and little black car there most times.
I'll PM you my Ph #.


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 14, 2017)

Thank you much GB, very detailed. DH will talk to his brother after work, should be either his brother or mother coming to pick up assuming we can arrange it.


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