we Put down OUR pig

[Duckfarmerpa1]

No meat should ever smell like the barnyard, so it could be what you are feeding and possibly how you are butchering that gives you meat with an off smell or flavor. If you have to put tons of seasoning in the meat in order to eat it or disguise the smell, it's likely how the meat was handled during butchering. You'll hear of that a lot when people kill deer and complain of a "gamey" flavor or smell, which should never happen if the butchering is handled properly.

Could be you could find someone nearby who could instruct you on butchering techniques that would insure you have clean tasting meat? There's really no point in having a farm if all the food produced is repugnant to you.

I applaud you for killing and consuming your own animals...it's the most humane treatment possible if you consume meat in your diet. One thing that may help you is to work on how you think about life and death of your beloved animals. Using the phrasing "put down" has negative connotations associated with it, as if you had to ease its suffering for some reason. It would help you a lot if you could think of it as a harvest, much like any other harvest of food that you grow. To everything there is a season and the meat harvest has a season as well, so it may help you to think of all your animals as creatures that are here for a season in time and when that season is over for whatever reason, you will harvest their energy to fuel your bodies.

I suppose I wrote ‘put down’ because we are both still very upset. We really loved this guy. I do like your thinking of them as a harvest...

 

[Mini Horses]

First -- you must change your attitude. Beekissed is right, "harvest".

Second -- detach yourself. Think, It isn't "suzie", it's a pork chop.

Third -- it was a pig. It MAY have taint, some do.

These end of life issues are the thing that every farmer must learn to accept. As Bay, I give a prayer of thanks for each. I know they were well handled, fed, loved during their life here -- far better than those who are packaged at the store shelf. We all face this and understand. Do not feel guilty...work past it.

 

[Beekissed]

If farming were easy, everyone would do it. Many try, but to farm in the truest sense of the word, a person has to have a steady resolve and a goal of actual food production and animal husbandry that forwards the progress of the farm. It will help you a lot if you get out of the "every animal is my pet" mindset into the mindset that "I'm going to enjoy my animals to the fullest, in every way, clear up to and past their last day with us." Your husband has the right idea of loving your animals enough to consume them after they are gone....lots of hard work and love went into that animal, so the ultimate respect given at that point is to consume all that love and effort.

It's a loving cycle if you can get your mind around it. I name animals, enjoy their personalities and beauty, benefit from their God given function on this Earth and then I utilize them for the purpose for which they were created. Ultimately, all our flesh will be utilized as energy for another creature sooner or later. It's just the reality of life. Those that can get on board with that truth have more joy in their farming life than those who agonize over death like it is a sorrowful punishment and the awful price to pay for farming.

I know people who agonize every single time, for years and years they are trying to farm(my sister, for one), but they never truly have the joy of farming they could have if they could get their heads on right. Joy is a decision and so is misery, so now would be a good time to sit down with your husband and decide how you want to farm~with huge highs and lows, much stress and anxiety ~or a steady joy and rhythm to your life on the farm, with the occasional sorrow that doesn't steal your joy.

 

[Baymule]

How was the meat handled after slaughter? Here, I put meat in a large ice chest. If it is chicken, we bring the ice chest in the house and I process it the next day. If it is deer or pork, the ice chest stays outside, usually in the back of the mule, so I can drain the water off. I soak it several days, draining off the water and adding more ice. I realize that you would wind up with a frozen block if you left it outside, maybe you could place the ice chest in the bath tub. I know that in the North, you hang the meat to age it, if I did that, it would rot. LOL LOL So the "age the meat" is done in an ice chest. But soaking the meat also draws out the blood. If there is a taint to the meat, you can add a half cup of table salt WITHOUT IDODINE. Salt will also draw out taint.

It could be that you are sensitive to taint, most people are not, but some are. Some breeds of pigs have more taint than others and that can also apply to individual pigs. Before I take pigs to slaughter, I switch them to soured corn for no less than 4 weeks, usually 6 weeks.

What cuts of meat do you have? What about taking a package of pork chops or steaks, and soaking them in salt water for 24 hours in the refrigerator? Put in a covered dish, cover with water that a teaspoon of plain table salt has been dissolved in Do bear in mind that the slat will enter the meat. I have salt soaked chicken and fish before but I used more salt, and it was good. If you are comfortable with it, use a tablespoon of salt. I would do a "test" piece of meat, just to see.

 

[Amaggio]

I completely understand where you're coming from. As i woman i find it very hard to butcher my own animals because they are like pets. You put all this love and care into their raising, you see their personalities blossom, find their favorite foods, how can you not treat them like part of the family? But when i started my homestead i made a decision to do even the emotionally hard jobs because this is reality, life. Your pig lived so well, you took such good care of it, and now it's going to take good care of you by giving you nourishment. I always thank my animals before i butcher them for that very reason. It gives me some closer and reminds me their sacrifice is what lets me live a healthy life. It sounds to me like you never got your closer. What you're feeling isn't wrong, it's just heavy sorrow from your loss. Do your best to find a way to get that closer, to really say goodbye and thank you. Then maybe you can enjoy your meals again knowing that sacrifice wasn't in vain.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

How was the meat handled after slaughter? Here, I put meat in a large ice chest. If it is chicken, we bring the ice chest in the house and I process it the next day. If it is deer or pork, the ice chest stays outside, usually in the back of the mule, so I can drain the water off. I soak it several days, draining off the water and adding more ice. I realize that you would wind up with a frozen block if you left it outside, maybe you could place the ice chest in the bath tub. I know that in the North, you hang the meat to age it, if I did that, it would rot. LOL LOL So the "age the meat" is done in an ice chest. But soaking the meat also draws out the blood. If there is a taint to the meat, you can add a half cup of table salt WITHOUT IDODINE. Salt will also draw out taint.

It could be that you are sensitive to taint, most people are not, but some are. Some breeds of pigs have more taint than others and that can also apply to individual pigs. Before I take pigs to slaughter, I switch them to soured corn for no less than 4 weeks, usually 6 weeks.

What cuts of meat do you have? What about taking a package of pork chops or steaks, and soaking them in salt water for 24 hours in the refrigerator? Put in a covered dish, cover with water that a teaspoon of plain table salt has been dissolved in Do bear in mind that the slat will enter the meat. I have salt soaked chicken and fish before but I used more salt, and it was good. If you are comfortable with it, use a tablespoon of salt. I would do a "test" piece of meat, just to see.

By ‘taint’....does that mean ‘musty’...that’s what we call it. We hung him outside. It was PLENTY cold outside. Chris cut him up and put him in our fridge in the shed. He’s processing him into sections...porkchop, bacon, loin, etc. it actually looks great. And it tastes great at first...and then there’s that after taste...it bites you...I can’t swallow it and have to eat peanut butter. This was my pot belly pig. He was very very old and very very fat. Castrated. He does soak the meat in allll kinds of stuff. Worchester sauce, mustards, etc. We don’t eat much fat and try not to eat much salt, but I’ll show him this thread and see if gives him helpful tips. Soured corn? Do they sell that at a regular feed store? Never heard of that. Can I feed Slim Jim regular stuff too...or just the soured corn? He’s growing...Chris thinks a pound a day? I know he’s huge! We hope to ‘have’ him by Easter, maybe sooner at this rate. But he eats a lot of scraps from friends. I’d hate to cut out ‘free food’. But...if it ruins his taste..then, it’s worth it!! Thanks!!

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

I completely understand where you're coming from. As i woman i find it very hard to butcher my own animals because they are like pets. You put all this love and care into their raising, you see their personalities blossom, find their favorite foods, how can you not treat them like part of the family? But when i started my homestead i made a decision to do even the emotionally hard jobs because this is reality, life. Your pig lived so well, you took such good care of it, and now it's going to take good care of you by giving you nourishment. I always thank my animals before i butcher them for that very reason. It gives me some closer and reminds me their sacrifice is what lets me live a healthy life. It sounds to me like you never got your closer. What you're feeling isn't wrong, it's just heavy sorrow from your loss. Do your best to find a way to get that closer, to really say goodbye and thank you. Then maybe you can enjoy your meals again knowing that sacrifice wasn't in vain.

I believe you are right...Chris hasn’t either. We both can’t even talk about ‘him’ yet. We did it to make room for my new goats, which is a tough burden.....for both of us. Thanks for the help!

 

[Beekissed]

Soured corn? Do they sell that at a regular feed store? Never heard of that. Can I feed Slim Jim regular stuff too...or just the soured corn?

Soured corn is just fermented corn or any kind of fermented feed, which is easy to produce on your own. You'll not be able to buy it anywhere, though you can get spent grains from people who make their own beer...not quite the same thing but close enough.

To ferment your feed, just add water to over the feed about 4 in.(the feed may swell and absorb all that water but that's fine) and let it sit for a few days in a place that's 50* or more...you can stir it a few times the first day or so. When it starts to smell a little yeasty or slightly sour, you can feed it out....but keep a little of it to jump start the next bucket and with that jump start, you should be able to batch some each day without having to wait a few days for it to ferment. Sort of like making sourdough bread but with corn or other grain feeds instead.

Been using it for 9 yrs now for the chickens and would never go back to dry feed. If I had pigs, they'd be eating it every day as well....they will fatten quicker, be healthier and will use less feed than they did before. I use almost half of the feed amounts I used to with the chickens, so it's a huge savings, not to mention how good the eggs and meat taste~everything is sweeter!

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Soured corn is just fermented corn or any kind of fermented feed, which is easy to produce on your own. You'll not be able to buy it anywhere, though you can get spent grains from people who make their own beer...not quite the same thing but close enough.

To ferment your feed, just add water to over the feed about 4 in.(the feed may swell and absorb all that water but that's fine) and let it sit for a few days in a place that's 50* or more...you can stir it a few times the first day or so. When it starts to smell a little yeasty or slightly sour, you can feed it out....but keep a little of it to jump start the next bucket and with that jump start, you should be able to batch some each day without having to wait a few days for it to ferment. Sort of like making sourdough bread but with corn or other grain feeds instead.

Been using it for 9 yrs now for the chickens and would never go back to dry feed. If I had pigs, they'd be eating it every day as well....they will fatten quicker, be healthier and will use less feed than they did before. I use almost half of the feed amounts I used to with the chickens, so it's a huge savings, not to mention how good the eggs and meat taste~everything is sweeter!

Ohh, wait, we’ve been getting stuff, umm, beer grain from the local brewery. Is that the same? I’ve been telling Chris not to let the chickens have it...he does anyway. Our farmer friend brought to us since it’s free. We love a good deal!

 

[Baymule]

I usually keep several buckets of sour corn working. I put an amount in a bucket that the pigs can eat over 24 hours and cover with water, plus some. Like @Beekissed said, it will absorb the water and swell up. Over several days it ferments or sours. It can get smelly, the pigs go nuts for it. They drink the water too. My feeding program if free choice pellets and soured corn. 6-4 weeks before slaughter, I take away the pellets and finish them on soured corn. They also get boiled eggs and scraps.

I think you are experiencing “taint” from your pig. Very very old and very very fat, his age could have something to do with it. Taint can be nasty. Roughage can help with taint if you ever slaughter another old pig. We bought 2 big older pigs a few years ago. I gave them hay soaked in sour milk. I don’t know if they had taint to start with, but I threw everything at them. The meat was good.