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Posted: 12/1/2014 7:57:05 PM EDT
I don't want to......I need to learn and to do. We are thinking about getting a pig next spring. Eventually we will put up electric fence and a small barn and raise a castrated bull for meat. I need to learn how to slaughter and butcher it myself. This is extremely intimidating for me.
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Posted: 12/1/2014 8:39:23 PM EDT
[#1]
Ask someone that knows what they are doing to show you.
Seriously, it's one of those things you can read about all day, but won't actually learn until you do it, and if you fuck up a slaughter you will feel terrible. |
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Posted: 12/1/2014 8:41:19 PM EDT
[#2]
This guy does a video series on pigs. Yes he is a hippy and there is lots of editorializing bug very valuable info done very simply.
http://www.farmsteadmeatsmith.com/instructional-webisodes/ We plan to raise pigs next year as well and to do all the butchering. I'm less concerned than the wifey, but I've butchered countless deer (small game and fowl don't really count in this case) and had a meat cutter for an uncle. I'm no butcher but I can make a deer into meat. Don't sweat it. Will it be hard. Absolutely. And mistakes. Yep. Like any other first time job. Plan for it. Makes it less of a failure when you are prepared for mishaps. |
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Posted: 12/1/2014 8:47:48 PM EDT
[#3]
Invest in a good set of knives and a couple of saws as well, and I know this isn't GD, but don't ask people about butchering your castrated bull. Tell them you need to butcher your steer, please.
ETA : and as others have said, you can read about it all you want but experience is the only way to learn. |
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Posted: 12/1/2014 8:50:09 PM EDT
[#4]
Scott Rea has some good videos on youtube.
He's a butcher by trade, and has a video for damn near everything. I just subscribed to his channel. |
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Posted: 12/1/2014 9:01:18 PM EDT
[#5]
Talk to some livestock owners and find out who does their butchering, in my area, there are people to whom you bring the animal live on the hoof, and some who will travel to your location and do the slaughter, skinning, breaking into primal cuts and then portioning and wrapping.
Get in contact with them and offer to help them for no money, offer to clean up the equipment and tables in exchange for learning how to do it. You might find someone who will go for it, and be able to learn just for a little labor. I've seen some of the videos of the person in WA who does instructional pig slaughter classes, he's got his act together, and does a good job. |
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Posted: 12/1/2014 9:34:33 PM EDT
[#6]
Just try to not screw up killing it. Bleed it immediately.
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Posted: 12/1/2014 9:39:35 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Just try to not screw up killing it. Bleed it immediately. I have always wondered why. We don't bleed any game that we shoot and it tastes just fine. Will not bleeding a pig ruin the taste of it, or is there another reason. I have been present for pig slaughtering, but never in charge, so they just did it the standard way, shoot and stick. |
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Posted: 12/1/2014 9:43:09 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Ask someone that knows what they are doing to show you. That's what I did. There's really no better way to learn. |
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Posted: 12/1/2014 10:04:46 PM EDT
[#9]
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Posted: 12/1/2014 10:36:54 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have always wondered why. We don't bleed any game that we shoot and it tastes just fine. Will not bleeding a pig ruin the taste of it, or is there another reason. I have been present for pig slaughtering, but never in charge, so they just did it the standard way, shoot and stick. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Just try to not screw up killing it. Bleed it immediately. I have always wondered why. We don't bleed any game that we shoot and it tastes just fine. Will not bleeding a pig ruin the taste of it, or is there another reason. I have been present for pig slaughtering, but never in charge, so they just did it the standard way, shoot and stick. |
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Posted: 12/1/2014 11:06:06 PM EDT
[#11]
For the hogs you will need to determine the method you are going to use. On the farm I grew up on we had built a water heating unit with the oil fired burner unit from a furnace. We would heat the water to 160F and then use that water to dip the hog in so we could scrape the hair off.
We would do one half the hog at a time and used a block and tackle to lower the hog into the hot water. We would transfer the hot water from the big heater to a wooden barrel we used for dipping the hog in. We would do up to 10 per day. I have heard of people just skinning hogs but I would think that would be a greasy mess. ---------------------------------------------------------- You are going to need something pretty high and sturdy to support the weight of a steer. We would use two sets of block and tackle on steers. If you don't have a sturdy building with a good place to hoist from you may need to rig up a large tripod from some poles chained together and hoist the steer with that using your block and tackle. If you use a set of chain falls make sure they don't drip grease or oil on the meat. If you don't have a decent set up perhaps you could get a price on having a place just slaughter and quarter it for you and you start off by doing the meat cutting yourself. |
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Posted: 12/1/2014 11:15:55 PM EDT
[#12]
I am self taught but butcher all my own meat except beef because i don't have the space to do it. Don't be scared if you mess up. It may not look pretty but it will still cook snd taste fine. I skinned the last hog i did amd it was great except my bellies were thinner than if i had scraped it. i have a great book that makes it easy to self teach from. Look on amazon the isbn# is 978-0-7603-3782-0. This and YouTube will be your friend. I personally take great pride and joy from being able to feed my family.
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Posted: 12/2/2014 2:06:42 AM EDT
[#13]
I'd recommend doing 2 or 3 hogs before tackling a beef.
Kind of get a feel for amount you can process with your set-up...you may decide that a beef is more than you want to do and that taking it somewhere to be processed is not that pricy after all. I've butchered many deer,a few antelope,and some hogs but was in on only one beef...there were five of us working on it and from slaughter to clean up took most of a day. |
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Posted: 12/2/2014 2:11:45 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'd recommend doing 2 or 3 hogs before tackling a beef. Kind of get a feel for amount you can process with your set-up...you may decide that a beef is more than you want to do and that taking it somewhere to be processed is not that pricy after all. I've butchered many deer,a few antelope,and some hogs but was in on only one beef...there were five of us working on it and from slaughter to clean up took most of a day. If shtf it will be slaughtering, canning, and clean up in the same day but many people working together. Big damn job for sure. |
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Posted: 12/2/2014 8:45:09 AM EDT
[#15]
Find a local deer Hunter friend. They all cut up the same.
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Posted: 12/2/2014 9:30:53 AM EDT
[#16]
A buddy butchered his own hog a while back with the help of wiser freinds. When the freinds arrived they laughed when they saw the hog dead in its pen out back. They asked "why didnt you walk it up under your hoist before you shot it.". Pen was 100 yards away with no equipment around to help move hog.
Thought it was great lesson on thinking things through. |
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Posted: 12/2/2014 1:09:46 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If shtf it will be slaughtering, canning, and clean up in the same day but many people working together. Big damn job for sure. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I'd recommend doing 2 or 3 hogs before tackling a beef. Kind of get a feel for amount you can process with your set-up...you may decide that a beef is more than you want to do and that taking it somewhere to be processed is not that pricy after all. I've butchered many deer,a few antelope,and some hogs but was in on only one beef...there were five of us working on it and from slaughter to clean up took most of a day. If shtf it will be slaughtering, canning, and clean up in the same day but many people working together. Big damn job for sure. Well then I'd start by obtaining the equipment you'll use. Even though you could skin and quarter on the ground it will be much easier on your back to use some sort of hoist. We used a large oak limb that had been used many times to hoist heavy objects at the farm. We put a nylon tow strap around the limb and hung a I ton chain hoist. The limb was about 15' high. If you use a limb be darn sure that it is strong enough and will support the load...BE SAFE! You're going to need some sort of gambrel unless you're going to hoist by the head. You're going to need several sturdy tables for cutting and wrapping. We used a hand meat saw but some people are now using reciprocating saws with the long woodcutting blades. Some sort of tubs or totes to toss the meat in as it's cut and then taken to the wrappers or canners(whichever you're doing). Some barrels or trashcans for the hide,head,guts,feet,and trimmings. Sharp knives and a way to keep them sharp. The meat will be much better to work with if you let it cool overnight...day 1 do the slaughter,skinning and quartering and the next day do the processing. Pick a day that is dry with temperatures between 25/30 degrees for the low and 40/45 for the high. Hang the quarters in an unheated building overnight...if the temperatures are OK then it wouldn't hurt to hang them 2/3 days. |
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Posted: 12/2/2014 2:32:23 PM EDT
[#18]
I've done deer a thousand frickin times. No matter where I seem to do it, your hands get cold and wet, even with nitrile gloves. I guess it's just the nature of doing it, but if you're not used to it, it wears your ass down. My Dad and I did 4 deer in one night, deboned, cut up etc., I was beat, back hurt. A lot of work when you don't have everything setup just right like a professional butcher would have.
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Posted: 12/2/2014 6:13:21 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've done deer a thousand frickin times. No matter where I seem to do it, your hands get cold and wet, even with nitrile gloves. I guess it's just the nature of doing it, but if you're not used to it, it wears your ass down. My Dad and I did 4 deer in one night, deboned, cut up etc., I was beat, back hurt. A lot of work when you don't have everything setup just right like a professional butcher would have. We we grind I fill a stock pot with nice warm water, if my hands start to numb out I just soak them for 10 seconds and dry them off, recharges them nice for another 15-20 minutes of cutting. It is usually really cold when we cut and grind. We have a very nice set up, but we don't heat it. |
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Posted: 12/2/2014 6:28:29 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have heard of people just skinning hogs but I would think that would be a greasy mess. ---------------------------------------------------------- It's not bad, I've skinned way more than I've scalded, some completely by myself, Some on the ground, on a trap, but MUCH easier hanging. 
Killed some feral hogs in FL years ago, and a guy showed me an EASY way to do them; Hung by hook in lower jaw, cut around neck. down along legs, and then strips every 4-5" wide, from neck cut all the way down. Grabbed each strip with ViceGrips and peeled it like a banana! Never tried it with a domestic but expect it would work. |
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Posted: 12/2/2014 7:35:37 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That's what I did. There's really no better way to learn. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Ask someone that knows what they are doing to show you. That's what I did. There's really no better way to learn. Yep, Around here, extra hands are always welcome even those who do not know what they are doing .... only way to learn. A good skill set to know. |
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Posted: 12/3/2014 5:14:19 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Invest in a good set of knives and a couple of saws as well... Excellent advice. I'd add if you don't already have one and the know how, maybe picking up a wetstone and steel and learning how to sharpen said butcher knives too. |
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Posted: 12/3/2014 1:58:42 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It's not bad, I've skinned way more than I've scalded, some completely by myself, Some on the ground, on a trap, but MUCH easier hanging.
Killed some feral hogs in FL years ago, and a guy showed me an EASY way to do them; Hung by hook in lower jaw, cut around neck. down along legs, and then strips every 4-5" wide, from neck cut all the way down. Grabbed each strip with ViceGrips and peeled it like a banana! Never tried it with a domestic but expect it would work. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I have heard of people just skinning hogs but I would think that would be a greasy mess. ---------------------------------------------------------- It's not bad, I've skinned way more than I've scalded, some completely by myself, Some on the ground, on a trap, but MUCH easier hanging.
Killed some feral hogs in FL years ago, and a guy showed me an EASY way to do them; Hung by hook in lower jaw, cut around neck. down along legs, and then strips every 4-5" wide, from neck cut all the way down. Grabbed each strip with ViceGrips and peeled it like a banana! Never tried it with a domestic but expect it would work. I never scraped any just skinned and they don't seem to be much harder than a deer to me but I never skinned a real big one. |
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Posted: 12/3/2014 6:44:47 PM EDT
[#24]
I'd start with deer. That is if you haven't already.
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Posted: 12/7/2014 4:21:49 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Talk to some livestock owners and find out who does their butchering, in my area, there are people to whom you bring the animal live on the hoof, and some who will travel to your location and do the slaughter, skinning, breaking into primal cuts and then portioning and wrapping. Get in contact with them and offer to help them for no money, offer to clean up the equipment and tables in exchange for learning how to do it. You might find someone who will go for it, and be able to learn just for a little labor. I've seen some of the videos of the person in WA who does instructional pig slaughter classes, he's got his act together, and does a good job. This is a good bit of advice and worked for me and started a life long friendship. |
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Posted: 12/8/2014 9:10:59 AM EDT
[#26]
Thanks for the links.
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Posted: 12/8/2014 9:18:59 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Find a local deer Hunter friend. They all cut up the same. I'd say this would be the way to learn. I've never done a pig or a cow but I've butchered deer and watched a butcher kill and cut up a cow. It looked pretty similar except for the larger size. They used a loader on a tractor to lift it and a really sharp set of knives. I was amazed how fast they cut it up. Takes me forever with a deer but I get better each time |
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Posted: 12/10/2014 3:24:52 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Scott Rea has some good videos on youtube. He's a butcher by trade, and has a video for damn near everything. I just subscribed to his channel. I'll second this. I was able to download his videos. He gets a generous amount of meat from the animal. Also, I would suggest searching youtube. I found videos on field dressing, butchering, wrapping meat for the freezer, etc. Everything you need regarding instruction should be out there, just put in the time and watch them. Then watch them again. And then, watch them again. By that time, you should have a decent guide. But no amount of theoretical knowledge makes up for actual, physical practice. You'll learn more during your first, second and third field dressing, cleaning and butchering than you will with watching videos dozens of times. Good luck and have fun! |
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Posted: 12/20/2014 3:19:05 PM EDT
[#29]
Only advice I can offer is you can do it!
Started out by cleaning trout, the basic concept is the same, you just learn to be a lot smarter about it as you move up to larger more complicated animals. The heavier the animal, the more you will need to plan ahead for dealing with the weight and reducing waste. It is work, but well worth it to know you can do this. |
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Posted: 12/20/2014 7:49:05 PM EDT
[#30]
Looks like you're a little too far this:
Old South Farm Hog Killing Class I went a couple years ago, very excellent class!! If you're any where near this place (NW GA), I highly recommend it! Good luck! |
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Posted: 12/20/2014 7:52:17 PM EDT
[#31]
When I wanted to learn to process deer, I went to a deer processor and offered him a couple days of labor in exchange for the knowledge.
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Posted: 12/20/2014 9:36:05 PM EDT
[#32]
Ask the meat man videos are pretty good. And they sell all your spices and stuff.
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Posted: 12/21/2014 11:36:34 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When I wanted to learn to process deer, I went to a deer processor and offered him a couple days of labor in exchange for the knowledge. That's a pretty good idea! |
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Posted: 12/21/2014 3:10:43 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When I wanted to learn to process deer, I went to a deer processor and offered him a couple days of labor in exchange for the knowledge. Try this. As a veteran of countless deer, 10 or so hogs and 1 steer, I can tell you that butchering the steer was by far the worst. Theres so much to deal with. My dad now takes them to the slaughter house to prep and has them cut in 6 manageable pieces. |
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