Part 1

PORK Slaughtering, Cutting, Preserving, and Cooking on the Farm

UNITED STATES FARMERS’ PREPARED BY DEPARTMENT OF BULLETIN SCIENCE AND AGRICULTURE NUMBER 2265 EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION

CONTENTS

Page

Selection and Care of Animal before Slaughter 3 Preparing for Slaughter 4 Slaughter 7 Chilling the Carcass 35 Cutting 36 Freezing and Frozen Storage 53 Further Processing 54 Meat Cookery 62 Precautions 63 Other Publications 64

Issued June 1978 Slightly revised April 1981

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402

Pork Slaughtering, Cutting, Preserving, and Cooking on the Farm

By H. Russell Cross, Research Food Technologist, E. Curtis Green, Meat Marketing Specialist, William R. Jones, Extension Meat Specialist, Roger L. West, Associate Professor, Meat Science, and Anthony W. Kotula, Chief, Meat Science Research Laboratory, (Photographs by Donald K. Rough and Terry K. O’Driscoll)

Meat Science Research Laboratory, Northeastern Region, SEA-FR, Beltsville, Md. 20705.

Standardization Branch, Meat Quality Division, Food Safety and Quality Service, Washington, D.C. 20250.

Cooperative Extension Service, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala. 36830.

Department of Animal Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla. 32611.

Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Northeastern Region, SEA-FR, Beltsville, Md. 20705

SELECTION AND CARE OF ANIMAL BEFORE SLAUGHTER

Several factors should be considered before slaughtering a hog for home consumption. The most important considerations are health, kind of animal (barrow, gilt, sow, or boar), expected meat yield, and care of the animal prior to slaughter.

Health

You should take care that an unhealthy animal is not selected for slaughter. At the time of selection, look for signs of sickness such as fever, increased breathing rate, and diarrhea. Animals suspected of being unhealthy should be treated by a veterinarian until the animal is returned to a healthy state.

Animal Care

It is important to exercise proper care of the animal prior to slaughter, if you expect to obtain high quality meat. Pen the animal in a clean, dry place the day before slaughtering. Restrict the animal from feed 24 hours prior to slaughter, but provide access to water at all times. The slaughter of hot, excited animals increases the risk of sickness, injury, and darker meat; therefore, do not run the animal or wrestle with it. Bruises and whip marks cause bloody spots which must be trimmed out.

Animal Type and Meat Yield

Highest quality pork is produced from young, healthy, well-fed, meaty hogs that weigh from 175 to 240 pounds. The meat-type hog should have full, plump, meaty hams and straight, smooth sides. Fat should be firm, evenly distributed, and not more than 1.6 to 1.7 inches average thickness over the back. The average meat-type hog produces as much pork as a family of two consumes in 10 to 12 months. Heavier, fatter hogs produce less lean and more excess fat.

A meat-type hog, when cut and trimmed according to the methods described later, will yield approximately 65 to 70 percent of its carcass weight in ham, picnic shoulder, loin, bacon, and Boston butt. Expected yields of major and minor cuts from a U.S. No. 2 hog are presented in table 1.

Table 1.—Percentages of major and minor cuts from a U.S. No. 2 hog, trimmed according to USDA procedures ------------------------------------------------------------------- Cuts Percentage of USDA carcass weight ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ham (trimmed) 19 Belly (untrimmed) 18 Collar, fat back, and clear plate 18 Picnic shoulder and Boston butt (trimmed) 17 Loin (trimmed) 17 Feet, tail, and neckbones 5 Spareribs 3 Jowl (untrimmed) 3 ----------- 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Four lean cuts 53

Adapted from Smith, King & Carpenter, 1975. Ham, loin, picnic shoulder, and Boston butt.

The slaughter of boars is not recommended. Meat from boars has a strong odor during cooking, and an off-flavor. This “sex” odor and flavor is often identified as being “soapy,” and the odor increases as boars approach sexual maturity. If old boars are to be slaughtered, they should be castrated and allowed to heal prior to being slaughtered.

PREPARING FOR SLAUGHTER

Prior to the day of slaughter, select the slaughter site, accumulate all equipment, prepare for waste disposal, and, if necessary, arrange with a local processor or meat market for chilling and cutting the carcass. If you plan to have the carcass chilled and cut up, make arrangements concerning the time and day on which the carcass can be accepted, the charges, and specific instructions for chilling, cutting, and wrapping.