Part 3

Scrape the hot carcass as quickly as possible because the skin tends to “set” as it cools. If patches of hair and scurf are difficult to scrape, cover them with a burlap bag and pour hot water over them. Scraping is made easier by moving the legs or the head in order to stretch the skin, smoothing the wrinkles along the sides.

After most of the hair has been removed, pour water over the carcass and continue scraping. Place the scraper flat against the skin and move it in a rotary manner (fig. 11). This procedure aids in removal of scurf and dirt as well as removal of the rest of the hair. If patches of hair cannot be removed with the scraper, use a knife. Some people prefer to use a knife for the entire operation.

The carcass is now ready to be suspended. Clean the feet by cutting away the soles of the feet and cutting between and around the toes (fig. 12). Expose the gambrel tendons by cutting through the skin on the backs of the rear legs from dew claws to hock (fig. 13). Cut down each side of the tendons, being careful not to cut the tendons (fig. 14). Insert the spreader or gambrel under both tendons on each leg. Secure the legs to the spreader bar and suspend the carcass (fig. 15).

If available, a propane torch or blowtorch can be used to singe the remaining hair and scurf (fig. 16). Singeing removes most of the hair and allows small, light hairs to be seen. Use caution during singeing to prevent burning the skin. Shave the remaining hair and wash the carcass thoroughly. Continue with evisceration and splitting (pages 24–35).

Skinning Method:

The skinning procedure used for pork carcass is similar to that used for beef carcasses. Skinning requires less equipment and can be done faster than scalding and scraping. We have commonly believed that the skin was needed on hams and bacon to assure proper curing; however, this belief is not necessarily correct. A poor skinning job can lower the quality of the belly for bacon.

After stunning and bleeding the animal, move the carcass to the location of the hoisting equipment. Place the carcass on a sheet of plywood, a concrete slab, or straw. Wash the blood and dirt from the carcass. Turn the carcass on its back and hold it in place with blocks placed on each side (fig. 17).

Cut the hide around the rear legs, just below the dew claws (fig. 18). Make a cut through only the hide, down the back of the leg, over the hocks, and to the midline at the center of the hams (fig. 19). Skin around each side of the leg, removing the hide to a point below the hock (fig. 20).

Open the hide down the midline from the point where the animal was stuck, around each side of the pubis area and continue to the anus (fig. 21). Make this cut by inserting the point of the knife under the skin with the blade turned up. This procedure is referred to as cutting from inside out and protects against meat contamination from materials on the hide. Avoid cutting too deeply because you may puncture the intestine and contaminate the carcass.

Remove the hide from the insides of the hams (fig. 22). Be careful, it is very easy to cut through the fat into the lean. Continue skinning along the sides toward the breast. Grasp the loosened hide in the opposite hand and pull it up and out. This places tension on the hide, removes wrinkles, and allows the knife to glide smoothly. Holding the knife firmly, place it against the hide with the blade turned slightly outward (fig. 23). Skin as far down the sides as possible, but not around the front legs (fig. 24).

Return to the rear of the carcass and remove the hide left on the rear of the hams (fig. 25). Do not skin the outside of the hams at this time. Remove the rear feet by sawing through the bone about 2 inches above the hock (fig. 26). Insert the spreader under the large tendons on the rear legs (fig. 27) and secure the legs to the spreader.

Hoist the carcass to a convenient working height (waist high) for skin removal from the outside of the hams. Skin around the outsides of the hams, leaving as much fat as possible on the carcass. Remove the hide around the anus and cut through the tail at the joint closest to the body (fig. 28). Pull the hide down over the hips (fig. 29). The hide along the hips and back can be pulled off, leaving the fat on the carcass. Occasionally, you may need to use a knife to cut between the skin and the fat if large pieces of fat are being pulled off.

Hoist the carcass to a fully extended position. Open the hide down the rear of the forelegs. Remove the hide on each side of the forelegs (fig. 30). Skin along the inside of the forelegs and neck. Skin along the outside of the shoulders and jowls to a point approximately half way to the back of the carcass (fig. 31).

Slowly pull down and out on the hide (fig. 32), removing it along the back. If the fat begins to tear, use a knife to correct the torn area and then continue pulling the hide. Remove the hide as far down the back as possible (fig. 33). When it becomes difficult to pull along the top of the neck, complete removal with a knife.

If the head is to be saved, skin over the poll and down the face (fig. 34). Remove the hide at the snout. Remove the front feet by sawing just below the knee joint (fig. 35). Continue with evisceration and splitting.

Evisceration

Loosen the anus by cutting around it, deep into the pelvic canal. Pull outward and cut any remaining attachments (fig. 36); be careful not to cut into the large intestine. When the anus is loosened, tie it with a piece of string to avoid contaminating the carcass (fig. 37).

Remove the penis from a slaughtered barrow. Cut through the skin and fatty tissue along each side of the penis and around the penis opening. Lift upward and cut underneath it along the midline (fig. 38). Cut along the penis between the hams, pull the penis upward and remove it at its attachment at the base of the ham (fig. 39). Continue the cut made between the hams, at their natural separation, exposing the white connective tissue. Cut through the tissue to the pelvic (aitch) bone. Continue cutting through the cartilage between the aitch bone and separate the hams (fig. 40). This procedure is satisfactory in young pigs; however, a saw may be needed to split the aitch bone in older hogs.

Make a cut through the lean and fat from the point where the pig was stuck to the upper end of the sternum or breastbone (fig. 41). Insert the knife at the top edge of the sternum, cut downward and slightly off center to open the chest cavity (fig. 42).

Open the midline, beginning at the opening made when the aitch bone was split. With the handle of the knife inserted in the opening and with the blade pointed outward to avoid cutting the intestines (fig. 43), open the midline to the opening made at the breast (fig. 44). Allow the intestines and stomach to roll outward and hang (fig. 45). Do not allow them to fall because the esophagus will tear and spill its contents onto the carcass.

Pull the loosened large intestine down past the kidneys (fig. 46). Sever the attachments to the liver and remove it by pulling outward and cutting the connective tissue (fig. 47). Remove the gall bladder from the liver by cutting beneath it and pulling (fig. 48). Be careful not to allow its contents to spill onto the liver.

Pull the stomach and intestines outward and cut through the diaphragm (fig. 49). This is the thin sheet of muscle and white connective tissue that separates the stomach and intestines from the lungs and heart. Pull outward on the lungs and heart and cut down each side of the windpipe, severing its attachment at the head (fig. 50). To separate the heart from the lungs, cut across its top (fig. 51). The heart should be split open to allow thorough washing. Wash the heart and liver thoroughly and put them in ice or ice water.

Splitting and Head Removal

Wash the inside of the carcass before splitting. With the saw, begin splitting from the inside between the hams (fig. 52). Keep the split as near the center of the backbone as possible, and saw through the tail region to a point midway through the loin (fig. 53). Move around to the back and continue sawing through the shoulder and neck to the base of the head (fig. 54). If the split gets off center, continue sawing through to the next vertebra and then realign the saw.

Remove the head at the atlas joint (the joint closest to the head). This joint should be exposed if the carcass is properly split (fig. 55). After cutting through the joint cut downward along the jaw bone, leaving the jowls attached to the carcass. If desired, remove the tongue, wash it thoroughly, and place it with the liver and heart.

Remove the kidneys and leaf fat (figs. 56 and 57). The leaf fat is removed by loosening it from the diaphragm muscle and lifting it upward. Wash the carcass thoroughly before chilling.

Examining the Carcass

All the internal organs and the dressed carcass (fig. 58) should be examined carefully for any abnormalities or conditions that might affect the fitness of the meat for food. Usually a meat inspector or graduate veterinarian is the only person qualified to do this, and one should be present to inspect the carcass; however, under farm conditions, you may need to look for the obvious signs of disease or damage yourself. If any part of the viscera or carcass is questionable, you should obtain expert advice.