One of the main tasks of home pig farming is the ability to stab and properly slaughter a pig. The process is not easy, and to get a first-class product, you need to study a number of nuances. Of course, it is equally important to understand the rules of cutting and act consistently.
When is the time for slaughter?
At what age to slaughter a pig, everyone chooses independently, since you can stab both a young pig and an animal weighing 100 kg. Of course, the more weight, the more meat. Professional breeders proceed from the scale of fatness, because it allows you to determine which ratio of weight and quality will be optimal. This scale suggests such a division of pigs: fatty (weight more than 90 kg), bacon and meat (weight from 38 to 86 kg), piglet.
You can prick a pig at any time of the year. Winter is considered the most convenient season, especially if there is no large freezer, since the carcass can be carved and stored on the street. If necessary, the pig is also slaughtered in the summer. In this case, the optimal time of day is early morning, until it is very hot, and insects have not flown.
In the case of wind, it is better to postpone the process so that dust and dirt do not get into the meat. You can’t slaughter the carcass even in the rain - the meat will get wet and deteriorate. It is very convenient if there is an indoor playground.
What kind of pig can I prick?
It is especially important to be aware of the reproductive cycle of the animal - the pig should not be pricked during sexual hunting, since under the influence of sex hormones the taste of meat deteriorates. Sexual hunting is repeated every 18-24 days and lasts 2 days. After this, it is necessary to withstand another 10 days.
You can understand that the pig is excited by its behavior. The animal begins to worry, rub against the walls, eats without appetite. The genitals swell a little and turn red, the pig freezes in a covering position when touching its lower back.
If the animal was given any medications (antibiotics, anthelmintic and antiparasitic drugs), it is imperative to withstand the time until then, which is indicated in the instructions for the preparations.
Preparatory Activities
Before slaughter, two stages of preparatory work are required. We will consider each of them separately.
Pig preparation
A month before the alleged slaughter, it is worth excluding products from the pig’s diet that worsen the taste of meat:
- corn;
- bran;
- fish waste.
Include in the diet:
- waste of dairy products;
- wheat
- barley.
Immediately before slaughtering an animal, you need to consider the following important rules:
- brush the pig and wash it with warm water (it is convenient to use a watering hose);
- carry out the last feeding of the pig 12-18 hours before the sacrifice, which is necessary for complete cleansing of the intestine;
- 4 hours before slaughter, deprive the pig of water.
Such measures are carried out to improve the taste of meat. In addition, a hungry animal is easier to lure from the pen, offering food.
Before slaughter it is recommended to invite a veterinarian who will examine the animal and write out a certificate of his health condition. This will confirm the right of the farmer to sell products. The exception is if the pig is slaughtered for itself.
It should be noted that the meat of non-castrated males contains the hormone androsterone, which, when cooked, gives off a very unpleasant odor. For this reason, it is not for sale.
Site preparation and tools
Depending on the method of slaughter and cutting the carcass you will need:
- sharpened knife with a blade length of at least 15 cm;
- hand saw;
- a bucket of clean hot water;
- sledgehammer to stun the animal;
- a container for collecting blood and separate dishes for other offal;
- gas burner or blowtorch;
- film.
The surface for cutting meat should be wooden or concrete, you can use plastic wrap. Do not work on a metal surface to prevent spoilage of meat. If it is decided to carve the carcass in suspension, hooks will be needed.
Methods of slaughter and bleeding
Before slaughter, it is advisable to stun the pig with a sledgehammer with a blow to the frontal part, several centimeters above the eyebrows. The animal will be unconscious, therefore it will not be tormented, and it will be easier for the pig farmer to stab it. Pigs weighing 250-300 kg before slaughter are stunned with a stun gun.
Slaughter itself is often carried out in one of two ways:
- Stab in the heart. It is considered an easier way. The pig is placed on the right side and, holding the legs, enter the knife into the armpit between the 3rd and 4th rib. Next, the carcass is left on its side to drain the blood. Depending on the weight of the animal, it is worth inviting one or more assistants. In general, this method of stabbing does not affect the quality of meat in the best way - a lot of blood accumulates in the chest area, and it can be removed only after opening the carcass. Clots formed are difficult to separate from meat and ribs.
- Stab in the neck (the carotid artery and jugular vein are cut). Putting the pig on its side or hanging it by the legs on the crossbar, they quickly pierce its neck. The puncture site is located 2.5 cm from the left ear towards the throat. If the animal is not deafened, it is necessary to have several assistants who can hold the animal. Blood flows completely through the carotid artery in a few minutes. The advantage of the method is maximum blood loss. The process of draining the blood goes much faster and more thoroughly, if the carcass is hung on the crossbar. For this, the hind legs of the animal are tied up with twine, thrown over the bar and pulled over to lift the animal.
So, the method of bleeding the carcass depends on the method of slaughter. In any case, this is an important stage, since the taste, presentation and storage time of the carcass depend on it. Of course, the less blood remains in the carcass, the tastier, more tender and better quality the meat will be.
Blood is a valuable offal that is used to make puddings and blood sausages. To collect it, a clean basin is placed under the carcass. If the blood will not be used, it can simply be drained onto the soil.
Standard cutting technology
Only after bleeding, they begin to carve the carcass. It is most convenient to do this by hanging it on the crossbar, but if there is none, you can use a low pallet, straw or film spread on the ground.
The classic carcass cutting scheme looks like this:
The skin of the animal is tightly attached to the fat layer, and since it is also for sale, it should not be removed. The bristles need to be scorched with a blowtorch or gas burner, and then carefully scrape its top layer with the tip of a knife. What to do next, we will understand in stages.
Decapitation
First of all, you should separate the head from the carcass. This is done in this way:
- Make a cut from ear to ear with a knife.
- Saw the cervical vertebrae with a hand saw (hooves should be removed with the same tool).
The pig’s head can also be chopped off with a sharpened ax so as not to mess with hard neck vertebrae and a tight collar made of fat.
After the head is separated, it should be cut:
- Cut into 2 parts.
- Remove jaw and eyes.
- Cut a patch, ears and cheeks.
- Gently extract the brain.
Of course, if you decide to sell the whole head, there is no need to cut it.
Nutrition
Next, proceed to the removal of internal organs - internment. It is necessary to cut the abdominal “apron” along with the bacon. This should be done with caution - damaged internal organs can ruin the quality of the meat. You can avoid this in the following way:
- Make a small incision with a knife in the area of the white line of the sternum.
- Insert 2 fingers of the free hand into the incision and, pushing the intestine and stomach away from the abdominal part, continue to cut the “apron”, constantly monitoring the incision site. The cut line goes in the middle of the sternum to the junction of the ribs.
- Before removing the esophagus, it should be bandaged to avoid the dumping of food debris in it. After that, you can easily cut the esophagus above the applied tourniquet.
In general, remove internal organs in order:
- Heart, lungs and diaphragm.
- The stomach along with the intestines, liver and gall bladder (the last is removed very carefully, since the slightest damage can significantly spoil the taste of meat due to leakage of bile).
- All internal fat, kidneys and the bladder (this is a very delicate organ and should be held by the top so that it does not burst).
For use in cooking, only the liver and heart are left, which should be cut into 2 parts and cleaned of blood clots. If guts will be used, they need to be freed from food debris, washed thoroughly and salted. The rest can be thrown away.
The carcass must be thoroughly cleaned of moisture with a clean piece of material. In order to avoid quick spoilage of meat, the carcass does not need to be washed.
Boning
The carcass needs to be cut into 2 parts along the spine with an ax or a saw, and after 30-40 minutes it should be kept in a cold place so that the meat can “rest” and cool. Only then proceed to cut the half-carcass into pieces.
It is convenient to cut meat on a wooden log house in this order:
- Carefully separate the tenderloin - the most valuable and delicious meat located along the spine.
- Cut the carcass into 3 cuts:
- back (sacrum, ham, leg);
- front (shoulder blade, shoulder and ham);
- medium (it also needs to be divided into two parts - brisket and loin).
- Separate bacon and bacon. Large strata of fat can be removed from the loin and hams, but on the other parts of the seam smaller.
Each large piece of carcass can be cut into smaller pieces. After deboning, you can separately whiten the meat - remove excess fat and films. Next, gently wipe all parts and send them to a refrigerator for storage.
If a pig is stabbed, only internal organs need to be removed from the carcass. It is not cut off, because it is baked whole.
Useful Tips
When cutting pigs, inexperienced pig farmers should consider the following recommendations:
- Prepare in advance everything that is needed in the process of cutting the pig, including containers for carcass parts and a table, so as not to be distracted during the process.
- You need to act clearly and without too much fuss. It will be better if outsiders do not interfere.
- If you can’t correctly cut the bones without crushing them, you should put the ax in place of the desired log house and hit it with a hammer.
- During scorching, one should be extremely careful - do not expose the same place to fire for a long time. Especially delicate pig skin in the abdomen. If the skin is planned to be removed, singeing is not required.
Popular cutting schemes in different countries
There are various schemes for cutting carcasses, but the most popular are American, German, Russian (Moscow) and English. Clearly they look like this:
American
Cutting involves cutting the carcass into 2 longitudinal halves. Each of them is divided into 6 parts:
- Dorsal portion (the fillet does not separate).
- Head with a neck.
- Shovel.
- Front ham.
- Back ham (not separated from legs).
- Breast.
German
Cutting is carried out by a similar principle, but each half of the carcass is divided into 8 parts. There are 16 pieces of meat of different classes (varieties):
- 1 class - back ham, lumbar and "patty" part;
- 2nd grade - anterior ham, brisket and anterior vertebral muscles;
- 3rd grade - abdominal meat;
- 4th grade - head and lower legs.
English
It implies the division of the carcass into 4 large parts:
- a head;
- front part (sternum and shoulder);
- middle part (back and ribs);
- the back (ham).
Next, each part is divided into smaller pieces. For example, to cut the back, you need to cut a ham, leaving a rump - the end of the back. In turn, the legs can be divided into several parts depending on the goals pursued.
Russian
The scheme is similar to German - carcass halves are cut into 8 parts:
- ham;
- dorsal part;
- head and neck;
- the division between the neck and shoulder blades;
- shoulder blades;
- brisket;
- the middle parts of the legs and the legs themselves.
Each pig breeder chooses the most suitable carcass cutting scheme for himself.
Pure meat yield
The mass of a live pig after cutting the carcass is reduced due to:
- bleeding;
- Nutrition
- removal of joints and bones;
- tendon and film sections.
What remains after these procedures is considered pork yield. It can be calculated in advance as a percentage, based on the breed of the pig and age, butcher's skills. On average, the output is 60-70%, but it reaches 80%.
Pork carcass parts and their application
If the carcass of a pig is cut into pieces for the purpose of sale, you need to figure out which of its parts are the most delicious, where they are located, and what they are used for. This will help to preserve all the valuable parts of the meat in proper presentation.
Carcass piece | How to use? |
The back of the carcass is a rump, ham and shank | The first is used for baking, and the ham is used for barbecue. The lower part, that is, the knuckle, is the least valuable meat, since it is tough and has many veins. It is suitable for cooking jellied meat. |
Front - shoulder blade, shoulder meat and neck | The muscles of the neck of the pig are practically not involved in life, so the meat here is especially tender. The shoulder blade, on the contrary, is a harsh place and requires a longer and more correct preparation. |
Upper torso - tenderloin, loin and carbonate (dorsal) | From the first you can cook any dishes, because the meat is the most tender. More often chops and escalopes are prepared from it. Chops, kebabs, steaks are prepared from loin. Carbonate can be smoked, dried, baked, previously steamed. |
Abdominal cut - brisket, peritoneum and undercuts. | The breast is often smoked or fried. Delicious rolls are prepared from the peritoneum (flank). The undercoats are mostly fried or baked. |
Head | It is divided into parts. An aspic is made from the tongue, and a delicious gourmet dish from the brain. Cheeks go to the bacon. The remaining parts, including the ears, go to jellied meat. |
The most delicious parts go along the spine of the carcass, and the closer they are to the tail, the juicier.
As a rule, carcass cutting takes at least 3 hours, but a farmer without experience will take longer. To avoid mistakes, if possible, it is better to ask the master for help. Gradually, you can independently gain experience and bring all procedures to perfect execution.