Ok so
this is not a miracle process that turns veg into meat. Fennel is/was a pig we
purchased around Christmas. And although it has been a very busy time here at
Maes-y-Delyn. But Sunday we managed to fit in our first pig without any
assistance from start to finish. (Well we butchered it Monday evening)
So be warned this post contains
details and images of butchery.
 |
| Fennel & Mustard |
Now
it’s not that we haven’t processed out own pork before. And we have done most
of it ourselves in the past; but generally with a hand from a friend (or two).
But this was my first one from start to finish (as I usually don’t get a look
in when it comes to the butchering).
This
bore was almost of working age and didn’t appear to be putting on any further
weight. So he wasn’t the biggest, but then that is ideal for a home kill.
Fennel
had been living with us for a few months now. He was always destined for the
freezer. But his main role was as company for Mustard the barrow we bought
until Rosemary our future (fingers crossed) breeding sow arrived.
This is
because (and not many people seem to know this) but pigs are very social
animals. And are not meant to be kept solitary. Even though we have a large
breeding pair, she would not be running with these guys until she is a little
older (And bigger); for both her own safety and because of the height of the
electric and barb fencing.
So
either way Fennel had been on borrowed time. And Sunday was the day.
As
always preparation is everything. We try and set up and have all our equipment
clean and ready to go before.
For a
pig kill you will obviously need a means of dispatch. This is actually one of
the most common questions we get asked. So we use a shot to the head (just off
centre from an imaginary cross between ears and eyes) followed by a ‘bleed’
with a knife to the throat. We consider this quick and efficient.
He
didn’t see the shot coming and was calm until the end- as any stress not only
traumatises the animal, but in turn spoils the meat.
You
will also need a means of scalding the pig, so as to remove the (or majority of
the) hair. We use a bath tub filled with part boiling and part cold water
(boiled using our keg over a gas burner).
The
ideal temperature for scalding is 64 °, so we aim for 66-67 as the temperature
will drop slightly when the pig is in there.
Then it’s
quick work using the edge of a clean shovel (or a spade) to agitate the water
(and the skin) and remove as much of the fur/hair as possible. Once you have removed as much as possible
carefully transfer your pig to your work area.
We use
a foldable table. (It’s just easier to work at waist height than leaning or bending
to work off the floor).
To
remove the remaining hair we use ‘bell scrapers’. These were the first time we
had used these and they worked really well. The round open base make a good
surface for scraping and the hooks on the end allow for the removal of toe
nails from the trotters.
I guess
that’s one of the good things about processing an animal yourself. Is that you
can take the time to process those parts that other people may not consider
using.
And if
you ever raise and then kill an animal you appreciate and try to use far more
of it… or at least we do.
From here we hang the pig on a spreader. This needs to be inserted behind the tendons, so it will take the weight.
Once hung up, we then rinsed down (to wash off any hair that’s just sticking to the skin- it can get
tacky) but try not to soak the meat too much. (You should never wash the inside though.)
This allowed us to see any remaining hair, these we we then 'shaved' using a sharp knife.
From
here we prepare for gutting.
First
job is to remove the voice box (if you haven’t already, as this area can hold
blood from draining that may coagulate and spoil the meat.
Next
carefully remove the genitals (if male) and cutting around the anus. This will
require tying off with string until you can remove it with the intestines. This
is to avoid contaminating the carcass and therefore the meat.
Now begin
gutting, a mistake here will cost you. Once you have safely made an incision,
try and work with the handle inward with the blade outward. As this minimalises
the risk of piercing the intestines.
Working
with gravity, you use a sweeping motion with your hands along the spine (from
inside) to work the organs out. We are
careful to catch and separate the useable organs. Now we’re aware there are
many that would not consider eating or saving offal. We have been told numerous
times that you shouldn’t eat offal or that there are too many good cuts to
worry about it. But when you’re responsible for the death (and life) of an
animal it seems important to utilise as much of it as possible. The liver alone
was almost 1.5kg of meat- and when you have raised and fed an animal organs
that filter or process are not a concern. Besides you can always see if their healthy.
So we
kept the liver, kidneys, heart, and caul fat, trotters and we finally removed
the head. We kept this too. Though we are yet to decide what to do with it.
Surprisingly there are a few options; brawn, roasting or boning out.
The
carcass and head were then transferred to the cold room over night to chill
down. There's no need to hang pork for any longer it doesn't have any benefit like beef or venison. So the following evening cut it up into joints, chops, fillets and diced
pork for curries or stews. Was also chance for us to give the meat saw a run.
As for
the offal, most went in the freezer, however given it was St Davids day we used
it for faggots.
As we
ate most of before I remembered to take a pic these are the leftovers I took to
work for lunch the next day. (Much to the amusement of my work colleagues.)
Faggots
are a traditional welsh meal. Using mince from various cuts, including liver
with diced onions, sage and pepper and beaten egg. You can also put breadcrumbs
in (I’ve read in some recipes) but we don’t.
These
are then formed into balls and baked in the oven in an onion gravy.
