HOW TO BUTCHER PORK
(Page 4 of 9)
A short incision is made in the throat in front of the
point of the breast bone. With the point of the knife
against the under side of the breast bone as shown in
position No. 1 in the diagram, the knife is inserted to
position No. 2. This severs the large branching vein and
artery which lie immediately beneath the point of the
breast bone. The knife movement is made downward and
forward. Finishing the stick, as shown in position No. 3,
keep the knife squarely in the center when sticking and do
not twist it, If the knife is twisted, it will result in
shoulder sticks and necessitate heavy trimming when the
carcass is cut up. The knife should not be inserted too far
back or it will enter the chest cavity which will cause
internal bleeding and blood clots.
RELATED CONTENT
DO NOT TRY TO STICK THE HEART
Very often when sticking hogs someone will make an effort
to stick the heart. This should not be done as the heart
should be left uninjured in order that it may continue to
function properly and pump out the blood as rapidly as
possible. To reach the heart the sticking cut would have to
be made very deep, which is almost sure to result in
internal bleeding. To prevent internal bleeding the
sticking should merely sever the large vein and artery well
in front of the heart. A quick and thorough bleed is one of
the foundation steps in putting up high quality meat. Too
much emphasis cannot be placed on the importance of a good
bleed. Shooting or stunning before sticking should always
be avoided unless the hog is very wild. A good bleed is
difficult to obtain when hogs are stunned or shot.
SCALDING
Good equipment helps make the job easier, and a part of the
equipment should be a scalding tank with a fire pit
underneath for heating the water, and a heavy table for
scraping alongside the tank. Where this type of tank is not
available the next best arrangement is to heat the water in
a large open kettle and use a barrel for scalding. The
barrel should be set at about a 45° angle at one end of
the scraping table, or if a hoist is available the barrel
may be set upright under the hoist to save lifting.
Plenty of hot water at a temperature of about 150° and
a little lye or wood ashes added make scalding easier. In
very cold weather water should be about 160°. Keep the
hog moving while in the water and remove as soon as the
hair slips readily. By using a good thermometer you can
always know when the water is at the correct temperature,
which not only makes scalding easier, but eliminates the
chance of setting the hair.
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