AN OLD-FASHIONED HOG SLAUGHTER

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The purpose of twisting the knife before withdrawing it is to be certain of severing the large branching vein and artery that lie beneath the point of the breastbone and thus insuring a proper bleed. (Some butchers advise against this motion, because they say it mutilates a portion of the shoulder meat.)

"Bleeding out" the carcass is very important if you're to avoid the possibility of "sour" meat . . . that is, pork that becomes tainted because the tissues retain too much blood. Though an animal will usually drain adequately while lying on its side, hanging the carcass upside down is a surer method. Either way, when the flow of blood has slowed to an occasional driblet, your swine will be ready for the next step.

SCALDING AND SCRAPING

Once the animal has been thoroughly bled, remove the carcass to the scalding vat, lowering it into the hot water head first. Gently rock the pig's body back and forth to prevent overscalding — which can cause the bristles to set — and soak it for 3 to 6 minutes, occasionally testing the looseness of the hair by twisting and trying to pull out small tufts with your fingers. Because of the problems caused by leaving the swine in the pot too long (the meat could even begin to cook), it's best to err on the side of caution . . . you can always reimmerse the carcass later, if necessary.

Next, hoist the scalded hog onto the table and use a bell scraper to begin stripping the hair and scurf from the body (simple skinning with a knife would result in a tremendous waste of lard). This is most easily accomplished by tilting the tool away from yourself so that it rests on its far edge, then drawing it toward you along the carcass. Apply enough pressure to remove the hair, but not so much that you cut or otherwise damage the underlying skin. You'll want to scrape the head and feet first — since those parts tend to cool most quickly — and to make your strokes follow the natural lay of the animal's hair.

As soon as all the bristles have been scoured away, pour some hot water over the body and place the bell scraper flat against the porker's skin, moving the tool in a rotating motion. This will massage out the dirt and remaining scurf from the hide. (When all of the hair and scurf have been removed, even a formerly black hog will be white.) Next, use a large hook (a bale shifter from the haymow works fine) to pull off the dewclaws and toes. Finally, clean up the carcass with a stiff bristle brush, and remove any stray tufts of hair with a sharp knife.

If your scalding tub is too small to accommodate the whole hog, simply soak and scrape the front end first, and then tackle the hindquarters. (This isn't meant to be considered a hard and fast rule, but since the head is one of the most difficult parts to clean, I prefer to get it out of the way early, when the water is closest to the correct temperature.) If you encounter especially stubborn patches of hair but don't want to risk overscalding the carcass, you can cover the tough spots with a burlap sack and then pour hot water over the fabric before working on the hide again. (Really difficult tufts of bristle can be singed off with a blowtorch, if necessary.)

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