AN OLD-FASHIONED HOG SLAUGHTER

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If your animal is a male, go on to remove the penis, or "pizzle". First, slash through the skin and fatty layers on either side of the organ, then lift the member up and cut underneath it. Continue carving while pulling the penis back towards where it attaches between the hams, then slice it off.

Now, make a small cut in the abdominal wall at a point high up between the hind legs . . . place the hand holding the knife inside the animal, with the tip of the blade pointing outward . . . and slice downward, exerting pressure on the heel of the cutting edge. Your fist will crowd the intestines aside and lessen the danger of puncturing the viscera. When the wall of the belly is cut through, the innards will fall forward, though they'll still be attached to the body by muscle fiber and the digestive tract.

The next step is to cut into the lean meat between the two hams until you hit the "aitch", or pelvic, bone. Place your knife's point against the center seam of the bone and strike the blade's haft with the palm of your hand. The pelvic girdle should split easily, although in butchering older hogs it's sometimes necessary to use a saw to separate the halves.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE

If you're needing more knowledge about raising and slaughtering hogs, the mini-library listed here can put you on the road to swine mastery.

Approved Practices in Swine Production by James K. Baker and Elwood M. Juergenson (The Interstate Printers & Publishers, Inc., 1971). The textbook format is a little dry, but this book is about as thorough an exposition on all aspects of swine culture as anyone could ask for.

A Complete Guide to Home Meat Curing (Morton Salt Company, 1967). A step-by-step guide to butchering, curing, and sectioning hogs, beef, poultry, and game. The chapters about preserving meat are particularly useful.

Backyard Pig and Sheep Book by Ann Williams (Prism Press, 1977). Williams' information on slaughtering is a bit sketchy, but the sections on hog husbandry in this British publication are interesting and have a nice, no-nonsense tone.

Small-Scale Pig Raising by Dirk van Loon (Garden Way Publishing, 1978). Another good book for anyone who plans to raise and butcher pigs on a small farm. The presentation is thorough and seems geared to the needs of both novices and experienced smallholders.

Raising the Homestead Hog by Jerome D. Belanger (Rodale Press, 1977). Full of useful information for the small-scale pig farmer, though a bit inclined to take the reader's knowledge for granted when it comes to slaughtering. (This book can be obtained for $11.95 — plus 95¢ shipping and handling — from Mother's Bookshelf ® , P.O. Box 70, Hendersonville, North Carolina 28791.)

Once you've done so, grasp the bung (anal) gut slightly below the split in the aitchbone and loosen it by pulling upward toward the tail. Starting in the front, cut completely around the bung with your knife, being careful not to puncture it. When the end is free, close it off with a piece of cord to prevent spillage and use the string to pull the gut out and down, trimming around it cautiously where necessary.

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