Hog Butchering Day

Reader Contribution by Mary Lou Shaw

We’ve had a pair of Guinea hogs on our homestead, but now that they have died of old age and their progeny sent elsewhere, we’re contemplating beginning again with Red Wattle hogs. Despite not having any pigs at present, we said yes to a day of butchering at an 1880’s farm maintained by the city of Columbus, Ohio. I thought this would be a good learning experience, but not necessarily an enjoyable one. I was wrong about the latter, and I’d like to share not only what I learned, but also what made it so enjoyable.

Home Butchering Basics

Killing. Let’s talk about butchering as it was done when there was more people-power than machines. This sow, who had been the runt in springtime, was now a 270 pound pig. She was shot between the eyes while eating grain, then a knife was inserted deep in her neck to severe a large artery. There was no need to hang her immediately because the heart keeps pumping for the few minutes necessary to “bleed out.”

Scalding. To create cracklings from the skin and underlying fat, the hair must be removed. From this point on, many hands and some strong backs were needed. Reminiscent of chicken-plucking, the pig is put in a wooden trough filled with water at about 155 degrees. Lye is added to help loosen the hair. (Wood ash can also be used, but a larger quantity is needed). The pig is then rolled back and forth in the water by means of alternately pulling two long chains kept tense by a person on either end. When the hair pulls out easily, the pig is drug up onto a slated table where hog scrappers are used to pull the hair out. This is not a leisurely activity, because it must be done while the skin is still warm—a feat in December weather.

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