What price Pork ..........

[Rik vonTrense]

This applies to the UK and Hertfordshire in particular. There are several places locally that I pass that have a blackboard out side the farmshop or whatever........

It normally offers fresh pork for sale either as Half a pig butchered into cuts or what ever you wish to buy.

As I usually pass these places in a flash I see these notices but can't see any prices....

Any ideas on what the current prices one would pay for half a pig ??


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[Wohoki]

Why don't you ask: farmers don't bite

[Rik vonTrense]

I do yell out as I pass but no one answers............


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[Paul Kribs]

Rik

The smallholding/farm I use sell their free range large whites for 90p per lb ( �1.98 per kilo). It may pay you to find out the farmers arrangements as the one I use generally send a few pigs to slaughter every 3 weeks and always on tuesday. The arrangements are that you must leave �20 deposit and collect between about 4pm to 7pm. Although they have a cold room which runs from a generator, it is not cost effective to have it running overnight for just a side of pork. This makes it quite awkward for me sometimes due to work commitments/shiftwork. Excellent pork though.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[hmmm sausages]

I was having this discussion with my Grandma last week. She comes from a family of butchers which sadly ended before I became a real butcher, but maybe thats where I get my desire to cut animals up and eat them from!

We were discussing the price of half a pig, and how much meat you get generally with half a pig!

Paul, when you buy half a big, roughly what do you pay for it and how much meat do you get? (If you coudl describe the amount of meat, in amounts of sausage/bacon ham etc that would make my life easier hehehe)

Cheers, Rob

PS Oh and how easy is it to butcher a half pig?

[Paul Kribs]

hmmm sausages

The place I obtain my 1/2 pigs normally slaughter them at about 16 weeks. Some might argue that this is too young, but I would say that the pork is deliciously tender. The proprieters are very proud to explain their prizes that are on show in the small shop. They also sell lambs, same great quality. The 1/2 pigs generally come out around the 50 lb mark, give or take. You also get half the offal.. 1/2 a heart, a kidney and 1/2 the liver. They come with half the head, which makes just over a pound of 'quality' brawn. Because of the quality of the meat, I was reluctant at first to use any of it for sausages, but now I use most of the fore quarter.. ie the neck part (normally used as spare ribs) plus the hand and shoulder (blade). I normally use the bit above the shoulder for collar bacon. If I am making salami I normally use the collar as well. I generally roll and tie some small loin joints and also us some of it for either back bacon or I cure some using Franco's Parma cure. I remove the tenderloin and freeze it and when I have a few I use them to make high quality pork pies using some minced back fat and some home cured ham or bacon. The back leg normally gets boned a rolled and cured for traditional ham. I rarely process any of the pork into chops. The belly gets trimmed to a suitable shap for streaky bacon and the belly trimmings go towards the sausages or salami. The ribs are sheet boned at full length for extra meaty braised chinese ribs.

You do not have to necessarily stick to traditional/recognisable cuts, it all depends what you want from the pig. Last one I used 1/2 the belly for streaky and the other 1/2 of belly was stuffed, rolled and tied and cut into 2 roasting joints and frozen. There is a little turorial on my site showing and explaining where the cuts should be made for traditional joints but it is totally your decision. The bones are boiled for stock and then frozen. The trotters go in with the head for the gelatine needed to set the brawn, although I did see a good recipe on TV recently where the rear trotters were stuffed. Any skin can be boiled and used to make white puddings although I have not got around to this yet.

Tools needed are a good quality sharp boning knife, and I would recommend a good steel as well. Although I have a butchers saw and a 10" cleaver, I prefer to use the boning knife.

Well don't just sit there reading this, go get yourself 1/2 a pig.. it's the only way to learn. I would also point out that you must keep the meat as cold as possible whilst processing, which for me means running up and down the garden many times ( the fridge and freezers are in the shed) clutching body parts in full view of my vegetarian neighbours

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Heather]

I bought HFW's "Pig in a Day" DVD recently, and would definitely recommend it. Not a bad price on the River Cottage website either.

I plan on getting a half GOS to process after the summer, for salamis and hams through the autumn and winter.

[MOYZLE]

I buy direct from my local farmer friend.
He takes his free range organic british Blacks to slaughter on a Monday ,and they arrive back on Thursday or friday same week.
A fair bit fatter than usual butchers crap, but fantastic taste is worth it. Normally he sells these halfs or wholes for �2.50 / �2.75 a kilo, ready massacred, sorry cut to your requirements I mean!
I just have mine cut in half lengthwise and do it all myself - infinitely better,and less expensive for me too!
I take all meat off the bone and throw the skin too unless curing Parma type hams.
Its a fair bit of work, but think of it as a labour of love!
Last week I took a 67 kilo pig, which yielded 45.5 kilos of pure meat and fat.
Most of my last one went into sausages and some back and belly bacon - the sausages were so popular with friends that this week its the same again - another porker!

[MOYZLE]

Forgot to say - the best book on the whole subject of Charcuterie, is still in print and available from AMAZON at just around �14.99
ISBN 1 902304 88 8 will find it for you if all other methods fail.
.
First published in 1967, "CHARCUTERIE AND FRENCH PORK COOKERY" by JANE GRIGSON (Mother of Sophie Grigson) will soon become your most cherished ever book - PROMISE!

[welsh wizard]

Hi Moyzle

Let me know if he has any spare I would love some at that price and I dont mind doing the butchering bit.

Cheers WW

[georgebaker]

Hi
I have an American book called "be your own family butcher" or something similar. From it I discovered
that you can cut animals up in different ways from the norm &
I came to the conclusion that there was no right nor wrong way.
just convention.

Buy a half or quarter and cut where it makes sense after all its still food. I cut for the right size for 2 and try to keep muscles together. Rip rather than cut and remember it still tastes right even if the apperance is unusal.

Good luck
George

[sausagefans.com]

This applies to the UK and Hertfordshire in particular. There are several places locally that I pass that have a blackboard out side the farmshop or whatever........

It normally offers fresh pork for sale either as Half a pig butchered into cuts or what ever you wish to buy.

As I usually pass these places in a flash I see these notices but can't see any prices....

Any ideas on what the current prices one would pay for half a pig ??


.

Do you still need to know this? Somewhere was recommended to me the other day who sold half pigs.

[Albert]

The pig is one of the easiest animals to butcher. A couple of good knives a reasonable meat saw, some butchers twine and a stanley type knife for scoring the skin.

All cuts of pork can be roasted and I think that shoulder (AKA spare rib) makes the best roast because of marbleing.

Trotters can be boned and stuffed and boiled for a real treat. Rear end of belly +hand a, cheek used for sausages and the top leg de rinded, dry cured and dried for a passable 'parma' style ham. There are plenty of recipes out there.

For sausages a I purchase a plain seasoning with a preservative and add various herbs etc myself both dried and fresh. Sage, rosemary, white pepper leeks and chives are good for pork. I consider that a preservative is pretty much essential for safeties sake and most. Get the best mincer and filler you can afford - a 3-5ltr filler is as much as a hobbiest should need. As a rule of thumb pay a bit for a mincer as it will last a lifetime if looked after. I currently use a 70 year old Crypto Peerless!!
I use the same all-in-one cure and add sugars and peppercons etc for salamis, bacon and hams as the mood dictates. Do a bit of experimentation.
One final tip. All the supermarkets sell of pork shoulders cut price several times a year. I've just stocked up wth shoulders at betwen £2.20 and £2.30 a kilo.

Happy stuffing and cutting

[wheels]

This applies to the UK and Hertfordshire in particular. There are several places locally that I pass that have a blackboard out side the farmshop or whatever........

It normally offers fresh pork for sale either as Half a pig butchered into cuts or what ever you wish to buy.

As I usually pass these places in a flash I see these notices but can't see any prices....

Any ideas on what the current prices one would pay for half a pig ??


.

Do you still need to know this? Somewhere was recommended to me the other day who sold half pigs.

Regrettably, Rik is no longer with us.

Maybe you could post the details in this section:

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewforum.php?f=36

It would certainly be of interest to other members.

Phil