So, when you can’t raise a pig of your own you have a few choices I suppose – you could go out and drive around the country until you see one of those wild boars, tackle it, and somehow get it to your favorite butcher… oh wait, they don’t take wild hog… Dang! You let it go it your neighbors yard and… ok, so that’s not such a good idea.
A better alternative is to share a pig – yeah – you find someone else who needs a pig or part of one and go in on it so you can get a good price on a well fed and cared for piece of bacon on legs. We’ll call it a pig share – why not?
We’re offering an opportunity to share a pig – you find a friend or two to buy a 1/2 or whole pig – you’re getting a variety of pork product that was raised on wholesome food and got to run around the fields (and eat Laurie’s rose bushes). You know it’s good meat, not steroid filled pigs that lived in a box all it’s life.
This is how we work the pig share. We sell the pig in 1/2 or a whole pig. You pay by the pound of hanging weight (more on that later) + the processing fee since that can vary depending on the cuts you want and how you want it processed or packaged. We’ll pick up the order and bring it down to your ‘neck of the woods’ where you can pick it up or if you’d like to pick it up a the processor arrangements can also be made.
Now, quickly let me explain hanging weight. It’s not terribly easy to weigh a pig as you can imagine – really – we’ve tried! And even then you’re only estimating the weight. The pig is raised to a good weight of somewhere between 200-250 pounds – that’s a good weight for butchering a pig. The butcher removes the feet, head, hide, and offal – that is the hanging weight. Typically this is around 60-70% of the actual live weight.
You’ll then get to pick out how you want the pig processed – ham? Bacon – of course, but fresh or cured? Whole or sliced? How thick? What!? How thick!? I thought all bacon was see through! You gotta be kidding me! I have a choice on how thick I want my bacon? Saaweeeeet!!
We are using Detroit Processing in Detroit, TX for our processing and have been well pleased with their service and the final product. You can check out their website for more information or if you’re in the mood for some other good quality meat products. You should also check out the actual pork order form so you can see some of their options for processing. Now, if the form is ‘Greek’ to you then you can just say “standard cuts for a family of 4 (how many are in your family)”. They’re great about packaging in a way that works good for you.
Also you’ll notice other specialty options like sausages. cured meat, or paper wrapping. There are additional pricing for some of these options that are outlined on the order form. We’ve included an image from a pork processor in Vermont to help you get an idea of what part of the pig makes different types of meat. Now, you could always take just about any part and make sausage out of it… heck, I think my son would want the whole thing in sausage!
Our price for pork this year is $3.50/lb. hanging weight. So, a 180 pound pig (hanging weight) would be $630 + processing. Remember, this isn’t your run of the mill box store meat – so enjoy it – savor it – share it.
Have a great pork recipe or tips? Share it with us – we’d love to hear how you serve up your pig!
* Image courtesy of http://SugarMtnFarm.com