Pig Processing for Porknograpgy

[jayn]

I am getting a whole pig delivered to the locker on Monday and I want to order it cut right for smoking.

Maximum ribs?
If I get "chops" do I still get Loin or tenderloin?
Picnic and Boston butts? 4-6 lb?

I want to cure and smoke my own Hams and Bacon how do I order that?

What would they normally grind that I can smoke?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Henrik]

Hi Jayn, nice to get the whole pig delivered! Plenty of food to last you a while. Let's see if I can help sort out at least some of your questions:

Maximum ribs? not sure what you mean here. You can get ribs cut in different ways. Either it is the rib tips, or the top part (the ribs plus the meat, which is on the outside of the ribs). If you want pork chops also, I suggest getting pork chops with bones, and then making ribs from the tips.

Chops are located right by the spine, they don't include the tenderloin, which is located further 'back' (think your lower back but on the inside). The loin is there also, but on the side of the spine, so you can have both chops and loin/tenderloin.

Picnic butts and boston butts: this is the lower and upper front shoulder of the pig. A picnic butt can also be cut into a few different feather blade steaks if you like, but I assume you want both 'as is' for smoking.

Hams are literally the rear legs, so tell your butcher you want them intact.

Bacon is the pork belly, i.e. the area between the lower ribs and the hip, extending downwards to what is known as the flank steak on a cow.

When it comes to grinding a pig, that depends. If you get all the cuts listed above you are well set. There isn't that much left to grind. I guess the jowls, any residual meat from the front half of the animal, trimmings from ribs et.c.

[Meathead]

This page should help http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porkn...pork_cuts.html

Talk to the butcher and discuss your likes. He can help.

You might have the back ribs and loins delivered intact as one, just have the butcher cut the chine (where it attaches to the spine). You can then do the cutting yourself, it's not hard. You would have the option of two bone in loin roasts that could be made into crown roasts. Or you could remove the back ribs yourself, and leave on some extra meat if you want. Or just remove one slab and then you have a boneless loin, and cut the other into bone-in chops. Lotta options depending on your preferences.

The tenderloins are separate muscles and should be removed and packaged individually.

You could get one shoulder with the picnic attached and the other split, or split them both.

Get the bacon cut into 1-2 pound slabs for easier handling.

Keep the hams intact. Smoke one raw, and cure another. Or you could have him cut the rear legs so you have a small ham and a big ham.

Save the jowls for curing.

Henrik has good advice too.

Have fun!

[jayn]

We are on the way! 170 # in the freezer for $1.36 per pound.

Sausage in the freezer. Bacon in the cure! Thanks!!