Tips for buying a whole hog?


 
J

Josh Z.

TVWBB Pro
Hello,

I've been looking around my area and have found a place that raises berkshire hogs. Is there any special tips on what I should be looking for when purchasing a whole hog from a farmer or butcher? I'm working towards making my own hams, bacon, and bbq (of course) and in order to get all the goodies (jowel, fresh hams, pork bellies) this seems to be a good route.

What is an acceptable live weight for a pasture raised berkshire hog?

Any info or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Josh
 
Berkshire is one of my favorite breeds. If you can buy directly from the farmer and have the pig sent directly to the butcher to whom you can specify how you want it cut so much the better.

For butchering to individual cuts I like 240-260 lbs. For whole hog cooks I prefer less than half that weight.
 
Express you interest and intentions to the farmer when you buy the animal. He'll probably be more than glad to help you pick out a good hog. He may even be willing to deliver it to a local place that will process it for you. At the processor there will probably be a kill charge and a set price per LB to cut it up. There would probably be a extra cost if you want it cut up in some non standard way. P.S. Don't forget the sausage.
 
You talk about going whole hog! A guy has a couple of freezers and the next thing you know he is filling it with man's 2nd best friend (pig). My only advice is to not give it a name after you pick it out. The meat might not ever taste quite right if you do.
 
You can check out this site for some info regarding the subject. Actually there's quite a bit of useful stuff on their pages. Good Luck!
 
Well I got an answer to the question I asked, but I meant to ask what is an acceptable price per pound live weight. I've looked on the web and didn't find what I was looking for so here I am.... forum save me!

Thanks,
Josh
 
I am not trying to be flippant but, to me, if you're buying from the farmer then it's whatever he or she is asking. There have been times when, if the price was more than I was willing to pay, I have declined the purchase. Generally, though, I pay what the going rate is at the time.

Prices should reflect both demand, scarcity and seasonal variables but there tends to be less variability in small-farm produced products. I like a hoof price of $1.75-2.00 but have paid more. I would expect to pay much more for sucklings (at least 3 times that). Butcher fees should run $.33-.50/lb but this varies depending on area, packaging, and cut. Kill fee: $35-60, depending on area.

Berkshires produce some of the finest pork. It is actually marbled. If you can swing it try it once and see what you think.

I have not been able to find Berkshire piglets around here (yet anyway) but am set to score some Duroc mixes. Not as good as Berkshire but better than supermarket any day.
 
Thank you all for your advice and tips. It would seem that this farmer is more than reasonable and once I talk my wife into giving me all the freezer space I'm in.
 
WOOHOOOO.... My piggy should be all grown up around July/August. I can't wait to eat some Berskshire piggy
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Thanks again for the advice! It made purchasing a whole pig possible and got me a better pig for less money.... Hows that for an equation... better pig for less money = delicious.

Josh
 
Kevin,

Are you raising your own durocs? I had a dream that I started raising my own Berkshires and I was butchering and making pork products for a living... very strange dream.

Josh
 
Yep. They're wallowing as I type.

I'm still trying to find a Berkshire piglet source. No luck yet.

If I could get off the road long enough (with a cash stash) I would raise pastured pigs and fowl for a living.
 
Not for long--only two in the past two years. Since I'm gone a lot I've had to encourage others' interest (which I've done, at least for a small scale thing for our own use--nothing big) and now that I have that we'll see how it goes. There are three pigs now.
 
Kevin,

I think that is really cool and I hope you can find some Berkshires in the future. They are just catching on up here. The farmer I'm buying them from is just doing them for the first time and he said it took him awhile to find a breeder to sell him the piglets.

Good luck and many thanks.

Josh
 
I was lucky enough to find a girl whose uncle is a full time rancher and I was smart enough to marry her. We buy half a steer and a whole hog every year or so and while he gives us a good deal, it ain't free. (Not that I blame him at all, I mean it is how he makes his living and we are happy to make the checks out to him. I mean, you don't see me running book warehouses for free!) Anyway, he is always more than happy to talk to anybody at anytime about any topic having to do with his ranch, equipment, livestock, feed, dogs, alfalfa, etc. If you have any question about any aspect of your hog or butchering, ask the farmer.

Kevin--You're living the dream, my man. The only thing better than getting your meat from your wife's uncle is to raise it yourself. Do you slaughter and butcher your own? How cool would that be.

John
 
Butcher, yes, slaughter, no. I am not equipped to slaughter larger animals (no immediate cooling available). The smaller animals I have (ducks, turkeys) I usually ask my neighbor to slaughter because I can trade him the slaughtering for a few of the birds. He does not raise fowl and he would not take any if offered directly. By trading he can have fowl on the table he would not ordinarily have (I know his wife appreciates it). The pigs we grow out I have slaughtered elsewhere. Smaller pigs for whole hog cooks we'll do here.
 
I got my hog and lets just say that I'm in "Hog Heaven". This berkshire meat is beautiful! It is a nice dark color and has a great amount of delicious fat.

I grilled some pork chop by direct sear for a couple mintues each side and then indirect for 15 minutes or so. I was worried when I cooked them a bit too long and then was a bit concerned when after a brief rest there was a ton of juice on the plate. It has been my past experience with grilled pork that too much juice on the plate equates to dry meat. This was not the case with the berkshire chops. They were the juiciest pork chops I've ever eaten and that is with a slight overcooking.

I also smoked the 26 pounds of belly and jowel that I got off this majestic beast. It was the thickest pork belly that I've ever seen. The thinnest parts of the belly were thicker than the commercial belly that I buy and the thickest was around 3 inches thick. Best part is of it is the fat to lean ratio is much better than the ultralean belly that I get at the grocery store.

I'm looking foward to seeing if the rest of the pig tastes as good as the bits of bacon that I've had and the chops that we grilled. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the 20 pound ham that will be done curing this weekend.

Overall I've had a good experience with buying this hog from a farmer. It wasn't took expensive ($250 dollars for the pig, $100 at the processor for the kill, cut, and sausage) and I got what is supposed to be one of the tastiest pigs on the face of the earth!!!!!

I'm thinking that next year if I have the money I'll get two one for the big cuts like I did this time and then another to get some select cuts and then more sausage.

Josh
 
Sounds like a great experience, and a great deal. From where did you get the Berkshire? I am very interested.
 
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