Having just held another successful butchery course the very clear message from Stephen Airey of Aireys Abattoir and Butchers was talk to your butcher about your cutting requirements! So often people send their pigs in to slaughter with no clear idea of what they want done with their carcase. A common mistake is to ask for too many different cuts from the same pig such as wanting the loins boning and rolling for roasting but then asking for chops too. Discuss your requirements and then write it down so everyone is clear.
People are always surprised just how much you get back from a pig. For the butchery course we used a British Lop that weighed 90 kilo’s liveweight. The dead weight was slightly under 65 kilo’s. That produced around 4 kilo’s of belly pork. over 30 chops, 8 shoulder joints and 6 leg joints!
Don’t forget to stock up on freezer bags and make sure you have room in your freezer.
