We recently posted about our winter pigs being ready on our Facebook
page. I was happy to see the flood of interest that comes with that because
people believe buying a good product matters. There are also lots of questions
about what buying a whole or a half of a pig means. Questions are about
amounts, space it will take up in a freezer, will it need a fence in the
backyard (joke)- It can be intimidating if you have never ordered meat this way. We do
like explaining it to people because it is a new way to buy a product but we
feel it is a better way that fits the more sustainable local model of
agriculture while offering value to the customer. We figured this posting can explain it on a broader level. I’ll be
using pork as my main example but it is across the board when buying a whole or
half animal. For some info on how we raise our pigs, please click here:
-Why buy a whole or a
half animal:
-You
get to pick how each piece is packaged: A pound of ground makes four burgers.
With two people, one eating one and one eating two, there is always the odd man
out. I either have to over-eat that nite or it goes in the fridge. For two
weeks. Then it gets thrown out when we can’t figure out what that thing in the zip
lock bag is and why it is moving. ¾ pounds of ground makes three burgers. No
overeating, no wasted food.
-You
get to choose how each cut is made: Summer calls for grilling. Winter calls for
comfort food. You can get steaks for the summer and roasts for the winter that
let you enjoy both. We have one customer who loves pork, but mostly in the
morning. Her standing order is simple-Ham, Bacon, Sausage.
-Ready
for you on your time: No need to wait until the next market or till morning. If
you want bacon, well pull it from the freezer, let thaw and you are ready for a
killer midnite BLT.
-Meal
planning is a cinch: Groceries are the biggest budget buster and I would
imagine that wasting groceries is the worst catalyst to that. Having a freezer
stocked lets you plan your meals in advanced so when you head to the grocery
store you aren't trying to pair chicken breast and canned brussel sprouts.
-Value:
Perhaps the best part is the money saved. We always talk about the value of
raising food right but to go to the farmers market and buy individual cuts can
add up fast. This saves money while giving you the peace of mind that you
bought a humanely, well raised local product.
-What do I get?
- It
depends on a lot of things but here is my best explanation of the process and
the variables.
-A few
definitions first. An animal has a few weights attached to it in the butchering
process. The first is live weight, or "on the hoof" as it is often called. For a
pig, the target live weight is 225 lbs. A litter is 6-14 piglets so this will
vary because 12 trips to the butcher is not economical, so we try to get the
average at this weight-some are bigger, some are smaller. This is why the
industry standard is hanging weight to base pricing on. Hanging weight is the animals’
weight after being slaughtered, insides, head and hooves removed and blood drained.
Using a cut sheet to determine how a customer wants the animal, the take home
weight is called the cut weight.
-Generally,
A hanging weight will be 70-75% of the live weight.
-Cut
weight varies, depending on cuts, from 60-75% of hanging weight. As an example,
if we took the breakfast pig from above, many cuts will be needed to remove the
meat for the sausage. Even the best butcher will have some left on the bone.
This would be the 60% example. Conversely, If someone wanted mostly roasts with
the bone in, that would be the 75% example. Generally, most of our customers
are in between with each person liking it a certain way. And in the end that is
the point. We always do a telephone call to review the cut sheet, a list
produced for the butcher to know exactly how each one is to be cut. We keep a
record of each customer’s cuts, so if you liked the way it was done, we can do
that again or make changes as you wish.
-It’s
not too fancy and fairly old, but it tells the options for what a half pig be
made into better than anything else.
- - How is it delivered and much room does it take
up?
-Everything is vacuum sealed at the
USDA facility and then cryo-frozen (subzero immersion freezing) immediately
after packaging. This process all buts eliminates freezer burn associated with the
old paper wrap and regular freezers. We will pick up the boxes and have them
promptly available for pick up at the farm.
-The cost includes smoking of the bacon, anything other smoked cuts are an additional cost. The smoked cuts arrive generally 4-6 weeks after the fresh cuts are ready.
-As with everything it varies, but
a whole pig is generally three 1’x1’x1’ boxes and can fit in the freezer above
a standard refrigerator. However, it is generally best to have a stand-alone freezer because the cuts can be a bit of a puzzle to fit in that space.
- It can be a bit intimidating at
first but we really do enjoy explaining it to each customer and taking the time to make
sure that everything is how you want it to be. Please feel free to call or
email with any questions.
