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Went on a hog hunt with a bunch of guys last week. Twenty-five guys shot 60 pigs. Since many of the guys flew in and did not take meat back, I brought back three 160 qt. coolers packed the brim with pork. I bet there was in excess of 600 lbs of meat. I cut up and wrapped pork Tuesday thru Thursday









Back to the Salt Mines this AM.

used my recently acquired Nessmuk set to take the hide off these two skulls.













ya!


GWB

Love it!

You keep it in coolers all that time?

The hogs were shot between Thursday morining and Saturday morning.

They were skinned and in a walk-in cooler within 2 hours of being shot. I put a layer of ice on the bottom and continue to pack ice around the meat as I fill up the cooler. I elevate the end opposite the drain plug and continuously add ice. As a rule I "wet age pork 5 or 6 days. I started putting up the meat on Tuesday and put up the last yesterday.


The skulls were also kept on ice and then washed off with a water hose to get most of the dirt and sand off. They are boiling as I write this. I'll take them out, blast them with a water hose, then blow out the remaining detrius with an air nozzle. Later I will immerse in hydrogen peroxide.


Cheap and easy



and make great "props"

ya!

GWB

Wonderful! Great blades out there too. I love orange handled knives.

I like the Nessmuck set! who made them?

That Nessmuk combo does look handy! I think Gdub said those were from Gene Ingram. Good looking pair of blades.

Hope you didn't get your golf cart dirty.

I appreciate your concern,


but no prob, bub,



it washes off, just like blood!


ya!


GWB

Good stuff Gee'.

That orange Reno and 16 Bore is a great set. Lanyards match pretty well, too...

Dub, that's a lot of processing! Can I ask what you brake most of that down to? Lot of sausage or just cuts of meat? Also do you vacuum seal or wrap?

Hog skulls are cool!

Jason, first thing I did with my new Westy Ingram was pull that ugly cumbersome leather thing for a lanyard off the knife and slip one of yours back in its place. Now it's complete - don't be weird about that!

I was eye-balling those too.
They look like worked over Green River blanks to me.

I've put handles on several of those but I never thought about modifying the handles......until now.

That boning blade is one of my favorites....I see a project or two in my future this summer.

https://www.knifemaking.com/product-p/rh2317.htm



The paring blade makes a nice little inexpensive B&T too.

Lot depends on the size of the pig and the mood I am in.


The pig in the picture above was a sow whose live weight was weighed at 169#. I had the guides split it longways after removal the hinds.

On a pig like that I will take the tenders. Sometimes I wrap them in freezer paper, other times I vacumn pack. I will prep it for cutting pork chops but cutting the ribs at the junction of the loin, front to back. I then make cuts perpendicular to the loin. I will usually cut two ribs thick. I like thick chops.

Other times I will take the whole loin and cut it in half after separating from the carcass. Either vaccumn pack or wrap in freezer paper. The hinds and loins I wrap in freezer paper, usually triple wrapping. Depending on how I will prepare it for the table determines whether I bone it out after thawing.

ya!

GWB

FG

the Nessmuk combo set is Gene Ingrams interpretation of said style blade. It is A2 steel @ 60RC and desert Ironwood scales. The off blade is similar to his 5"Kingfisher. I like A2 steel. The Nessumk is 3/16" stock.

Here are a couple of Nesmuk style blades that I have blanked out of Old Hickory skinner/butchers and/or Russell Green River Skinners.



These would most likely be 1095 Carbon steel.

and a set "hafted" by VinceM in African Blackwood





ya!

GWB

Good stuff, GDub. Nice knifes too. Keep on perforating those pigs!

Those are all very nice.

I don't have Gene's skills but I'm gonna try to make something similar out of a couple of GR blades when my old arthritic hands thaw out this summer.

I've thought about modifying Old Hickory's in the past but never got around to it.
I love good ol Carbon Steel.

Stay after them pigs....from what I've seen you have your work cut out for you trying to keep the populations in check in TX.

Dub, any advice on the purchase of a vacuum sealer?

How much do you want to spend.

Just like anything there is appliance grade, commercial grade and pro-grade.

One can spend from under $100 to thousands.


I am using the 4800 series (4880 kit) Food Saver Machine. It had a decent rating (different tests rate savers differently and they are all over the place).

It is simple to use. Seals and vacs automatically. Works great for what I do.

If you are going to be dry aging using the Umai dry bags you will want to invest in a manual machine.

https://www.drybagsteak.com/dry-age-cure-vacuum-sealer-comparison.php


I have been thinking of getting into Charcuterie more and more and will be picking up some of the Umai bags and a Foodsaver 2400 series manual machine to accompany my 4800 series.



Several pork bellies I recently dry cured to make home-made bacon. It turned out really well.


Using the vacumn bags will spoil ya vs. wrapping in freezer paper on the small stuff!

ya!


GWB

I have a 5 cubic foot chest freezer that allows me to buy bulk when there are deals to be had. Deer meat as well. I know I should invest in a vacuum sealer. I don't know what budget I would put on one? I don't pretend to run a soup kitchen and we are a family of 2.

I process from 3 - 6 deer at home per year, close to the same number of wild turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, dove, lots of crappie, bluegill and catfish. Usually split a hog and beef with my son. A vacuum sealer is the way to go. Well worth the money. We use a Food Saver brand, no issues here.

GWB,

What are the four Menefees in your opening picture?

Thanks.

Frank

Also, I'd guess that after 600 pounds of pork butchering you had something else for dinner. That's a LOT of meat cutting, but I guess you know that. Did you have any help with trimming and wrapping/vacuum bagging or was it a solo effort? Either way a darn lot of work.

I stand to be corrected, but the orange handled knives are a 16 bore (smaller) and a Reno (larger).

The blue vein micarta w/shield is a "Lil dumplin", and the canvas micarta, I do believe is Rick's "butcher".

GWB

I went on the 24hrcampfire hog hunt on 3/8. Twenty-five guys shot +/- 60 pigs. Lotsa guys flew in and did not have the desire to take the meat back. As the hogs were skinned they were hung in a walk in cooler. I let it be known that like last year I'd take back as much meat as I could fit into three 160 qt. coolers. So on Saturday morning my guide made a list of the different guys that said I could have their hogs.

The guides brought them out and quartered the larger ones, leaving the loins and tenders attached to the carcass. I think there were 5 smaller hoglets that were left whole. One large sow I had them split lengthwise after the hinds and shoulders were removed, so I could cut out porkchops.

I spent about 5 hours last monday wrapping loins, hinds, shoulders and ribs. Tuesday I wrapped for a couple hours then took off with all three coolers still on the trailer. I gave away meat all day long.

Wednesday and Thursday I cut porkchops, and vacumn packed them along with tenders and loins. Friday I skinned out two heads and placed them on the boil for "Europeans.

Course I had to stop now and then and snap a few pix!

As to help, I went by my Taxidermist and told him I had a bunch of meat. He was kind enough to send his son out with a "tote" to grab what they wanted and carry it back in.

Other than that, I did it all myself.





I'm kinda funny about letting someone else handle my meat!






JAPPFT,


GWB

Umai bags are sweet. I made some lonzino and it was amazing. Just takes time.