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(drool)

This one got away from me....it weighed 360.

Been a while since I had pigs and had trouble estimating the weight.


It was 9 months old. Older than it was supposed to be...but we weren't feeding them right early on.


We were packing them feed and apparently not enough. They grew really slow.


We then set up an old self feeder and they really took off.

Still slower than commercial pork, I think because of the feed and breeding.


The other pigs were 7 months old and 322.

Those are beautiful chops, similar to the mangalitsa pigs I’ve had.

Ever salt jowls or side meat?

Way back, our neighbor farrowed his sows out of little A frames set in an alfalfa patch. Those hogs were raised on dirt eating home grown grain. I always liked going over there for part time work because we usually had big thick Iowa chops for dinner.
They looked a lot like yours Jim. Looks great!

They must still farrow on pasture, they make, and sell Porta huts near us

About what?

The hogs kids raised for 4H JML were slaughtered commercially. The ones we kept for our own selves were skinned. My son wanted his first pig hide tanned, so we did. I still have the hide. Dunno what to do with it? 🤷‍♂️

ETA: Tanned hog is/was a duroc.

I make bacon...that's about it.

Am going to cure a ham with this pork.

They say a good rootabaga goes well with pork

How thick do you guys like your everyday eating chops?


I got these cut at an inch.


Wonder if I should have had some cut a 3/4 and some at 1 1/4 instead of all one inch.


Inch might be too girthy for breakfast.

I like thin chops to fry up or shake n bake. Bigger ones are good in the crockpot.

1" suits me for about everything.

I'm not real fond of thin ones, if I want thin I'll go for cutlets instead.

What is hog-tied?

Well, you drive two stobs in the ground farther apart than the hog is long. Tie a rope around a back leg and another to the opposite front leg. Pull tight 'til the hog is on the ground. Those ropes are wound around the stobs to hold fast. A man sits on the back and holds the head still. Two knives are used. One cuts a slit in the neck skin and the other goes in and severs the carotid artery. The heart is beating fast and the pig bleeds out pretty fast. The knife technique is two handed. Takes some two seconds and the blood is gushing.

Leastwise that's how Pawpaw did it. Made his knives from a sawmill blade.

3/4

I like them about 1 1/4" same as my ribeyes. If frying in the house, maybe thinner.
Thick ones for grilling outdoors.

If frying in the house I add about 30-40% sugar to the breading. Might sound weird, but give it a try. Caramelizes up great.
First time I did it, was by mistake. I dumped sugar into the flour container when topping it off. Wife tasted hers and asked what I did differently.
Best pork chops I ever made by mistake. Now I do it on purpose!

Jim, I'm with Cecil on the thickness. 1 1/4" for outside grilling is great, that or 1" is fine as well.


Let me know if you're ever headed this direction.

I got a half for you to be butchered.


Will need cutting instructions.

Sweet!

Does the butcher make any grilling brats? That and breakfast meat and the chops would make me happy!
(ammo will be available for trade on any extra butcher charges...)




I'm a simpleton when it comes to butcher directions, just ask the man that does our beef to keep it to steaks and burger. We don't cook many roasts.

All that stake drivin' and rope tyin'......

Quicker to bust a regular velocity 22LR from a pistol between the eyes an inch high perpendicular to the skull. This stuns the hog but doesn't stop the heart. They drop to the ground, flop on their side, and run 100 miles per hour and not go anywhere. Somebody grabs the ears from behind and pulls the head back. One knife, stick the carotid artery, turn knife 90 degrees, and slash on the way out. All you need to do is hit one and it'll bleed out like a fire hose. Let go, back up, and wait for the thrashing to stop.