Pork carcass cutting scheme
Any pig farmer should know all the details of how to cut pork carcasses. Whether you keep livestock for the retail sale of pork or to provide meat to your own family, butchering pork carcasses is an important step in livestock farming. In addition, the correct scheme for cutting a pig is a profitable business.
Pork carcass cutting
For novice farmers, it can take up to several hours to slaughter livestock. An experienced specialist can do it in 10-15 minutes. The main thing is to do everything in stages, and experience will come with time.
Features of butchering carcasses
Boar meat is tender, therefore it does not require additional ripening in a suspended state, unlike beef. This applies to pigs of any breed, from Vietnamese pot bellies to Belarusian and even Mangalitsky animals. But in order for the process of cutting pork carcasses to take place more quickly, convenience should not be neglected. It is for these purposes that the piglet is hung on hooks. The very scheme of cutting a pig carcass depends on the purpose of the operation being carried out. If slaughter is for sale, the American or German piglet butchering scheme should be used. These options have many advantages. They are popular in part because they have almost no waste. The advantageous method is characterized by the division of body parts into the highest, first and second grade of meat.
If the carcass of a pig is cut into lard, knowledge of the peculiarities of its separation from individual pieces of carcass is required. The simplest version of the technological process is the English method. A farmer who has decided to slaughter a pig at home can use any method convenient for him. The main thing is to know what parts the animal's body consists of and what kind of meat is suitable for certain dishes.
The features of the technology for cutting pork carcasses are somewhat different from operations carried out with other types of livestock. Every breeder tries to follow one simple rule: the varietal level of the product is higher and better away from the head and closer to the spine. Butchering a pig, unlike other livestock, deviates somewhat from the accepted norm. The most delicious and tender meat, especially valuable for trade, is the cervical region.
The right time for slaughter
Before butchering a pig, each farmer should be aware of some features that will facilitate the process of work itself. The fact is that the pork body goes through several physiological phases during the period of growth and maturation, which affect the quality of the carcass. Most of these cycles are suitable for cutting a pig, except for one: when the animal is in a state of heat. Manipulation should also not be used if the male is castrated. Sterilized males contain the hormone androsterone, which is dangerous to human health.
The scheme for cutting a pig carcass also depends on the physical condition of the livestock, since different individuals belong to one of 4 types of meat products. Experts point out:
- fatty pigs;
- bacon pigs;
- meat pigs;
- piglets.
Experienced farmers know how to properly prepare a pig for a certain physical condition. To do this, you should know the features of feeding and keeping livestock. In addition, in a home environment, it is not difficult to correctly fulfill the necessary requirements. The main thing is to monitor their development and take care of the animal's cutting in a timely manner.
An equally important nuance is the choice of time of day, especially in summer. The pig is butchered in dry, calm weather so that dust and debris does not fall on the chopped parts of the carcass. Air temperature is also important. The cooler it is outside, the better for the meat. In addition, it is in the early hours that the minimum accumulation of insects is observed. But all these nuances can be avoided by cutting and deboning pork carcasses indoors. In winter, there are no requirements. They resort to manipulations at any convenient time.
Popular butchering options
If a novice farmer is worried about how to properly cut a pig carcass, he should study all the nuances of such cuts as:
- english;
- American;
- German;
- Moscow.
Each scheme for cutting pork carcasses has its own advantages and disadvantages. In part, they depend on the division of the carcass into a certain number of body parts. So, the English version is divided into 4 parts. The head is removed, followed by the fore, middle and hind quarters. This method is simple and rarely leads to problems. Each quarter of the carcass can be used for cooking whole or give in to additional butchering. You can learn about the features of this carcass cutting scheme by following the numerous video instructions available on the Internet.
In some countries, the use of pork carcass cutting according to one of the schemes differs from the accepted specifications. And most often, such features relate to cutting a pork head, not 2 parts. In domestic conditions, such work is also performed by separating the ears, cheeks, dimes and brains of the animal.
You can also learn how to butcher a piglet from various information sources. But the American, German and Moscow schemes are more complex, requiring more time and effort. In part, these carcass cutting schemes are difficult due to the large number of cuts and cuts that must be carried out in stages. Before performing the chosen method of this operation, the farmer should take care of the exsanguination of the pig.
How is exsanguination performed?
In order to completely go through the entire technological process of obtaining meat products, from cutting a pig to its disassembly, it is important to take care of its timely exsanguination. The purpose of the operation is to preserve the quality of meat and improve its appearance. In part, this process depends on how you plan to slaughter or stab a pig:
- When cutting the throat of a boar still alive, you should put it on its side and wait for the blood to drain itself through the cut in the neck.
- If you kill an animal with a blow to the heart, the blood will have to be manually scooped out of the sternum.
- To facilitate and speed up the bleeding, the pig should be hung upside down.
Bleeding is not always done. If you plan to cook it immediately after cutting the carcass of a pig, the operation can be skipped. The meat will not have time to deteriorate and will not lose its appearance. In addition, most of the blood will go away on its own during butchering.
Also an important preparatory operation is the removal of the skin with bristles. The most convenient method is to singe the suspended ink. Only after the completion of this operation should it be determined how to cut the pig carcass.
American and German methods
Cutting pig carcasses according to the American scheme has its own characteristics.The main difference of this method is a longitudinal cut into 2 half carcasses. Each of them has 6 ready-made varietal parts of meat. In addition, the individual cuts are separated into lard and meat. The very same cutting of a half carcass is carried out into the following parts:
- scapula (front shoulder);
- back with pulp;
- back leg;
- side;
- front leg;
- head.
The German scheme for cutting pork carcasses is similar to the American one, but consists of 8 separate parts. Its main difference is the cuts of the dorsal section. In this scheme there are 3. The slaughter of the boar and its butchering is carried out by the same methods using sharply sharpened knives in a suspended state.
Novice farmers are often interested in whether it is possible to butcher piglets and how this process differs from working with adult animals. As practice shows, they do not often resort to cutting a piglet. Most often, the minimum culinary cutting of pork carcasses is performed. In more than 80 percent of cases, all manipulations for cutting dairy boars are carried out directly in the kitchen. Step-by-step execution of operations is minimized. The belly of the carcass is ripped open, and the internal organs are taken from there. If you plan to bake meat in the oven, cuts are made on the ridge in the pelvis and shoulder blades. This is the right step for roasting the pork evenly.
Features of the Moscow method
You can learn how to properly cut a pork carcass from half a century of instructions stated in the Soviet GOST 7597-55. This regulatory document shows all the features of the Moscow scheme (popular name). This GOST is applied now. It says that meat products are divided into 2 grades: first and second. The first includes all products, except for the front and rear handlebars and shanks, which are considered second-rate.
The document also mentions the culinary affiliation of certain products according to the Moscow scheme:
- Scapula. Suitable for frying, stewing and minced meat. Also suitable for preparing first courses.
- Loin. Suitable for meat products: schnitzels, chops, kebabs, etc.
- Small of the back. Suitable for roasts, escalope, kebabs, soups and goulash.
- Hind ham (leg). Used for stews, soups and cutlets.
- Sternum. First courses and roasts.
- Neck flanks. First meal.
Second-rate shank and shank (parts of the leg) are more suitable for broths and pulp fillings. The head also goes to retail and is used for first courses.
If a novice farmer is interested in the question of how to properly butcher a pig, he should be guided by the Soviet method. According to many years of studies and observations, it is this scheme that most correctly suits the culinary characteristics of domestic and European cuisines.
Technological and technical issues
The first attempts of cattle breeders to cook pork carcasses are often delayed for several hours. Problems arise in different ways, some farmers find it difficult to separate the head, neck or leg, while others find it difficult to properly drain the blood. Experienced herders advise bleeding the animal by cutting the carotid artery and stabbing the heart with a knife. In addition, it is better to hang the pig on a horizontal bar or hooks upside down. How long it takes depends on the physiological characteristics of the animal itself. After bleeding, you should also singe the bristles on the ink.
Culinary cutting and deboning of pork carcasses will be the fastest if some technical and technological features of the work are taken into account. This partly concerns the instrument. All operations will require sharp knives for domestic butchering of pigs, as well as a hacksaw, which is used to cut bones. In addition, 2 knives are needed in the work. One should be long (18 centimeters or more), it is used to separate the leg, sternum and other soft parts. Another knife is used for chopping bones.
Also, the technical and technological features of the procedure depend on the main place where it is necessary to cut the carcasses of pigs and where their blood will drain. Not all farmers on the farm have a place for such manipulations. Experienced butchers advise using any high-sided pallet as long as there are no hooks or crossbars. But the slaughtered pig should only be placed on its side. So, exsanguination is faster. The division itself begins with the head. It is cut into two parts and the eyes and teeth are removed. The next target is the sternum. After its removal, the internal organs are removed and the carcass is further divided into parts: neck, leg (shoulder blade and fat), back leg, etc.