How Much Meat from Two Pigs? Depends on the Pigs!

First I would like to mention that if pork is not in your diet for whatever reason, we respect that. This post is for those interested in pastured or homegrown pork. It's hard to calculate how much meat you will be getting back if you have never done this before. Also, we do not take the raising and processing of our animals lightly. This is not a "win", a "trophy", or a hunt. We do this to feed our family. Period.

We recently sent two pigs to the butcher. We can and have slaughtered our own, but in Florida you can't sell the meat if you've processed it yourself. So off to the butcher they went.

I sat down with the butcher and filled out an order form to specify what cuts I wanted. Chops, steaks, bacon, ground, stew, sausage, ham, ribs, do I want the fat (YES! We use it to make suet for the chickens!), do I want the organs (YES! we make our own dog food). The form is filled out and I order USDA certified inspection. This means I can sell the fresh cuts, but not the bacon or sausage as they have been processed with seasonings and smoked. Keep in mind, this is for Florida and may be different in other states.

I prefer to allow the meat to hang for 2 weeks to allow as much blood as possible to drain, but this is county fair season when all the 4H kids sell their cows and pigs so my butcher is busy with a capital B! So our meat will hang 6 days and spend 1 day in the freezer. They are labeled with our farm name, the weight, the cut, and the USDA inspection seal. They are shrink wrapped and the packaging is completely see-thru.

On day 8 I pick up the frozen meat. One pig was 225 pounds and the smaller was 125. We got back around 200 pounds. Some people choose not to keep the fat and organs and they will get less.

As far as cost, that's going to vary wildly on your location. There's a kill fee per animal, and you pay per pound on the hanging weight. This is the weight of the animal after the removal of the head, legs, and insides. There will be more loss from bone and cuttings when the cuts are packaged, so asking for these is a must as you are paying for them! I grind the bones down for bone meal to use in the garden.

All in all, if you will be using the meat for just your family, I suggest learning how to butcher and wrap. You will save potentially hundreds of dollars a year. However, if you plan on selling the meat it's best, and sometimes the law, to have it done professionally and inspected.

Best of all, when you raise your livestock humanely and naturally, you will know you are giving the best you can to your family. If you cannot raise them yourself, please seek out a local farmer who raises and processes humanely. Thank you and best wishes on your endeavors!