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Southern Foodways: Hog-Butchering Time

Posted by Melissa Hall, October 12, 2007 at 2:30 PM

It's cold enough to kill hogs. OK, it's not. But, it should be. And, hopefully, it will be soon. For most of us, hog-killing isn't the family, social, community event it used to be. But then, most of us don't spend our spring worrying about the health and survival of our suckling pigs while eyeing the cold day in late fall (the cold day that heralds the coming of many more cold days) when those same pigs will provide sustenance for a long winter.

Ever wondered how it is Southerners took to the hog so devotedly? The answer lies in our relatively recent pioneer past. In his great book Eating, Drinking, and Visiting in the South, Joe Gray Taylor explains, "A pig born in the spring was ready for slaughter in early winter, obviating the necessity for carrying anything other than breeding stock over the winter." Further, Taylor notes, "Compared to other animals, hogs were efficient in converting grain to meat. One estimate is that 24 percent of the energy of grain eaten by hogs is made available for human consumption as compared to 18 percent for milk products and only 3 1/2 percent for beef and mutton." [Squeamish readers beware: Graphic hog-butchering photos after the jump.]

Although some parts of the hog were hurried from barn lot to cookstove and eaten on hog-killing day, people in the pig business in Appalachia have forever cast an eye to the future, anticipating the delayed pleasure of year-old hams, canned pork tenderloin, and sage-seasoned sausage. Why Appalachia? Certainly the practicing of hog-killing and preserving meat extends to other areas, but the climate of the Appalachian south—very cold winters, followed by mild springs and tolerable summers—makes the area ideal for salt curing.

If you want to learn about hog-killing in detail, Taylor's book offers great descriptions. Likewise, The Foxfire Book by Eliot Wigginton has a huge amount of information and detail on the practice. For now, you can learn more about the modern-day ham and bacon curers of Kentucky by visiting the Southern Foodways website.

Or, if you're game, enjoy this hog-killing photo essay and introduction by Evan Hatch.

These photos were taken at an annual hog slaughtering held at Ronald Lawson's farm in Short Mountain community near Woodbury, Tennessee, in January 2003. Since these photos were taken, this annual tradition has ceased. In preceding years, the day began the process of butchering and curing enough meat for its participants and their families to subsist for the year. These men slaughtered these hogs in order to preserve a centuries-old, once-common farming tradition that has largely disappeared. But there were other reasons for continuing this tradition. These men practiced an economical way of feeding their families while economically using almost every part of every animal slaughtered. The hogs were bought at 80 to 90 pounds for 30¢ a pound and then raised on the farm to 300 pounds. These men also practiced their own quality control on the food they ate by raising the hogs on corn and feed they provided. This guaranteed them high-quality, hormone-free meat.

The participants on Ronald Lawson's farm, clockwise from lower left: Fred Bryson, Ronald Lawson, Greg Lobo, Burley Bogle, Wayne Amanet, Bobby Self.

A hog, recently shot and stuck is carried by the backhoe to the scalding pit. The chains draped over the pit enable the men to turn the body in the water, insuring even heating.

A hog after scalding. The burlap covering helps to keep the heat close to the body so the hair is easier to remove for a longer period of time.

The men set about the hog and pull and scrape its hair with hands and dull knives. Dull knives prevent lacerations on the skin. This process takes twenty to thirty minutes and at its end, the hog is mostly smooth skinned.

A refrigerator reveals heads and feet to be used at a later time.

1 Comment | Tags: butchering, pigs, pork, SFA column, Southern Foodways Alliance, Tennessee, Woodbury