Hog Hair removal? Last night we caught him in a snare. Soon we will have fresh meat to share!

Wash down the skinned hog with fresh water! YEP I hang mine from tractor buckets and set a A frame ladder up beside them and pressure wash the hell out of them before going into the cooler for chilling. And I would not hang a hog for more than 2 days max even in 28-34 degree cooler and ideally just overnight. It sours and gets a bit rancid pretty quick. Pork does not age well like beef, deer or goat does.

 

I was using newspaper and sawdust wishing that I had a propane torch. Next time for sure!

 

Yeah, I didn't have a tub or basin large enough, but I wish that I would have thought of using towels and pouring hot water. I can see how that will definitely make things easier. Thank you for the tips!

 

Yeah, I found myself wondering if it was even worth the effort. I think I wanted to practice a few times to get the experience, but yesterday I definitely didn't know what I was doing. It was a spur of the moment thing. I always wondered what would happen if I actually did catch a pig in the snare. He was NOT happy to be there.
The first pig I ever dressed was last year it was a sow and her skin was much softer, but I didn't know what to do about the hair so I had lots of charred hairy pieces and didn't want to go through that again
Thank you for saying that about cooking the meat enough. I'm always super paranoid when it comes to wild game especially out here in the tropics and the USDA/FDA guidelines... sketchy. We cooked the meat to 170 then had an arsenal of thermometers and smoked a bunch.
Thank you so much for the tips. Being a beginner isn't always pretty.

 

That sounds so handy and like a smart way to get the job done! I was wishing for something like that.

 

Thank you! After this experience I feel like I will be better equipped for the next one. It all happened so fast and felt time sensitive

 

Wow! That cast iron cauldron is EPIC! I bet it had many uses.

 

The slaughterhouse setup sounds ideal. I was just wondering how people do it in the woods because it was a heavy beast. Thank you for sharing these links / resources. I just learned so much from reading that At- home hog slaughter article. I'm looking forward to learning more!

 

He definitely had some balls, but they happened to dangle out of sight for this pic. I guess a last attempt at dignity ?

 

Wow! I'm so impressed by your setup here. It's like a perfectly organized assembly line. It is not easy work to get to that point.

 

I really want to pit roast the next one! This one got grilled and thrown into the smoker. I know there will be a next time probably sooner than later.

 

A luau would be fun, wouldn't it?

 

Heck yeah, me thinks you need thermals...and a .22

 

Yes! Grew up in Wa state, worked in New Zealand, came back to finish school, then moved to Maine, but the winter was too cold so we tried Scottsdale, AZ which was nice in January, but got too hot by March. I was thrilled to find a 1 acre lot with 2 permitted homes and no HOA (in the agricultural district) on the Big Island. I hadn't visited before moving, but we took the leap of faith and it's been nice.
It was a great place to be during the thick of covid and since they allow unpermitted structures we've been able to test out alternative home designs. So far we've built 7 geodesic domes and 1 yurt.

 

Thank you for sharing the link and these tips. You covered the next set of my questions!

 

Thank you so much for these specific tips. Pressure washing is a brilliant idea. We used a hose, but I think pressure washing would be more thorough. Yes, we cleaned cut the bagged up the meat and put it in the freezer that same day. I was exhausted by the end of it. It's a workout to do all those steps.
I am curious about beef. I almost got a free bull a few months ago. It would have been nice to have the meat, but I couldn't find a way to transport it to my property.

 

Thank you Everyone!
I'm honestly blown away by how helpful and responsive you were here. This is my first time on a forum and I was feeling very shy about posting. I applied to a few survival / prepper forums because I didn't know where to start, but I feel most comfortable here.
Thank you for sharing your tips, tricks, and suggestions. I learned so much from this thread and am looking forward to learning more!

 

Bull = ground beef