[rubhadubh]

Hi, my first post on this board.

We've kept pigs for a few years, but this will be the first time we've slaughtered them on the farm. I could then borrow cooler space, but if I could hang them in the barn it would make life a lot simpler.

The weather forecast next week here is ranging 7-10deg high and 0-2 deg low. I know *ideal* would be 2-4deg, but should we risk it?

Alternatively, has anyone got ideas for a temporary cooler big enough to take 4 halves of pig?

[welshlass181]

Can't help sorry as i've always sent mine to a abattoir.  I;m sure that there will be a lot of advice on here for people with way more exp than me

[oaklandspigs]

Depends on how long you're going to hang them - couple of days, which is enough to let them set-up, and you'd probably get away with it, but as H&S would say, you are increasing the risk.

I'm sure you will appreciate that you cannot legaly sell (or indeed give away) any of the meat as this is a home slaughter, it must be for the consumption of yourself and those immediate members of your family living with you.

If you can borrow a cooler this would be better, and probably worth the cost rather than risk either ruining 2 pigs which presumably you have taken time to rear, or given food poison to the kids.

[JulieS]

Yes, I agree with Oaklands. 

I wouldn't want to risk losing the pork, or indeed someone being ill.

I've been trying to think of a way of making a temporary cooler, but not sure I can think of anything big enough.  You will be surprised how much space 4 halves will take up.

What area do you live in?

[robert waddell]

you used to get cold stores for milk   basically a wooden frame lined with an insulation and wash down walls internally with a smallish chiller unit  i am sure if determined enough something could be cobbled together
it is just seeing something and copying

[Rich/Jan]

Are you too far away from the slaughter house.  I think home slaughter must be really hard work and here in France the cost is 11euros - killed and cut in half - we do the jointing.  As the French dont 'roast' as such the butcher at the slaughter house cuts everything up into chops-like bits.   Bizarre.  I prefer a good sized joint - also here in France they cut the rind off to make a white-type boudan noir.  I like the crackling although my teeth dont.

[rubhadubh]

I'm in Nova Scotia, and we have a neighbour who is very experienced at killing and gutting farm and wild animals - this is not like the UK, these folk are commonplace! We'll do the butchery ourselves.

On my todo list is building a cooler, possibly using one of these: http://storeitcold.com/ but I haven't got around to it. I could easily/quickly make a rough plywood and rigid insulated box, and it may be that a regular air-conditioner unit (again, these are widely available here) would take enough heat out for long enough. I presume no-one here has tried this.

But yes, it's probably not worth risking the pork.

[Fowgill Farm]

Hi
In the parts of the UK home slaughter is frowned upon due to govt regulations, we obviously have lots more red tape than you do so unfortunately not many people on here will have done a home slaughter, its the same with having kids hardly anyone has them at home now they all have to go to hospital. The Uk has become very hung up on rules & regulations and litigation, everything sanitised and pre packaged.
Hope your project goes well and we'll be interested as to how you get on.
Mandy 

[rubhadubh]

Mandy, thanks for that. We moved from the UK a few years ago, and one reason for the discontent was the food police and the whole What If? Syndrome. The same nonsense is coming here, but there's still a huge sense of the pioneer, doing things for yourself. Yes, I could have someone else kill and butcher my pigs, but equally I could simply go buy some pork and have done with it!

It does mean, however, that we have to relearn some things that we have delegated to the 'experts' and lost a feel for. Hence, the question... we 'know' that ideal storage temperature is 2-4c, but I suspect that in reality there is a margin above that which is still perfectly safe. Commercial production has to reduce risk to the nth degree, and so we have the 4c max recommendation.

Maybe this is the wrong forum for such a question, I'll see what the deer hunters have to say...

[Blonde]

you used to get cold stores for milk   basically a wooden frame lined with an insulation and wash down walls internally with a smallish chiller unit  i am sure if determined enough something could be cobbled together
it is just seeing something and copying

A large domestic fridge.....take the benches out of it.  Put a rod thourgh the side of the fridge to the other, hang the pig in here and close the door, turn the fridge on and set the temperature before you kill the pig..... do this a day or two before hand so you now that the fridge is doing.  keeps  out the flies etc.  Then you can leave a day or so to hang to set....

[Sylvia]

In days gone by (when I was a girl ) I daresay pigs were slaughtered in winter then after a few days hanging put in the salt barrel until anyone had time to cure the various bits.

[robert waddell]

bloody hell blonde it must be some size of fridges that you have in oz that you can hang a pig in them

[rubhadubh]

well, so far, so good... 2 pigs pop, pop, they never knew a thing about it. Skinned and gutted now and hanging in the barn at 5.6c to set, but we will put them in a neighbour's cooler later today or tomorrow for a few days - just not *quite* cool enough in the barn. There aren't many flies around now, but there may still be a couple of hardy ones to watch for.

Killing them on the farm was perfect. Just have to rig up my cooler for next year.

[oaklandspigs]

bloody hell blonde it must be some size of fridges that you have in oz that you can hang a pig in them

Or maybe Blonde's switched to micro pigs?

[tizaala]

After I killed one of mine I let it hang in a douvet cover in our dairy to keep any flies off , no problem.