Pork, slaughtering, cutting, preserving and cooking on the Farm
Contents
1. and continue sawing through the shoulder and neck to the base of the head fig 54 If the split gets off PN 5352 Figure 52 Splitting center continue sawing through to the next vertebra and then realine the saw Remove the head at the atlas joint the joint closest to the head 1 his joint should be exposed if the carcass is properly split fig 55 After cut ting through the joint cut downward along the jaw bone leaving the jowls attached to the carcass If desired remove the tongue wash it thor oughly and place it with the liver and heart Remove the kidneys and leaf fat figs 56 and 57 The leaf fat is removed by loosening it from the diaphragm muscle and lifting it upward Wash the carcass throughly before chilling PN 5353 Figure 53 Splitting 33 win 4 Ry s0 NAG Lis ypas Ph 5154 PN 5355 Figure 54 Splitting Figure 55 Removing head at atlas joint p iiS IN 5157 Figure 56 Removing kidney Figure 57 Removing leaf fat 34 Examining the Carcass All the internal organs and the dressed carcass fig 58 should be examined carefully for any abnormal ities or conditions that might affect the fitness of the meat for food Usually a meat inspector or graduate vet erinarian is the only person qualified to do this and one should be present to inspect the carcass however under farm conditions you may need to look for the obvious signs of disease or damage your2. 2 Improperly placed bullets could cause the animal much pain and injure helpers or other livestock Animals that become excited during Figure 2 Stunning stunning will not bleed as well as those less excited As always the case whenever using firearms exercise all appropriate safety precautions Bleeding Bleeding is a very important part of the slaughtering operation The animal should be bled within 2 minutes after it is down because the blood pressure may increase and thus break the capillaries and cause an unattractive condition in the meat called blood splash Although meat with this condition is safe for con sumption it is quite unpleasant in appearance After stunning the animal place it PN 5303 on its back perfectly straight with the head close to the ground A helper can stand over the animal and hold its front legs Locate the tip of the breastbone along the midline fig 3 A 6 inch sticking knife sharpened on both sides of the tip is best However a regular boning or skinning knife can be used Hold the knife at a 35 to 40 degree angle thrust it under the breastbone with the point aimed toward the tail and then give an upward thrust dip the point to sever the carotid artery figs 4 amp 5 No twisting or cross cutting of the knife is necessary If the hog does not bleed insert the knife a little deeper a second time and there should be little difficulty getting a good stick To avoi
3. animal prior to slaughter if you expect to obtain high quality meat Pen the animal in a clean dry place the day before slaughtering Restrict the animal from feed 24 hours prior to slaughter but provide access to water at all times The slaughter of hot excited animals increases the risk of sickness injury and darker meat therefore do not run the animal or wrestle with it Bruises and whip marks cause bloody spots which must be trimmed out Animal Type and Meat Yield Highest quality pork is produced from young healthy well fed meaty hogs that weigh from 175 to 240 pounds The meat type hog should have full plump meaty hams and 3 straight smooth sides Fat should be firm evenly distributed and not more than 1 6 to 1 7 inches average thickness over the back The average meat type hog produces as much pork as a family of two consumes in 10 to 12 months Heavier fatter hogs produce less lean and more excess fat A meat type hog when cut and trimmed according to the methods described later will yield approxi mately 65 to 70 percent of its carcass weight in ham picnic shoulder loin bacon and Boston butt Expected yields of major and minor cuts from a U S No 2 hog are presented in table 1 The slaughter of boars is not rec ommended Meat from boars has a strong odor during cooking and an off flavor This sex odor and flavor is often identified as being soapy and the odor increases as boar
4. hide from back hide fig 32 removing it along the back If the fat begins to tear use a knife to correct the torn area and then continue pulling the hide Remove the hide as far down the back as possible fig 33 When it becomes difficult to pull along the top of the neck complete removal with a knife If the head is to be saved skin over the poll and down the face fig 34 Remove the hide at the snout Remove the front feet by sawing just below the knee joint fig 35 Con tinue with evisceration and splitting 24 PN 5330 Figure 30 Skinning forelegs Evisceration Lossen the anus by cutting around it deep into the pelvic canal Pull outward and cut any remaining attachments fig 36 be careful not to cut into the large intestine When the anus is loosened tie it with a piece of string to avoid contaminating the carcass fig 37 Remove the penis from a slaugh tered barrow Cut through the skin and fatty tissue along each side of the penis and around the penis opening Lift upward and cut underneath it PN 5331 Figure 31 Skinning sides and back along the midline fig 38 Cut along the penis between the hams pull the penis upward and remove it at its attachment at the base of the ham fig 39 Continue the cut made between the hams at their natural separation exposing the white connective tissue Cut through the tissue to the pelvic aitch bone Continue cutting through the cartilage between
5. it should be trans ported to a local locker plant or market for chilling The need for prompt and thorough chilling of warm carcasses cannot be over emphasized for the inhibition of bac terial growth The carcass can be cut into retail cuts after it has been chilled for 24 to 48 hours 35 CUTTING Use the following guidelines in determining cutting and packaging instructions for the processor if the carcass is not cut and wrapped on the farm Chops Can be broiled braised or pan fried Chops should be at least one half to three fourths of an inch thick for frying or braising and inch thick for broiling Figure one or two chops per serving Allow three fourths of a pound of uncooked meat bone in per person as a guide Roasts Allow three fourths of a pound per serving for bone in roasts ham picnic shoulder and one half pound per serving for boneless roast boned and rolled Boston butt or shoulder Sausage Allow one third pound per serving Carcass Cutting Equipment Elaborate and expensive equip ment is not necessary but certain items are essential The following equipment is recommended fig 59 I Steel 2 Boning knife 3 Large steak knife 4 Meat saw 5 Freezer paper see section on wrapping 6 Freezer tape 7 Meat grinder electric or hand powered 8 Clean water Cutting the Carcass Remove the hind foot by sawing through the hock joint at the right 36 angle to the le
6. the aitch bone and separate the hams fig 40 This procedure is satisfactory in young pigs however a saw may be needed to split the aitch bone in older hogs Make a cut through the lean and PN 5332 Figure 32 Pulling hide from back fat from the point where the pig was stuck to the upper end of the sternum or breastbone fig 41 Insert the knife at the top edge of the sternum cut downward and slightly off center to open the chest cavity fig 42 Open the midline beginning at the opening made when the aitch bone was split With the handle of the knife inserted in the opening and with the blade pointed outward to avoid cutting the intestines fig 43 open the midline to the opening made at the breast fig 44 Allow the intes tines and stomach to roll outward 25 PN 5333 PN 5334 Figure 33 Pulling hide from back Figure 34 Skinning head PN 5335 Figure 35 Removing front legs 26 PN 5336 Figure 36 Loosening anus Ko PN 5337 Figure 37 Tying anus 27 28 PN 5338 and hang fig 45 Do not allow them to fall because the esophagus will tear and spill its contents onto the carcass Pull the loosened large intestine down past the kidneys fig 46 Sever the attachments to the liver and remove it by pulling outward and cutting the connective tissue fig 47 Remove the gall bladder from the liver by cutting beneath it and pulling fig 48 Be careful not to allow its c
7. PORK Slaughtering Cutting Preserving and Cooking on the Farm EX UNITED STATES FARMERS K8 DEPARTMENT OF BULLETIN SCIENCE AND 547 AGRICULTURE NUMBER 2265 EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION CONTENTS Page Selection and Care of Animal before Slaughter 3 Preparing for Slaughter aaa 4 NAA ARA 1 Chilling the Carcass 7 cee 35 Cutting alasan LLL LLL LLL LLL 36 Freezing and Frozen Storage _____ _ 53 Further Processing osc a a a e cece eee ees 54 Meat Cookery sier arrede aaa 62 Precautions 532 ye bare de MAAN DEKADA nega meee abe 63 Other Publications 64 On January 24 1978 four USDA agencies Agri cultural Research Service ARS Cooperative State Research Service CSRS Extension Service ES and the National Agricultural Library NAL merged to become a new organization the Science and Education Administration SEA U S Department of Agriculture This publication was prepared by the Science and Education Administration s Federal Research staff which was formerly the Agricultural Research Service This bulletin supersedes Farmers Bulletin No 2138 Slaughtering Cutting and Processing Pork on the Farm October 1959 Washington D C Issued June 1978 For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents U S Government Printing Office Washington D C 20402 Stock No 001 000 03791 9 Pork Slaughtering Cutting Preserving and Cooking on the Fa
8. a healthy limb 6 to 8 inches in diameter and 8 to 10 feet from the ground This will ensure that the limb will not break from the weight of the carcass and the carcass can be fully extended above the ground for viscera removal and splitting If the animal is to be slaughtered in a building be sure that a strong beam 8 to 10 feet from the floor is available The floor should be clean and preferably concrete After selection of the slaughter site clean up the area to ensure that leaves and dirt are not blown on the carcass during slaughter If the site has a wooden or concrete floor wash the floor and all equipment with plenty of soap and water Be sure to rinse thoroughly because sanitizers discolor the meat and may cause off flavors If animals are to be slaugh tered outdoors use straw to cover the area where the carcass will be sus pended and eviscerated The weather on the day of slaughter should also be considered During hot weather the animal should be slaughtered during the cooler early morning or late evening hours Since an inexperienced person will take 2 to 3 hours to complete the slaughter operation care should be taken to avoid long exposure of the carcass to high temperatures During cold weather of less than 30 F the animal can be slaughtered at any time because spoilage bacteria do not grow rapidly at cold tem peratures During periods of extremely cold weather avoid letting the carcass freeze i
9. al times This movement pre vents overscalding Overscalding causes the skin to contract around the base of the hair setting the hair and cooks the skin If the car cass is overscalded the hair is extremely difficult to remove After the proper water temperature Figure 7 Scalding head first has been attained place the pig in the barrel head first fig 7 Rotate the carcass in the barrel pulling it in and out of the water occasionally Check the hair often for ease of removal The hair slips first over the back and sides then in the flank regions When the hair can be pulled easily in the flank regions behind the shoulders remove the hog from the barrel and place the rear of the hog in the water While the rear of the hog is scalding pull the toe nails and dew claws from the front feet by inserting a hook into the top of the nail and pulling fig 8 Scrape as much of the hair on the head as possible especially around the ears and snout fig 9 When the hair slips in the rear flanks remove the hog from the Nt x Xx W x A t PN 5309 Figure 9 Scraping head barrel Remove the toe nails and dew claws from the rear legs and pull the hair from the tail Grip the legs with both hands and twist to pull off the hair Remove the hair in the difficult areas head feet jowl first then proceed to the easier areas back sides If you use the bell scraper tilt the scraper upwar
10. d a shoulder stick do not insert the knife too far to either side The bloody tissue resulting from a shoulder stick will subsequently require trimming Care should also be taken to make certain that the hog does not kick you or the knife Hair or Skin Removal Once the animal is bled the hair can be removed by scalding the animal in hot water and scraping or the skin and hair can be removed by skinning Traditionally hogs have been scalded and scraped and the skin is left intact Both procedures will be discussed because many people now find the skinning method to be easier to require less equip ment and to result in an equally acceptable final product PN 5304 Figure 3 Locating breastbone BREASTBONE OO a Figure S Positions for sticking ae Scalding and Scraping Method For scalding the most important consideration is maintaining an ade quate supply of properly heated water Approximately 50 gallons of near boiling water will be needed for each pig This water should be ready boiling before the animal is stunned and bled After the hot water is placed in the scalding barrel it can be adjusted to the proper temperature for scalding by adding cold water The animal can be scalded by several methods The easiest method is to have two barrels one for heating the water and one for use as a scalding vat Fifty five gallon barrels will be large enough for most hogs The scalding barrel ca
11. d on the forward edge and pull the scraper forward applying as much pressure as possible fig 10 Scrape the hot carcass as quickly as possible because the skin tends to set as it cools If patches of hair and scurf are difficult to scrape cover them with a burlap bag and pour hot water over them Scraping is made easier by moving the legs or the head in order to stretch the skin smoothing the wrinkles along the sides After most of the hair has been removed pour water over the carcass and continue scraping Place the scraper flat against the skin and move it in a rotary manner fig 11 This procedure aids in removal of scurf and dirt as well as removal of the rest of the hair If patches of hair cannot be removed with the scraper use a knife Some people prefer to use a knife for the entire operation The carcass is now ready to be sus pended Clean the feet by cutting away the soles of the feet and cutting between and around the toes fig 12 Expose the gambrel tendons by cut ting through the skin on the backs of the rear legs from dew claws to hock fig 13 Cut down each side of the tendons being careful not to cut the tendons fig 14 Insert the spreader or gambrel under both tendons on PN 5310 Figure 10 Scraping head PN 5311 Figure 11 Scraping middle PN 5312 Figure 12 Cleaning feet 14 PN 5313 Figure 13 Exposing gambrel tendons PN 5314 Figure 14 Exposi
12. fig 20 Open the hide down the midline from the point where the animal was 16 PN 5315 Figure 15 Suspending the carcass stuck around each side of the pubis area and continue to the anus fig 21 Make this cut by inserting the point of the knife under the skin with the blade turned up This procedure is referred to as cutting from inside out and protects against meat con tamination from materials on the hide Avoid cutting too deeply because you may puncture the intes tine and contaminate the carcass Remove the hide from the insides of the hams fig 22 Be careful it is very easy to cut through the fat into the lean Continue skinning along the sides toward the breast Grasp the loosened hide in the opposite hand and pull it up and out This places tension on the hide removes wrin kles and allows the knife to glide PN 5316 Figure 16 Singeing PN 5317 Figure 17 Position for skinning 17 18 Figure 18 Cutting skin around legs ET ee Figure Ig Cutting to midline PN 5318 PN 5319 PN 5320 PN 5321 Figure 21 Cutting down midline 19 PN 5322 Figure 22 Skinning hams smoothly Holding the knife firmly place it against the hide with the blade turned slightly outward fig 23 Skin as far down the sides as possible but not around the front legs fig 24 Return to the rear of the carcass and remove the hide left on the rear of the hams fig 25 D
13. mmediately after slaughter because the meat will be less tender than if it is permitted to chill without freezing Slaughter during high winds may result in dirt and other contaminants being blown onto the carcass Waste Disposal All waste products should be dis posed of in a sanitary manner If the animal is to be slaughtered in the open select a site with good drainage so that blood and water can drain away from the carcass Do not allow blood and water to pollute nearby streams or other water supplies Disposal of viscera and hair is often a problem Arrange to have a local processor or rendering plant pick up these wastes If this is not possible bury them so that dogs and other animals cannot dig them up Hair can be burned Slaughter Equipment Elaborate and expensive equip ment is not necessary but certain items are essential fig 1 The amount of equipment will depend on the slaughter procedure used If the carcass is to be scalded rather than skinned additional equipment will be needed items 16 to 23 The fol lowing slaughter equipment is recom mended 1 22 caliber rifle with long or long rifle cartridges 2 Sharp skinning knife and steel 3 Boning knife 4 Block and tackle or chain hoist should be strong enough to hold weight of pig to be slaughtered PN 5302 Figure I Equipment for slaughter 5 Chocks concrete blocks work well 6 Meat saw 7 Oil or water stone 8 Ample cold wate
14. n be buried in the ground at a slight angle thus movement of the hog in and out of the barrel is easier fig 6 Be sure the angle of the barrel is not too flat or the barrel will not hold enough water to cover the carcass Another method for scalding is to have a scalding vat or a barrel under which a fire can be built This method requires more construction and the temperature of the water is difficult to control Slow scald is usually best Scalding water temperatures between 140 and 140 F are optimal At these optimal temperatures 3 to 6 minutes of scalding are required to loosen the hair and scurf layer of accumulated oil dirt and the outer layer of cells on the skin In the fall when the winter hair is beginning to grow the hair of most hogs is difficult to remove Higher water temperatures 146 to 150 F or longer sub mersion times are usually required for scalding during this hard hair season About 1 4 cup of rosin lime PN 5306 Figure B Scalding equipment or some other alkaline material added to the scald water to aid in scurf removal results in a whiter skin On the farm regulation of water temperature is difficult Add boiling water to the scalding barrel then add cool water to adjust to the proper temperature Begin with the scalding water at 155 to 160 F because it cools rapidly At these high tem peratures the carcass must be kept in motion and pulled from the barrel sever
15. ng gambrel tendons 15 each leg Secure the legs to the spreader bar and suspend the carcass fig 15 If available a propane torch or blowtorch can be used to singe the remaining hair and scurf fig 16 Singeing removes most of the hair and allows small light hairs to be seen Use caution during singeing to prevent burning the skin Shave the remaining hair and wash the carcass thoroughly Continue with evis ceration and splitting pages 24 35 Skinning Method The skinning procedure used for pork carcass is similar to that used for beef carcasses Skinning requires less equipment and can be done faster than scalding and scraping We have commonly believed that the skin was needed on hams and bacon to assure proper curing however this belief is not necessarily correct A poor skin ning job can lower the quality of the belly for bacon After stunning and bleeding the animal move the carcass to the location of the hoisting equipment Place the carcass on a sheet of ply wood a concrete slab or straw Wash the blood and dirt from the carcass Turn the carcass on its back and hold it in place with blocks placed on each side fig 17 Cut the hide around the rear legs just below the dew claws fig 18 Make a cut through only the hide down the back of the leg over the hocks and to the midline at the center of the hams fig 19 Skin around each side of the leg removing the hide to a point below the hock
16. ngth of the foot fig 60 The ham may be removed two ways The long cut ham is cut off at the pelvic arch bend in the back bone perpendicular to the length of the side fig 61 This style ham lends itself to dry salt curing and aging The popular short cut ham is sepa rated from the side by a cut approxi mately halfway between the pelvic arch and the end of the pelvic bone at a right angle to the shank fig 62 The front foot is removed by sawing through the hock knee joint at a right angle to the length of the foot fig 63 A shoulder hock may be cut off about halfway up the leg fig 64 To separate the shoulder from the loin and belly locate the second rib from the front and saw through the center of this rib fig 65 The remaining part middle is divided into the loin and the belly by a straight cut from the edge of the tenderloin muscle on the ham end through a point on the first rib about 2 inches from the protruding edge of the split backbone figs 66 and 67 The tail backbone and flank are removed from the ham and the fat over the inside top in the pelvic area and along each side is trimmed close to the lean fig 68 Most of the skin and fat are left on the long cut ham with only a short bevel at the butt loin end Five or six inches of skin may be removed from the short cut ham by cutting under the skin approximately half the distance between the butt edge and the hock fig 69 The exp
17. o not skin the outside of the hams at this time Remove the rear feet by sawing through the bone about 2 inches above the hock fig 26 Insert the spreader under the large tendons on the rear legs fig 27 and secure the legs to the spreader Hoist the carcass to a convenient working height waist high for skin removal from the outside of the hams Skin around the outsides of the hams leaving as much fat as pos 20 sible on the carcass Remove the hide around the anus and cut through the tail at the joint closest to the body fig 28 Pull the hide down over the hips fig 29 The hide along the hips and back can be pulled off leaving the fat on the carcass Occasionally you may need to use a knife to cut between the skin and the fat if large pieces of fat are being pulled off Hoist the carcass to a fully extended position Open the hide down the rear of the forelegs Remove the hide on each side of the forelegs fig 30 Skin along the inside of the forelegs and neck Skin along the outside of the shoulders and jowls to a point approximately half way to the back of the carcass fig 31 Slowly pull down and out on the PN 5323 Figure 23 Siding Figure 24 Siding 21 PN 5325 Figure 25 Skinning rear of hams Figure 26 Removing feet PN 5326 22 Ph 5327 ro NG Tate NG mn kay VN 572X Figure 28 Skinning rear of hams 23 Figure 29 Removing
18. ontents to spill onto the liver Pull the stomach and intestines outward and cut through the diaphragm fig 49 This is the thin sheet of muscle and white connective tissue that separates the stomach and intestines from the lungs and heart Pull outward on the lungs and heart and cut down each side of the wind pipe severing its attachment at the head fig 50 To separate the heart from the lungs cut across its top fig dng PN 5339 Figure 39 Removing penis PN 5340 Ph 5141 Figure 40 Splitting pelvic bone Figure 41 Tip of sternum Figure 42 Opening the sternum PN 5343 Figure 43 Opening the midline Figure 45 Intestines and stomach Figure 46 Pulling large intestine 30 E at ee VT Sa aot Pa i g PN 5347 Figure 47 Removing liver PN 5348 Figure 48 Removing gall bladder PN 5349 PN 5350 Figure 49 Cutting diaphragm Figure SO Removing windpipe PN 5351 Figure 51 Removing heart 32 51 The heart should be split open to allow thorough washing Wash the heart and liver thoroughly and put them in ice or ice water Splitting and Head Removal Wash the inside of the carcass before splitting With the saw begin splitting from the inside between the hams fig 52 Keep the split as near the center of the backbone as pos sible and saw through the tail region to a point midway through the loin fig 53 Move around to the back
19. osed fat is then smoothly tapered to a thickness of about one half inch at the butt end fig 70 The fat back is removed from the
20. r for washing hands equipment carcass and byproducts 9 Tree with strong limb beam or tripod 8 to 10 feet high or tractor with hydraulic lift 10 Spreader gambrel or metal pipe 11 Buckets 2 or 3 12 Ice or cold water 13 Straw for placing under animal during evisceration and splitting 14 Clean cloths or plastic for pro tection of meat during transport 15 Clean string 16 Scalding barrel 17 Pot or barrel for heating water 18 Bell scrapers 1 or 2 these are not necessary but helpful 19 Plywood or other solid mate rial for scalding platform 20 Thermometer which registers up to 200 F 21 Dry wood for fire 22 Hog or hay hook 23 Propane torch or blow torch Be sure that all equipment that will come in contact with meat is thor oughly cleaned Blood and other materials that get on the outer gar ments of workers during slaughter should not be transferred to the car cass after it is washed Additional equipment needed for cutting the carcass is listed in the sec tion Cutting SLAUGHTER Stunning The animal should be killed as quickly and humanely as possible In most slaughter plants hogs are immobilized either by electrical stun ning or carbon dioxide gas suf focation On the farm a hog can be stunned by striking it one sharp blow with a mechanical stunner or by shooting it in the forehead midway between and slightly above the eyes The first attempt should be successful fig
21. rm By H Russell Cross Research Food Technologist E Curtis Green Meat Marketing Specialist William R Jones Extension Meal Specialist 3 Roger L West Associate Professor Meat Sci ence 4 and Anthony W Kotula Chief Meat Science Research Laboratory Photographs by Donald K Rough and Terry K O Driscoll5 SELECTION AND CARE OF ANIMAL BEFORE SLAUGHTER Several factors should be consid ered before slaughtering a hog for home consumption The most important considerations are health kind of animal barrow gilt sow or boar expected meat yield and care of the animal prior to slaughter Health You should take care that an unhealthy animal is not selected for slaughter At the time of selection look for signs of sickness such as Meat Science Research Laboratory North eastern Region SEA FR Beltsville Md 20705 2Standardization Branch Meat Quality Division Food Safety and Quality Service Washington D C 20250 3Cooperative Extension Service Auburn University Auburn Ala 36830 4Department of Animal Science University of Florida Gainesville Fla 32611 4Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Northeastern Region SEA FR Beltsville Md 20705 fever increased breathing rate and diarrhea Animals suspected of being unhealthy should be treated by a vet erinarian until the animal is returned to a healthy state Animal Care It is important to exercise proper care of the
22. s approach sexual maturity If old boars are to be slaughtered they should be castrated and allowed to heal prior to being slaughtered PREPARING FOR SLAUGHTER Prior to the day of slaughter select the slaughter site accumulate all equipment prepare for waste dis posal and if necessary arrange with a local processor or meat market for chilling and cutting the carcass If you plan to have the carcass chilled and cut up make arrangements con cerning the time and day on which the carcass can be accepted the charges and specific instructions for chilling cutting and wrapping Site Selection Slaughter site selection is extremely important The amount of space and equipment needed will depend on the Table I Percentages of major and minor cuts from a U S No 2 hog trimmed according to USDA procedures cuts Percentage of USDA carcass weight Ham trimmed Belly untrimmed Collar fat back and clear plate Picnic shoulder and Boston butt trimmed Loin trimmed Feet tall and neckbones Spareribs Jowl untrimmed 19 18 18 I7 I7 5 3 3 100 Four lean cuts 53 Adapted from Smith King 4 Carpenter 1975 Ham loin picnic shoulder and Boston butt method scalding or skinning used If the carcass is to be scalded be sure that a site is selected where a fire can be built and clean running water is available If a tree is to be used to suspend the carcass select
23. self If any part of the viscera or carcass is questionable you should obtain expert advice Bruises minor injuries parasites in the organs enclosed abscesses and single tumors are frequently local conditions that can be easily 1 535x Figure 58 Completed carcass removed However congestion or inflamation of the lungs intestines kidneys inner surface of chest or abdominal cavity and numerous yel lowish or pearl like growths scattered throughout the organs should be viewed seriously Carcasses and vis cera having such abnormalities should be examined by a graduate veterinarian and his opinion obtained as to the wholesomeness of the meat You should check with a cooperating veterinarian before you slaughter the animal to he certain he will be avail able if you should seek his advice CHILLING THE CARCASS The surfaces of freshly slaughtered hog carcasses are contaminated with bacteria that can spoil the meat unless their growth is promptly checked Bacterial growth can be slowed by prompt chilling and keeping the carcass at low tem peratures If the weather is suitable 28 to 35 F the carcass can be wrapped in a sheet hung and chilled in a well ventilated shed Wrapping with clean cloth will partially protect the carcass from contamination Do not allow the carcass to freeze because freezing within day after death may toughen the meat If the carcass cannot be chilled to below 40 F on the farm
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