Butchering a pig

I went to the winery for 2 days of work. A private lunch and a private dinner were on the agenda but the real surprise was the delivery of a pig. I didn't plan on this, but my timing couldn't have been better. The Chef revealed the delivery to me after a couple of hours of prep for the dinner event. I said "this will be a great experience to watch you butcher the pig", to which he replied "You're not watching, you'll be helping me"! Awesome. There were 4 of us there to dismantle the pig for its various uses. This was no ordinary hog, it was a "mangalista" breed pictured above. It's a unique pig because of its fur and the 4" of fat underlying the skin. It's origin is from Hungary and the Balkans where it was bred for its large amount of lard. Through the years, it's popularity waned to give way to less fatty hogs until recently when there has been a resurgence of demand for the breed. A local farmer breeds them for high profile restaurants like the French Laundry.

It was delivered to us with the head removed and the carcass sawed in half lengthwise.

We went to work as soon as it arrived. The first task was to remove all of the meat along the inner halves of the body and remove the legs with the shoulders intact.

Then we separated the meat, fat, skin, and the bones. The fat was placed in large roasting plans and placed in the oven to be rendered. 

Next, I got to debone 2 of the legs, remove the skin, then cut the fat/meat into 1"-2" pieces. This was to be eventually made into salami. My boning knife really got a workout on this one. The next day, I ground all of this leg meat, made a spice blend, and then combined the two with a mixer.

The remaining 2 legs were kept whole to be cured for proscuitto. The Chef had me make a roux with equal portions of rendered fat and flour. This was a technique I had not seen. The roux was used to seal the exposed portions of the leg meat for the curing process.

Also, the next day, I cooked all of the bones and attached meat in the rendered fat. Once cooked, I removed all of the meat which will be used for carnitas.

The head was cooked in water all day. When removed, all of the flesh had fallen off the skull. The meat will be used to make ndjua.

The fat back and spice mix were combined for curing to make lardo.

The skin was cut into strips for making pork rinds.

Every part of the pig was used. It was a great experience to see the process. Seeing the animal from start to finish makes one appreciate and respect it. You want to waste nothing so that the animal's death is purposeful and meaningful. Another great learning session at the winery.