Bulk buying - How to buy, store and eat a whole hog

How to Buy, Store and Eat a whole hog

The family decision to buy animals in bulk is a big one, but one that pays off in health, peace of mind, meal planning and finances. This little guide is designed to help you navigate each of the steps as you make this decision.

WAYS TO BUY IN BULK   

There are 2 main ways to buy a whole animal, and it is centered around where the animal is butchered. Custom vs USDA.

CUSTOM.  In a custom arrangement, the animal is butchered at a custom kill facility vs a USDA inspected facility.   You can always tell how an animal was butchered by a custom facility because the package will say “not for sale”.  Custom plants tend to get used for private use (farmer killing his own) or private transactions between farmer and customer.  Requires more customer involvement & steps. Retail not legal.

USDA.  At a USDA inspected facility a federal meat inspector inspects & approves every carcass for human consumption. You know it was USDA inspected because packages of meat will have a USDA inspected label on it. USDA plants are generally used by farmers who sell retail cuts to the public and do wholes and halves to their clients. Requires little customer involvement & steps. Legal Retail sell.

WHY ONE OVER THE OTHER?   

• First, you may not have a say in the matter. Most Farms who direct sell have built their business model around a method – USDA vs custom.  They know the butcher well and have a close working relationship on butchery, yields, packing, cuts etc. So –
• Start with the farmer and ask them what they do and ask them to explain the process.
• If want the peace of mind of a federally inspected carcass – go USDA.
• If you want to deal with 1 person vice 2 – go USDA. Most farmers that use USDA have a close working relationship with the butcher and are in a good position to ensure customer satisfaction.

HOW EACH METHOD WORKS  

CUSTOM.

1.  The customer buys the animal from the farmer and pays the farmer by the pound, either hanging carcass weight or live weight).

2. the farmer takes the animal to the custom butcher for the customer.

3. the customer talks to the butcher about how they want it cut

4. The customer waits and when ready goes to the butcher to pick him up and pay the butcher.  

USDA.  

1.  The customer agrees to buy a whole or half animal from the farmer and typically pays a good faith deposit.  

2. Near butcher time, the farmer talks to you about butchery & conveys that to the butcher, so you don’t have to. This makes sense because the farmer likely knows a lot about the butcher’s strengths and weaknesses.

3. Pick up- Typically the farmer will pick up the animal and arrange delivery or pickup with you.

HOW MUCH PORK DO I GET IN A WHOLE HOG ?  

At Land Basket we butcher at around 350- 400 live weight. This is heavier than commercial pigs, but we think the hog really comes into his own at around 350. For a whole hog you can expect between 130-165 lbs of cuts, vacuum sealed.

WHAT IS THE BREAK DOWN FOR A WHOLE HOG  ?

Chops – 15-23 lbs

Shoulder roasts or steaks – 20-27 lbs

Ribs – 5-8 lbs

T-Loin – 2 lbs

Pork Belly – 16-23 lbs.

Ham (roasts or steaks) – 25-35 lbs.

Hocks – 5-8 lbs

Ground product* (Sausages) – 25-35 lbs.   

* If you grind both hams = total ground product will be closer to 70-90 lbs of ground total. This is a popular choice if you are a big fan of ground products over roasts or steaks. Keep in mind you already have ~30 lbs of shoulder roasts already.

Ground options with our butcher: Mild, Italian, Unseasoned, Chorizo.

Fat – 10-20 lbs (if you want it. Does not count toward cut and pack weight (ie free)

Bones – If you bone out the hams you can get the bones

Organ meat  - Heart, Liver and Kidney

Jowl  -  2-3 lbs (if you want).

HOW LONG WILL THAT MUCH PORK LAST?

Really, only you can figure this out based on the way you eat and how big your family is - but I will share some thoughts.

Broadly, my whole hog families return each year. Singles or couples w/o kids return every year for halves.

Consider this rough logic: let’s say beef, poultry, pork and fish are entrée choices each week – so let’s say pork is a 1 x a week entrée. Using that math you could get about 10 weeks out of the chops, 10 weeks out of the shoulders. If you’re handy with left overs, lets say you could get another 10 weeks with left over dishes. That’s 30 weeks. Add another 4-6 weeks for Ribs and Hocks entrees. That’s 36 weeks. Let’s say you can figure out an entrée using the ground product…. Mostly a breakfast thing but say 25% entrée…. or another 10 weeks. Grand total of 42 weeks – very rough but would certainly get you through most of the year and we did not touch the breakfasts meals.  

WHAT DOES IT COST ?   If you buy from Land Basket Farm, Pork is $8 a pound cut and pack weight in other words, you pay for what you get. If the total C&P weight is 135 lbs, cost is 8 x 135 = $1080. We include fats and organ meats at no charge.

WHAT IS THE MONEY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN USDA VS CUSTOM.  I have spent a lot of time crunching the numbers between the two methods -  It is about the same once it’s all said and done.  

WHAT IS THE VALUE PER MEAL ?   Assuming a portion is 8 ounces, each meal costs about $4.

DO I REALLY SAVE MONEY ?  Yes.  Buy buying bulk you save about $150 over buying as you go.

HOW MUCH FREEZER DO I NEED FOR A WHOLE HOG?  -  With careful packing, you can get a whole hog in a 7 cubic ft freezer.

OK, I AM THINKING ABOUT IT - WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BUYING BULK?  There are several:

1. Peace of mind – in quality. In a bulk buy, you already have confidence in the farmers’ methods and have chosen them for a reason, buying direct puts you in charge.
2. Peace of mind – in supply for the year.  No freaking out on what’s for dinner – your coffers are full & you know what’s in there.
3. You get what you want. In a bulk buy, you have choices with the butchery. From packaging, thickness of cuts, type cuts etc. Your farmer will help you navigate these choices. It’s a lot of fun and we can tailor the butchery to the way you cook.
4. Helps with your meal planning. In a bulk buy, you get an invoice that tells you exactly what you got. If managed properly, you can better forecast meals because you know what you have left.
5. You do save money. If you bought the same amount of meat via retail piece by piece – you would pay about $150 more for the same meat.
6. Local, direct buying from farms practicing regenerative methods is the most powerful way to support environmental practices you believe in. If you believe in it – put your money where your mouth is.

I AM SOLD - HOW DO I ORDER A WHOLE HOG FROM LAND BASKET FARM ?

Go to bulk animals, select whole hog, pay a deposit. Or just click this link.

In November, on the eve of winter - you will have one more thing to be thankful for.

Happy eating !