Butchering a Mini Pig

We swaped a yet-to-be-born female ouessant for a vietnemese pot bellied pig carcus. It was a great opportunity for the first time butchering a pig, as they are about the size of the bigger lambs, so it is easier to handle - and easier to keep the bits you are not working on cool.

I cut it up in quite a simple way. Each half was cut in to three. The front part - front leg and shoulder was boned out for sausages, the middle part was boned and made in to bacon (back and belly) and a tiny roast. The rear part - back legs - was salted, one wet cured for honey roast ham, and the other dry cured for a mini dried ham. The head I made in to brawn pork pies.

All this pork processing also inspired me to do something with some bits from our pigs that are still waiting patiently in the freezer. I put on some belly to become bacon and made lard from some of the backfat (needed for the pork pie pastry) as well as adding some more meat and fat in to the sausages (the mini pig was a bit skinny so it was useful to have some extra fat hanging around)

No it didn't have two heads!