Final update on Sausage & Bacon 2.0

As you know from last week's post, my pigs were delivered to the slaughterhouse last Tuesday evening, and were scheduled for the big day Wednesday. I was called Wednesday morning to verify which two were mine (they kept calling them "The little ones" since all the others were ENORMOUS) and get a list of all the meats I wanted. It was 7:30am when he called me and not only was I half asleep, but I was sitting in the parking lot of my daughter's college waiting for her to get done with her class so I could take her to high school (she's a dual enrollment student), so I wasn't really thinking about all the meats I wanted.

I assured him I was a newbie at all this and asked for his suggestions. Overall, he helped me compile a good list of things we like to eat and told me the meat should be ready for pick-up on Friday. By the end of that day, when it was all but too late, I realized I'd forgotten one item... BACON.  LOL.  You'd think after naming them Sausage and Bacon I'd at least remember to order up some bacon. Sheesh!

Friday, after I'd finished my normal end of the week errands, I call the slaughterhouse to see if my meat was ready before I went over there ("You have the two little ones, right?"). The meat was ready so I went on over. The slaughterhouse is only a few minutes from my home; I pass it every day taking my youngest daughter to school. When I got there the men told me that while, yes, mine were much smaller than the other, the meat appeared good looking and healthy. I asked the weights of both and it turned out my pigs yielded me 162lbs of processed pork. Wow! Girl pig produced 56lbs and Boy pig produced 106lbs. All of that for $108, $40 of which was the kill fee. Not too shabby!

Today I'll be cooking up our first taste. I have a shoulder roast in the Crock-Pot and I'm looking forward to the freshest pork I've ever eaten. A week ago these pigs were being petted and talked to and not worrying about where their food comes from.

I thought I'd feel bad when we took them for slaughter, but I didn't. I worried my youngest daughter would be upset, but she wasn't. I knew my older two didn't care since they hated chasing the pigs around the property when they escaped their fence. LOL.

I am, however, glad that I gave these two pigs a happy life while they were here. I petted them, scratched behind their ears, fed them fruits and veggies along with their grains, talked sweetly to them and scolded them when they escaped. They foraged for grubs and acorns while snacking on anything green they found. Overall, they lived a happy pig life with us and now they will serve as sustenance for my family.  I'd say that's way better than any pig from large companies who keep their pigs in pens barely big enough for them to turn around in.

Oh, and while my pigs might have been "the little ones" after seeing the giant hogs there barely able to hold themselves up, and then seeing how nice my meat looks, I know mine produced leaner, healthier meat than those others. Even if it meant less pounds of meat.

My deep freezer is now half full of just pork.

The hubby has been looking forward to
fresh ribs.

Finally, I'm glad it's over. This was a great experiment to see if we could manage raising our own meats in a happy and healthy environment, without our kids or myself getting overly attached. Monetarily, it was well worth the trouble though. I'll add a P.S. at the bottom of this post after tonight's dinner to let you know how the meat tastes. The hubby is already talking about doing it again, but I warned him that the next time the pen better be built better than Fort Knox because I don't want to have to chase pigs again. We'll see how that goes over. ;)

P.S. The roast was delicious! Even my 10 year old thought it was super tasty. The meat was lean and tender and had a yummy aroma. Definitely some good pork. :)