Joe's family stopped by just in time to help out!
Here joe and his father butcher the pig. When they are finished the freezer is stuffed with racks of ribs, tenderloin, chops, bacon, and hams! Turns out the butt of the pig is actually a part of the shoulder...live and learn. I also learned that the jowls (or cheeks) make the best bacon. See diagram below for details.
Sausage is made from the pieces of fatty or lower quality pork cut away from the nicer cuts of meat. Ground pork is made from the nicer leaner cuts of meat that are left over. Below is a picture of me feeding the meat grinder. Very satisfying machine. We were lucky enough to have an electric meat grinder on hand. Joe's mom wraps all the cuts of meat and ground sausage in freezer paper. Everything is dated with the month and the year. The cuts of meat are then put in a plastic bag with a salt water solution to cure. In a couple of weeks the meat will be ready for smoking. I'll post more about meat preservation and smoking when the time comes.
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