Buying a half hog
I usually prefer buying pasture raised pork. However, I often can't find the cut I want or end up spending more than I like and resort to buying meat elsewhere. I'd like to bite the bullet and just buy a half hog from somewhere and have my pork needs taken care of for a whole year. Has anyone done this in Seattle? If so, where did you purchase it?
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Friends are thinking about Kalua or spit-roasting a pig at thanksgiving.
Is there such a thing as ordering "a piglet to feed 30?" And where shall I go to get it? Fero's comes to my (limited) mind, but I hope for advice.
Also advice on where I might rent a spit-roaster...
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re: The Fat Man
Wooly Pigs is the way to go as you can get a whole or half and have it processed as much or as little as you like. When I ordered my half from here I got to tell the butcher exactly how I wanted my pig. My half cost $250 but I have not yet gotten the bill from the butcher so it will be more than that but I am really looking forward to getting our pig.
Creo
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re: creo420
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re: creo420
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re: vanillagorilla
The butcher charged $162.50 for his handy work and for smoking/curing everything and it was $75 to get it to Seattle and keep it in cold storage for a week. So far we have had smoked pork chops and bacon both of which were divine. Some ground pork will be going into tonight's ragu and I have a reason now to be excited about Easter being early this year.
Creo
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re: creo420
vanillagorilla
Mar 11, 2008 04:42 PM
I wonder what the cost would be if I didn't have anything cured or smoked. I'd prefer to do that part myself.
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re: vanillagorilla
$250 is what I paid for the pig and I paid $75 to get it over here. My guess is you would be looking at 3 bills for the pig itself. Heath is a super nice guy and would be more than willing to answer any questions you might have. His bacon was just menitoned as one of the top ten food items in the state of WA though so you may want to jump sooner rather than later as it is only going to get more expensive.
Creo
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If you're willing to go as far as Tacoma, The Meat Shop (http://www.meatshopoftacoma.com/) can do whole or halves and is all organic. It's definitely a drive, but I've been really pleased with everything we've gotten there.
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Although you can't buy a half a hog from Skagit River, you can buy a "family pack". It runs $250 (they recently raised their prices a bit), but it's great. 33-37 lbs, I believe. Some plain old cuts of meat and some of their fantastic sausages. If you're not wedded to the half a hog idea, it is a great way to go.
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re: missliss
vanillagorilla
Feb 11, 2008 07:10 AM
The issue with that is, that I like to make my own sausage, bacon, and cured pork products. I want to find someone who does a minimum of processing.
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You could talk to one of the farmers who go to the farmers' markets in Seattle, like Skagit River farms or Sea Breeze farms. They might be willing to sell you a half, or they might be able to get you cuts you want. You can also call Farmer George's butcher in Port Orchard. They butcher for local farmers and may be able to get you in touch with someone who does this.
Finally, you could contact Future Farmers of America. The kids sometimes sell theirs after the shows or if they don't qualify, and then I believe the cost is actually a tax-deductible donation to a non-profit.
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re: pablissima
vanillagorilla
Feb 8, 2008 02:35 PM
Skagit River doesn't sell the half or whole hogs anymore. It's sad because I really like their pork. I have not talked to Sea Breeze yet.
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re: vanillagorilla
http://thunderinghooves.net still sells half and whole, and the new guys at U-Dist, http://woolypigs.com, do say "If you are interested in custom slaughter, please ask us about it" at the market...
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re: vanillagorilla
>>Skagit River doesn't sell the half or whole hogs anymore.
Really? That's too bad. I bought a 1/4 organic cow a few years ago and was really impressed. The only reason I haven't made it an annual purchase is that I decided the "fresh vs. convenience" issue tipped toward fresh (and we're near the Columbia City butcher) and the freezer is usually full of my foraged foods already.
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