The pigs went to slaughter on the 25th June, and returned from www.NSJames.co.uk as meat on the 29th. Unfortunately I had to work away from home that week, so didn't return until about 10PM on the 29th, leaving Jo to deal with all the meat in my absence.
I had expected that she would basically just get it all somehow into the freezer, in the shortest possible time, which would be entirely reasonable considering that she has got 2 little children to look after (plus arguably one big one!).
However, what actually happened was:
Richard from Morris Free Range Meats and Horticulture dropped the 4 great big cardboard boxes of meat back from www.NSJames.co.uk at about 4PM on Friday. Jo had the kitchen thoroughly scrubbed / bleached / disposable plastic table cloth in place, freezer bags, permanent pen, weighing scales all in position. She decanted the sausages from approx. 9kg bags into quantities of 6, weighed each bag and recorded, broke down the chops from bags of 4 to bags of 2 (they were BIG chops), cut up the Loin roast into sensible sized joints, and generally worked incredibly hard until about 9:30PM putting the meat away! I am so lucky to have such a brilliant, clever and hard working wife! I am now totally confident that when we do finally take the plunge and do this full time, we will complement each other brilliantly and make a great success of it!
I should also point out that Jo did this in the midst of managing a poorly cat, a broody chicken, an under-the-weather little boy and an absent husband! She is wonderful!
Summarising the data that Jo recorded, and comparing it with the brilliant [ http://www.askthemeatman.com/pork_carcass_breakdown.htm , accessed 8th May 2012] we get:
| % Liveweight | |||
| Meatman 'Standard Pig' | Big Pig | Small Pig | |
| Shoulders: | 10.60% | 17.20% | 13.54% |
| Loins: | 12.16% | 10.46% | 9.98% |
| Belly: | 13.56% | 7.43% | 7.29% |
| Legs: | 13.44% | 14.43% | 14.56% |
| Total Useable: | 49.76% | 49.52% | 45.36% |
| Based on Liveweight (kg) | 114 | 84 | 73 |
I'm pretty happy with the percentages above. I think the fairly large differences between shoulders (higher), loin & belly (lower) are explained by me asking that the Shoulders & 'All Trimmings' be made into sausages or mince, meaning that in Jo's data I can't distinguish between the main cuts and the 'trimmings' from each. Therefore the shoulders are probably boosted by the 'trimmings' from the loins & belly.
The detailed breakdown of exactly what we did with the pigs is detailed below:
| Big Pig | ||||
| Weight (g) | ||||
| Shoulder & Trimmings: | Sausages: | 18059 | ||
| Leg: | Joints: | 12120 | ||
| Belly: | Ribs: | 6242 | ||
| Loins: | Chops: | 8786 | ||
| Offal: | Kidneys / Liver: | 2017 | ||
| Total | 43612.2 | |||
| Small Pig | ||||
| Shoulder & Trimmings: | Mince: | 9882 | ||
| Leg: | Joints: | 10628 | ||
| Belly: | Rolled Joints: | 5319 | ||
| Loins: | Chops: | 7286 | ||
| Offal: | Kidneys / Liver: | 1400 | ||
| Total: | 34515 |
We aren't able to sell meat from these pigs, just to use it ourselves and give it as gifts to friends / family, but will make sure that we have all the necessary paperwork etc. in place so that we can sell the next batch.
If we were able to sell any, having had a quick look at the 'extra special' or 'finest' ranges in the supermarkets, our prices would be:
| Per Kilo | Per Pack | Normal Pack size (g) | Notes | |
| Sausages: | £7.00 | £2.80 | 400 | Approx. 6 good sized sausages |
| Leg Joints: | £8.00 | £14.00 | 1750 | Very generously serves 6 and probably 8 |
| Rolled Belly Joints: | £7.00 | £5.60 | 800 | Generously serves 4 |
| Chops: | £8.00 | £3.60 | 450 | 2 Large Chops |
| Ribs: | £7.50 | £7.50 | 1000 | Barbeque Favourite |
| Offal: | £5.00 | £1.25 | 250 | Kidneys or Liver |
If you are local and interested please use the 'Contact Us' form to reserve some from the next batch! Alternatively if you are a 'Friend or Family' (or think you might qualify!) give us a call!
Pictures below of the first Tymawr-Farm Roast Dinner! Absolutely delicious!
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