Butchering and Slaughtering a Pig: A DIY Guide

Nicholas Jonsson Ms. Toombs English 2HA, Period 4 20 January 2011

Introduction
Nobody likes to think about it, but the prepackaged meat found at a supermarket comes from an animal that had to be killed and butchered. The kids from Lord of the Flies had to learn this the hard way and slaughter their own pigs. The methods shown are used by small scale farmers and not industrial slaughterhouses.

Slaughtering
Shot to the head to kill the pig. Stab the pig in the heart to let the blood drain faster. Use bell scrapers to scrape off all of the hair.

Butchering
Hang the pig as shown. Cut the pig open from the chin to lower abdomen (do not puncture intestines!) Use hands to pull intestines out and a knife to cut what hangs on. Split the backbone with a meat saw from the tail to the head and snout. Cut meat into desired portions.

Relation to LOTF
We spread round. I crept, on hands and knees. The spears fell out because they hadn t barbs on. The pig ran away making an awful noise The first blow had paralyzed its hind quarters, so then the circle could close in and beat and beat- (Golding 75). Jack s tribe hunts with spears (stabbing = slow and painful death)

Conclusion
As unpleasant as butchering is, it is an important part of our lives. Animals should be slaughtered with as little fear and pain involved as possible. We should all appreciate what animals give us and it is important to understand how we end their lives.

Works Cited
Ashenbrenner, D. Butchering the Hmong Way. Countryside & Stock Journal 76.1 (1992) : 54. MAS Ultra School Edition. EBSCO. Web 9 January 2011 Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, (1954). 74-75. Print. Jordan, Cyril E. Tips on Butchering a Pig Countryside & Small Stock Journal 86.6 (2002) : 86. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web 9 January 2011 Mettler, John. Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game. North Adams: Storey Publishing, (1986). 38-58. Print. Mettler, John. Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game. (1986). Ink on paper. Private Collection, Washington DC.