Many portions of a pig’s carcass can be utilized. However, not every part of their body is made of choice cuts such as chops or hams. All parts of the pig that are not included in the various cuts are called byproducts. These include the skin, bones, hair, teeth, fat, brains, nonconnective tissue, tendons, and internal organs.
This chapter will focus on using the edible byproducts such as the liver, heart, tongue, kidneys, blood, and intestines that may find uses in your meals in one form or another. These byproducts are sometimes referred to as variety meats, and you may develop a taste for a particular part with some experimentation and guidance. Maybe you already enjoy them as most byproducts can be included in specialized dishes or ground up for sausage making.
Several of these byproducts, such as the liver, heart, and kidneys, are high in protein content and, by themselves, highly nutritious. Some people with health conditions such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob find organ meats, such as liver, tongue, and heart, to be helpful in their diets. The variety meats are generally more perishable than other meats and require quick cooling or cooking after harvest if not frozen.
It is mainly our unfamiliarity with these parts that tend to make them off-putting to many families. However, these variety meats can be utilized in specialized dishes, or many can be ground up for use in sausages.
LIVER
The liver lies near the stomach and is held in place by connective tissues that surround it. Remove as much of this tissue as you can and then slice the liver into 1/8- to 1/4-inch strips. Then freeze it after wrapping. Large pieces of liver can also be frozen whole. Because the liver can be about 2 percent of the carcass weight, it is generally too large to freeze as one whole piece.
Liver can be fried, braised, sautéed, or broiled. It can also be ground or chopped for use in sausages, loaves, spreads, or it can be used in combination with other dishes.
The internal organs will appear like this when the carcass is suspended and opened. The white intestines are at the top. The spleen can be seen next to the liver on the right. Study a pig anatomical chart before you begin butchering to familiarize yourself with the organ positions.
Examine the liver and remove the spleen. Cool them as quickly as possible.
HEART
The heart should be sliced halfway open for inspection and to allow any residual blood to drain out. Like the liver, you should trim off any connective tissue and chill the heart quickly after removal from the carcass.
The heart can be cooked with moist heat or roasted like a turkey. It can be stuffed with dressing or pepper and stitched shut for cooking. The heart is generally less tender than the liver, although it can have an excellent flavor. It can also be chopped or ground up for use in sausages.
Examine the heart and slice it in half to allow any residual blood to escape and to help it cool.
TONGUE
The pig tongue can be used for cold meat sandwiches after braising and cooling and being thinly sliced. The tongue has a tough outer membrane that must be removed before eating. This can be done by blanching, followed by moist heat cooking for an extended time. Once this membrane is trimmed, the rest can be cooled and sliced.
The tongue should be removed and trimmed of any muscle roots. Cool it as soon as possible.
KIDNEYS
The kidneys of a pig may be broiled and skewered and are more tender than those found in beef animals. They can be included in meat casseroles, stews, and other dishes. They can also be ground or chopped for use in sausages.
The kidneys will be surrounded with fat. This should be removed so you can examine their color and firmness, and to cool them more quickly.
PIG’S BRAIN
At the time of this writing, no scientific evidence is available indicating that eating the brains from pigs is detrimental to your health or can produce a food-borne illness. In fact, they can be found in specialty markets and are used in other countries such as China and Korea as a stir-fry staple. Pig brains differ from ruminants such as cattle in that they do not carry the prions identified as precursors of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or any variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. So, go ahead if you choose and try dishes made from the brain of the pig you raised and butchered. You know what it ate and how it lived and should have confidence that it will be healthful.
LUNGS
Pig lungs are used in many countries for eating with a wide variety of preparations. About forty-five years ago, the US Wholesome Meat Act declared pig lungs unfit for human consumption. They have since made a comeback of sorts among enthusiasts devoted to exotic animal parts. Lungs contain about as much protein as a beefsteak but with less fat. Europeans have no qualms about using this part of the pig, and since you have a fresh supply handy, you may want to experiment with yours. You can eat them solely as a dish by themselves, perhaps with garnishes, or ground up for inclusion in sausage making.
The lungs (upper right) should have a pinkish color. All the internal organs should have bright colors, which indicate a healthy pig.
HEAD
The pig’s head can be used for a specialty dish roasted whole, or it can be trimmed of all meat, fat, and skin and the skull used for a flavorful soup stock once the brains, eyes, ears, snout, and tongue have been removed because it will contain a good quantity of gelatin. To make use of any marrow in the head, it will need to be crushed to open the hard bones and expose the marrow to the liquid medium used. If using the head for roasting, you will need to remove all hair by scraping, singeing over an open pit or barbeque grill, plucking, shaving with a disposable razor, or using a gas torch. If singeing, be sure to do it in open air as the flame may pose a fire hazard inside your house or apartment, and the smell of burning hair may be overwhelming. Once the hair is removed, you should scrub the head vigorously with a stiff brush and then coat it with lots of salt, rubbing it into the skin.
SPLEEN
The pig’s spleen can be used for a specialty dish or processed into a pâté. The spleen will appear deep reddish in color when ground up and may be mixed with ground beef to alter the color and taste. The spleen’s function is like a lymph node that cleans the body of old red blood cells and antibody-coated bacteria. In texture, it is more like liver than any other organ. The spleen is high in iron, niacin, phosphorus, selenium, vitamins B12 and C, and zinc. One downside is that it is very high in cholesterol, and a 3-ounce portion can contain up to 145 percent of your daily cholesterol requirement. The spleen can be stuffed, braised, roasted, or ground finely and made into a pâté. They can remain fresh for 2 to 3 days, or frozen and used later, but within 3 months.
BONES AND MARROW
You will likely have a lot of bones left over from your butchering process. Many will be contained in meat cuts that you freeze or use right away. Those that are left over from trimming off the meat can still be useful to you, particularly the marrow. The marrow is the inside of the bones and is found in red and yellow varieties. Red marrow produces red blood cells, while yellow consists of mostly fat. Marrow is a good source of protein and is high in monounsaturated fats, which help decrease bad cholesterol levels. Bones can be roasted or boiled for their soup stock components. You won’t be eating the bones themselves. Rather, you will be enjoying the marrow as it cooks out. Your dogs can enjoy the bones after you have finished with them.
BLOOD
Blood represents about 5 percent of the pig’s market-weight carcass. A 200-pound pig will have about 10 pounds of blood in its body. However, only about 3.5 percent on average can be harvested because the rest remains in the tissues. If you’ve butchered a 200-pound pig, then you will have about 7 pounds of blood to use. How do you use this much blood? It can be made into such things as blood sausage, black pudding, blood pancakes, or in a Filipino soup called dinuguan that uses pig’s blood twice; it’s mixed in with the broth and appears again in a blood-sausage form.
One disadvantage of having this amount of blood to use at one time is that it needs to be used immediately or shortly after it is harvested. Or it has to be treated in some manner so that it doesn’t coagulate into a firm mass. Under normal circumstances, blood will begin to thicken and clot when exposed to air. This coagulation process will turn the liquid into a gelatinous cake, ready to be used in many recipes and preparations. To keep blood fluid, the coagulation process must be halted. This can be done by using an acid, usually vinegar, in a ratio of one part vinegar to five parts blood. While blood starts as a sterile liquid as it leaves the animal’s body, it is such a nutritious liquid that it is an ideal environment for pathogens or spoilage microorganisms. This will require you to use it immediately, in an altered or diluted form within 1 to 2 days, or freeze it.
To claim the blood from your pig as it’s draining, you will need to stir it frequently and add about 5 percent salt to stabilize it. It must be used within 1 to 2 days and should be cold when it is mixed with other ingredients. Before use, it must be stirred and filtered, such as through a cheesecloth. Otherwise, it may clump together with your other ingredients. Don’t process it any later than the second day. If your refrigerator is capable of maintaining temperatures of 33ºF, the blood may keep for 2 to 4 days. Even if you add salt or nitrite, they will not be effective in extending blood’s shelf life.
No fewer than thirty dishes worldwide use blood in the cookery in one form or another. Only one is included here—black pudding—while blood sausage is included in the sausage section of this book. You are encouraged to look deeper into the uses of blood in creating unique meals if so inclined. Black pudding has long been a staple of Irish and British households while blood sausage has a long worldwide history.
Okay, what about the rest of the blood that’s not used right away? One of the best ways is to freeze it and keep it below 32°F until ready for use. However, in time, blood plasma separates from the blood and water accumulates on top and the blood must be stirred before use. Freezing it with vinegar, at a ratio of 1 cup vinegar to 6 cups blood, is a safe way to prolong its freshness.
If all else fails and no one wants to contend with the blood, you can mix it in water and apply as a fertilizer to your garden plants.
A PIG TAIL AND EARS
A pig’s tail is full of bones while the ears are mostly made of cartilage. The pig’s tail is cooked in a variety of ways, including roasting, grilling, broiling, pickling, or braising. Or a tail can be deep-fat fried until crispy and then eaten like bacon. Pig tails contain a nice balance of lean and fat and can be breaded for roasting. They also can be used in soups and stews.
The ears of your pig are considered a delicacy in some countries when fried or sautéed and eaten as crispy treats. Like the tail, you should remove the hair on the skin before using. After they are cleaned of hair and thoroughly washed, the tail and ears can be stored in a refrigerator for about 1 week. They can be frozen for up to 3 months with few resulting quality problems. If you freeze them, be sure to wrap them well to avoid freezer burn.
ROASTED PIG TAIL
The tail can be cooked like ribs. It can be baked by wrapping it in tinfoil until done and then uncovered to crisp it. Add a barbeque sauce and pig tails can mimic spareribs. The only problem is that your pig has only one tail. If you want more, you will need to go to a local butcher market to source more. One pig tail will make a treat but will not make a meal.
PIG’S FEET
You will get four feet from your pig, and like the tail, they may not be a sufficient quantity for a meal by themselves. You can source more pig feet from a local butcher market to supplement what you need. Pig’s feet are sometimes referred to as trotters. These assemblages of skin, bones, fat, and connective tissue are a good source of flavor. They can be prepared and used in a variety of ways, and while they do not have any significant amount of muscle to them, they do yield a mellow pork flavor and a large amount of fat and gelatin that can be infused into many other dishes. They can be grilled, roasted, deep-fried, or braised with satisfactory results. If you braise them for a long time, the skin can be removed from the bones and pressed together, breaded and fried, or stuffed with fillings.
Pig’s feet can be frozen to last for a long time without losing quality. If not frozen, they should be used within 2 days while being kept cold in your refrigerator. Just like using other pig parts, the feet should first be thoroughly cleaned and all hair removed before freezing.
PIG INTESTINES
Pig intestines are sometimes also referred to as chitterlings. These are the large intestines of the pig and will have a pungent smell. They will need intensive cleaning because they can cause illness if not cleaned well because this is the fecal passageway of the pig. Healthy intestines should have a pinkish-beige color to them. They can be sautéed, deep-fried, roasted, or braised. The alternative to eating them is to clean them and use them for sausage making. Either way, you will first need to make sure the bacteria are killed.
First, boil them for 5 minutes prior to cleaning them to kill the bacteria. This will not change the taste and will help to clean them as you will loosen the particles and any fat attached to the inside.
After boiling, remove them and place in cold water. Rinse three or four times, changing the water after the second rinse.
PIG SNOUT AND LIPS
The pig’s snout includes the ridge above and below the nostrils, and the circular cartilaginous plate. It can weigh as much as 1 pound and contains some meat located on the back side of the plate. These are the muscles that control the snout’s movement and are surrounded with fat. The snout and muscles can be trimmed out with a boning knife and used for soups. After the soup has been cooked, the snout can be removed from the pot and pan-fried and eaten as a crispy treat. Their texture will have a rubbery, slightly crunchy feel and can be used in stir-fries as well.
PORK SKIN
The skin of the pig is often called the pork rind, and when fried or roasted, it is typically referred to as pork scratchings or pork cracklings. The rind is sometimes used in sausage making to help improve consistency. The tough skin of a pig can be made edible by a two-step process of rendering and drying it, and then frying what’s left.
Pork skin is processed differently in countries around the world and is often a popular snack. The more tasteful varieties come from a combination of roasting or frying and adding salt to the outer layer. Since the fat has been removed through the cooking process, it provides a crunchy sensation. One advantage of this process is that the skin can be sliced into sections and frozen and later retrieved and processed without altering its flavor. Any rancidity will be limited because the fat that causes this condition is removed. Dried or frozen pork skin can be rehydrated in water and flavoring can be added before frying. Cooking makes the rinds expand and float to the oil surface. They can then be removed from the fat, flavored, and air dried.
Pork rinds processed this way will be very tasty but, unfortunately, will also be high in fat and sodium content. They are low in carbohydrates and can be considered an alternate snack. However, they are higher in protein and contain less fat than the typical potato chip. Almost half of the pork rind’s fat is unsaturated, mostly oleic acid, putting it the same class as olive oil. No matter how you justify their consumption, pork scratching will still be a high caloric snack. Yet it is a good way to use the skin of your pig without having to throw it away. Even if you don’t want to consume all of your pork rinds, your dog may find their crunchy texture very enjoyable.
PORK LARD
Lard from pigs was a kitchen staple for generations of rural and urban households. It was plentiful and easy to procure, it was reasonably priced for those who had to purchase it, it had a good shelf life, and it helped make the best piecrusts and biscuits imaginable.
Society fashions evolve, and eventually lard acquired a stigma that it was an artery-clogging, heart attack–inducing fat that consumers, cooks, and bakers should steer clear of. Despite the hysteria created against lard, it is a naturally rendered fat product that does not contain the preservatives used in today’s commercially produced hydrogenated forms.
Lard contains monounsaturated fat in the form of oleic fatty acid, which is very healthy and great to use in almost any recipe that calls for fats. It is an excellent fat to use for deep-frying, baking, and pan cooking. Some of the best lard can be produced from your pig.
All animals contain fats within their bodies. As you deconstruct your pig carcass, you will find multiple regions of it with significant amounts of fat. Don’t throw it out or feed it to your chickens without first considering rendering it. With a little guidance, you can have your own supply that can last many months.
A pig has two basic types of fat: leaf fat and back fat. Leaf fat is from the interior of the animal near the kidneys, and back fat is from the long centerline of the pig’s back, which, because the animal is a quadruped, is located at the very top of the pig’s skeletal structure, between the loin and the skin.
Pig fat may vary a little in color depending on its location. Back fat may have a reddish color to it because of the muscle structure close to it while leaf fat will most likely be purely white in color. Both are usable and back fat may have a richer flavor.
As you are trimming the carcass, dedicate a clean, separate container or tub where you can place the fat pieces. You can work with the fat after you finish with the more valuable meat cuts. But be sure to cool it off and not let it get too warm. Since the four factors instrumental in making fat rancid are light, moisture, air, and warmth, all lard you process should be kept in a dark, cool, dry place.
Pork fat is considered a soft fat, especially when compared to beef fat. It is typically 40 percent saturated fat, 50 percent monounsaturated fat, and 10 percent polyunsaturated fat. Pasture-raised pigs that consume a diet supplemented with grain have a lower percentage of polyunsaturated fat, which is a good thing to consider. The reason lard is so good for cooking and baking is that the percentage of its saturated fats protects the more vulnerable mono- or polyunsaturated fats from oxidizing with heat. Research shows that oxidized fats—when the double bonds in mono- or polyunsaturated fats break—can create free radicals in the human body. An excessive amount of free radicals can lead to poorer health and inflammation of muscles, joints, and blood vessels. Lard can be part of a healthy diet.
One intriguing aspect of using lard is that it is flavor neutral, meaning, if properly processed, it will not impart a pork flavor to the dish, such as with coconut oil, which can. Although lard will pick up the dishes’ flavor, you are eating that specific dish anyway, so lard becomes an adjunct to the flavors already there.
After cod liver oil, lard is the second-highest food source of vitamin D. One tablespoon of lard contains 1,000 IUs of vitamin D, which helps with calcium absorption for healthy bones and teeth. But the vitamin D produced by pigs only comes from those that have access to sunlight, such as pasture-raised, outdoor pigs, and not those in confinement. Pigs store the vitamin D in their fatty tissues, which can then be transferred to lard.
PIG’S JOWL
A pig’s jowl refers to the two side cheeks of its head, below the eyes and the underside of the jaw in front of the throat. It is sometimes referred to as jowl bacon because the cheek muscles are layered with fat. However, it has a higher meat-to-fat ratio than bacon from the belly. Belly bacon has a 1:3 ratio of meat-to-fat, while jowl bacon has a 2:1 meat-to-fat ratio. This means jowl bacon may be cooked a bit differently than traditional bacon.
After you have trimmed the cheeks off the head and sliced the skin off, you will have two slabs of meat and fat. These can be smoked and cured, or sliced into thin strips for cooking. These can also be used as a binding ingredient in pork liver sausages such as liverwurst and Braunschweiger. After being cured, fried, or smoked, this meat can be chopped into small pieces and used as a garnish, such as bacon bits on salads.
To use the fresh jowl from your pig’s carcass, begin by trimming the cheeks off the side of the head. Begin below one ear and score a line toward the snout, cutting under the eye. When you reach the snout, slice back toward the neck joint along the jawbone until you’ve made an oval cut.
Next, trim close to the bone to remove the cheek. Use the same method for the other side. Then trim the outer skin off the two pieces.
To fry the jowl, cut the pieces into 1/4-inch-thick strips like traditional bacon and place in a hot skillet. There will be enough fat that you won’t need to add cooking oil. Fry the slices on one side until brown and crisp. Flip each over and allow the other side to cook. Monitor and turn the slices every 2 minutes to evenly cook them while they brown and crisp. Remove them when finished.
Baking pig jowl can achieve the same result as frying it. Set your oven to 400ºF. Place the strips in a baking or roasting pan, or on a rimmed baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. This will prevent the strips from sticking to it. Arrange the strips so they do not touch each other and season with salt and pepper, as desired.
Place the sheet in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Check for doneness after 15 minutes and turn them over, but continue to bake until crispy. The strips should have a dark brown color and most of the fat should be rendered out.
Remove the sheet from the oven and place the strips on clean paper towels. Pat off any fat on the strips. Carefully pour the rendered fat from the sheet into a heat-resistant bowl. It can be strained, and after it cools, it can be poured in a glass jar and used as lard.
While the roasted strips are cooling, you can sprinkle them with salt, pepper, sugar, or a variety of seasonings to suit your tastes.
PIG UTERUS
While likely not everyone’s choice of a pork dish, the pig’s uterus (providing it is a female pig that was butchered) can be used. The reproductive tract of a young, nonpregnant female will be found anterior to the vulva and forms a long V-shaped tubular structure.
It can be curried, roasted, broiled, sautéed, or used in stir-fry dishes. It will not be a large amount to work with, and although it is technically a muscle composed of smooth muscle cells, it is also considered an organ. It is made up of three layers: the inner lining, the middle layer (which makes up most of the uterus volume), and an outer lining. This thickness gives it the density to be sliced into pieces.
The uterus should first be placed in a salt brine for about 24 hours. Then rinse it thoroughly with cold, clean water. Remove the attached ovaries and discard. Slice the tubes along their length to open them up, or slice across to make rolls about 1 inch in length. Be adventurous and devise recipes of your own or use one for a stir-fry.
PIG BLADDER
You can use the pig bladder, not so much to be eaten, but, rather, as a pouch in which to stuff other meats to be cooked. It can be likened to a porcine version of haggis.
The bladder should be rinsed in a salt bath for 12 hours and thoroughly cleaned. You can then stuff it with chicken or turkey, vegetables, and bread stuffing soaked with red wine.
TESTICLES
If you raised a male pig that still has intact testicles, you can use them. For the best flavor, they should be grilled so that the smoke imparts a flavor that will enhance the gamey undertone of the glands. Grilling allows the testicles to maintain their form, but they can also be sliced and grilled. You need to first remove the outer membrane and then slice them in 1/4-inch-thick pieces. They can also be chopped and ground up for sausages, fried, or broiled.