No matter how you slice it

The time has come and the pigs are soon heading to the butcher.  If you're wondering how to order a half hog custom butchered for your family, here's what we're doing this year.  Maybe you'll get some ideas!  

From the front of the pig to the back:

Shoulder: 5 pound roasts, leave a very generous fat cap of at least an inch.

Picnic Shoulder: 5 pound roasts, leave plenty of fat.  

Tenderloin:  Pull off and cut in half.

Bone-in pork loin chops, double-thick (1 1/2 inches thick), 3 per package, leave a generous amount of fat on the chops.

Country ribs (these are "button ribs").  3 per package.

Cut fresh pork belly into 3 pound roasts.  (Bacon is good too, but we get plenty of bacon.)

Spareribs: half racks.

Ham: cure.  Cut 1 inch thick center-cut ham steaks, one per package.  

Ham hock: smoke.

Sausage:  Half breakfast sausage, half plain ground pork.

Keep the extra trimmed fat (we'll make lard.)

Keep the offal (liver, kidneys, heart)

Keep soup bones

Keep the head to make head cheese