how about a Oklahoma,AR,MO,KS,TX,+IA GTG thread?

[Workshop]

Morning everybody.

 

[KS Plainsman]

Morning fellas.

Get to go pick up a couple hogs from the locker today. With how expensive that's got, I'll be trying to figure that out on my own from now on. Still way cheaper than store bought, and better quality, but man.

I hope everyone has a good Friday.

 

[Sawdust Man]

Morning fellas.

Get to go pick up a couple hogs from the locker today. With how expensive that's got, I'll be trying to figure that out on my own from now on. Still way cheaper than store bought, and better quality, but man.

I hope everyone has a good Friday.

Hey buddy, you just swing by my place anytime..... and I'll teach you everything I know about the fine art of losing gobs of money while home growing and processing your own quality pork....lol

 

[KS Plainsman]

Hey buddy, you just swing by my place anytime..... and I'll teach you everything I know about the fine art of losing gobs of money while home growing and processing your own quality pork....lol

Can't be any worse than buying from the store, can it? Buying farm hogs and paying a locker is still about half of what I'd pay at the store. That's using local grocery stores that get their meats from a packing plant in central Kansas, not Walmart or the like.

By my calculation, if I buy the hogs ready to go and butcher my own, I'll have about $1.10/lb into it, all said and done. That's after the initial equipment investment of course. I'd say that's pretty good.

I might PM ya with some questions later.

 

[JimBear]

@KS Plainsman

I’ll chime in on your butcher plans, lots of sharp knifes, lots of bandaids, more sharp knives & more bandaids…

My folks neighbor built his own butcher house, he made it out of cinder blocks. He had a bandsaw, a couple of processing tables & grinders. He had rolls of plastic & wrapping paper. It had a small walk in cooler also, big enough for 1 beef, 1 sheep & a hog. I got in on butchering a couple beefs & sheep. We used it for processing undocumented deer also.

I should of paid more attention to what was going on, I was a teenager & had other things on my mind at the time.

 

[Sawdust Man]

Can't be any worse than buying from the store, can it? Buying farm hogs and paying a locker is still about half of what I'd pay at the store. That's using local grocery stores that get their meats from a packing plant in central Kansas, not Walmart or the like.

By my calculation, if I buy the hogs ready to go and butcher my own, I'll have about $1.10/lb into it, all said and done. That's after the initial equipment investment of course. I'd say that's pretty good.

I might PM ya with some questions later.

No need for a PM, keep it here.... that way everybody can see my ignorance... Lol

 

[KS Plainsman]

My math was off just a touch. Apparently, I can only use a calculator correctly, part of the time.

340 lb hanging weight. $402 dollars (includes delivery to the locker), $1.17/lb.

Processed, out the door was $3.23/lb total.

I can't even buy sausage for $3.23/lb, unless I buy the absolute cheapest stuff I see.

Not horrible, but I can figure out how to butcher for 2 bucks a pound.

New owners just bought the locker a year and a half ago. So, they have a note to cover I reckon and actually have help in there. So, they either pay better than the last owners, or they're better employers...........my guess is both.

 

[KS Plainsman]

I know, I know.........pics or it didn't happen.

 

[KS Plainsman]

@KS Plainsman

I’ll chime in on your butcher plans, lots of sharp knifes, lots of bandaids, more sharp knives & more bandaids…

My folks neighbor built his own butcher house, he made it out of cinder blocks. He had a bandsaw, a couple of processing tables & grinders. He had rolls of plastic & wrapping paper. It had a small walk in cooler also, big enough for 1 beef, 1 sheep & a hog. I got in on butchering a couple beefs & sheep. We used it for processing undocumented deer also.

I should of paid more attention to what was going on, I was a teenager & had other things on my mind at the time.

I'm the same way. I've seen hogs done, but that was 30 years ago and I was more worried about chasing skirt. I have a buddy who's worked in a locker, and a buddy's brother runs one, a ways away. It's worth learning I think.

 

[maulhead]

I know, I know.........pics or it didn't happen.
View attachment 387963

All that pork, are you going to compete at, Smokin' on the beaver this year?

 

[KS Plainsman]

All that pork, are you going to compete at, Smokin' on the beaver this year?

I smoke all the beaver I can.

 

[maulhead]

I smoke all the beaver I can.

This is what I was referring to, I take it you never been?

BBQ | Smokin' on the Beaver | United States

Official website of the annual Smokin' on the Beaver BBQ Competition in Atwood, Kansas. The Tri-State's Original BBQ Festival.

www.smokinonthebeaver.com

 

[KS Plainsman]

This is what I was referring to, I take it you never been?

BBQ | Smokin' on the Beaver | United States

Official website of the annual Smokin' on the Beaver BBQ Competition in Atwood, Kansas. The Tri-State's Original BBQ Festival.

www.smokinonthebeaver.com

Interesting, I've never heard of that event. Looks like it'd be a pretty good time.

We have a smoker contest on Memorial weekend in town here, but that's about the extent of attending any sort of smoker event I've done.

 

[Sawdust Man]

@KS Plainsman

I’ll chime in on your butcher plans, lots of sharp knifes, lots of bandaids, more sharp knives & more bandaids…

My folks neighbor built his own butcher house, he made it out of cinder blocks. He had a bandsaw, a couple of processing tables & grinders. He had rolls of plastic & wrapping paper. It had a small walk in cooler also, big enough for 1 beef, 1 sheep & a hog. I got in on butchering a couple beefs & sheep. We used it for processing undocumented deer also.

I should of paid more attention to what was going on, I was a teenager & had other things on my mind at the time.

My math was off just a touch. Apparently, I can only use a calculator correctly, part of the time.

340 lb hanging weight. $402 dollars (includes delivery to the locker), $1.17/lb.

Processed, out the door was $3.23/lb total.

I can't even buy sausage for $3.23/lb, unless I buy the absolute cheapest stuff I see.

Not horrible, but I can figure out how to butcher for 2 bucks a pound.

New owners just bought the locker a year and a half ago. So, they have a note to cover I reckon and actually have help in there. So, they either pay better than the last owners, or they're better employers...........my guess is both.

I'm the same way. I've seen hogs done, but that was 30 years ago and I was more worried about chasing skirt. I have a buddy who's worked in a locker, and a buddy's brother runs one, a ways away. It's worth learning I think.

I've been home processing wild game and livestock all my life, but there's always something a feller can learn from the experts.....
A few years back we had a processor do a beef and 4 hogs......I had my boys watch the kill guy....one man done up all 5 critters in less than two hours.....and, he was clean enough to go to church when he was done!
It was well worth the cost to see a true master at his work, and he was very good about explaining what he was doing as he went through the process, so Tom is now a far better critter dismantler the I ever was.... he's not fast but he does an excellent job.

I'd love to be able to watch a butcher do his thing of getting it off the bone and made into the final cuts......I assume there's lots we could learn there as well.

My daughter has finally come up with a sausage recipe we all really like, so the hog they did last week got entirely made into sausage!


Tom has a couple books on meat processing that have also been quite helpful.
Adam Danforth is the author.... they're not cheap, but I think they are well worth the $35 or whatever it was..... lots of pictures for us dummies....

 

[Sawdust Man]

The books.....

Butchering Beef: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering: Danforth, Adam, Grandin PhD, Temple: 9781612121833: Amazon.com: Books

Butchering Beef: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering [Danforth, Adam, Grandin PhD, Temple] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Butchering Beef: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering

www.amazon.com

And......

Adam Danforth: books, biography, latest update

Follow Adam Danforth and explore their bibliography from Amazon's Adam Danforth Author Page.

www.amazon.com

 

[KS Plainsman]

The books.....

Butchering Beef: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering: Danforth, Adam, Grandin PhD, Temple: 9781612121833: Amazon.com: Books

Butchering Beef: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering [Danforth, Adam, Grandin PhD, Temple] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Butchering Beef: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering

www.amazon.com

And......

Adam Danforth: books, biography, latest update

Follow Adam Danforth and explore their bibliography from Amazon's Adam Danforth Author Page.

www.amazon.com

Watching in person would definitely be a benefit. There's a couple YouTube channels that go into pretty good depth on the process of cutting up hogs as well. I've watched several videos showing the majority of it.

I already had a few books saved on Amazon, but added the ones you recommended as well.

 

[KS Plainsman]

Might be worth getting ahold of my buddy and going to see his brother. See if he'll show a guy the ins and outs.

 

[Sawdust Man]

Might be worth getting ahold of my buddy and going to see his brother. See if he'll show a guy the ins and outs.

That would be awesome, there's nothing like first hand observation of real live people doing what they do best.

 

[Hedgerow]

My math was off just a touch. Apparently, I can only use a calculator correctly, part of the time.

340 lb hanging weight. $402 dollars (includes delivery to the locker), $1.17/lb.

Processed, out the door was $3.23/lb total.

I can't even buy sausage for $3.23/lb, unless I buy the absolute cheapest stuff I see.

Not horrible, but I can figure out how to butcher for 2 bucks a pound.

New owners just bought the locker a year and a half ago. So, they have a note to cover I reckon and actually have help in there. So, they either pay better than the last owners, or they're better employers...........my guess is both.

I just bought 2 fair lambs..

125 lbs per

$2.00 per pound

Processing was $120 each

Got about 75-80 lbs of boxed product..

Do the math on that one....




As far as hogs, we’ll be processing 2 this winter ourselves.
If I gotta pay the locker plant, there is zero reason to buy anything other than stuff from the store.
There is an imbalance in the industry right now.
Meat processors are not worth their money in current conditions.. meat factories are twice as efficient... and that’s too bad.

 

[KS Plainsman]

I just bought 2 fair lambs..

125 lbs per

$2.00 per pound

Processing was $120 each

Got about 75-80 lbs of boxed product..

Do the math on that one....




As far as hogs, we’ll be processing 2 this winter ourselves.
If I gotta pay the locker plant, there is zero reason to buy anything other than stuff from the store.
There is an imbalance in the industry right now.
Meat processors are not worth their money in current conditions.. meat factories are twice as efficient... and that’s too bad.

These hogs were about 75 bucks more per hog, to process this time, from about 1.5 years ago. Still, for me, it's better than going to the store. I'm still saving on average 2 bucks a pound, over store bought. But, we're all dealing with different pocket books and priorities and people value their time different. To each their own.

Small lockers around here are backed up a year still. So, they can charge accordingly I guess. Or, people can go the alternative route.