Whole-Hog / Whole Packer Fabrication

Complete Sus scrofa domesticus carcass, delivered skin-on (or skin-off in some markets), typically 60–120 kg hanging weight. Commercial pigs are slaughtered at 5–7 months; heritage breeds at 9–18 months. The carcass is chilled to 2–4 °C before fabrication.

1. 1STEP 1 — RECEIVE AND INSPECT: Confirm the carcass is at 2–4 °C; check for bruising, broken bones, or skin damage. Weigh for yield calculation.
2. 2STEP 2 — SPLIT (if not pre-split): Saw the carcass along the spine from the inside (chine side) to produce two half-carcasses (sides). Place skin-side down on a stainless work surface.
3. 3STEP 3 — HEAD AND JOWL: Sever the head at the atlas joint with a heavy knife; separate the cheeks (guanciale/jowl) by tracing around the mandible. Reserve ears, snout, tongue, and brain if using.
4. 4STEP 4 — FRONT LEG / SHOULDER: Lift the front leg away from the ribcage — it attaches only by muscle and fat, not by a ball-and-socket joint. Slide a boning knife under the shoulder blade (scapula) and separate the Boston butt (upper shoulder/blade) from the picnic (lower shoulder/arm). The neck collar (coppa) is separated from the blade along the 4th cervical vertebra.
5. 5STEP 5 — LOIN AND BELLY: Saw through the rib tips to separate the loin rack from the belly. The loin (longissimus dorsi) runs from the neck end to the hip; the tenderloin (psoas major) lies tucked under the spine inside the loin. Remove the back fat sheet as one piece for lardo or ground fat. Separate the spareribs from the belly; the belly plate can be left whole (pancetta) or portioned into strips.
6. 6STEP 6 — HIND LEG / HAM: Separate the hind leg at the hip socket using a boning knife. The leg can be left bone-in (for ham/prosciutto) or deboned into its component muscles (top round/cushion, bottom round/outside flat, eye of round, sirloin tip, shank).
7. 7STEP 7 — TROTTERS AND HOCKS: Remove front and rear trotters at the hock (ankle) joint with a heavy cleaver; separate the hocks from both shoulders and hams at the knee joint.
8. 8STEP 8 — TRIM, WEIGH, AND ALLOCATE: Collect all trim (lean scraps for sausage, fat for lard or salame filling, skin for cracklings or cotechino), weigh each primal, and assign to fresh-use or curing destinations.

• Keep workspace and tools at refrigerator temperature; a warm room causes fat smearing and bacterial risk.
• Essential tools: 25 cm breaking knife, 15 cm boning knife (flexible and stiff), bone saw or reciprocating saw, meat cleaver, hook scale, and clean bus tubs for each primal.
• Label every primal with weight and date immediately after separation for yield tracking and FIFO rotation.
• Bone out only what will be used fresh within 3 days; leave bone-in primals intact for longer cold storage (bone protects moisture).
• Calculate yield percentage: (saleable meat weight ÷ carcass hanging weight) × 100. A well-fabricated side should yield 72–78% usable product.

• Half Carcass (Side)

  Industry standard for smaller operations; same sequence applies, starting at Step 3.

• Bone-In Pork Primal Packs

  Purchasing pre-separated primals from a packer eliminates in-house breakdown but sacrifices yield control and traceability.

• Boston Butt

  Upper shoulder primal; blade-heavy, suited to pulled pork and coppa

• Picnic Shoulder

  Lower shoulder; more sinew, best braised or cured for spalla

• Pork Loin

  Centre-cut primal; chops, roasts, and lonza curing

• Pork Belly

  Fatty belly plate; pancetta, bacon, braised pork belly

• Fresh Ham / Hind Leg

  Rear leg primal; prosciutto, fresh roast, or deboned ham steaks

• Spareribs

  Rib section from the belly side; lower count than baby-back ribs

• Baby Back Ribs

  Rib section from the loin side; shorter, meatier than spareribs

1. 1.The Meat Hook Meat Book — Tom Mylan (2014)
2. 2.Butchering Chickens, Lamb, Goat, Beef, Pork — Adam Danforth (2019)
3. 3.The River Cottage Meat Book — Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (2004)
4. 4.USDA Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) — Pork Series 400
5. 5.Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing — Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn (2005)

Confidence: high