Purchasing a pig (whole or half) directly from a farmer is definitely different than going to the grocery store and buying some bacon and a couple pork chops.

Instead of having a HUGE cooler case filled with endless options displayed in front of you to choose from, you have to have a baseline understanding of the anatomy of a pig! We know that not many people do SO we’ve created this page to try and help you out when you’re completing the PORK ORDER FORM.

Anatomy of the pig:

Ham

A whole pig has 2 hams and therefore, half a pig has 1. You can choose the following options:

1. A whole ham - perfect for that upcoming holiday dinner!

2. A half a ham - this choice automatically puts the other half of the ham into the trimmings that get used for sausage.

3. All sliced - pretty self explanatory. This will take the ham you’d receive and cut it into slices that are packaged individually. We call these ham steaks.

4. 1/2 sliced and 1/2 whole - this is also pretty self explanatory. Your ham will be cut in half and then the one half will be cut into steaks.

5. End Roasts - this cuts the ends off the ham into roasts the size you like (typically 4-5 lbs) and then the middle section will be added to trimmings and made into sausage.

6. IF you check “End Roasts” AND “Center Slices”, the center will be sliced into ham steaks.

7. Fresh or Smoked - Personal preference! Most common response we see is smoked.

Typically, from half a pig will get about 18 pounds of ham. Curing will shrink this a few pounds.

Shoulder Roasts

Also known as the Picnic Shoulder. The Shoulder Roast is typically used for pulled pork, carnitas or stew and it’s one of our personal favorites! (although.. how could we possibly choose?!) Your options with the shoulder roast are:

1. Roasts - you’ll need to specify the size of the roasts you want to receive. REMEMBER: the larger the roast, the fewer the roasts. Typical roast size is 3-4 lbs.

2. Sliced - cut into steaks

3. Sausage - if you don’t want your shoulder roasts, they can add it to your trimmings and it will be ground into sausage!

4. Fresh or Smoked - personal preference! Most common response we see is fresh.

Butt Roasts

Believe it or not, this is NOT the “butt” of your pig. It’s actually another part of the shoulder and it can be used interchangeably with the shoulder roasts. It is also sometimes referred to as the Boston Butt. Your options with the butt roast are the same as the shoulder roast. Many people will choose one or the other and have the one not chosen added to trimmings so that they will receive more sausage.

Loin

Probably one of the most commonly asked for parts of the pig (other than bacon) is the loin. The loin is where pork CHOPS come from and our pork chops are mouth watering, deliciously amazing (if i may say so myself…) When completing the Loin section of our order form your options are:

1. All pork chops - choosing this option will have the entire pork loin cut into chops. You’ll want to specify how many you’d like packaged together based on what works best for your family. (i.e. we have them packed in packs of 4 so that we can eat 2 and have 2 for leftovers!)

2. Other - we added this option because we had a few people make special requests such as wanting to receive the pork loin completely whole. If you have a special request, this is where you’ll note that.

3. Half loin & Half Chops - this is exactly as it states. Again, you’ll need to specify how many chops you want packed into your packages.

4. End Roast - this will cut the ends off the pork loins for roasts. Please specify how large you’d like these roasts (2-3 lbs is common). If you don’t check the box below this option (Rest Chops (# per pack___)) the leftover loin from this section will be made into sausage.

5. Fresh or Smoked - personal preference! Most common response we see is fresh.

You’ll end up with around 24 lbs. of pork loin/chops from half a pig.

Bacon

This is the most popular item that EVERYONE asks for. And honestly, we can’t blame them. When we offer individual packs of bacon for sale, we sell out so . dang . fast.

Basically, with bacon, you can choose whether you want it sliced or not and then whether you want it fresh or smoked. Just so you’re aware, if you get it fresh, that’s pork belly. The most common request is sliced and smoked! MmMmMmmm…. I can smell it now…

Half a pig typically gives you around 7-10 lbs of bacon.

Spare Ribs

Spare ribs come from the belly of the pig (as in, the underside). This is the fatty, succulent meat that’s leftover after you cut away the pork belly. When filling out the form, your options will be:

1. Yes or No - people seem to really desire Spare ribs or really not desire them at all. So, here, you make that decision: Yes or No.

2. Fresh or Smoked - If you answer yes to the first question, then you’ll select whether you want them fresh or smoked. Totally personal preference!

You’ll end up with 1 roll of spare ribs from half a pig.

Sausage

Mmm.. sausage. Oh how I love thee…
Our Butcher offers 4 different types of sausage: Breakfast, Sweet Italian, Hot and Ground Pork. If you’ve purchased half a pig, you can pick 2 (two) of these options. When you make a selection, you’ll also need to select how you want to receive it! Bulk is a 1 pound pack of ground sausage. Rope is a long sausage in a casing. Patty is a sausage… patty. I’m not entirely sure how else to describe it but it makes KILLER breakfast sandwiches!

On average, you’ll end up with around 9-10 lbs of sausage from half a pig.

Miscellaneous Items

This is the stuff that people typically turn their noses up to. And if it’s not your jam, feel free to do the same and just put a big ‘X’ over this section. But, if there is something you want to keep (i.e. pork fat is really great for hunters who want to fatten up their ground venison with some really nutritious fat) just check the little box and we’ll make sure it’s included in your pork delivery.