EVERYTHING BUT THE SQUEAL
Everyone should note that we are talking about hog killing time in the early 1900s.
Georgia was primarily a farming society and most families were scattered all over each county. Town was several miles away, there were no trucks or automobiles or even refrigeration. Most families had six or eight children to feed and clothe.
Cotton, the main cash crop, came in only once a year and money was always short. As winter approached the far-mer had to provide food for a big family. Novembers and Decembers were very cold months during these times, not like today. Usually hogs were put up and fattened on corn and made ready to kill. The weather provided the refrigeration.
Early in the morning the family and a group of neighbors prepared to kill from one to 10 big 200 to 300-pound hogs. My wife’s father, Mr. Porter in Bleckley County, had a large farm and family and usually killed 15 hogs in the fall and another 20 in the winter. Of course, he sold a lot of this meat and took great pride in his finished hams. Hog killing was a yearly ritual that required very cold weather to keep the meat from spoiling.
A large metal water vat was ready with a big hot fire under it. the hog was killed in various ways and then drug over to the vat for cleaning. Each hog’s skin had to be scraped of the hide. The hogs were pulled up on a scaffold of sorts as shown above.
Now they were cut open from the head to the tails, bled, and all of the organs were removed and saved in various pans.
The intestines were used to stuff the sausage in and the large intestines were used for “chitlins.” Each was cleaned out thoroughly inside and out. More hot water was used and when clean the hogs were usually laid out on a strong table ready to cut up.
The hams and shoulders were first removed and trimmed of excess fat and bits of lean meat as were the feet. The head was cut off and saved to one side. Now the tenderloin, a prime cut, usually enjoyed that night by the family, was removed along with the middlings, spare ribs, backbone, and fatback.
As the lean meat was trimmed off, the women ground it for future sausage. All of the fat meat was saved for making lard. Now, by the end of the first cold day the hogs had been cut up and trimmed out and usually placed in the smoke house on tables or strips to drain a bit and cure overnight.
The head, heart, kidneys, liver, feet, ears, tongues, testicles and various other parts were either saved for further processing or given to the help. Remember the old saying that all of the hog was saved except the “squeal.”
Next morning the hams and shoulders were taken out and rubbed thoroughly with salt and borax and placed in the meat box which was usually in the smoke house. The middlings or streak of lean were further trimmed of fat and also placed in the salt box.
Now the ground sausage was mixed well with red pepper and other ingredients by the ladies and then run again through the grinder unit within an attachment for stuffing same into the small intestines. This made very long pieces of link type sausages with the intestine tied tightly at each end.
All of these links of sausage were then hung from the ceiling of the smoke house. The large intestines were cleaned, boiled, or fried as “chitlins”. The hog head was boiled and all meat removed for head cheese and the brains were delicious scrambled in with eggs.
The pig feet were also boiled and the meat removed and made into pressed meat or souse meat or some even pickled. The ears were fried. All of the small pieces of fat were boiled or “rendered” in a wash-pot and poured into containers for lard. Small pieces of lean meat and skin would float to the top and called “cracklings”.
Some fat parts were boiled and Red Devil Lye added and made into “Lye soup” which was cut into squares and chunks and used for washing clothes. Everything salted stayed in the salt box for a week so to cure and then all hung in the smoke for future use. If the weather was right and all put up properly there was no spoilage.
The farmer’s big family had all kinds of good hog meat to eat throughout the winter and even until the next hog killing. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten this hot link sausage and a big slab of country cured ham soaking in “red eye” gravy with a big “cat head” biscuit for breakfast.
I know this is hard to believe by some young folks but it’s true; I remember it well.
[J.S. "Chick" Wilson; Monticello News.]
Georgia was primarily a farming society and most families were scattered all over each county. Town was several miles away, there were no trucks or automobiles or even refrigeration. Most families had six or eight children to feed and clothe.
Cotton, the main cash crop, came in only once a year and money was always short. As winter approached the far-mer had to provide food for a big family. Novembers and Decembers were very cold months during these times, not like today. Usually hogs were put up and fattened on corn and made ready to kill. The weather provided the refrigeration.
Early in the morning the family and a group of neighbors prepared to kill from one to 10 big 200 to 300-pound hogs. My wife’s father, Mr. Porter in Bleckley County, had a large farm and family and usually killed 15 hogs in the fall and another 20 in the winter. Of course, he sold a lot of this meat and took great pride in his finished hams. Hog killing was a yearly ritual that required very cold weather to keep the meat from spoiling.
A large metal water vat was ready with a big hot fire under it. the hog was killed in various ways and then drug over to the vat for cleaning. Each hog’s skin had to be scraped of the hide. The hogs were pulled up on a scaffold of sorts as shown above.
Now they were cut open from the head to the tails, bled, and all of the organs were removed and saved in various pans.
The intestines were used to stuff the sausage in and the large intestines were used for “chitlins.” Each was cleaned out thoroughly inside and out. More hot water was used and when clean the hogs were usually laid out on a strong table ready to cut up.
The hams and shoulders were first removed and trimmed of excess fat and bits of lean meat as were the feet. The head was cut off and saved to one side. Now the tenderloin, a prime cut, usually enjoyed that night by the family, was removed along with the middlings, spare ribs, backbone, and fatback.
As the lean meat was trimmed off, the women ground it for future sausage. All of the fat meat was saved for making lard. Now, by the end of the first cold day the hogs had been cut up and trimmed out and usually placed in the smoke house on tables or strips to drain a bit and cure overnight.
The head, heart, kidneys, liver, feet, ears, tongues, testicles and various other parts were either saved for further processing or given to the help. Remember the old saying that all of the hog was saved except the “squeal.”
Next morning the hams and shoulders were taken out and rubbed thoroughly with salt and borax and placed in the meat box which was usually in the smoke house. The middlings or streak of lean were further trimmed of fat and also placed in the salt box.
Now the ground sausage was mixed well with red pepper and other ingredients by the ladies and then run again through the grinder unit within an attachment for stuffing same into the small intestines. This made very long pieces of link type sausages with the intestine tied tightly at each end.
All of these links of sausage were then hung from the ceiling of the smoke house. The large intestines were cleaned, boiled, or fried as “chitlins”. The hog head was boiled and all meat removed for head cheese and the brains were delicious scrambled in with eggs.
The pig feet were also boiled and the meat removed and made into pressed meat or souse meat or some even pickled. The ears were fried. All of the small pieces of fat were boiled or “rendered” in a wash-pot and poured into containers for lard. Small pieces of lean meat and skin would float to the top and called “cracklings”.
Some fat parts were boiled and Red Devil Lye added and made into “Lye soup” which was cut into squares and chunks and used for washing clothes. Everything salted stayed in the salt box for a week so to cure and then all hung in the smoke for future use. If the weather was right and all put up properly there was no spoilage.
The farmer’s big family had all kinds of good hog meat to eat throughout the winter and even until the next hog killing. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten this hot link sausage and a big slab of country cured ham soaking in “red eye” gravy with a big “cat head” biscuit for breakfast.
I know this is hard to believe by some young folks but it’s true; I remember it well.
[J.S. "Chick" Wilson; Monticello News.]
posted by GSV JR at
10:59 AM
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