Old Fashioned Hog Killin'

[Wolfdog91 7,333]

So this is an , I guess you can call it an article? Idk , it I wrote this for another site but I've shared it around and eveyone seems to like it. Figured y'all might as well. If this isn't the proper place to to it I'd really appreciate it be moved to the appropriate place. Thanks you. So

So , probably three or so years back I post some pics of my uncle and some of the old heads making sausage, crackins' n the like. Talked a lil about how it was a microcosm of what we used to do.....some things I remember being a Lil kid growing up round here ,and alot of folks found it interesting. Well somone inboxed me a month ago asking about if we still did the big ones and I said no but I said I'd do my best to find some pictures, my grandma was some kinda bad about her picture takin and her photo albums....now I know why..... And honestly,wish she took more ,or at least I could find more. So I looked and looked. Bugged my mom and dad a bunch finally was going though a ole zip up bad full of these Lil photo albums found old pics of me my parents wedding just genral this that pics from my dad when I was still in the army then I found this...

Honestly didnt know what it was till I opened it up

You know, this was a few years before I was born ( 1997) but most of these faces the sights ,I can smell and hear every one of these pictures. Alot of these older guys in these pictures where still around when I was coming up. And they held this Lil backwoods community or whatever you'd call use on these back roads they call the Causey Quarters together.. they did this every year. Tradition, honestly I think this goes all the way back to slave times...but I'm not sure. And it wasn't done because people where poor ,goes back to that that but nah, it brought everyone together.
But yeah it's almost all the same. I remember being 7 or 8 waking up and hearing mom or dad or grandma ,if I was at her place say "Get your coat and gloves on we're going up to the camp". I remember loving and hating it man lol. Yeh them old heads would watch the weather like hawks and they would pick the coldest days to do this so the meat wouldn't spoil. We had deep freezers and coolers and all but ,that's just the way they did it. "Cold made you a man " they said. But yeah I'd bundle up hop in the car and we'd head to the camp up on the hill. The camp ,well best way I can describe it was a larger multi purpose building for the area. Many many get togethers ,cook outs, reunions ,trail rides , and Killin' went on up there. Remember one of my favorite parts what's tole old pool table they had in there. Was coin operated and the old guy would sit in there an smoke telling stories about huntin' fishing life and would grin ear to ear when one of us would as for some quarters so we could get the balls out and play with them mangled ole pool cues...
Somtimes you could hear guns being shot off the back porch off into the cow pasture at a bucket or bottle. Guys making bets and showing off how they where crack shots. The whole area was surrounded but big ole oaks and pecan trees hickernuts too . And down past it on the back side you could see " Uncle T's pond" . Honestly wasn't a late pond as was a medium sized lake. Boy it was massive. When it was dig all the trees they cute where stacked on piles before they filled it making virtual islands in the middle. Lots of talk about there being world record catfish living in there..... Remember going fish there as a kid seeing the big alligator snapping turtles cruise by in the murky water by the bank , might as well have been a sea monster lol.

But the main attraction was the hogs. Eveyone chipped in and the hogs where bought and raised by certain individuals who knew how to feed and tend to them so they had the best meat and they got big. I remember getting there early enough one time to see that big ole red goose neck cow trailer coming up the 1/4 mile long road up to the camp. The way that ole deisel was pinging in the early morning, that sound has greeted me many times over my life,but that was something special. And they would climb up the side of the last thing with a ole .22 long . And "pat pat pat pat" drop em all like a sack of brick. Right between the eyes. Then they haul em out hang em and bleed them out before gutting. All of this was usually don't before the main group of folks came with the kids.

Then once most everyone showed up folks would start working the carcasses. Eveyone had their own specialties. And not much went to waste at all. The heads where cut just right and carted off to be sectioned for hog head cheese. The intestines were handled with the utmost care and cleaned out for sausage casings or chitlines . I remember this was my grandma and her group of women's specialty. I remember her saying " Boy imma need alot if tooth paste tonight after this !" Apparently it was one of the best ways to get the smell off .
Remember walking past and seeing guys pluck and scrap the individual hair off the hides occasionally rising it off with scalding water. And when I say scrap I mean they would use a razor blade that you'd shave with. Meticulously go down the hog length wise in maybe a 3' wide line ,shaving .Then they singe it over a bed of coals and scald it again and it would be lilly white and ready to be turned into crackings.

The trotters would be cut off and sent to a guy who was gonna clean them up and prepare them for pickling. And on and on and on it went. The carcasses was then sawed length wist then cut into chops. Scraps of that being sent to the large table where they were diced and prepped for sausage making. The meat was all had seasoned with special mixes known only to the creators. Plain mild hot. Eveyone had their own little spin that made it all work. Eveyone got there share
I honestly cried a lil bit looking though all these ... remembering how it used to be, I hate to say but this is a bygone Era now..... With the passing of all these older guys so went these traditions , the love , the community........ I can walk to jaut about eveyone of these area I talk to in less then 15min ...... But their not the same anymore.... The camps still there ...but it's a husk of what it used to be...where there used to be loud story telling ,drunken laugher, a sense of real community. It's gone . At least for me and everyone who still really remembers. But we still try to carry on a little of the tradition ,now where near what it used to be....but it's not gonna die. So as to a tribute if days gone past a bygone Era ... I wrote this and posed these pics.... Only wish I had more....

 

[Daniel cain 46,084]

14th picture down...is that Mr T from the A-Team in the camo jumpsuit?

[Lenmcharristar 9,885]

Looks like an old fashioned southern bbq, where everybody on the same boat trying to scratch a living and get by

[Lenmcharristar 9,885]

42 minutes ago, Wolfdog91 said:

So this is an , I guess you can call it an article? Idk , it I wrote this for another site but I've shared it around and eveyone seems to like it. Figured y'all might as well. If this isn't the proper place to to it I'd really appreciate it be moved to the appropriate place. Thanks you. So

So , probably three or so years back I post some pics of my uncle and some of the old heads making sausage, crackins' n the like. Talked a lil about how it was a microcosm of what we used to do.....some things I remember being a Lil kid growing up round here ,and alot of folks found it interesting. Well somone inboxed me a month ago asking about if we still did the big ones and I said no but I said I'd do my best to find some pictures, my grandma was some kinda bad about her picture takin and her photo albums....now I know why..... And honestly,wish she took more ,or at least I could find more. So I looked and looked. Bugged my mom and dad a bunch finally was going though a ole zip up bad full of these Lil photo albums found old pics of me my parents wedding just genral this that pics from my dad when I was still in the army then I found this...

Honestly didnt know what it was till I opened it up

You know, this was a few years before I was born ( 1997) but most of these faces the sights ,I can smell and hear every one of these pictures. Alot of these older guys in these pictures where still around when I was coming up. And they held this Lil backwoods community or whatever you'd call use on these back roads they call the Causey Quarters together.. they did this every year. Tradition, honestly I think this goes all the way back to slave times...but I'm not sure. And it wasn't done because people where poor ,goes back to that that but nah, it brought everyone together.
But yeah it's almost all the same. I remember being 7 or 8 waking up and hearing mom or dad or grandma ,if I was at her place say "Get your coat and gloves on we're going up to the camp". I remember loving and hating it man lol. Yeh them old heads would watch the weather like hawks and they would pick the coldest days to do this so the meat wouldn't spoil. We had deep freezers and coolers and all but ,that's just the way they did it. "Cold made you a man " they said. But yeah I'd bundle up hop in the car and we'd head to the camp up on the hill. The camp ,well best way I can describe it was a larger multi purpose building for the area. Many many get togethers ,cook outs, reunions ,trail rides , and Killin' went on up there. Remember one of my favorite parts what's tole old pool table they had in there. Was coin operated and the old guy would sit in there an smoke telling stories about huntin' fishing life and would grin ear to ear when one of us would as for some quarters so we could get the balls out and play with them mangled ole pool cues...
Somtimes you could hear guns being shot off the back porch off into the cow pasture at a bucket or bottle. Guys making bets and showing off how they where crack shots. The whole area was surrounded but big ole oaks and pecan trees hickernuts too . And down past it on the back side you could see " Uncle T's pond" . Honestly wasn't a late pond as was a medium sized lake. Boy it was massive. When it was dig all the trees they cute where stacked on piles before they filled it making virtual islands in the middle. Lots of talk about there being world record catfish living in there..... Remember going fish there as a kid seeing the big alligator snapping turtles cruise by in the murky water by the bank , might as well have been a sea monster lol.

But the main attraction was the hogs. Eveyone chipped in and the hogs where bought and raised by certain individuals who knew how to feed and tend to them so they had the best meat and they got big. I remember getting there early enough one time to see that big ole red goose neck cow trailer coming up the 1/4 mile long road up to the camp. The way that ole deisel was pinging in the early morning, that sound has greeted me many times over my life,but that was something special. And they would climb up the side of the last thing with a ole .22 long . And "pat pat pat pat" drop em all like a sack of brick. Right between the eyes. Then they haul em out hang em and bleed them out before gutting. All of this was usually don't before the main group of folks came with the kids.

Then once most everyone showed up folks would start working the carcasses. Eveyone had their own specialties. And not much went to waste at all. The heads where cut just right and carted off to be sectioned for hog head cheese. The intestines were handled with the utmost care and cleaned out for sausage casings or chitlines . I remember this was my grandma and her group of women's specialty. I remember her saying " Boy imma need alot if tooth paste tonight after this !" Apparently it was one of the best ways to get the smell off .
Remember walking past and seeing guys pluck and scrap the individual hair off the hides occasionally rising it off with scalding water. And when I say scrap I mean they would use a razor blade that you'd shave with. Meticulously go down the hog length wise in maybe a 3' wide line ,shaving .Then they singe it over a bed of coals and scald it again and it would be lilly white and ready to be turned into crackings.

The trotters would be cut off and sent to a guy who was gonna clean them up and prepare them for pickling. And on and on and on it went. The carcasses was then sawed length wist then cut into chops. Scraps of that being sent to the large table where they were diced and prepped for sausage making. The meat was all had seasoned with special mixes known only to the creators. Plain mild hot. Eveyone had their own little spin that made it all work. Eveyone got there share
I honestly cried a lil bit looking though all these ... remembering how it used to be, I hate to say but this is a bygone Era now..... With the passing of all these older guys so went these traditions , the love , the community........ I can walk to jaut about eveyone of these area I talk to in less then 15min ...... But their not the same anymore.... The camps still there ...but it's a husk of what it used to be...where there used to be loud story telling ,drunken laugher, a sense of real community. It's gone . At least for me and everyone who still really remembers. But we still try to carry on a little of the tradition ,now where near what it used to be....but it's not gonna die. So as to a tribute if days gone past a bygone Era ... I wrote this and posed these pics.... Only wish I had more....

 

 

 

Pickled pigs feet?? although  my mum loves roasted pigs feet, its a peasants dish, the chinese do a glazed pigs feet and they look delicious.  I think your right about those days gone never to return and what a shame too

[NEWKID 27,376]

Brilliant tales and pics, thanks for sharing mate

[mackem 27,374]

25 minutes ago, Lenmcharristar said:

Pickled pigs feet?? although  my mum loves roasted pigs feet, its a peasants dish, the chinese do a glazed pigs feet and they look delicious.  I think your right about those days gone never to return and what a shame too

I remember my nana sucking the meat off boiled pigs feet, and Filipinos eating them crispy pata style, nowt wasted. 

Good write-up wolfdog, different times

[Blackmag 6,110]

Good write up wolf dog happy memories always good to look back on old pictures 

Edited February 16, 2022 by Blackmag

[Lenmcharristar 9,885]

6 minutes ago, mackem said:

I remember my nana sucking the meat off boiled pigs feet, and Filipinos eating them crispy pata style, nowt wasted. 

Good write-up wolfdog, different times

Ive had chicken feet from chinese friends and they were tasty especially in blackbean sauce

[Flacko 1,755]

Great stuff wolfdog

[mushroom 13,224]

Top write up mate

Pig feet…. Only good for the dog There’s an old bloke where I live who has one every day with a couple of brewskies in the bar

[mackem 27,374]

9 minutes ago, Lenmcharristar said:

Ive had chicken feet from chinese friends and they were tasty especially in blackbean sauce

Street name is Adidas

[saluki bouy 741]

Great write up very much appreciated 

 

do you get bacon sold in supermarkets your side of the pond? These little questions and more so the answers intrigue me about other nationalities 

where I am 5 mins walk from local spar get 12 pieces that grill to solid dogs biscuit if over done my 30 secs the butchers far better taste and cooks better marginally better if you compared price but will shrivel up to half the size 

I’d love to taste the difference between supermarket / butchers bacon and genuine bacon I have raised myself same with chicken probably even more so than the above 

supermarket / butchers probs wrong to put in same category but a family member of mine has dealt in cattle all his life I’ve opened doors on the sales ring to let cattle In and out the ring since 12 and all they genuinely only care come market day is weight and how much they can profit from it or other wise how little they can pay for an under weight beast how much weight they can put on it an how much the value is at the time it comes to sell

 

now don’t get me wrong they all care for the animals but none of there thought concerns the end product 

[Wolfdog91 7,333]

40 minutes ago, saluki bouy said:

Great write up very much appreciated 

 

do you get bacon sold in supermarkets your side of the pond? These little questions and more so the answers intrigue me about other nationalities 

where I am 5 mins walk from local spar get 12 pieces that grill to solid dogs biscuit if over done my 30 secs the butchers far better taste and cooks better marginally better if you compared price but will shrivel up to half the size 

I’d love to taste the difference between supermarket / butchers bacon and genuine bacon I have raised myself same with chicken probably even more so than the above 

supermarket / butchers probs wrong to put in same category but a family member of mine has dealt in cattle all his life I’ve opened doors on the sales ring to let cattle In and out the ring since 12 and all they genuinely only care come market day is weight and how much they can profit from it or other wise how little they can pay for an under weight beast how much weight they can put on it an how much the value is at the time it comes to sell

 

now don’t get me wrong they all care for the animals but none of there thought concerns the end product 

Bacon ? O yeah actually was in the Lil little grocery store in town when I read this so too a pic of the bacon section.

Personally I prefer the thick cut style more then anything. That super thin stuff ain't worth jack

It's a little harder to find a butcher over here though, or honestly just plain pork belly to make your own but I mean I as you see this is from a small grocery store chain . Go to somwhere like Walmart and you get 2x this.  You go to some of the smaller places that cut there own though you can get some stuff that's just out of this world. Next time I go to the truck stop in the town over I'll snag a pic

Edited February 16, 2022 by Wolfdog91

[Wolfdog91 7,333]

1 hour ago, Lenmcharristar said:

Pickled pigs feet?? although  my mum loves roasted pigs feet, its a peasants dish, the chinese do a glazed pigs feet and they look delicious.  I think your right about those days gone never to return and what a shame too

If you think pigs feet oare gross I won't explain what chitlins' are then

[Wolfdog91 7,333]

1 hour ago, Lenmcharristar said:

Looks like an old fashioned southern bbq, where everybody on the same boat trying to scratch a living and get by

Wouldn't say that at all. Lotta them guys in them pics could pull out there wallets and have a few hundred dollar bills . Lots of contractors, cattlemen and the like. Super common thing down here lol