Thread: Cleaning a hog Part #1-Skinning

I thought I would show how I clean my hogs since some people have been curious as how to clean one.For the most part it is real similar to a deer.I know everyone cleans their animals different.This is the way I do it and it works for me.Hopefully this will get you started,and you can tweak it however you would like.

Remember when cutting hide on hogs or deer don't cut through the hide towards the meat.This will get hair everywhere.Put the blade between the hide and meat.With the blade facing you make your cuts with the grain of the hair,not against it.That means your cutting direction should be from the head towards rear.Because the hair faces from head towards rear.Trust me it helps keep the meat cleaner.

For the main cuts on the hide I put green lines at the locations I am talking about.The red line on the belly pic is the difference between how you would cut a boar and a sow.



While the hog is on the ground make a slit in each rear leg so you can stick the gambrel in.Insert Gambrel and hoist him up.Next cut all the way around the front legs on the hoof side about 2" below the joints.




Next on a sow go from the inside of one rear leg to the other like this.



On a boar make your cut like this.



Then continue down towards the neck.When you are between the front shoulders make a cut down each front leg to the circle cut you made below the leg joint...

(Pic to be added)see main diagram

Cut the reproductive organ like this and fold it over the back.



Continue cutting and find the joint for the tail.Cut through it and this is what it should look like.



Once you get all the hide on the rear of the animal free you start cutting it down towards the shoulders.About half way down on a boar you may have a hard time with the sheild.If you are not mounting the boar you can come around to the back and cut all the way down his back to his neck.This will help alot.



When you get all the hide off of him you can take a hatchet or saw and remove the head at the neck.

Next part I will show how I quarter them up.

Great thread PLP! This will help me out a lot

The second you pull the trigger the work begins.....