At Southern Maine Stockyard we offer both whole and half sides of pork available for purchase. This gives the consumer the ability to fill their freezer with all their pork for a few months or even a year. This saves trips to the local grocer for the pork chops, bacon, ham, sausage, and other pork products on a regular basis.
Retail Cut Breakdown
Retail cuts refer to the products that you would find at the grocery store. Below are the averages that you would find from one of our pigs. If purchasing a half, expect half of each number listed below.
10 pounds of ground pork (or flavored sausage)
8 pounds chine end roast (can be cut down into smaller portions)
16 pounds pork shoulder (can be cut down into smaller portions)
15 pounds of pork chops
5 pounds of spareribs (4 racks)
10 pounds of pork butt (can be cut down into smaller portions)
25 pounds of bacon
5 pounds of ham shank
5 pounds of ham butt
12 pounds of ham steak
6 pounds of country style ribs
4 pounds of rib roast.
This is the average and the cuts that we mostly choose. Cuts can be changed based on the customers preference, such as more ground pork, boneless pork chops, or less smoked (hams/ham steak).
What does it Cost?
As mentioned above we sell by the whole and half pork sides. We calculate price based on hanging weight at time of slaughter. The hanging weight is the weight of the pig once the head, internal organs, and feet are removed. Packaged weight is typically 66% of the hanging weight. To put this in perspective a hog that dresses or hangs at 250 pounds would equate to 165 pounds of packaged weight. The 165 pounds includes head, tongue, liver, jowls, hocks, and feet. These sections of the hog are not necessary to keep but many ask for them. Subtract those sections, and the packaged weight is closer to the 120–130-pound range.