kept from eating for twenty-four to thirty-six hours before killing.
If kept on full feed the system is gorged and the blood, loaded with
assimilated nutrients, is pumped to the extremities of the capillaries.
It is impossible to thoroughly drain the blood from the veins when the
animal is bled, and the result will be a reddish-colored, unattractive
carcass. Again, food in the stomach decomposes very rapidly after the
animal is slaughtered. Where the dressing is slow, as it must be on the
farm, the gases generated from the stomach often flavor the meat. It
is well to give water freely up to the time of slaughter as it aids in
keeping the temperature normal and helps in cleaning out the system,
resulting in a nicer colored carcass.
It is but natural that the condition of animals prior to slaughter
should have a positive effect on the keeping qualities of the meat.
There should be no excitement sufficient to raise the temperature of
the body. Excitement creates fever, prevents proper drainage of the
blood vessels, and, if intense, will cause souring of the meat very
soon after dressing. No animal should be killed after a long drive
or rapid run about the pasture. It is always better in such cases to
permit the animal to rest over night rather than to risk spoiling the
meat. The flesh of an animal that has been overheated and then killed
is usually of a dark color and frequently develops a sour odor within a
few hours after dressing. Bruises cause blood to settle in the affected
portions of the body, often causing loss of a considerable part of
the carcass. A 24-hour fast, ample water, careful handling and rest
are necessary in order that the meat may be in the best condition for
immediate use or curing.
KILLING AND DRESSING CATTLE.
The first step in killing is to secure the animal so that, in no
emergency, it can escape. Use a rope one inch in diameter. Put a slip
noose in one end with a knot just far enough from the noose to prevent
choking when drawn tight, but it should at the same time allow the
noose to draw tight enough so that there is no danger of escape, in the
event of the rope becoming slack. If the animal has horns, pass the
noose over the head, back of the ear and horn on the right side, but in
front of the horn on the left side of the head. This operation leaves
the full face of the animal bare and does not tighten on the throat.
When a dehorned or polled animal is to be slaughtered it will of course
be necessary to put the noose around the neck. Attach an ordinary
pulley to a post or tree close to the ground, to the barn floor or
sill, pass the rope through it and draw the animal’s head down as close
to the pulley as possible.
Administer a heavy blow in the center of the forehead at a point where
lines from the base of the horns to the eyes would cross. Shooting has
the same effect as stunning and may be resorted to. Frequently where an
animal can not be brought to the pulley it is necessary to shoot. In
shooting use only a rifle of good caliber.
[Illustration: Fig. 2--Beef: Illustrating method of securing to stun.
Intersection of dotted lines show place to strike.]
Bleed the animal immediately by sticking just in front of the breast
bone as shown in Fig. 3. Stand in front of the animal with back toward
the body after the manner of a horseshoer. Reaching down between the
front feet, lay open the skin from breast-bone toward the chin for a
distance of 10 to 12 inches, using the ordinary skinning knife. Insert
the knife with the back against the breastbone and the tip pointing
to the spinal column at the top of the shoulders, cutting just under
the windpipe and about 5 to 6 inches in depth at the junction of the
jugular vein near the collar bone; at this point if the vein is severed
the blood will run out rapidly. If stuck too deep, the pleura will be
punctured and blood will flow in the chest cavity, causing a bloody
carcass. It requires practice to become expert in the sticking of beef.
Not so much skill is required to simply cut the animal’s throat back of
the jaws but the time required for bleeding is very much longer and the
bleeding less thorough.
SKINNING AND CUTTING.
Begin skinning at once while the carcass is lying on its side by
splitting the skin through the face from the head to the nose as shown
in Fig. 4. Skin the face back over the eyes on both sides and down over
the cheeks, cutting around the base of the horns so as to leave the
ears on the hide. Split the skin down the throat to meet the cut made
in bleeding. Start the skin in slightly on the sides of the neck and
down to the jaws. Now remove the head by cutting just back of the jaws
toward the depression back of the head as shown in Fig. 5. The atlas
joint will be found at this point and may be easily unjointed with the
knife.
[Illustration: Fig. 3--Beef: Place to stick and manner of sticking.]
At this point the carcass should be rolled on its back and held in
position by a small, strong stick, say 18 inches long, with a sharp
spike in both ends. Insert one end in the brisket and the other in the
floor or ground. This will hold the carcass in position. Then split
the skin over the back of the four legs from between the dew-claws to
a point three or four inches above the knees. Skin around the shin and
knee, unjointing the knee at the lowest joint as seen in Fig. 6 and
skin clear down to the hoof.
[Illustration: Fig. 4--Beef: Skinning the face, illustrating manner of
starting.]
The brisket and forearms should not be skinned until after the carcass
is hung up. Now cut across the cord over the hind shin, splitting the
skin from the dew-claws to the hock up over the rear part of the thigh
to a point from four to six inches back of the cod or udder. Skin the
hock and shin, removing the leg as shown in Fig. 7. In splitting the
skin over the thigh turn the knife down flat with the edge upward to
avoid the cutting of flesh. While the hind leg is stretched ahead it
is skinned down over the rear of the lower thigh but do not skin the
outside of the thigh until the hind-quarters are raised. After the legs
are skinned split the skin of the carcass over the midline from the
breast to the rectum.
[Illustration: Fig. 5--Beef: Removing the head.]
[Illustration: Fig. 6--Beef: Showing manner of unjoining fore leg and
skinning shank.]
Now begin at the flanks and skin along the midline until the side is
nicely started. With a sharp knife held flat against the surface have
the hide stretched tightly and remove the skin down over the sides
with steady down-strokes of the knife, as shown in Fig. 8. But it
is necessary that the hide should be stretched tightly and without
wrinkles. Care should be taken to leave a covering of muscles over the
abdomen of the carcass as it keeps it better. In siding the beef, it is
usual to go down nearly to the back bone, leaving the skin attached at
thighs and shoulders; skin over the buttock and as far down on the rump
as possible, always avoiding cutting the flesh or tearing the membrane
over it. A coarse cloth and a pail of hot water should be at hand while
skinning and blood spots wiped quickly from the surface, but the cloth
should be nearly dry, as the less water used the better. Open the
carcass at the belly and pull the small intestines out at one side. Use
a saw or sharp ax in opening the brisket and pelvis. After raising the
windpipe and belly and cutting loose the pleura and diaphragm along the
lower part of the cavity, the carcass will be ready to raise.
[Illustration: Fig. 7--Beef: Unjointing the hind leg.]
[Illustration: Fig. 8--Beef: “Siding down;” knife held flat against the
tightly stretched skin.]
Fig. 9 shows the carcass ready for raising, and Fig. 11 shows the block
and tackle rigging attached to the carcass about to be raised.
When the carcass is raised to a convenient height, skin the hide over
the thigh, rump and hips. While in this position, it is well to loosen
the rectum and small intestines and allow them to drop down over the
paunch. The fat lining, the pelvis and the kidney fat should not be
disturbed nor mutilated. The intestines may be separated from the
liver to which they are attached by the use of a knife. The paunch is
attached to the back at the left side and may be torn loose. Let it
roll on the ground and cut off or draw off the gullet. The carcass at
this point is shown in Fig. 11. Now raise the carcass a little higher
and take out the liver, having first removed the gall bladder. Now
remove the diaphragm, lungs, the heart, and finish skinning over the
shoulders, forearms and neck, as shown in Fig. 12. Sponge all the dirt
and blood off with a cloth, split the carcass in halves, using a saw,
cleaver or sharp ax, wash out the inside of the chest cavity and wipe
it dry.
[Illustration: Fig. 9--Beef: Ready to raise: Breast, forearms and neck,
left covered to protect the meat until the carcass is raised.]
[Illustration: Fig. 11--Beef: Removing paunch and intestines.]
Trim off all bloody veins and scraggy pieces of the neck and leave the
beef to cool before quartering.
[Illustration: Fig. 12--Beef: Skinning shoulders and forearms.]
[Illustration: 13.--Beef raised out of the way of animals to cool.]
Fig. 13 shows the finished carcass hanging high up and cooling.
KILLING AND DRESSING MUTTON.
If the sheep is an old one, it should be stunned. If a young one,
dislocating the neck after cutting the throat serves the same purpose.
This is accomplished by placing one hand on top of the head, the other
under the chin, and twisting sharply upward. Lay the sheep on its side
on a platform, with its head hanging over the end. Grasp the chin in
the left hand and stick the knife through the neck back of the jaw,
turning the cutting edge of the knife toward the spinal column and
cut the flesh to the bone. By so doing it is impossible to cut the
windpipe. (See Fig. 14.)
[Illustration: Fig. 14--Manner of Sticking a Sheep.]
Split the skin over the back of the front leg from the dewclaws a
little above the knee. (See Fig. 15.) Open the skin over the windpipe
from breast to chin, starting in slightly on the sides of the neck.
Split the skin over the back of the hind leg through the middle line
and skin the buttock. Raise the skin over the udder or cod and flanks.
Skin around the hocks and down to the hoofs, cutting off the feet at
the toe joints. Run the knife between the cord and bone on back of the
chin and tie the legs together just above the pastern joint. Do not
skin the legs above the hock until the carcass is hung up.
[Illustration: Fig. 15.--“Legging out” a sheep.]
Hang the sheep up by the hind legs, split the skin over the middle
line; start at the brisket and “fist off” the skin. This is done by
grasping the edge of the pelt firmly in one hand, pulling it up tight
and working the other with the fist closed between the pelt and the
body, over the fore-quarters downward and upward and backward over the
hind-quarters and legs. It is unwise to work down on the skin over the
hind legs, as it would rupture the membrane. The wool should always
be held away from the flesh as a matter of cleanliness, and the skin
on the legs should be pulled away from the carcass rather than toward
it. When the pelt has been loosened over sides and back, it should be
stripped down over the neck and cut off close to the ears. Remove the
head without skinning by cutting through the atlas joint.
[Illustration: Fig. 16--Fisting off the Pelt.]
GUTTING.
Remove the entrails by cutting around the rectum and allowing it to
drop down inside, but do not split the pelvis. Open down the belly line
from cod or udder to breast bone; take out the paunch and intestines,
leaving the liver attached to the diaphragm. It is not best to split
the breast. Reach up in the pelvis and pull out the bladder. Wipe all
blood and dirt from the carcass with a coarse cloth wrung dry from
hot water. Double up the front legs and slip the little cord found by
cutting into the fleshy part of the forearms into the ankle joints.
[Illustration: Fig. 17.--Removing the intestines of sheep.]
KILLING AND DRESSING HOGS.
A good sticking knife, hog hook, scrapers, a barrel or a trough
for scalding, and a convenient place for working are the important
necessities. Set the barrel at the proper slant with the open end
against a table or platform of the proper height, with the bottom
securely fastened; a strong tackle built for the purpose is desirable,
but not necessary. Hogs should not be excited or heated, and in
catching and throwing them bruising must be avoided. However, it is
not necessary to stun hogs before sticking them. At slaughter houses
they are usually hung up by one hind leg. If there is no hoisting
appliances, lay the hog on its back and hold it there until stuck.
Two men can handle a hog if they will but work with intelligence.
By reaching under the animal, one at the fore leg and the other at
the hind leg, they can turn a heavy hog on its back easily. One man,
standing astride the body, with his feet close against the side and
holding its front feet, can control it while the other does the
sticking.
[Illustration: Fig. 18.--Manner of holding and sticking a hog.]
[Illustration: Fig. 19.--Scalding a hog. Note arrangement.]
The knife should be eight inches long, straight bladed and narrow,
and stuck into the hog’s throat just in front of the breast bone, the
point directed toward the root of the tail and held in line with the
back bone. This is necessary to prevent cutting between the ribs and
the shoulders, which would cause the blood to settle there with waste
in trimming of the shoulder. When the knife has been stuck in six or
eight inches, according to the size of the hog, turn the knife quickly
to one side and withdraw it. The arteries that are to be cut run close
together just inside of the breast bone and both are cut when the knife
is turned, providing the edges are sharp at the point.
The water for scalding when heated in the house should be boiling when
removed from the stove. If put into a cold barrel it will be about
the right temperature when the hog is ready for scalding. During the
scalding process the water should be about 185 to 195 degrees, if the
scalding tub holds only enough water to scald one hog. Water at 150
degrees will scald a hog, but, of course, more time is required. In
large packing houses where a large tub is used and steam is continually
blowing into the water, the water is kept at 150 degrees. Too hot
water is likely to cause more trouble than too cold, and for this
reason it is always best to have a thermometer at hand. Of course, the
temperature may be reduced by putting in a little cold water. A hog
should not be scalded before it is dead or the blood in the small blood
vessels near the surface of the skin will cook and give a reddish tinge
to the carcass.
To make the hair easy to remove and to cleanse the skin of the hog and
free it from all the greasy filth which forms a scurf on the skin of
all hogs, our Hog-Scald should always be used. Hogs scalded with the
aid of Hog-Scald do not require so much heat to loosen the hair, it
requires much less labor to clean them, and the dressed hogs will look
much nicer and the rinds will cure and smoke nicer than when it is not
used. No Farmer or Butcher will dress his hogs without Hog-Scald after
giving it a trial. For description and price list on Hog-Scald, see
page 278.
[Illustration: Fig. 20.--A convenient way of hanging up a hog.]
While being scalded the carcass should be kept moving constantly to
avoid cooking the skin. While scalding, the hog should occasionally
be drawn out of the water for air, when the hair may be tried. When
both hair and scurf slip easily from the skin, scalding is completed.
Remove the carcass from the water and begin scraping. The head and feet
should be cleaned first, as they do not clean easily when cold. Use a
“candlestick” scraper on the head. Use the hands and a knife if you
haven’t this tool. The feet and legs are easily cleaned by grasping
them firmly with the hands and twisting them around and back; pull
the little bristles of the body by hand and remove the scurf and fine
hair with the scraper, long corn knife or other tool. Wash the entire
carcass with hot water and shave it with a sharp knife. Insert a stick
under the gambrel cords and hang up the hog.
Wash down with hot water, shave patches and rinse with cold water.
Occasionally the hog is too large to scald in a barrel. Cover it
thickly with blankets or sacks containing a little bran, pour hot water
over it and the hair will be readily loosened.
GUTTING HOGS.
Split the hog between the hind legs, separating the bones with a knife.
Run the knife down over the belly line, guiding it with the right hand
and shielding the point with the lingers of the left hand and thus
avoid the danger of cutting the intestines. Split the breast-bone with
a knife or an ax and cut down through the sticking place to the chin.
Cut around the rectum and pull down until the kidneys are reached,
using a knife whenever necessary to sever the cords attached to the
back. Do not disturb the kidneys or the fat covering them, excepting
in warm weather, when the leaf may be removed to allow quicker and
more thorough cooling. Remove the paunch and the intestines. The gall
bladder lies in plain sight on the liver, and it lies attached to the
diaphragm and hypatic vein. It should be stripped off after starting
the upper end with a knife. Avoid spilling the contents on the meat.
Insert the fingers under the liver and strip it out. Cut across the
artery, running down the backbone, and cut around the diaphragm,
removing them with the pluck, that is, heart, lungs, liver and gullet.
Open the jaw and insert a small block to allow free drainage. Wash out
all blood with cold water, and dry with a coarse cloth. In hot weather
the backbone should be split to facilitate cooling. The fat should
be removed from the intestines before they get cold. It is strong in
flavor and should not be mixed with the leaf lard in rendering.
[Illustration: Gutting the Hog]
CLEANING CASINGS.
(_Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden._)
[Illustration: CLEANING CASINGS]
Those who undertake to clean casings have great trouble in getting them
white and many resort to lime and other methods for both bleaching them
and freeing them of fat. Notwithstanding all such efforts, the casings
remain dark and unattractive. The reason for much of this difficulty
lies in the fact that the casings are not properly washed and cleaned
in the first operation. Casings should be washed thoroughly in three
different changes of water. The fat should then be scraped off from the
outside. Water must also be run through the casings and they should
be turned inside out so that they may become thoroughly washed and
cleaned. After casings have been perfectly washed and scraped in this
manner, they should be dry-salted by packing them in a liberal quantity
of salt. Casings thus cured will remain sweet and white.
HANDLING HIDES.
(_Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden._)
The proper handling of the hides of slaughtered animals, so as to
obtain the best possible prices for them and avoiding excessive
shrinkage before they are marketed, is a very important matter and
should have the Butcher’s careful attention.
In the first place, it should be borne in mind that it is an easy
matter to badly damage the hide of an animal before killing by prodding
it with a pole. This of course should always be avoided.
The killing floor should be kept as clean as possible. If there is
blood on the floor and this gets on the hair and remains there, when
the hides are stacked up this blood comes in contact with the fleshy
side of the hide next to it and will make a spot which gives the hide
a very bad appearance. By keeping the hides entirely free from blood,
they make a better appearance and bring a better price.
The greatest care should be given to the removal of the hide, so they
are not scored, as this greatly reduces the value of the hides to the
tanner. A good, careful skinner is worth several dollars a week more to
the Butcher who kills many animals than a skinner who is careless in
his work. (The hide should be so nicely removed from the animal that
when it comes to the tanner it should look like it had been planed from
the animal, it should be so free from cuts or scores.)
PROPER STORAGE OF HIDES.
(_Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden._)
This is a point of very great importance. If many hides are kept
on hand for any length of time before shipment, the difference in
shrinkage between hides which are properly kept and those which are not
so stored is very great. The careful storing and handling of hides will
always repay the time and trouble necessary, not only in the weight of
the hides, but in the condition in which they are marketed.
Hides should be kept in as cool a room as possible and all windows and
doors should be kept closed, so as to have no circulation of air.
SALT TO USE IN SALTING HIDES.
(_Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden._)
The best salt to use for this purpose is Crushed Rock Salt. Large lumps
of salt are objectionable, on account of leaving indentations in the
hides where they are pressed together, which injures their appearance
in the eyes of the buyer.
One part of Fine Salt to three parts of Crushed Rock Salt makes a fine
mixture for salting hides, as the fine salt quickly dissolves and makes
a moisture on the hide, which the hide absorbs.
When re-using old salt for salting hides, always add about one-third
of new salt to it, as this gives much better results. About one-third
of the salt used is consumed in salting hides, so by adding one-third
additional of fresh salt each time, the supply of salt is kept the
same. Always keep the salt as clean as possible. If there is much dirt
or manure in it these will discolor the hides and they will not make as
good a showing to the buyer.
QUANTITY OF SALT TO USE ON HIDES.
(_Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden._)
In large Packing Houses about 35 lbs. of salt is used for each hide.
The Packers find that by using this quantity they get better results
than if a smaller quantity is used. Very few Butchers in the country
use as much salt as this on their hides, but they would find it
greatly to their advantage to use about 100 lbs. of salt to every
three hides, and if the proper quantity of salt is used, as described
in the foregoing, it can be used over and over again with a loss of
about one-third for each time used. It is much better for the Butcher
to invest more money in salt and give the hides a proper amount, as he
will thus save on the excessive shrinkage of the hides, which would
amount to more than the cost of the salt.
HOW TO STACK HIDES WHEN SALTING.
(_Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden._)
One of the most important features in salting hides is the way they
are stacked when salted. The hides must be so piled that they are
perfectly level and the salt must be distributed over every part of
the hide. The flesh side should be up, and the salt should be rubbed
over them evenly. The hides can be piled about two feet high. The legs
of the hide should be kept straight and flat, so the salt gets into
all crevices. The edges of the stack of hides should be kept a trifle
higher all around than the center of the stack, so the natural moisture
that comes out of the hide and the dry salt will remain on them. If
the hides are salted on a slanting floor, or if the hides are piled up
carelessly so the hides lie slanting, the brine composed of moisture
of the green hide and the salt will run off and then the percentage of
loss from shrinkage will be large.
HOW LONG TO CURE HIDES.
Hides should lie in the pack and salt for 25 to 30 days, so as to be
fully cured and ready for shipment.
TRIMMING OF GREEN HIDES.
(_Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden._)
Before the hides are salted the switches should be cut off of the tail
and all loose ends of the hide should be cut off. The butt of the ears
should also be split; if the hides go into the pack without attention
to this point, it makes the pack very uneven on account of the
thickness of the ear, and the salt does not have a chance to properly
penetrate the ears, and they are liable to spoil. Loose pieces of meat
that are carelessly left on the hides and all excessive fat should be
trimmed off. Hides must not be salted until five hours or longer after
the animal is killed, and they must not be piled closely, as this would
prevent the animal heat from escaping. If hides are salted with the
animal heat in them, very often the hair will slip, which will make No.
2 hides.
SALTING SWITCHES.