Talked to a retired pig farmer about slaughter timing and it messed me up

He said he always waits 3 extra days past market weight because the fat sets different. Ive been rushing hogs to kill for 12 years and never thought about it. Anybody else ever try holding them longer on purpose?

3 comments

3 Comments

henderson.vera28d ago

My buddy tried that once and said the meat tasted way better but he lost money on feed.

johnson.jason27d ago

@henderson.vera did the fat taste different or was the meat just more tender overall?

maryt6223d ago

Read an article from some old school butcher magazine my grandpa had laying around that said exactly this. They claimed the extra days let the fat render more evenly and gave the meat a deeper flavor. I always figured it was just old timer superstition but hearing your story makes me wonder if there's something to it. Might be those three days let the pig's body fully distribute the last feed it took, changing the fat composition. Now I'm curious if the cost of feed is worth the better end product or if it only matters for certain markets.