[rec.hunting] Dressing Pigs

robert@uunet.UU.NET (Robert A. Osborne) (04/18/91)

#	I am hoping to go pig hunting one of these days and I have a
#question about cleaning them. A book that I have says that you need to
#dip them in a barrel of scalding hot water and scrape the bristles off
#before skinning them.  Now, I very seldom take a barrel of scalding
#hot water with me when I go hunting. Is this really necessary, and if
#so, why?
#
#	Steven Hunter
#	Hunter@es.net
#

Pigs don't have a hide they have skin, so they can't be 'skinned' like
deer, beef or moose.  There are two reasons for the scalding and
scraping; leaving what's left edible (depending on whether or not you
consider pork rinds edible :-) and cleaning the beast so you don't
infect the meat (this is why you tie up various orifices).  Note that
you don't have to scald then skin it's an either/or situation.

If boiling water isn't handy another possibility is to 'singe' the
outer layer off (although I've never seen this done so I won't give any
half-baked guesses as to how :-).

You can skin pigs but it's difficult and a real mess.

Rob.