Butchering the carcass

Very sharp knives and a cleaverCleaver

The word cleaver has a number of uses:*Cleaver is a large form of knife.*Ar?te, in descriptive geology, is a ridge of rock that separates a unified flow of glacial ice from its uphill side into two glaciers flanking, and flowing parallel to, the ridge....

are required for butchering. Butchering was a trade passed from father to son. The carcass was cut into hamHam

Ham is the thigh and rump of pork, cut from the haunch of a pig or boar. Although it may be cooked and served fresh, most ham is Curing in some fashion....

s, shoulders, baconBacon

Bacon is a cut of meat taken from the sides, belly, or back of a pig, then Curing , Smoking , or both. Meat from other animals, such as beef, Lamb and mutton, chicken, goat, or turkey , may also be cut, cured, or otherwise prepared to resemble bacon....

sides, pork bellysPork belly

File:Schweinebauch-2.jpgPork belly is the meat derived from the belly of a pig. In the American cuisine, bacon is made from pork bellies.In other parts of the world, bacon is more often made from back and side cuts, and bacon made from bellies is referred to as "streaky" or "American style"....

, ham hocks, loins, pork chops, and other cuts of lesser importance.



The lardLard

Lard is Domestic pig fat in both its Rendering and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a Spread similar to butter....

is rendered, and the chitlins stripped. Lard is made by heating fragments of fat in a large iron pot over a wood fire until it is reduced to simmering grease which congeals when cooled. Lard is then stored in five-gallon lard tins with tin covers.



The intestines are then stripped by drawing them through a clenched fist. The intestines are washed, cut into short pieces, and fried to make chitlins.



The "pièce de résistancePièce de résistance

Pi?ce de r?sistance is a French language term , translated into English language literally as "piece of resistance", referring to the best part or feature of something , a showpiece, or highlight....

" is the pork loin which is often eaten the first night. For days after fresh sageCommon sage

Salvia officinalis is a small perennial evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is native to the Mediterranean region and commonly grown as a kitchen and medicinal herb or as an ornamental garden plant....

-flavored sausageSausage

A sausage is a prepared food, usually made from ground meat, animal fat, salt, and spices , typically packed in a casing . Sausage making is a traditional food preservation technique....

graces the breakfast table.