Securing a half or whole pig for your family freezer is very intimidating at first. How much do you get? What’s the process? How long does it take?  We aim to try to take some of the confusion out of the process so you know exactly what you’re getting.

For the sake of brevity, we’ll outline what you typically get out of a half and you can work the rough math from there.

A pig is divided into multiple areas where you’re favorite cuts come from:

–Loin: tenderloin, pork chops, baby back ribs
–Ham: cured ham, deli ham, ham steak, cutlets
–Ribs: Rolled spare ribs, country ribs
–Bacon: cured bacon, fresh side, belly
–Boston Butt: Pork steaks, roast
–Picnic shoulder: picnic roast
–Trim: pork burger, sausage, brats

Below is an outline of specific cuts you get from a half with a standard cutting order:

• Pork Chops: 32 (2″ inch thick, center cut loin pork chops)
• Spare Ribs: 1 roll of spare ribs
• Ham: 18 pounds of ham (curing will shrink this a couple pounds)
• Bacon: 7 pounds
• Shoulder/Roast: 8 beautifully marbled steaks and 2 roasts
• Burger or Sausage: 9-10 pounds
• 5 lbs lard (optional)

With a half a pig, you’ll receive 65-80 pounds of pork (this can fluctuate depending on the size of each pig). Here’s how that can break down with a standard cutting order (depending on your cutting order or the size of the pig, these totals may vary):