364 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



How many split it on each side of the back bone, to take out that 

 backbone, or chime as you call it? Let's see your hands? Well, the 

 majority. Now my contention is that this is not an economically 

 way of cuttins: that pork carcass. You will say *'yes, but I must 

 have that backbone, I want to boil it." All right. 



SECRETARY CRITCHFIELD : Need it for sour krout. 



PROF. TOMHAVE: Yes, very true, but I will show you a little 

 later on, if you take that loin out, take out what is called the com- 

 mercial or packers' loin, you have more of that meat and you ha^ve 

 prepared that loin in a way that it can be used for a roast or for 

 chops and it is used economically. Nature has provided every ani- 

 mal with two sides, right and left. If you split that animal directly 

 in the middle, you will find that the entire carcass is protected on 

 the outside by the hide, there is a thin vellum that separates the 

 two sides, goes down the backbone and down the lower line. If you 

 split that carcass exactly in the middle, you will find that you have 

 left that thin membrane covering all the edible portion of the car- 

 cass. I will show you later on why I want you to split it down 

 through the center of the backbone. 



In removing the head, we want to cut about an inch back of the 

 ear. You notice it is very easy to remove that head if you do that; 

 try and strike that atlas joint. If the carcass has not been split 

 before the head is removed, you can always strike it. If that cut 

 comes around there just about an inch back of the ear, you will find 

 the atlas joint and head can be taken off witliout any trouble. That 

 head is used for head cheese, sausage, baked beans or whatever you 

 want to use it for. We have in this carcass the leaf lard or kidney 

 fat. I asked them to leave the entire carcass intact, which they did, 

 but when you are slaughtering animals for your own use at home or 

 those you are going to sell to the butcher while the carcass is warm, 

 start right at the point of the rib and pull out this leaf lard. There 

 are two reasons for it. One of them is that it comes out so much 

 easier when the carcass is warm and it also aids in cooling the car- 

 cass. 



Now you probably raise the question, you will say, "Well, it may 

 be all right if the butcher wants it, he is entitled to it, but it is to 

 his advantage to remove it, lift it out, spread it out so that it can 

 cool thoroughly. You will find that you will have little or no trouble 

 with soured loins or soured hams. If this kidney fat is 

 left in as in this case you will find, especially in heavy 

 hogs, that it has a tendency to hold the heat in the loin and in the 

 lower portion of the ham. The result is that frequently that sours 

 and spoils. It is all right for the butcher to have it, he is entitled to 

 it and you should supply him with it, but pull it out, cool it thor- 

 oughly, and take it with the carcass, and in spreading this out on 

 the table, put the portion next to the flesh portion of the carcass up. 

 The side that has the thin vellum of membrane should be next to the 

 table. Here again we follow this general method of cutting, namely, 

 that the cutting across the grain of the meat as far as possible, 

 separating the cheaper cuts of meat from the more expensive. Gen- 

 erally speaking the shoulder is cut from the middle, between the 

 fourth and fifth rib, but that cut may vary, depending on the amount 

 of loin you want, and if you want a large amount of loin, you can 



